The 59th Infantry Division ''()'' was a

military division A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically mak ...

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 ...

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 ...

History

In the immediate wake of the Allied landings in Normandy and the 1944 Soviet summer offensive, the Wehrmacht was in dire need of manpower. As a result, the 27th mobilization wave created five new but adhoc infantry divisions, mainly consisting of troops on furlough. The 59th Infantry Division was one of these, and initially formed at the Gross-Born Troop Maneuver Area on June 26, 1944. It saw action on the Western Front. It had a serious equipment and training shortage due to its quick formation. The division was initially assigned to the 15th Army and posted to the

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

area around August 20, 1944. After the 15th Army was cut off along the English Channel coast by the capture of Antwerp by Allied forces behind them, the Germans left behind garrisons in the coastal ports as "fortresses" to be defended to the end. On August 30, the division contributed Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Schroeder to command the

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

fortress, and possibly additional troops, as it and the rest of 15th Army withdrew from the coast. The division was evacuated across the Scheldt estuary, via

Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

to Brabant in the Netherlands. On September 17, the division was located around

Boxtel Boxtel () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. The name derives from Buchestelle and is presumably a combination of 'stelle' (Dutch for stable, safe place) and (deer) deer, buck.2019. Etymolog ...

and its strength was reported at approximately 1,000 infantry with some artillery and anti-tank support. During this retreat, it was fortuitously situated close to the initial airborne landings of Operation Market Garden and immediately committed to defend against it. The division mainly fought the American

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

in the area immediately north of

Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

between Son and Shijndel. After Market-Garden, the Division continued to oppose Allied advances in this area, including assaults by the XII British Corps from the South through October and the early part of November. After this, the Division was withdrawn, refitted and was back in action around Aachen by December 1944. In February 1945 the division was stationed on The Rhine. It fought in the

Battle of the Ruhr The Battle of the Ruhr (5 March – 31 July 1943) was a strategic bombing campaign against the Ruhr Area in Nazi Germany carried out by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. The Ruhr was the main centre of German heavy industry with ...

and was in the Ruhr pocket when it surrendered to the Allies in April, 1945.

Organization

Organization of the division in June 1944: * 1034th Grenadier Regiment * 1035th Grenadier Regiment * 1036th Grenadier Regiment * 159th Artillery Regiment * 59th Fusilier Battalion * 159th Tank Destroyer Battalion * 159th Engineer Battalion * 159th Signal Battalion * 159th Divisional Supply Group

Commanders

The division's commanders were : *

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 ...

Walter Poppe __NOTOC__ Walter Fritz Rudolf Poppe (8 August 1892 – 17 August 1968) was a German general during the Second World War leading the 59th Infantry Division. On 12 January 1942, he succeeded Wilhelm Wetzel as command of the 255th Infantry Divis ...

(July 1944 - February 1945) *

Hans Kurt Hoecker (February - April 1945)

References

{{Numbered infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations of the Wehrmacht 1944 establishments in Germany