12th Infantry Division . It was an infantry division of the German Army ( Heer ) during World War II . This division was created on 1 of October of 1934 in Schwerin , the Military District II ( Wehrkreis II ), under the name of Infanterieführer II , and did not assume its normal designation to the creation of the Heer on 15 October of of 1935 . Initially it was made up of the 27th Infantry Regiment, formed in Rostock, and the 48th Infantry Regiment, created from the 5th East Prussian Regiment of the former Reichswehr . In 1937 the 89th Infantry Regiment, established in Schwerin, was added . In October 1944 it was rebuilt as the 12th Volksgrenadier Division .
He fought in the invasion of Poland in 1939 , in the Battle of France , in Operation Barbarossa, and on the Western European front .
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Composition
- 1 1939
- 2 1942
- 3 1943-1944
- 3 Commanders
- 4 References
Story
The actions of the 12th Infantry Division within the forces of Nazi Germany began on December of July of 1939 with the mobilization, being transferred later that month by ship to Baltiysk ( USSR ) to be involved in the attack on border positions to the east of Mlawa , in Poland , the 1 of September of 1939 , in this way would have a prominent role in the invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the Army Group B .
During the German campaign in France the Division continued to achieve success and once imposed the French puppet government remained an occupying force. Then East Prussia was sent to join the forces that marched in March 1941 against the USSR , subordinating itself mainly to the II Army Corps , going on the offensive in 1941 and 1942 , while in 1943 it was used to treat to stop the Soviet counteroffensive and support the evacuation of the units besieged by the Red Army .
In March 1944 the Division was transferred to the Mogilev area , in Belarus , being attacked by Soviet forces in June of the same year during the offensive of the Red Army against Army Group Center , this fact led to the destruction of the 12th. Infantry Division between the cities of Mogilev and Grodno . On August 3, 1944, the Division was reorganized under the name of the 12th Division of People’s Grenadiers as part of the military training group.
Composition
The complete organization of the division was changing throughout the war:
1939
- 27th Infantry Regiment
- 48th Infantry Regiment
- 89th Infantry Regiment
- Artillerie-Regiment 12
- /Artillerie-Regiment 48
- Aufklärung-Abteilung 12 (Reconnaissance Battalion)
- Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 12 (Anti-tank battalion)
- Pionier-Bataillon 12 (Engineer Battalion)
- Nachrichten-Abteilung 12 (Communications Battalion)
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 12 (Reserve Battalion)
- Divisions-Versorgungs-Einheiten 12 (Quartermaster Battalion)
1942
- Füsilier-Regiment 27
- Grenadier-Regiment 48
- Grenadier-Regiment 89
- Radfahr-Abteilung 12 (Cycling Battalion)
- Artillerie-Regiment 12
- /Artillerie-Regiment 48
- Pionier-Bataillon 12 (Engineer Battalion)
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 12 (Anti-tank battalion)
- Nachrichten-Abteilung 12 (Transmission Battalion)
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 12 (Reserve Battalion)
- Versorgungseinheiten 12 (Quartermaster Battalion)
1943-1944
- Füsilier-Regiment 27
- Grenadier-Regiment 48
- Grenadier-Regiment 89
- Füsilier-Bataillon 12
- Artillerie-Regiment 12
- /Artillerie-Regiment 48
- Pionier-Bataillon 12 (Engineer Battalion)
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 12 (Anti-tank battalion)
- Nachrichten-Abteilung 12 (Transmission Battalion)
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 12 (Reserve Battalion)
- Versorgungseinheiten 12 (Quartermaster Battalion)
Commanders
- Lieutenant General Ludwig von der Leyen (September 1, 1939)
- Lieutenant General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach (March 10, 1940)
- Colonel Karl Hernekamp (January 1, 1942)
- Lieutenant General Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (March 1, 1942)
- Colonel Gerhard Müller (June 1, 1942)
- Colonel Wilhelm Lorenz (July 11, 1942)
- Lieutenant General Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (July 20, 1942)
- Lieutenant General Curt Jahn (May 25, 1944)
- Lieutenant General Rudolf Bamler (June 4, 1944)
- Major General Gerhard Engel (June 28, 1944)
