The 286th Security Division (''286. Sicherungs-Division'') was a rear-security division in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group Centre Rear Area. It was responsible for large-scale war crimes and atrocities including the deaths of thousands of Soviet civilians.

Operational history

The 286th Security Division was formed on 15 March 1941 around elements of the 213th Infantry Division, initially with one infantry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

(354th). By 1942 another two Security Regiments, 61 (upgraded from the ''Landesschützen-Regiment'' staff 61) and 122, were attached. A variety of units were subordinated to the division during its existence, including battalions of

Russian troops The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

and from February 1944 Grenadier Regiment 638, consisting of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

volunteers, the LVF. During this period the division was assigned to Fourth Army, where it carried out occupation, economic exploitation and security duties in rear areas. It was involved in punitive operations against the local populace: these actions were carried out with extreme brutality (in total,

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

lost up to a quarter of its population during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 193 ...

). A defendant at the post-war

Minsk Trial The Minsk Trial was a war crimes trial held in front of a Soviet military tribunal in 1946 in Minsk, the capital of Soviet Belarus. Defendants included German military, police, and SS officials who were responsible for implementing the occupa ...

, Paul Eick, stated that he had set out to create and then liquidate a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

in the town of

Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...

under the division's command.Prusin, p14 In June 1944, the Fourth Army was encircled by Soviet forces during the liberation of the Belorussian SSR,

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп� ...

. The 286th Security Division was overrun and destroyed in the vicinity of

. Its remnants were reorganised late that year at Memel as the 286th Infantry Division, assigned to the

Third Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November ...

; it was again destroyed at

Neukuhren Pionersky (; german: Neukuhren (); pl, Kursze; lt, Kuršiai) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the Baltic Sea on the Sambian Peninsula, between Zelenogradsk and Svetlogorsk. Population figures: The Residence of the Pre ...

during the battles in Samland towards the end of the war.

Commanders

*Generalleutnant Kurt Müller (15 March 1941) *Generalleutnant

Johann-Georg Richert __NOTOC__ Johann-Georg Richert (14 April 1890 – 30 January 1946) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 286th Security Division whose personnel committed numerous war crimes in occupied Belarus, in the Army Group Center R ...

(15 June 1942) *Generalleutnant

Hans Oschmann Hans Oschmann (24 December 1894, Schöneberg – 14 November 1944, at Faimbe) was a German Army general (german: Generalleutnant)Mitcham, page 215 and signals officer, who was involved in the early command of the German signal intelligence org ...

(1 November 1943) *Generalleutnant

Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt (15 January 1892 – 9 September 1964) was a German ''Generalleutnant'' who commanded several division (military), divisions during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. History He command ...

(5 August 1944)

286th Infantry Division

* Generalleutnant

(December 1944) * Generalleutnant

Wilhelm Thomas __NOTOC__ Wilhelm Thomas (8 October 1892 – 24 August 1976) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Awards and decoration ...

(26 December 1944 - 26 January 1945) * Colonel Willi Schmidt (January 1945) * Generalmajor Emmo von Roden (January -May 1945) : MIA

Footnotes

References

* Prusin, A V. ''Fascist Criminals to the Gallows! The Holocaust and Soviet War Crimes Trials'', ''Holocaust and Genocide Studies'' 17.1 (2003) 1-30

Operational history

Commanders

286th Infantry Division

See also

Footnotes

References

Further reading