| 263rd Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 263. Infanterie-Division | |
| Active | August 1939 - May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer (Wehrmacht) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Western Front Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Nevel |
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The263rd Infantry Division (German:263. Infanterie-Division) was aninfantry division of the GermanHeer duringWorld War II.
The 263rd Infantry division was formed on 26 August 1939 with reserve unit personnel in Wehrkreis XII atIdar Oberstein as part of the 4. Welle (4th wave of mobilization).
It participated in operations on the Western Front in May 1940, advancing from the Eifel through Belgium with the4th Army. Then it fought in France in June 1940 first under the6th Army and later under the7th Army with which it advanced towards Bordeaux, where it remained until April 1941, before being moved in Poland.
In June 1941, it participated inOperation Barbarossa in the4th Army underArmy Group Centre and advanced to the gates of Moscow.
Throughout 1942, it fought defensive battles in theYukhnov,Spas-Demensk andVelizh areas until August 1943, when the division was transferred toArmy Group North in the sector aroundNevel under the16th Army. The division suffered serious casualties in theBattle of Nevel in Autumn 1943.
It retreated from Leningrad and throughout the Baltics to be cut off in theCourland Pocket, resisting attacks by the Red Army. It remained there for the rest of the war and surrendered to the Soviets on 9 May 1945.