The 5th ''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 ''Luftwaffe'' ground crew and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to mid-1944, when was disbanded.

Operational history

The 5th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division was one of several ''Luftwaffe'' divisions formed in 1942 from surplus ground crew and intended to serve as conventional infantry divisions. The 5th was raised in October 1942, under the command of ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' Hans-Joachim von Armin. The division comprised four battalions of infantry, a battalion of

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

, a company of assault guns and engineer, signal and supply units. It was sent to the southern sector of the Eastern Front, where it served in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. It soon withdrew in the face of the Soviet advance and was engaged in the fighting around the

Kuban bridgehead The Kuban Bridgehead (), also known as the "Goth's head position" (), was a German military position on the Taman Peninsula, Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Existing from January to October 1943, the bridgehead formed after th ...

from February to April 1943. It was evacuated to 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 ...

the following month. In September 1943, the division was shifted north to

Melitopol Melitopol is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River, which flows through the eastern edge of the city into the Molochnyi Lyman estuary. Melitopol is the second-largest city ...

, on the

Panther–Wotan line The Panther–Wotan line (), also known as the ''Ostwall'' ("Eastern Wall"), was a defensive line of the ''Wehrmacht'' on the Eastern Front of World War II from 1943 to 1944. The Panther–Wotan line ran from the Baltic Sea at Narva in the nor ...

. During the Soviet

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

, it suffered many casualties. Responsibility for the remnants of the division was transferred to the '' Heer'' (Army) on 1 November 1943, and it was renamed 5th Field Division (L). It was transferred to

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 ...

for restructuring and refitting. Its infantry strength was reduced to two battalions, and it also received the staff of the 9th and 10th ''Jager'' Regiments (L). It was returned to the Eastern Front and attached to the

Third Romanian Army The 3rd Army (Armata a 3-a Română) was a field army of the Romanian Land Forces active from the 19th century to the 1990s. It fought as part of the German Army Group B during World War II, in Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. General Petre ...

. It fought in the

Odessa Offensive The Odessa Offensive Operation (Russian language, Russian: Одесская Наступательная Операция, Odesskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya), known on the German side as the Defensive battle of the 6th Army between Bug and Dni ...

until May 1944, when the division was disbanded. Its personnel were distributed among the 76th, 320th, and 335th infantry divisions.

Commanders

* ''

'' Hans-Joachim von Armin (October–November 1942); * ''

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 ...

'' Hans-Bruno Schulz-Heym (December 1942 – November 1943); * ''Generalmajor'' Both von Huelsen (March–June 1944).

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* * {{DISPLAYTITLE:5th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division 05 1942 establishments in Germany 1944 disestablishments in Germany Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944