23rd Infantry Division
The German 23rd Infantry Division (''23. Infanterie-Division''), later the 26th Panzer Division, was a military unit operational 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 ...
. It was organized along standard lines for a German
infantry division
A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.
In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Histo ...
. It was non-motorised and relied on horse-drawn wagons for its mobility. The unit carried the nickname ''Grenadierkopf''.
The 23rd Infantry 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 ...
in 1939 as part of the reserve component of the
4th Army. The division was commanded by
Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt and consisted of the
9th,
67th, and
68th infantry regiments.
Commanding officers
*Generalleutnant
Ernst Busch, creation – 4 February 1938
*General der Infanterie
Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, 4 February 1938 – 1 June 1940
*Generalleutnant
Heinz Hellmich, 1 June 1940 – 17 January 1942
*Generalleutnant
Curt Badinski, 17 January 1942 – 9 July 1942
26th Panzer Division
In July 1942, the division was reorganized as the 26th Panzer Division (''26. Panzer-Division''). It then served occupation duties in the west until mid-1943, whereupon it transferred to Italy to resist the Allied invasion, fought at
Salerno, and remained in Italy for the rest of the war, surrendering to the British near
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
at the end.
Soldiers of the division, then commanded by
Eduard Crasemann, were involved in the
Padule di Fucecchio massacre on 23 August 1944. Crasemann was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for war crimes after the war and died in jail in West Germany in 1950.
Commanding officers
*General der Panzertruppe
Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 14 September 1942
*Generalmajor
Hans Hecker, 22 January 1944
*General der Panzertruppe Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 20 February 1944
*Oberst Dr. rer. pol. Dr. jur.
Hans Boelsen, 11 April 1944 – 7 May 1944 (deputy)
*Generalleutnant
Eduard Crasemann, 6 July 1944
*Oberst Carl Stollbrock, 15 December 1944 - 15 January 1945 (deputy)
*Generalmajor
Alfred Kuhnert, 29 January 1945
*Generalleutnant
Viktor Linnarz, 19 April 1945
New 23rd Infantry Division
In November 1942 a new 23rd Infantry Division was formed, with the new 9th and 67th regiments called ''Grenadier'' to distinguish them from the original 9th and 67th regiments now called ''
Panzergrenadier
''Panzergrenadier'' (), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning '' "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is a German term for mechanized infantry units of armoured forces who specialize in fighting from and in conjun ...
'' in the 26th Panzer Division. This new division served on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, ultimately surrendering in
East Prussia.
Commanding officers
*Generalmajor Friedrich von Schellwitz, re-creation - August 1943
*General der Artillerie
Horst von Mellenthin, August 1943 - 1 September 1943
*Generalleutnant
Paul Gurran, 1 September 1943 - 22 February 1944
*Generalleutnant Walter Chales de Beaulieu, 22 February 1944 - 1 August 1944
*Generalleutnant Hans Schirmer, 1 August 1944 - disbanded
See also
*
German order of battle for Operation Fall Weiss
*
List of German divisions in World War II
This article lists divisions of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) and Waffen-SS active during World War II, including divisions of the Heer (army), Luftwaffe (air force), and the Kriegsmarine (navy).
Upgrades and reorganizations are shown only ...
*
SS Panzer Division order of battle
*
Panzer division
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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Military units and formations established in 1934
1934 establishments in Germany
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945