The 403rd Security Division (''403. 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 German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Throughout the war, the unit was mainly deployed in the Army Group South Rear Area behind the Eastern Front, which was a large, German-occupied area 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 ...

. During the whole war, the 403rd Security Division was used throughout the war mainly on the Eastern Front for security tasks in the rear army area, such as capturing scattered Soviet soldiers and

commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means ' commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and ...

s. Further anti-Semitic measures, such as confiscations, removal of functions, the formation of "purely" Jewish houses, followed.

Operational history

Division z.b.V. 403

The Division z.b.V. 403, alternatively known as ''Landesschützen-Division 403'', was established on 25 October 1939 in

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...

, which was in the III Military District. It was to consist of ten Territorial Guard (Landesschützen) battalions from the III Military District. August 1940 onwards, the division was part of the 6th Army, which was at the time in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. It was renamed to 403rd Security Division in March 1942.

403rd Security Division

Formation

The division was formed on 15 March 1941 near Neusalz in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

, in the VIII Military District, from the staff of Division z.b.V. 403 and elements of the 213th Infantry Division.

1941

In 1941, the division fought in the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Smolensk as part of the Army Group Reserve. During this period, the division was used against the civilian population and burned down numerous villages.

1942

At the beginning of 1942, the fallback line of the division was broken by the Red Army near Toropets. In the summer of 1942, the division partook in actions against Jews in eastern Ukraine.

1943

At the beginning of 1943 the division was split into parts, with one part being assigned to the XXIVth Army Corps of the 2nd Panzer Army and the other to the XXXXth Army Corps assigned to the 4th Army. On 31 May 1943 in southern Russia, the division was dissolved. The division staff moved to Bergen in June 1943 and became the staff of the 265th Infantry Division.

Commanders

Commanding officers

References

{{Army Group Rear Area (Wehrmacht) War crimes of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations disestablished in 1943