The 87th Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

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 ...

, active from 1939 to 1945.

Operational history

The 87th Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 in

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

. The division is notable as the first German division to enter the French capital city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 14 June 1940, during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

. The French 7th Army had abandoned the city the previous day, leaving it as an

open city In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open, the opposing military will ...

to avoid the city's destruction. The division went into captivity in the

Courland pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...

Commanders

*''Generalleutnant'' Bogislav von Studnitz (26 August 1939 – 16 February 1942; 1 March – 21 August 1942); *''General der Artillerie''

Walther Lucht __NOTOC__ Walther Lucht (26 February 1882 – 18 March 1949) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at division, corps and army levels. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ...

(17 – 28 February 1942); *''Generalleutnant''

Werner Richter __NOTOC__ Werner Richter (21 October 1893 – 3 June 1944) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Werner Richter was wounded on 21 May 1944 and died in Riga on 3 June 1944. Awards ...

(22 August 1942 – 31 January 1943); *''General der Artillerie''

Walter Hartmann __NOTOC__ Walter Hartmann (23 July 1891 – 11 March 1977) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. During the evacuation of C ...

(1 February – 21 November 1943); *''Generalleutnant''

Mauritz Freiherr von Strachwitz __NOTOC__ Mauritz Freiherr von Strachwitz (12 December 1898 – 10 December 1953) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Strachwitz surrendered to the Soviet forces in May 1945 in the ...

(22 November 1943 – August 1944); *''Generalleutnant'' Gerhard Feyerabend (August – September 1944); *''Generalmajor''

Helmuth Walter Helmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: __NOTOC__ Given name *Helmuth Theodor Bossert Helmuth Theodor Bossert (11 September 1889 – 5 February 1961) was a German and Turkish history of ...

(September 1944 – 15 January 1945); *''Generalleutnant''

(16 January 1945 – 10 May 1945).

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * 0*087 Military units and formations established in 1939 1939 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 {{Germany-WWII-stub