The 22nd Infantry Division, which soon became the 22nd Air Landing Division, was a specialized German infantry division in

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 ...

. Its primary method of transportation was gliders. The division played a significant role in the development of modern day

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...

operations. Towards the end of the war, the formation was reshaped into the 22nd Volksgrenadier Division.

History

Created as 22nd Infantry Division in 1935. The 16th regiment participated in the 1939

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

; the rest of the division stayed in garrison on the

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the border with the ...

in case of a French attack in defense of Poland. The division retrained as 22nd Air Landing Division for rapid tactical deployment to capture enemy airbases and performed in that role during the invasion of the Netherlands suffering heavy losses during the failed

Battle for The Hague The Battle for The Hague () took place on 10 May 1940 during the Battle of the Netherlands. German ''Fallschirmjäger'' units were dropped in and around The Hague to capture Dutch airfields and the city itself. After securing a bridgehead, Nazi ...

(operation “Fall Festung”), and afterward advanced into

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

operating as ordinary ground

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. Though planned for use in its air-landing role for the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...

, it was replaced by another division at the last minute. It joined Army Group South 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 ...

(1941), attacking from

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 ...

and, operating exclusively as ordinary ground infantry, helped storm

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

(1942). The unit was thereafter transferred to

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

for garrison duty in "

Fortress Crete Fortress Crete () was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of Crete. Background The Greek island of Crete was seized by the Axis after a fierce battle at the end of May 1 ...

" and mop-up operations in the Aegean, playing a major role in the

Battle of Leros The Battle of Leros was a combat over the Greek island of Leros between the Allies of World War II, Allies defending it and invading forces of Nazi Germany waged between 26 September and 16 November 1943. Regarded as the central event of the Do ...

under the command of Generalmajor

Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (29 August 1897 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He led an infantry regiment in the early stages of the war and by 1943 was commander of the 22nd Air Landing Divisio ...

. On 26 April 1944 the divisional commander, Generalmajor

Heinrich Kreipe Karl Heinrich Georg Ferdinand Kreipe (5 June 1895 – 14 June 1976) was a German career soldier who served in both World War I and World War II. While leading German forces in occupied Crete in April 1944, he was abducted by British SOE officer ...

, was abducted by a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

team led by Major

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greate ...

and Captain

W. Stanley Moss Ivan William Stanley Moss Military Cross, MC (15 June 1921 – 9 August 1965), commonly known as W. Stanley Moss or Billy Moss, was a British army officer in World War II, and later a successful writer, broadcaster, journalist, and traveller. ...

. Kreipe's car was ambushed at night on the way from the divisional headquarters at Ano Archanes to the

Villa Ariadne A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fal ...

Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...

and he was taken cross-country over the mountains to the south coast where he and his captors were picked up by a British vessel near Rodakino on 14 May. This operation was later portrayed in the book '' Ill Met by Moonlight'' (1950) written by Moss based on his wartime diaries, later adapted as a film of the same name. In late summer 1944, forces of the division were involved in more atrocities in

Anogeia Anogeia (Ανώγεια) is a municipality in the Rethymno (regional unit), Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. The municipality has an area of ., excluding the former municipal departments Axos and Zoniana. Population 2,240 (2021). When exact ...

and Amari. Withdrawn to the mainland in autumn 1944, the 22. Infanterie-Division spent the rest of the war in anti-

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

operations in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

in southeastern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, was renamed 22. Volksgrenadier-Division in March 1945, as it withdrew to

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

and finally surrendered to Yugoslav forces at the end of the war in May in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

War crimes

Troops from the Division killed hundreds of Cretan civilians in massacres during the occupation of the island, including at

Viannos Viannos () is a municipality in the Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. The municipality has an area of . Population 4,436 (2021). The seat of the municipality is in Ano Viannos. In September 1943, German occupation forces inflicted heavy lo ...

and Kedros, and the execution of Italian prisoners of War on

Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

General der Infanterie General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Impe ...

was executed in 1947 in Greece for war crimes committed during the time the Division's time in Crete.

Commanders

* Generalleutnant Adolf Strauß (15 Oct 1935 – 10 Nov 1938) * Generalleutnant

Hans Graf von Sponeck Hans Emil Otto Graf von Sponeck (12 February 1888 – 23 July 1944) was a German general during World War II who was imprisoned for disobeying orders and later executed. Pre-World War II career Hans Graf von Sponeck was born in 1888 in Düsse ...

(10 Nov 1938 – 10 Oct 1941) * General der Infanterie Ludwig Wolff (10 Oct 1941 – 1 Aug 1942) * General der Infanterie

(1 Aug 1942 – 15 Feb 1944) * Generalmajor

(15 Feb 1944 – 26 Apr 1944) * Generalleutnant Helmut Friebe (1 May 1944 – 15 April 1945) * Generalmajor Gerhard Kühne (16 April 1945 – 15 May 1945)

Orders of Battle

May 1940 – Fall Gelb

* Divisionstab * Infanterie-Regiment 16 * Infanterie-Regiment 47 * Infanterie-Regiment 65 * Artillerie-Regiment 22 * Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 22 * Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22 * Feldersatz-Bataillon 22 * Nachrichten-Bataillon 22 * Pionier-Bataillon 22

July 1944 – Crete

* Divisionstab * Grenadier-Regiment 16 * Grenadier-Regiment 47 * Grenadier-Regiment 65 * Artillerie-Regiment 22 * Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22 * Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22 * Feldersatz-Bataillon 22 * Nachrichten-Bataillon 22 * Pionier-Bataillon 22 * Flak-Bataillon 22

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:22nd Air Landing Division (Wehrmacht) Military units and formations established in 1934 Crete in World War II Airborne divisions of Germany in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II War crimes of the Wehrmacht