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| 15th Panzergrenadier Division | |
|---|---|
| German:15. Panzergrenadier-Division | |
.svg) 15th Panzergrenadier Division, 1943–1945 | |
| Active | July 1943 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzergrenadier |
| Role | Armoured warfare Maneuver warfare Raiding |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ernst-Günther Baade |
15th Panzergrenadier Division was a mobile division of the German Army in World War II.
In July 1943 a new 15th Panzergrenadier Division, commanded byGeneralleutnantEberhard Rodt, was formed by redesignating the Sicily Division and incorporated remnants of the former15th Panzer Division, which had been assigned to North Africa but remained in Sicily due to the collapse of the Afrika Korps.
It was not long before it saw action again, this time in Sicily. As the Germans retreated from western Sicily (as a result of the Allied invasion, code-namedOperation Husky), they fought a number of delaying actions that included clashes with 1st Canadian Infantry Division at Piazza Armerina, Leonforte, Assoro and Valguarnera prior to halting in the vicinity of the town ofTroina along Highway 120, perched high on the hilltops. This was to become a linchpin of theEtna Line. In pursuit was theUS 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed "The Big Red One", commanded by Major GeneralTerry Allen. A six-day battle ensued from August 1–6, 1943, at the end of which, fearing encirclement, the 15th Panzergrenadier retreated down Highway 120 towardCesaro and laterMessina to be evacuated from the island.
By August 17, 1943, the 15th Panzergrenadier along with the29th Infantry, the1st Parachute and theHermann GöringDivisions would escape across theStrait of Messina to the mainland and participate in theItalian Campaign. Beginning on September 9, 1943, the Allied invasion of mainland Italy, (code-namedOperation Avalanche), atSalerno and along the beaches to the southeast, found the 15th Panzergrenadiers among the principal defenders. On September 11, elements of theBritish 46th Infantry Division encountered stiff resistance from the 15th Panzergrenadier andHermann Göring Divisions around Salerno itself and to the east.
By mid-November 1943, the 15th Panzergrenadier Division had fallen back to help defend theBernhardt Line in the vicinity ofMignano along Highway 6. On December 7, 1943, two battalions of the 15th Panzergrenadier, commanded by CaptainHelmut Meitzel, held strong defensive positions in the town ofSan Pietro Infine and on the vitally important and strategicMonte Lungo to the southwest. Elements of the71st Infantry Division, held the German left flank on the heights ofMonte Sammucro to the north, while the29th Panzergrenadier Division held the rear near the town ofSan Vittore, two miles to the northwest. The36th Infantry Division, commanded by Major GeneralFred L. Walker, launched flanking attacks on their right, while the1st Italian Motorized Group attacked the left upMonte Lungo. TheBattle of San Pietro Infine ensued. After ten days of intense attack and counter-attack, the Allies finally succeeded in gaining the high ground on both flanks. With the advantage lost, the 15th Panzergrenadier and its supporting units fell back to defensive positions in the vicinity of San Vittore in the early hours of December 17; they would hold these positions for the next three weeks.
Between January 20 and 22 1944, two battalions of the 15th Panzergrenadiers repulsed an ill-conceived assault by theUS 36th Infantry Division, when the Allies were attempting to establish abridgehead in the vicinity of the town ofSant' Angelo, to launch attacks on theGustav Line nearMonte Cassino.
On May 11, 1944, the Allies launchedOperation Diadem which finally resulted in the collapse of the Gustav Line and the capitulation of the German defences along theWinter Line. From May 15–19, the 15th Panzergrenadiers fought a retreating battle through theAurunci Mountains against the3rd Algerian Infantry and4th Moroccan Mountain Divisions of theFrench Expeditionary Corps, commanded by GeneralAlphonse Juin.
The 15th Panzergrenadiers fought the rest of the war on theWestern Front. It fought in theBattle of the Bulge, where it participated in theSiege of Bastogne and inOperation Blockbuster, serving under theFirst Parachute Army. It surrendered to the British at war's end.
| Date | Commander |
|---|---|
| July 1, 1943 | GeneralleutnantEberhard Rodt |
| October 1943 | GeneralleutnantErnst-Günther Baade |
| November 20, 1943 | GeneralleutnantEberhard Rodt |
| September 5, 1944 | Oberst (Colonel) Karl-Theodor Simon |
| October 9, 1944 | GeneralmajorHans-Joachim Deckert |
| January 28, 1945 | Oberst Wolfgang Maucke |
The division has been implicated in theBellona massacre,Campania, carried out between 6 and 7 October 1943, when 54 civilians were executed.[1][2]