The 69th Infantry Division () was a combat division of the German

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 the

Second World War 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

Initially formed as a "second wave" division in August 1939 from the

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

-based 16th Artillery Command, the unit spent the first months of the war in the

Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...

region of northwest Germany. In April 1940, the division participated in the German invasion of Norway. A small party of soldiers from the unit landed at Egersund where they seized the telecommunications cable linking Norway with mainland Europe, encountering no significant opposition. A further 900 soldiers from the division were put ashore near

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

where they captured the defensive fortifications (which had fired on the approaching German ships) as well as the city after engaging Norwegian forces in combat. The largest element of the division, some 5,000 soldiers in 250 transport planes, landed at Sola airport after it was seized by German paratroopers. The division then captured the nearby city of

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

. After the successful Norwegian Campaign, the 69th Infantry Division remained in

occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the World War II, Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the Norwegian Campaign, German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi G ...

until November 1942. In December 1942 the division was moved to the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

front as part of Army Group North's 18th Army. (One regiment, the 193rd Grenadier, was left in Norway and replaced by another.) (See

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

.) The division remained in the area and was pushed back to the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

area by Soviet offensives through February 1944. In July 1944 the division was transferred south 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 ...

, which was reeling from repeated Soviet assaults. Falling back to Memel and then evacuated to

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, by the beginning of 1945 the division was one of four defending the besieged city of

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. Subjected to intense aerial bombing and artillery assault, the surviving members of the unit surrendered to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

shortly after the city fell on April 9, 1945.

Organization

In 1939 the 69th Infantry Division consisted of the following components: * 159th Infantry Regiment * 193rd Infantry Regiment * 236th Infantry Regiment * 169th Artillery Regiment *

169th Engineer Battalion The battalion is currently part of the U.S. Army Engineer School, headquartered at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and is a subordinate unit to the 1st Engineer Brigade. The battalion mainly conducts advanced individual training for engineering ve ...

* 169th Tank Defense Battalion * 169th Intelligence Battalion * 169th Signals Battalion * 169th Supply Command Having left a regiment in Norway and replacing it with another, the division's components in 1944 were: * 157th Grenadier Regiment * 159th Grenadier Regiment * 236th Grenadier Regiment * 69th Fusilier Battalion * 169th Artillery Regiment *

* 169th Anti-Tank Battalion * 169th Signals Battalion * 169th Supply Troop Command

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 69th Infantry Division: * August 1939 - September 1941: General of Artillery

Hermann Tittel Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Mis ...

* September 1941 - February 1944: Lieutenant-General

Bruno Ortner Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

* February 1944 - January 1945: Lieutenant-General Siegfried Rein * January 1945 - February 1945: Colonel Grimme * February 1945 - April 1945: Major-General

Kaspar Völker Kaspar is a given name and surname which may refer to: Given name: * Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1459 – c. 1527) * Kaspar Albrecht (1889–1970), Austrian architect and sculptor * Kaspar Amort (1612–1675), German painter * Caspa ...

References

* Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. ''Crumbling Empire: The German Defeat in the East, 1944''. Westport: Praeger, 2001. pp: 32, 58, 118, 124 * Duffy, Christopher. ''Red Storm on the Reich: The Soviet March on Germany, 1945''. New York: Atheneum, 1991. pp: 216
69.Infanterie-Division at Lexicon-der-Wehrmacht
Retrieved May 24, 2006.

Retrieved May 24, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:69th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*069 Military units and formations established in 1939 1939 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945