The 183rd Volksgrenadier Division () was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

unit during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

In September 1944 the 183 Volksgrenadier Division was formed of what was left of the 183rd Infantry Division, complemented by non-fighting military personnel (from navy and air force) and civilians. The 183rd Infantry Division had come into existence on 15 September 1944, having been formed from the so-called Schatten-Division Döllersheim. At the end of November Grenadier-Regiment 330 was destroyed at

Geilenkirchen Geilenkirchen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Heerlen and 20 k ...

during a massive allied offensive against the German positions between the rivers

Wurm Wurm or Würm may refer to: Places * Wurm (Rur), a river in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany * Würm (Amper), a river in Bavaria, southeastern Germany ** Würm glaciation, an Alpine ice age, named after the Bavarian river * Würm (Nagold ...

and

Rur Rur or RUR may refer to: * Rur (river), a tributary of the Meuse, mostly in Germany * '' R.U.R.'', a 1920 Czech sci-fi play by Karel Čapek * Russian ruble, a currency (pre-1998 ISO 4217 code: RUR) * Ohaw, or rur, a Japanese soup dish * Rur., a ...

, between Geilenkirchen and

Linnich Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the River Rur (Roer river), approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich. Economy Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc, the specialist fo ...

. Aim of the

Ninth US Army The Ninth Army was a field army of the United States Army, most recently garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It was the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated just ...

was the Rur crossing at Linnich, which would open the way to

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. The offensive was called

Operation Queen Operation Queen was an American operation during World War II on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front at the German Siegfried Line. The operation was aimed against the River Roer as a staging point for a subsequent thrust over the ri ...

and was launched on 16 November. The 330th Infantry Regiment of the 183rd Volksgrenadier Division was holding the front line at Floverich, Loverich and Setterich, where the Americans attacked with the 2nd Armored Division. During the afternoon 330th Regiment was virtually wiped out, more than five hundred "grenadiers" being captured from the regiment's possible strength of one thousand men. The total killed and wounded could not be estimated but it is believed that not over 250 men remained in the unit. The offensive would eventually last until mid-December, which the Germans called "the third battle of Aachen" (Dritte Schlacht um Aachen) . In this period the German units in the area counterattacked continuously. By 21 November, after five days of serious combat, the number of casualties within 183 Volksgrenadier Division had risen beyond an acceptable level, and the division was unable to continue fighting as an independent unit. Remaining troops of the 183rd were divided among the other German divisions, the

9th Panzer Division The 9th Panzer Division was a panzer division of the German Army during World War II. It came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. The division was headquartered in Vienna, in the German military district Weh ...

and

15th Panzergrenadier Division 15th Panzergrenadier Division was a mobile division of the German Army in World War II. Combat History Sicily In July 1943 a new 15th Panzergrenadier Division, commanded by ''Generalleutnant'' Eberhard Rodt, was formed by redesignating the Sic ...

that were present in the area east of Geilenkirchen.

Organisation

The 183rd Division included Grenadier Regiments 330, 343 and 351, each of two battalions, as well as Artillery Regiment 219, consisting of four battalions. The composition of the division was enhanced on 19 October 1944 by the absorption of the XVI Landwehr-Festungs-Battalion and Festungs-MG-Battalion 42. Part of the division was made up of raw and ill-trained Austrians.

Commanders

The 183 Volksgrenadier Division was under command of Generalmajor Wolfgang Lange since 15 September 1944. Lange also commanded the 49 Infanterie Division during their actions in the

battle of Aachen The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network ...

. He received the Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) on 14 May 1944. On 25 February 1945 command of the 183 Volksgrenadier Division was taken over by Generalmajor

Hinrich Warrelmann __NOTOC__ Hinrich Warrelmann (16 April 1904 – 9 October 1980) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd ...

Footnotes

External links

New Plans To Drive to the Rhine
(US Army in WW II - European Theater of Operations; Chapter XVII) {{Volksgrenadier divisions of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations established in 1944 1*183 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945