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352nd Infantry Division
The 352nd Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the German Army during World War II. Deployed on the Western Front, the division defended Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. In late 1944, the division was reassembled as the 352nd Volksgrenadier Division (). History Formation and strengths The 352nd Infantry Division was formed in occupied France in early November 1943; this followed the German High Command order issued in September that year to raise ten new infantry divisions to replace losses on the Eastern Front. These new divisions were to be combat ready by May 1944. The 352nd was placed under the command of ''Generalleutnant'' Dietrich Kraiss. Once up to strength and trained, the 352nd was expected to transfer to the Eastern Front, however there was no clear timetable or confirmation of that deployment and by March 1944, with the threat of an Allied invasion in the West, the 352nd received orders to prepare for the defence of the Atlantic Wall, in the Norm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Army (Wehrmacht)
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the German Air Force, ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force). , the German Army had a strength of 63,047 soldiers. History Overview A German army equipped, organized, and trained following a single doctrine and permanently unified under one command was created in 1871 during the unification of Germany under the leadership of Prussia. From 1871 to 1919, the title ''German Army (German Empire), Deutsches Heer'' (German Army) was the official name of the German land forces. Following the German defeat in World War I and the end of the German Empire, the main army was dissolved. From 1921 to 1935 the name of the German land forces was the ''Reichswehr, Reichsheer'' (Army of the Realm) and from 1935 to 1945 the name ''German Army (We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its Functional area (France), functional urban area has 470,000,Comparateur de territoire , INSEE, retrieved 20 June 2022. making Caen the second largest urban area in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the 19th largest in France. It is also the third largest commune in all of Normandy after Le Havre and Rouen. It is located northwest of Paris, connected to the South of England by the Caen (Ouistreham) to Portsmouth ferry route through the English Channel. Situated a few miles from the coast, the landing beaches, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1st Infantry Division (United States)
The 1st Infantry Division (1ID) is a combined arms division of the United States Army, and is the oldest continuously serving division in the Regular Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I. It was officially nicknamed "The Big Red One" (abbreviated "BRO") after its shoulder patch and is also nicknamed "The Fighting First". The division has also received troop monikers of "The Big Dead One" and "The Bloody First" as puns on the respective officially sanctioned nicknames. It is currently based at Fort Riley, Kansas. The 1st Infantry Division was first deployed to fight in France in World War I, fought extensively in Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II, and participated extensively during United States' campaigns in the Vietnam War. The 1st Infantry was stationed in what became West Germany from 1945 to 1955, and its units rotated to West Germany throughout the remainder of the Cold War. It subsequently deploye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
916th Grenadier Regiment (Wehrmacht)
Grenadier Regiment 916 was an infantry regiment of the Wehrmacht from 1943 until 1945. It was set up in the area around Saint-Lô and then sent to Omaha Beach in December 1943. Oberst i.G. Ernst Goth was the commander of Grenadier Regiment 916 (Gren Reg 916) from the beginning to the end around 29 July 1944 in the Saint-Lô area where the whole 352nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 352nd Infantry Division was deactivated. Gren Reg 916 was split up in the Omaha Beach area and fought against the United States 29th Infantry Division (United States), 29th Infantry Division, 2nd Ranger Battalion and 1st Infantry Division (United States), 1st infantry divisions on Normandy landings, D-Day. The headquarters of the regiment was located in Trévières. The companies were close to several coastal villages: Vierville-sur-Mer, Vierville, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, St. Laurent, Colleville-sur-Mer, posted there as second line to counterattack the Allies of World War II, Allied forces once they lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colleville-sur-Mer
Colleville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Colleville on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandie region in northwestern France. History It was originally a farm owned by a certain ''Koli'', a Scandinavian settler in the Middle Ages. It shares the same etymology as the other Colleville in Normandy. During the conquest of England by William the Conqueror or following it, Gilbert de Colleville was given lands in Devon England, it was from this Knight that the modern de Colville/Colvin family would develop, also including Clan Colville in Scotland and the Barony de Colville, of Castle Bytham in England. The beach next to the coastal village was one of the principal beachheads during the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, designated Omaha Beach. Population Sights * Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Colleville-sur-Mer. * Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Colleville: dated to the 12th or 13th century, a historical monument since 1840. * O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gulf of Saint-Malo and the Channel Islands, and to the southwest lies the peninsula of Brittany. The peninsula lies wholly within the department of Manche, in the region of Normandy. Geography The Cotentin peninsula is part of the Armorican Massif (with the exception of the Plain lying in the Paris Basin) and lies between the estuary of the Vire river and Mont Saint-Michel Bay. It is divided into three areas: the headland of Cap de la Hague, the Cotentin Pass (the Plain), and the valley of the Saire River ( Val de Saire). It forms the bulk of the department of Manche. Its southern part, known as "le Marais" (the Marshlands), crosses from east to west from just north west of Saint Lo and east of Lessay and marks a natural border with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nebelwerfer
The () was a World War II Nazi Germany, German series of weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the German Army (Wehrmacht), Army's . Initially, two different mortars were fielded before they were replaced by a variety of rocket launchers ranging in size from . The thin walls of the rockets had the great advantage of allowing much larger quantities of gases, fluids or high explosives to be delivered than artillery or even mortar shells of the same weight. With the exception of the Balkans Campaign (World War II), Balkans Campaign, were used in every campaign of the German Army during World War II. A version of the calibre system was adapted Werfer-Granate 21, for air-to-air use against Allied bombers. Name The s name, which translates as "fog launcher", had previously been given to a smoke-generating 35, and was later used for the 10 cm Nebelwerfer 40, 10 cm ''Nebelwerfer'' 40, which could deliver shells with chemical munitions, as well as high-explosive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cointet-element
The Cointet-element, also known as a Belgian Gate or C-element, was a heavy steel fence about wide and high, typically mounted on concrete rollers, used as a mobile Anti-tank obstacles, anti-tank obstacle during World War II. Each individual fence element weighed about and was movable (e.g. with two horses) through the use of two fixed and one rotating roller. Its invention is attributed to a French colonel (later general), Léon-Edmond de Cointet de Fillain who came up with the idea in 1933 to be used in the Maginot Line. Besides their use as barricades to the entrances of forts, bridges and roads, the heavy fences were used in the Belgian "Iron Wall" of the K-W Line, Koningshooikt–Wavre Line (also known as "Dyle Line") and were re-used as beach obstacles on the ''Atlantic Wall'' defending Normandy from Allied invasion. History The Cointet-element formed the main barricade of the Belgian K-W Line, a tank barricade that was built between September 1939 and May 1940. Foll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gold Beach
Gold, commonly known as Gold Beach, was the code name for one of the five areas of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the World War II, Second World War. Gold, the central of the five areas, was located between Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, Port-en-Bessin on the west and the Lieu-dit La Rivière in Ver-sur-Mer on the east. High cliffs at the western end of the zone meant that the landings took place on the flat section between Asnelles, Le Hamel and La Rivière, in the sectors code-named Jig and King. Taking Gold was to be the responsibility of the British Army, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and List of ships in Gold Bombardment Group, a naval bombardment force provided by the Royal Navy as well as elements from the Royal Netherlands Navy, Dutch, Polish Navy, Polish and other Allied navies. The objectives at Gold were to secur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of List of islands of the United Kingdom, the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering . Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. It maintains sovereignty over the British Overseas Territories, which are located across various oceans and seas globally. The UK had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the UK is London. The cities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panzerjäger
''Panzerjäger'' (German: literally "armor hunter", more broadly "anti-tank") is a term used for an anti-tank vehicle (self-propelled anti-tank gun), as well as anti-tank units. The term was first used in the Wehrmacht (German armed forces, 1935–45), and also post-war by the German Federal Republic Bundeswehr. The term ''Panzerjäger'' was used in the Bundeswehr as a designation of rank. Wehrmacht Development From 1940, the troops were equipped with vehicles produced by mounting an existing anti-tank gun complete with the gun shield on a tracked chassis to allow higher mobility. The development of ''Panzerjägers'' into the fully protected armored vehicle designs began before the war with the -designated armored artillery vehicles, the initial German turretless tanks to use completely closed-in armored casemates, and continued until 1944, resulting in the fully enclosed "hunting tanks", purpose-built heavy-gun tank destroyers. These usually used upward extensions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pointe Du Hoc
La Pointe du Hoc () is a promontory with a cliff overlooking the English Channel on the northwestern coast of Normandy in the Calvados '' department'', France. In World War II, Pointe du Hoc was the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts. Prior to the invasion of Normandy, the German army fortified the area with concrete casemates and gun pits. On D-Day, the United States Army Provisional Ranger Group attacked and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs. United States generals including Dwight D. Eisenhower had determined that the place housed artillery that could slow down nearby beach attacks. Background Pointe du Hoc lies west of the center of Omaha Beach. As part of the Atlantic Wall fortifications, the prominent cliff top location was fortified by the Germans. The battery was initially built in 1943 to house six captured French First World War vintage GPF 155 mm K418(f) guns positioned in open concrete gun pits. The battery was garri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
