227th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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The 227th Infantry Division named "Rheinisch-Westfälische" was a division of the German
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
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 ...
created on 26 August 1939 in
Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...
. The division was deployed for the last time in February 1945 in the
Tuchola Forest The Tuchola Forest, also known as Tuchola Pinewoods or Tuchola Conifer Woods, (the latter a literal translation of ; ; ) is a large forest complex near the town of Tuchola in northern Poland. It lies between the Brda and Wda rivers, within the ...
.


Operational history


Activation and the low countries

The 227th Infantry Division was formed during the 3rd wave mobilization in August 1939 in Krefeld. Shortly thereafter it served with the 5th Army performing border protection in the Eifel region. In December 1939 it was assigned to the 6th Army and became a part of Army Group B in preparation for 'Fall gelb' (case yellow). In early 1940, motorcycle components of the
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...
under
Kurt Meyer Kurt Meyer (23 December 1910 – 23 December 1961) was an SS commander and convicted war criminal of Nazi Germany. He served in the Waffen-SS (the combat branch of the SS) and participated in the Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, and oth ...
were attached to the 227th Infantry Division during the preparations for the invasion of the Netherlands. The division took part in the invasion of the Netherlands and France in May–June 1940. As part of the X Army Corps of the 18th Army, it participated in the advance through
Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...
and
Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...
, and helped to capture the fort at Pannerden and the break through the Grebbe line. After the crossing of the
IJssel The IJssel (; ) is a Dutch distributary of the river Rhine that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the IJsselmeer (before the 1932 completion of the Afsluitdijk known as the Zuiderzee), a North Sea natural harbour. It more immediatel ...
the division advanced through
Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...
and
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...
. Shortly thereafter came the capitulation of the Netherlands. Following the victory in France the division performed occupation, security and coastal defense duties along the Normandy coast near Le Havre from July 1940 until December 1941.


Leningrad

In late 1941 the division was transferred to
Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...
on the Eastern Front. There the division was engaged in heavy fighting in and around
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. In January 1942, the division was part of Herbert Loch's 28th Army Corps (XXVIII AK), in the 18th Army. The division defended against the Red Army's main offensive at Sinyavino Heights, the Chernaya and the south shore of Lake Ladoga. The division suffered heavy casualties in what was called the First Battle of Lake Ladoga from August through September 1942. In January 1943 the Soviets launched Operation Iskra (the second Battle of Lake Ladoga) and the division became encircled in Schlüsselburg, along with two battalions of the 96th Infantry Division. After fierce fighting the division was able to rally and break out of the pocket. It reached the German lines to the south, but three of its grenadier battalions were so badly mauled that they were disbanded, with the survivors being transferred to other grenadier battalions in the division. In January 1944 the pressure from the Soviet army was such that the 227th Infantry Division and the rest of the XLIII Army Corps had to withdraw to positions behind Narva. During this withdrawal the division suffered heavy losses. In February 1944 the division was strengthened by elements of the 9th Luftwaffe Field Division, which itself had suffered heavily and been dissolved. Intense fighting followed in Courland, when the division was picked up by the ''
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 ...
'' (German navy) during the evacuation, linking up with
Army Group Vistula Army Group Vistula () was an Army Group of the ''Wehrmacht'', formed on 24 January 1945. It lasted for 105 days, having been put together from elements of Army Group A (shattered in the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive), Army Group Centre (similar ...
's 2nd Army and transferred to West Prussia. It fought on in the Vistula, Danzig and Gotenhafen, where it was destroyed by March 1945. In April 1945, the staff of the division was absorbed by the staff of the Panzer-Verband Ausbildungs Ostsee.


Commanding officers

* ''Lieutenant General''
Friedrich Zickwolff __NOTOC__ Friedrich Zickwolff (1 August 1893 – 17 September 1944) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Zickwolff died on 17 September 1944 from an infectious disea ...
(1 September 1939 – 6 May 1940) * ''Lieutenant General'' Friedrich-Karl von Wachter (6 May 1940 – 1 July 1940) * ''Lieutenant General''
Friedrich Zickwolff __NOTOC__ Friedrich Zickwolff (1 August 1893 – 17 September 1944) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Zickwolff died on 17 September 1944 from an infectious disea ...
(1 July 1940 – 12 April 1941) * ''Lieutenant General'' Friedrich von Scotti (12 April 1941 – 7 June 1943) * ''General of the Infantry'' Wilhelm Berlin (7 June 1943 – 11 May 1944) * ''Major General of the Reserves'' Maximilian Wengler (11 May 1944 – 27 March 1945)


References

;Citations ;Bibliography {{DEFAULTSORT:227th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 1939 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945