198th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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The 198th Infantry Division () was an
infantry division A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically mak ...
of the
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 ...
Heer 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 ...
. Initially assembled in December 1939, the 198th Infantry Division participated in the German invasion of Denmark as well as the occupation of Copenhagen on 9 April 1940. The division was subsequently transferred in July 1940 to serve occupation duty in
German-occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
between July 1940 and March 1941. It was then sent to the German-aligned
Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
and transferred through the German-friendly
Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...
to participate in the
German invasion of Greece The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Kingdom of Greece, Greece by Kingdom of Italy, Italy and Nazi Germany, Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Gr ...
in early April 1941. After the German victory in Greece, it was redeployed to Romania, from where it participated in the German invasion of the Soviet Union ("Operation Barbarossa") on 22 June 1941. The 198th Infantry Division remained in combat on the Eastern Front against the forces of
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
until early 1944. It participated in the First Battle of Rostov, Winter campaign of 1941/42, the German summer offensive of 1942 ("Case Blue"), the Second Battle of Rostov, defended against the Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation and was eventually decisively battered in the Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket, from which only remnants of the division escaped. The 198th Infantry Division was subsequently replenished and sent to the newly-formed Western Front after the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
in June 1944. Faced with advancing Western Allied armies, the division withdrew to the Upper Rhine sector by winter 1944/45 and participated in the failed attack against
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
("
Operation Northwind Operation Northwind () was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. Northwind was launched to support the German Ardennes offensive campaign in the Battle of the Bulge, which by late December 1944 had decisively t ...
"). The offensive failed under heavy casualties, forcing the division back on the defensive. The majority of the division was crushed by the Western Allies in the
Colmar Pocket The Colmar Pocket (; ) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II. It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern a ...
in March 1945; a token leftover force escaped across the Rhine into southwestern Germany. The remnants of the 198th Infantry Division surrendered to US forces in
Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat of the district gove ...
near the end of the war.


History


Homefront, 1939–1940

The 198th Infantry Division was formed in the
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
-
Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
area in the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...
on 1 December 1939. Its initial personnel consisted of replacement formations staffed by recruits from Wehrkreis V. The two initial regiments of the 198th Infantry Division were the Infantry Regiments 305 and 308, with the former being assembled using personnel of the Infantry Replacement Regiments 5, 25, and 35, all part of the 155th Division, whereas the latter was assembled with manpower from the Infantry Replacement Regiments 78, 215, and 260, all part of the 165th Reserve Division. Additionally, the 198th Infantry Regiment was strengthened by the Light Artillery Detachment 235. On 17 January 1940, the division was transformed into a full infantry division after the addition of the Landwehr Infantry Regiment 35, which was subsequently renamed Infantry Regiment 326. This regiment had previously been part of the 14th Landwehr Division. As a result, the 326th Regiment was primarily staffed by older soldiers, typically between ages 35 and 45. Furthermore, the Light Artillery Detachment 235 was strengthened with the staff as well as the 2nd Detachment of Artillery Regiment 223 from Wehrkreis IV. The resulting artillery formation was dubbed Artillery Regiment 235. The initial divisional commander of the 198th Infantry Division, appointed on 10 January 1940, was Otto Röttig.


Denmark, 1940

The 198th Infantry Division participated in the German invasion of Denmark and was present for the occupation of
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
on 9 April 1940. One of its battalions, II./308, was brought into Copenhagen harbor by a German naval group ("Kriegsschiffgruppe 8"), consisting of German minelayer ''Hansestadt Danzig'' and German icebreaker ''Stettin'', when ''Hansestadt Danzig'' steamed into Copenhagen harbor at 04:50 hours, minutes ahead of the German army's attack against the Danish border. II./308 subsequently seized ''Kastellet'' bastion without firing a shot before marching on Amalienborg palace, where a firefight broke out between the German infantrymen and the Danish Royal Life Guards. The skirmish was still ongoing when ''Luftwaffe'' flyovers of the city, and the connected threat of bombardment, ultimately convinced
Christian X of Denmark Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Icel ...
to order a ceasefire and to proceed with a surrender to Germany. Subsequently, the 2nd Battalion of Infantry Regiment 326 was deployed permanently in occupied Denmark to become ''Guard Battalion Copenhagen''. A new infantry battalion was formed to take its place within the 326th Regiment on 28 May 1940.


France, 1940–1941

The division was subsequently deployed to France, but only arrived there in July 1940, too late to take part in the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
, which had concluded on 25 June. The division remained on occupation duty in France until March 1941. On 1 September 1940, Artillery Regiment 235 was equipped with an additional three batteries, the former 4th, 5th, and 6th Batteries of Artillery Regiment 300, to a total of nine. Furthermore, Artillery Regiment 235 was equipped with heavy artillery from the 4th Detachment of Artillery Regiment 300. This heavy artillery subsequently became the 4th Artillery Detachment of Artillery Regiment 235. On 30 October 1940, the 198th Infantry Division passed the staff of Infantry Regiment 326 as well as the 3rd Battalions of both Infantry Regiments 305 and 308 to the 327th Infantry Division, a new division of the 13th
Aufstellungswelle In the German Wehrmacht before and during World War II, infantry divisions were raised as part of a designated ''Aufstellungswelle'' (deployment wave) or ''Welle'' (wave), sometimes translated as "draft". The ''Aufstellungswelle'' system was adopt ...
, where the staff and two battalions would help form the Infantry Regiment 595.


Romania and Greece, 1941

In March 1941, the 198th Infantry Division was ordered to
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
in preparation for the
Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasi ...
. The division participated in the German invasion of Greece starting 5 April 1941. After the successful conclusion of that campaign, the 198th Infantry Division was put under supervision of
Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
to participate in ''
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 ...
''.


Soviet Union, 1941–1944

During
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 ...
, the German invasion of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
that started on 22 June 1941, the 198th Infantry Division secured a river crossing from within the German-allied
Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
over the
Prut river The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates on the eas ...
at Sculeni on the first day of fighting. On the following day (23 June 1941), the 198th Infantry Division and two allied Romanian divisions repulsed a swift Soviet counterattack aimed to recapture the Axis bridgehead. With the beginning of
Operation München Operation München () was the Romania, Romanian codename of a joint Nazi Germany, German-Romanian offensive during the Operation Barbarossa, German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II, with the primary objective of recapturing Bessa ...
, the 198th Infantry Division initially fought west of the
Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...
, then took part in the attacks against
Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...
. The city was captured by the 13th Panzer Division by 26 August 1941. On 14 August, the staff as well as the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of Infantry Regiment 326 were dissolved. These dissolutions had become necessary as a result of the large casualties that the division had sustained. Subsequently, the division participated in the advance towards the
Mius river The Mius (; ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус
, and the Battle of Rostov, during which the German advance was eventually temporarily repelled. During the winter battles of 1941 and 1942, the 198th Infantry Division fought along the Mius river. They would eventually be reassembled on 19 February 1943, using personnel from Wehrkreis IX and V. On 10 April 1942, Röttig was replaced as divisional commander by Albert Buck. In the summer of 1942, the 198th Infantry Division participated in
Case Blue Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the ''Wehrmacht'' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of Baku ( Azerb ...
and assisted in the Second Battle of Rostov. After the German victory at Rostov, the 198th Infantry Division fought in the
Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet ...
between 1942 and 1943. Ludwig Müller was appointed as divisional commander, replacing Buck, who had been killed in action, on 6 September 1942. The 198th Infantry Division assisted the German capture of
Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...
after the Soviet landings in that region in February 1943. On 5 February 1943, Müller was replaced as divisional commander by Hans-Joachim von Horn. Later in the year 1943, the 198th Infantry Division fought in the
Izium Izium or Izyum (, ; ) is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of Izium Raion and Izium urban hromada. It is about southeast of the city of Kharkiv, the oblast's administrative cen ...
area between June and July, and participated in the German resistance against the Soviet Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation in August. As part of the German defeat at Kharkov, the 198th Infantry Division was heavily damaged and effectively reduced to ''
Kampfgruppe In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or " battlegroup") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...
'' strength. On 11 September 1943, the 3rd Battalions of each of the 198th Infantry Division's former Infantry Regiments, now called Grenadier Regiments, were dissolved, leaving Grenadier Regiments 305, 308 and 326 with two battalions each. Further, the 198th Infantry Division was equipped with Fusilier Battalion 198 and with Artillery Regiment 235, the latter still equipped with all four of its detachments. In February 1944, the 198th Infantry Division was encircled in the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket. The division, already battered during the battles at Kharkov, managed to break out of the encirclement and escape, but suffered severe losses once again as it retreated to Romania. As a result, the division was taken out of the line in March 1944 and sent to Milovice in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia for reinforcements.


Western Front, 1944–1945

On 12 June 1944, in the immediate aftermath of the Allied
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
, the 198th Infantry Division was using personnel of the Grenadier Regiment Bohemia within Shadow Division Bohemia, and sent to
Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...
in France to assist in the German defense against the Allied invasion. The division did so under the supervision of Otto Richter, who had been appointed to divisional command on 1 June 1944. Richter was replaced by Kurt Oppenländer on 1 August, who was in turn replaced by Alfred Kuhnert on 5 August, before Kuhnert eventually was replaced later that same month by Richter, who once again returned to his command post, but was then swapped out for Freiherr von Finck, an ''
Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
'' who had previously served as the division's general staff officer, on 28 August. Finck was in turn replaced by Otto Schiel on 3 September, who held the command post until January 1945. The 198th Infantry Division once more suffered heavy casualties during its retreat to the
Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...
. After the German retreat from France, several minor formations were folded into the 198th Infantry Division during its defensive operations in the
Upper Rhine Upper Rhine ( ; ; kilometres 167 to 529 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between the Middle Bridge, Basel, Middle Bridge in Basel, Switzerland, and the Rhine knee in Bingen am Rhein, Bingen, Germany. It is surrounded by the Upper Rhine P ...
area. These formations included two battalions from Grenadier Regiment O/V, the Fortress Infantry Battalion 1432, the Fortress Machine Gun Battalion 40, the 8th
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
Ship Cadre Battalion, parts of the 2nd Battalion of the Security Regiment 200, the remnants of Battalion Mahnke and Battalion Märker, as well as several additional smaller units and disorganized groups of retreating soldiers. In January 1945, the 198th Infantry Division took part in the attack of Army Group Upper Rhine against
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, dubbed ''
Operation Nordwind Operation Northwind () was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. Northwind was launched to support the German Ardennes offensive campaign in the Battle of the Bulge, which by late December 1944 had decisively ...
''. This offensive failed and inflicted another round of heavy casualties on the division. By the end of January, the division was down to a strength of 6,800 men, about half of the planned manpower of an infantry division. On 18 January 1945, Schield was replaced as divisional commander by Konrad Barde. In March 1945, large parts of the division were crushed in the
Colmar Pocket The Colmar Pocket (; ) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II. It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern a ...
. Parts of the formation did however manage to escape across the Rhine into Germany, where the remnants of the 198th Infantry Division continued to put up token resistance against the Western Allies. After retreating from the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
area, the division was taken prisoner by U.S. forces in
Weilheim in Oberbayern Weilheim in Oberbayern (, ; officially Weilheim i.OB) is a town in Germany, the capital of the district Weilheim-Schongau in the south of Bavaria. Weilheim has an old city-wall, historic houses and a museum. Local history Up to the 18th cent ...
. The last commander of the division, appointed on 26 April 1945, was Helmut Staedtke.


Noteworthy individuals

;Commanders * Otto Röttig (10 January 1940 – 10 April 1942). * Albert Buck (10 April 1942 – 6 September 1942). Killed in action on 6 September 1942. * Ludwig Müller (6 September 1942 – 5 February 1943). * Hans-Joachim von Horn (5 February 1943 – 1 June 1944). * Otto Richter (1 June 1944 – 1 August 1944, after 5 August 1944 – 28 August 1944). * Kurt Oppenländer (1 August 1944 – 5 August 1944). * Alfred Kuhnert (appointed 5 August 1944, tenure ended before 28 August 1944). * Freiherr von Finck (28 August 1944 – 3 September 1944), ''Generalstabsoffizier'' of the 198th Infantry Division (30 May 1944 – 30 September 1944). * Otto Schiel (3 September 1944 – 18 January 1945). * Konrad Barde (18 January 1945 – 26 April 1945). * Helmut Staedtke (appointed 26 April 1945). Final divisional commander. Surrendered to the Americans at Weilheim. ;Others * Georg Grossjohann, soldier and later
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
of the 198th Infantry Division who wrote a memoir about his experiences in World War II.


References

{{Numbered infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945