''Volksgrenadier'', also spelt ''Volks-Grenadier'', was the name given to a type of

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 ...

division formed in the autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Centre to the Soviets in

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Western Allies in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to nationalism (''Volk'') and Germany's older military traditions (''Grenadier''). Germany formed 78 VGDs during the war. ''Volksgrenadier'' divisions were professional military formations with standardized weapons and equipment, unlike the unrelated '' Volkssturm'' militia.

History and organization

The strategic emergency and concomitant manpower shortage resulting from the losses in mid-1944 required the creation of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

divisions that economized on personnel and emphasized defensive strength over offensive strength. The ''Volksgrenadier'' divisions met this need by using only six line infantry

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s instead of the normal nine for infantry divisions – already a common reality for many existing divisions. The units also had a higher proportion of

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...

s and light automatic weapons and thus relied more on short-range firepower than in standard German Army infantry units. Automatic weapons like the new '' Sturmgewehr 44'' and anti-tank weaponry like the single shot '' Panzerfaust'' were also used by ''Volksgrenadier'' units. One battalion of one grenadier regiment and the two companies of the engineer battalion were assigned bicycles for transportation instead of motor vehicles. They were organized around small cadres of hardened veteran soldiers, noncommissioned officers and officers, and then bulked out with anything the Replacement Army could supply: "jobless" personnel of the shrinking ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', recovered wounded soldiers from broken formations returning to duty from hospitals, older men who would have been considered too old or too unfit for the peacetime army, and young men and teenagers from the latest conscription classes were all recruited into the ranks.

Organisation

* Division headquarters * Fusilier company or battalion (bicycle-mounted) ** Company headquarters **

Submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...

platoon ** Submachine gun platoon ** Rifle platoon ** Heavy weapons platoon ** Infantry howitzer section * Signal battalion ** Battalion headquarters ** Telephone company ** Radio company ** Supply platoon * Grenadier regiment ** Regimental headquarters ** Regimental headquarters company ** Infantry battalion ** Infantry battalion ** Infantry howitzer company ** Antitank rocket launcher company * Grenadier regiment * Grenadier regiment * Artillery regiment ** Regimental headquarters ** Regimental headquarters battery ** 75 mm gun battalion ** 105 mm gun/howitzer battalion ** 105 mm gun/howitzer battalion ** 150 mm howitzer battalion * Antitank battalion ** Battalion headquarters ** Battalion headquarters company ** Antitank company (motorized) ** Antitank company (self-propelled) ** Antiaircraft company (self-propelled) * Engineer battalion ** Battalion headquarters company ** Engineer company (bicycle-mounted) ** Engineer company (bicycle-mounted) * Supply regiment ** Supply troops ** Ordnance company ** Maintenance platoon ** Administrative troops ** Medical troops ** Veterinary company ** Field post office

Battles

''Volksgrenadier'' divisions participated in battles in eastern France, the defense of the Siegfried Line, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Scheldt, the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

, the Battle of Otterlo, the Eastern Front, and in the final battles in Germany itself. Some ''Volksgrenadier'' divisions performed well, while others were rushed into battle with a minimum of training. Several ''Volksgrenadier'' divisions, especially those made up of "jobless" ''

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 ...

'' personnel drawn from the ''

'' and the ''

'', often displayed high motivation and morale which resulted in good cohesion and military effectiveness against the Allied forces in the last eight or so months (about October 1944 through May 1945) of the war in Europe.

References

* * {{Volksgrenadier divisions of the Wehrmacht German words and phrases Military units and formations of Germany in World War II Volksgrenadier divisions

History and organization

Organisation

Battles

See also

References