321st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) explained

Unit Name:321st Infantry Division
Native Name:German: 321. Infanterie-Division
End Date:-->
Branch:Infantry
Specialization:-->
Size:Division
Colours:-->
Colours Label:-->
Battles:World War II
Commander1:Ludwig Löweneck
Wilhelm Thomas
Ulrich Liss
Karl Sievers
Georg Zwade
Commander1 Label:Commander

The 321st Infantry Division (German: 321. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. Between November 1943 and June 1944, it was known as Division Group 321 (German: Divisionsgruppe 321|link=no).

History

321st Infantry Division

The 321st Infantry Division was formed as a static division of the 13th Aufstellungswelle in the Braunschweig area in Wehrkreis XI. Its initial recruits were drawn, among others, from parts of the 267th and 295th Infantry Divisions, of the fourth and eighth Aufstellungswelle respectively.[1] The division's initial commander was Ludwig Löweneck.[2]

After the division's deployment was completed in April 1941, the 321st Infantry Division was sent to occupation duty in France. It served in the Boulogne-sur-Mer area from May 1941 until December 1942. It served initially under the XXXVII Army Corps (renamed LXXXII Army Corps later in the war), but was moved to the LXXXI Army Corps in June 1942.

On 23 July 1942, the previously incomplete infantry regiments and artillery regiments were brought to full strength. Following a decree on 21 October 1942, the division was restructured from a static division to an assault division and prepared for deployment on the Eastern Front. Starting in January 1943, the 321st Infantry Division, commanded by Wilhelm Thomas since 16 November 1942, was deployed in the central sector of the Eastern Front.

The division was heavily battered over the course of the year 1943. The 321st Infantry Division, commanded by Ulrich Liss starting on 28 July, by Karl Sievers starting on 22 August,[3] and by Georg Zwade starting on 23 September, effectively stopped existing as a self-reliant fighting force by October 1943. As an emergency solution, the eviscerated division was first attached as a supporting force to the 110th and 211th Infantry Divisions, and subsequently permanently dissolved as an independent division on 2 November 1943.

Between January and August 1943, the division had served under the LVI Panzer Corps,[4] but was moved to the LV Army Corps in September.

Successive formations

Division Group 321

After the dissolution of the 321st Infantry Division, its remnants on the Eastern Front were grouped into Division Group 321, which was subsequently assigned to the 110th Infantry Division, a formation that the previous 321st Infantry Division had already fought alongside earlier in the year 1943.

Division Group 321, which was formally assembled on 2 November 1943 (the day of the dissolution of the 321st Infantry Division), was destroyed in June 1944 while under command of Army Group Center, which was at that time suffering a decisive strategic defeat at Soviet hands (Operation Bagration).

Battle Group Normandy (later: 352nd Infantry Division)

See main article: 352nd Infantry Division. Instead of serving with Division Group 321, some veterans of the dissolved 321st Infantry Division were also transferred to the Saint-Lô sector in occupied France to assist in the formation of the 352nd Infantry Division, a division that would subsequently become famous as the force that defended Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. On 12 October 1943, Kampfgruppe Normandie ('Battle Group Normandy') was formed from veterans of the 321st Infantry Division in preparation to the formation of the 352nd Infantry Division.[5] [6] The formation of the 352nd Infantry Division was ordered on 5 November 1943,[7] and the newly formed division arrived in the Saint-Lô area in December.[8]

Organization

Superior formations

Superior formations of the 321st Infantry Division of the German Wehrmacht, 1940–1943!Year!Month!Army Corps!Army!Army Group!Area
1940DecemberStill in deployment.Wehrkreis XI
1941January – April
May – DecemberXXXVII Army Corps15th ArmyArmy Group DBoulogne-sur-Mer
1942January – May
June – NovemberLXXXI Army Corps
DecemberArmy Group reserves.
1943January – AugustLVI Panzer Corps4th ArmyArmy Group CenterZhizdra
September – OctoberLV Army Corps9th ArmyBryansk
When the 321st Infantry Division was dissolved, its remnants became Division Group 321 and put under control of the 110th Infantry Division.

Subordinate formations

After deployment, the 321st Infantry Division consisted of the following parts:

Noteworthy individuals

Notes

  1. Book: Tessin, Georg. Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Biblio Verlag. 1974. 3764808721. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. 9. Osnabrück. 143–147. de. 321.
  2. Book: Mitcham, Samuel W.. German Order of Battle. Volume Two: 291st-999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Stackpole Books. 2007. 9780811734165. 39–40. Samuel W. Mitcham.
  3. Book: Mitcham, Samuel W.. Defenders of Fortress Europe: The Untold Story of the German Officers During the Allied Invasion. Potomac Books. 2009. 9781597972741. 7: Caen. Samuel W. Mitcham.
  4. Book: Forczyk, Robert. Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2019. 9781472830753. 27.
  5. Book: Zaloga, Steven. The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day. Stackpole Books. 2013. 9780811712286. 61. Steven Zaloga.
  6. Book: Zetterling, Niklas. Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness. 2019. 9781612008172. 246.
  7. Book: Tessin, Georg. Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Biblio Verlag. 1974. 3764808721. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. 9. Osnabrück. 260–264. de. 352.
  8. Book: Buckingham, William F.. D-Day: The First 72 Hours. 2004. 9780752496412. 352 Infantry Division was raised from scratch in the Hanover area in early November 1943, using a cadre of experienced, pre-war regular personnel from 321 Infanterie Division, a formation destroyed on the Eastern Front the previous summer..
  9. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 467 and Infantry Regiment 497, previously known as the Erg. Btl. II./12 and the Erg. Btl. II./82 respectively. Both of the regiments were previously part of the 267th Infantry Division.
  10. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 517 and Infantry Regiment 518. Both of those regiments were previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  11. Formed from the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 487, previously part of the 267th Infantry Division, and the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 516, previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  12. Formed from the third detachments of Artillery Regiment 267 and Artillery Regiment 295 (with each regiment carrying the ordinal number of its previous parent infantry division), as well as four additional batteries.

References

  1. Book: Tessin, Georg. Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Biblio Verlag. 1974. 3764808721. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. 9. Osnabrück. 143–147. de. 321.
  2. Book: Mitcham, Samuel W.. German Order of Battle. Volume Two: 291st-999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Stackpole Books. 2007. 9780811734165. 39–40. Samuel W. Mitcham.
  3. Book: Mitcham, Samuel W.. Defenders of Fortress Europe: The Untold Story of the German Officers During the Allied Invasion. Potomac Books. 2009. 9781597972741. 7: Caen. Samuel W. Mitcham.
  4. Book: Forczyk, Robert. Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2019. 9781472830753. 27.
  5. Book: Zaloga, Steven. The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day. Stackpole Books. 2013. 9780811712286. 61. Steven Zaloga.
  6. Book: Zetterling, Niklas. Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness. 2019. 9781612008172. 246.
  7. Book: Tessin, Georg. Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Biblio Verlag. 1974. 3764808721. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. 9. Osnabrück. 260–264. de. 352.
  8. Book: Buckingham, William F.. D-Day: The First 72 Hours. 2004. 9780752496412. 352 Infantry Division was raised from scratch in the Hanover area in early November 1943, using a cadre of experienced, pre-war regular personnel from 321 Infanterie Division, a formation destroyed on the Eastern Front the previous summer..
  9. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 467 and Infantry Regiment 497, previously known as the Erg. Btl. II./12 and the Erg. Btl. II./82 respectively. Both of the regiments were previously part of the 267th Infantry Division.
  10. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 517 and Infantry Regiment 518. Both of those regiments were previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  11. Formed from the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 487, previously part of the 267th Infantry Division, and the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 516, previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  12. Formed from the third detachments of Artillery Regiment 267 and Artillery Regiment 295 (with each regiment carrying the ordinal number of its previous parent infantry division), as well as four additional batteries.

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