The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of Nazi Germany.

History

The was established in 1934 under the cover name ''Reichswehrdienststelle Hamburg'', and did not assume its bona-fide designation until the creation of the

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 ...

was announced in October 1935. In the autumn of 1937 it was upgraded to a fully motorized division.Most German divisions during the

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

era had no transport for the infantry and used horses to tow their artillery; German industry could not turn out sufficient motor transport while also trying to meet other military requirements. As the 20th Motorized Infantry Division the unit took part 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 af ...

as part of

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...

's XIX Corps. During that campaign the motorized divisions were found to be somewhat unwieldy, so afterward the 20th and other motorized divisions were reorganized to reduce their size by about a third, leaving them with six motorized infantry battalions organized into two regiments, plus ordinary divisional support units. In May 1940 the division took part in the

invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...

, and remained there on occupation duty until April 1941, except for one brief period on reserve in Germany. In June 1941 it joined

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

under

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army for ...

. In September it was transferred to

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...

, and it spent most of 1942 on the

Volkhov Front The Volkhov Front (russian: Волховский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the first period of the Second World War. It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht Army Group ...

. In December it was transferred back to Army Group Centre for the relief attempt at the

Battle of Velikiye Luki The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (russian: Великолукская наступательная операция), started with the attack by the forces of the Red Army's Kalinin Front against the We ...

. In July 1943 it was redesignated as 20th Panzergrenadier Division; by that time it had been given an

assault gun Assault gun (from german: Sturmgeschütz - "storm gun", as in "storming/assaulting") is a type of self-propelled artillery which uses an infantry support gun mounted on a motorized chassis, normally an armored fighting vehicle, which are designed t ...

battalion to support its infantry. It remained on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, switched frequently between army groups in the role of a mechanised "fire brigade" and ended the war fighting in the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

under the LVI Panzer Corps.

Commanding officers

;20th Infantry Division (mot.) *General der Infanterie

Mauritz von Wiktorin __NOTOC__ Mauritz von Wiktorin (13 August 1883 – 16 August 1956) was an Austrian general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Wiktorin was discharged from the army on ...

, 10 November 1938 – 10 November 1940 *General der Infanterie

Hans Zorn __NOTOC__ Hans Zorn (27 October 1891 – 2 August 1943) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Zorn was killed on 2 August 1943 by Sovi ...

, 10 November 1940 – 12 January 1942 *Generalleutnant

Erich Jaschke Erich Jaschke (11 May 1890 – 18 October 1961) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 20th Infantry Division and late the LV. Army Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ...

, 12 January 1942 – 3 January 1943 *Generalmajor

Georg Jauer __NOTOC__ Georg Jauer (25 June 1896 – 5 August 1971) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. At the outbreak of World War II Jauer served ...

, 3 January 1943 – 23 July 1943 ;20th Panzergrenadier-Division *Generalleutnant Georg Jauer, 23 July 1943 – 1 September 1944 *Oberst Dr.

Walter Kühn Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

, (i.V.) 1 Sep 1944 – September 1944 *Generalleutnant Georg Jauer, September 1944 – 1 January 1945) *Generalmajor

Georg Scholze __NOTOC__ Georg Scholze (21 August 1897 – 23 April 1945) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Scholze committed suicide on 23 April 1945 in Berlin. Awards an ...

, 1 January 1945 – 23 April 1945

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:20th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*020 Military units and formations established in 1934 1934 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945