The 19th Infantry Division was a formation of the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

Originally formed 1 October 1934 as

Artillerieführer VI The 6th Division was a unit of the Reichswehr. Creation In the Order of 31 July 1920 for the Reduction of the Army (to comply with the upper limits on the size of the military contained in the Treaty of Versailles), it was determined that in ev ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, the division was renamed ''19. Infanterie-Division'' on 15 October 1935. Mobilized on 25 August 1939 the division participated in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

and the Battle of France. After the French campaign, the division was reorganized as a tank division and on 1 November 1940 was renamed 19th Panzer Division.

Commanders

The commanders of the division:Mitcham, p. 150–152 *General der Kavallerie Konrad von Goßler 1 October 1934 – 1 March 1938 *Generalleutnant Günther Schwantes 1 March 1938 – 1 February 1940 *Generalmajor

Otto von Knobelsdorff Otto von Knobelsdorff (31 March 1886 – 21 October 1966) was a German general during World War II who led the 19th Panzer Division and then held a series of higher commands. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Le ...

1 February 1940 – 1 November 1940

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:19th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*019 Military units and formations established in 1934 1934 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1940