The 562nd Grenadier Division (German: 562. Grenadier-Division) was an infantry division of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht.
2nd Grenadier Division East Prussia
The division was formed on 24 July 1944 at Stablack in Wehrkreis I (East Prussia) as the 2nd Grenadier Division East Prussia (German: Grenadier-Division Ostpreußen 2).[1] The division had a mere four grenadier battalions.[2] It had the following organisation:[1]
- Grenadier Regiment East Prussia 3
- Grenadier Regiment East Prussia 4
- Artillery Regiment East Prussia 2
- Fusilier Company East Prussia 2
- Tank destroyer Battalion East Prussia 2
- Engineer Company East Prussia 2
- Signal Company East Prussia 2
562nd Grenadier Division
On 27 July, the division was renamed the 562nd Grenadier Division.[1][2] All of its subordinate units were also renamed:[1]
- 1144th Grenadier Regiment
- 1145th Grenadier Regiment
- 1562nd Artillery Regiment
- 562nd Fusilier Company
- 1562nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 1562nd Engineer Company
- 1562nd Signal Company
562nd Volksgrenadier Division
On October 9, the division was upgraded to a Volksgrenadier division.[2] By then, the division was already part of the Army Group Centre's 4th Army's LV Corps.[2] The division fought at Augustavas and Narew.[2]
Finally, it fought on its home territory opposing the Red Army's East Prussian offensive.[2] Most of the division was destroyed in the Heiligenbeil Pocket in March 1945.[2] Only a small part of the division evacuated via the sea to the Hel peninsula together with the 4th Army.[2] The division was disbanded on 16 April 1945 and its survivors were captured by the Soviets.[2] The division's staff was later used as the staff of the 4th Reich Labour Service Division.[3]
Commanders
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generalmajor Johannes Oskar Brauer[2][3] (1895–1980) | 9 October 1944 | 22 January 1945 | 105 days | |
| 2 | Oberst Helmuth Hufenbach[2][3] (1908–1945) | 22 January 1945 | 27 March 1945 | 64 days |
![Johannes Oskar Brauer[2][3]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/No_image.png)
References
Bibliography
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007a). German Order of Battle: 1st-290th Infantry divisions in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811734165.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007b). German Order of Battle: 291st-999th Infantry divisions, named infantry divisions, and special divisions in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811734370.
- Lexikon, der Wehrmacht (2012). "562. Volks-Grenadier-Division" (in German). Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
This page was last edited on 10 February 2024, at 07:53