Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill explained

Unit Name:Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill
Native Name:Infanterie-Division Ferdinand von Schill
Dates: end of World War II
Type:Infantry
Command Structure:12th Army
Patron:Ferdinand von Schill

The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill (German: Infanterie-Division Ferdinand von Schill) was an infantry division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. 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 commander at the Battle of Stralsund of 1809, Ferdinand von Schill (1776–1809).

History

The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill was formed on 24 April 1945 by Sturmgeschützschule Burg personnel, the former Kampfgruppe Burg,[1] and assigned to the 12th Army (Wenck).[2] Its commander was Alfred Müller. Müller held the rank of Oberstleutnant (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, but was handed over to the Soviets.

References

  1. 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. Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill. Samuel W. Mitcham.
  2. Book: Tessin, Georg. Die Landstreitkräfte: Namensverbände. Luftstreitkräfte (Fliegende Verbände). Flakeinsatz im Reich 1943-1945.. Biblio Verlag. 1977. 3764810971. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. 14. Osnabrück. 79. de. Infanterie-Division Ferdinand von Schill.