The 4th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division () was an infantry division of the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' branch of 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 ...

'' that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to June 1944 when it was destroyed during

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

Operational history

The 4th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, one of several

Luftwaffe Field Division The ''Luftwaffe'' field divisions (German: ''Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen'') were the ground forces of the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. History The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942, following suggestions that the ...

s of the ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force), was formed in mid-1942 in Gross-Born Troop Maneuver Area, under the command of ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' Rainer Stahel. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus ''Luftwaffe'' ground crew. In November 1942, it was assigned to

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre () was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...

on the Eastern Front. Posted to a sector near

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

, it defended this against Soviet operations. In November 1943, responsibility for the division was transferred to the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and it was renamed 4th Field Division (L). Its Field ''Jager'' battalions became the 49th, 50th and 51st ''Jager'' regiments. Early the following year, it received some of the surviving personnel of the 3rd Field Division (L), which had just been disbanded. In the summer of 1944, the 4th Field Division (L) was still defending Vitebsk as part of the LIII Corps in the

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army () 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 () was formed on 16 November 1940. It was a constituent part of Army Grou ...

. When the Red Army began the Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive of

on 22 June 1944, the corps was surrounded within days. The division was encircled at Vitebsk and subsequently destroyed with its commander, ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' Robert Pistorious, killed in action.

Commanders

* ''Oberst'' Rainer Stahel (September–November 1942); * ''Oberst''

Wilhelm Völk Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Wilhe ...

(November 1942–April 1943); * ''Oberst'' Hans-Georg Schreder (April–November 1943); * ''Generalmajor'' Hans Sauerbrey (November 1943); * ''Generalmajor''

Ernst Klepp Dr. jur. Ernst Klepp (24 December 1889 – 18 August 1958), was an Austrian infantry general and jurist from Preßburg, Austria-Hungary who served in the Austro-Hungarian army and in the army of Nazi Germany. Career Klepp attended the Theres ...

(November 1943–January 1944); * ''Generalleutnant'' Robert Pistorius (January 1944–June 1944).

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* * {{DISPLAYTITLE:4th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division 0*004 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944