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| 14th Infantry Division 14th Motorized Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 14. Infanterie-Division 14. Infanterie-Division (mot.) | |
 Unit insignia | |
| Active | 1 October 1934 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  German Army |
| Type | Infantry Motorized infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Leipzig |
| Nickname | Sächsische Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lothar Rendulic |
The14th Infantry Division (German:14. Infanterie-Division; nickname: theSächsische Division orSaxonian Division) was a formation of theGermany Army (Wehrmacht) which fought duringWorld War II.
Thedivision was formed in 1934 inLeipzig, by expanding the 11th (Saxonian) Infantry Regiment of the 4th Division of the oldReichswehr. As this was a direct breach of the terms of theTreaty of Versailles, its existence was initially concealed; it was formally designated as the 14th Infantry Division in October 1935. This history, particularly of Infantry Regiment 11, made it one of the prestige infantry divisions of theWehrmacht.
Mobilised in the 1st wave in 1939, the division was involved in the Germaninvasion of Poland, where it attacked towardsCzęstochowa andLublin, and the following year'sinvasion of France. In October 1940 it was 'motorised', i.e. provided with motor transport as opposed to the usual horse and foot mobility of Wehrmacht infantry divisions, as the14. Infanteriedivision (mot.), with the following organisation:
DuringOperation Barbarossa, the division was involved in theencirclement of Minsk. In the winter of 1942/3 it was intended to reform the division as the 14thPanzergrenadier Division, but this process was stopped; in 1943 the formation was changed, having the following organisation:
During this period the 14th Infantry Division was mostly assigned toNinth Army, withArmy Group Centre on the Eastern Front; it suffered heavy losses during theBattles of Rzhev, and then in the defence againstOperation Suvorov.
1944 saw the division transferred to3rd Panzer Army. In the summer of 1944 it was one of Army Group Centre's few reserve formations, and in this capacity was rushed into the line nearOrekhovsk on 25 June in a desperate attempt to hold back the breakthrough of several Soviet divisions atOrsha during the Soviet summer offensive,Operation Bagration. Some elements made a last stand aroundBogushevsk before being overwhelmed; Infantry Regiment 11 was left as a rearguard on the road toMinsk. Only a handful of troops were able to retreat to the German lines.
By the end of the year the remainders of the formation had been transferred toSecond Army and was in the area ofOstrolenka,Poland; during the SovietEast Prussian Offensive of January 1945, the rebuilt 14th was one of the divisions pushed north and trapped in theHeiligenbeil pocket, where it attempted a breakout nearWormditt, before falling back onBraunsberg. The division was eventually destroyed in fighting in thekessel, most of its surviving troops entering Soviet captivity, while a few were evacuated via theFrisches Haff.
