The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill () was an

infantry 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 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

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 ...

. It was formed in April 1945, within a month of the end of the war, and was among the last divisions fielded by the German army during the war. The division was named after the

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

commander at the Battle of Stralsund of 1809,

Ferdinand von Schill Major Ferdinand Baptista von Schill (6 January 1776 – 31 May 1809) was a Prussian Army officer who revolted unsuccessfully against France's domination of Prussia in May 1809. Schill's rebellion ended at the Battle of Stralsund, a battle which ...

(1776–1809).

History

The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill was formed on 24 April 1945 by ''Sturmgeschützschule Burg'' personnel, the former Kampfgruppe Burg, and assigned to the 12th Army ( Wenck). Its commander was Alfred Müller. Müller held the rank of

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

(lieutenant colonel) and thus deviated from the typical Wehrmacht divisional commander in that he was not a general. The division was the last infantry division fielded by the German Army in World War II. Its deployment was so late in the war that it does not even appear in the listings of the German military postal service. At the end of the war, Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill initially surrendered to

American forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except the C ...

, but was handed over to the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

References

{{Named infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations established in 1945 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945