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VI Corps (Germany)
The VI Corps () was an infantry corps of the German Army. It fought in several notable actions during World War II. The corps was originally formed around the 6th Division of the ''Reichswehr'' in October 1934 in Münster. Wartime service 1940 Organisation (June 1940): 15th and 205th Infantry Divisions Under the command of Otto-Wilhelm Förster, the Corps took part in the German Invasion of France, when it was part of the Twelfth Army of Army Group A. For the remainder of the year it was stationed on the coast as part of the occupation forces. 1941, 1942 Organisation (January 1942): 6th, 26th, 110th, 161st and 256th Infantry Divisions; 1st Panzer Division; heavy artillery, ''Nebelwerfer'', anti-tank and pioneer detachments In Operation Barbarossa, the VI Corps became part of Army Group Centre, to which it remained attached until the very final period of the war. As part of the Ninth Army, it took part in the costly series of battles in the Rzhev salient througho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in European theatre of World War I, Europe and the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, Middle East, as well as in parts of African theatre of World War I, Africa and the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I, Asia-Pacific, and in Europe was characterised by trench warfare; the widespread use of Artillery of World War I, artillery, machine guns, and Chemical weapons in World War I, chemical weapons (gas); and the introductions of Tanks in World War I, tanks and Aviation in World War I, aircraft. World War I was one of the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflicts in history, resulting in an estimated World War I casualties, 10 million military dead and more than 20 million wounded, plus some 10 million civilian de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
110th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 110th Infantry Division () of the German army (Wehrmacht) was formed in April 1940 in Lüneburg under the ''11. Armee'' and was commanded by ''Generalleutnant'' Ernst Seifert. Until June 1941 and the commencement of Operation ''Barbarossa'' on the 22nd day of that month, it was stationed in Poland. It fought on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group Centre, VI Corps and had, by the end of the war, nine Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross holders, four of whom received their awards in November 1943. The division was destroyed by Soviet forces in July 1944. The division itself consisted of three infantry regiments and an artillery regiment. Commanding officers *''Generalleutnant'' Ernst Seifert, 10 December 1940 – 24 January 1942 *''Generalleutnant'' Martin Gilbert, 1 February 1942 – 1 June 1943 *''Generalleutnant'' Eberhard von Kurowski, 1 June 1943 – 25 September 1943 *''Generalleutnant'' Albrecht Wüstenhagen, 25 September 1943 – 1 December 1943 *''Generalleutnant' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitebsk
Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest city. It is served by Vitebsk Vostochny Airport and Vitebsk Air Base. History Middle Ages Vitebsk developed from a river harbor where the Vićba River (Віцьба, from which it derives its name) flows into the larger Western Dvina, which is spanned in the city by the Kirov Bridge. Archaeological research indicates that Baltic tribes had settlements at the mouth of Vitba. In the 9th century, Slavic settlements of the tribal union of the Krivichs replaced them. According to the '' Chronicle of Michael Brigandine'' (1760), Princess Olga of Kiev founded Vitebsk (also recorded as Dbesk, Vidbesk, Videbsk, Vitepesk, or Vicibesk) in 974. Other versions give 947 or 914. Academician Boris Rybakov an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
211th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 211th Infantry Division () was a German infantry division of the German Heer during World War II, active from 1939 to 1944. In 1944, it was redeployed as 211th Volksgrenadier Division, which was active until 1945. Operational history 211th Infantry Division The 211th Infantry Division was deployed as part of the third '' Aufstellungswelle'' as 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis VI (Münster). It consisted of Artillery Regiment 211 as well as the Infantry Regiments 306, 317 and 365, which were raised from Euskirchen, Cologne and Bonn respectively. It was initially deployed as part of VI Army Corps ( Otto-Wilhelm Förster) under 5th Army ( Curt Liebmann), which was part of Army Group C ( Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb). The initial divisional commander was Kurt Renner. The Artillery Regiment 211 was transferred to 162nd Division on 1 January 1940. The Regiment 306 was transferred to 557th Infantry Division on 6 February 1940. The division served in Brittany in occupied France ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
246th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 246th Infantry Division () was a List of German divisions in World War II, division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Towards the end of the war, it was redeployed under the name 246th Volksgrenadier Division. Operational history The 246th Infantry Division was formed in Trier (Wkr. XII) and initially stationed on the Saar Line, later in South-western France from August 1941 until January 1942. On formation, it consisted of 313th, 352nd and 404th infantry regiments; an artillery regiment; a pioneer battalion; an anti-tank battalion; a signals battalion, and other subunits. The division lacked 50mm anti-tank guns, and used trophy French vehicles. From February 1942 to January 1943 the division served in the area of Vitebsk and was a part of the 9th Army (Wehrmacht), 9th Army. Most of the operations in which the division participated were in the area of Bely, Tver Oblast, Bely and south-west of it, the sector extending to Smolensk. The division's most active period w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
206th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The German 206th Infantry Division (German designation ''206. Infanterie-Division'', nickname ''Pique As'', 'Ace of spades', after the divisional emblem), was a military unit that served during World War II. Like most German infantry units it had no motorization, and relied on leg and horse mobility. History The 206th Infantry Division was raised on 17 August 1939 in Insterburg, East Prussia. It served during the invasion of Poland in 1939 as a reserve division for Army Group North. The 206th Infantry Division participated in Operation Typhoon as part of the XXIII Corps under the Ninth Army. At this time, the division was under the command of Lieutenant General Hugo Höfl. At the time of the Soviet Rzhev-Vyazma strategic offensive operation (8 January – 20 April 1942), Operation Mars, the division now led by Lieutenant General Alfons Hitter was again serving in XXIII Corps under the Ninth Army in the Molodoi Tud sector of the Rzhev salient. Here it came under attack by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 14th Infantry Division (German: ''14. Infanterie-Division''; nickname: the ''Sächsische Division'' or Saxonian Division) was a formation of the Germany Army (Wehrmacht) which fought during World War II. History and Organisation The division was formed in 1934 in Leipzig, by expanding the 11th (Saxonian) Infantry Regiment of the 4th Division of the old Reichswehr. As this was a direct breach of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, its existence was initially concealed; it was formally designated as the 14th Infantry Division in October 1935. This history, particularly of Infantry Regiment 11, made it one of the prestige infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht. Mobilised in the 1st wave in 1939, the division was involved in the German invasion of Poland, where it attacked towards Częstochowa and Lublin, and the following year's invasion of France. In October 1940 it was 'motorised', i.e. provided with motor transport as opposed to the usual horse and foot mobility of We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battles Of Rzhev
The Battles of Rzhev () were a series of Red Army offensives against the Wehrmacht between 8 January 1942 and 31 March 1943, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The battles took place in the northeast of Smolensk Oblast and the south of Tver Oblast, in and around the salient surrounding Rzhev. Due to the high losses suffered by the Red Army, the campaign became known by veterans and historians as the "Rzhev Meat Grinder" (). Overview The major operations that were executed in this area of the front were: # Rzhev–Vyazma strategic offensive operation (8 January20 April 1942) of the Kalinin Front, Western Front, Bryansk Front, and Northwestern Front #* Sychyovka–Vyazma offensive operation (8 January20 April 1942) of the Kalinin Front #* Mozhaysk–Vyazma offensive operation (Operation Jupiter) (10 January28 February 1942) of the Western Front #* Toropets–Kholm offensive operation (9 January6 February 1942) of the Northwestern Front and reassigned to the Kalinin Front ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
9th Army (Wehrmacht)
The 9th Army () was a World War II German field army. It was activated on 15 May 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command. History 1940 The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line during its involvement in the invasion of France. It was kept as a strategic reserve and saw little combat. 1941 By 1941, the 9th Army was heavily strengthened and was deployed with Army Group Center for the invasion of the Soviet Union. During the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa the 4th Army formed the Southern pincer of a massive encirclement of Soviet troops deployed at Białystok, with the German 9th Army forming the Northern pincer. It continued its advance, and soon launched another pincer movement of Soviet troops at Smolensk. Even though successful in encircling Soviet troops, many Soviet troops escaped the pockets due to the large distances it had to secure. Hitler then sent the Panzer forces from Army Group Center to the northern and southern fronts to inflict s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre () 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 during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, as one of the three German Army formations assigned to the invasion. After Army Group North was trapped in the Courland Pocket in mid-1944, it was renamed to Army Group Courland and the first Army Group Centre was renamed "Army Group North". The second iteration of Army Group Centre was formed by the redesignation of Army Group A as the replacement for the first Army Group Centre. Formation and Command The army group was officially created by Adolf Hitler when he issued Führer Directive 21 on 18 December 1940, ordering German forces to prepare for an attack on Soviet Russia in 1941. The first commanding officer of Army Group Centre was Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, who would lead it until he was relieved on 18 December 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a front, with the main goal of capturing territory up to a line between Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan, known as the A-A line. The attack became the largest and costliest military offensive in history, with around 10 million combatants taking part in the opening phase and over 8 million casualties by the end of the operation on 5 December 1941. It marked a major escalation of World War II, opened the Eastern Front—the largest and deadliest land war in history—and brought the Soviet Union into the Allied powers. The operation, code-named after the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa ("red beard"), put into action Nazi Germany's ideological goals of eradicating communism and conquering the western Soviet Union to repopulate it w ... [...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] |
