| 211th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 211. Infanterie-Division | |
 Unit insignia | |
| Active |
|
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army (Wehrmacht) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Battle of Kursk Battle of Nevel Operation Bagration |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Kurt Renner Richard Müller Johann-Heinrich Eckhardt |
The211th Infantry Division (German:211. Infanterie-Division) was aGermaninfantry division of the GermanHeer duringWorld War II, active from 1939 to 1944.
In 1944, it was redeployed as211th Volksgrenadier Division, which was active until 1945.
The 211th Infantry Division was deployed as part of the thirdAufstellungswelle as 26 August 1939 inWehrkreis VI (Münster). It consisted of Artillery Regiment 211 as well as the Infantry Regiments 306, 317 and 365, which were raised fromEuskirchen,Cologne andBonn respectively. It was initially deployed as part ofVI Army Corps (Otto-Wilhelm Förster) under5th Army (Curt Liebmann), which was part ofArmy Group C (Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb).[1] The initial divisional commander wasKurt Renner.[2]
The Artillery Regiment 211 was transferred to162nd Division on 1 January 1940. The Regiment 306 was transferred to557th Infantry Division on 6 February 1940.[1] The division served inBrittany in occupied France on occupation duty from 1940 to 1942.[2]
In January 1942, the 211th Infantry Division was transferred to theEastern Front in response to the Soviet winter offensive of 1941/42.[1] In June 1941, the division had consisted of 324 rifle squadrons, 81 50mm mortars, 110 heavy machine guns, 48 light machine guns, 90 anti-tank rifles, 54 81mm mortars, 1170 horse teams, 283 trucks, 127 light transport vehicles, 50 motorcycle squadrons, 21 bicycle squadrons, 8 75mm infantry guns, 51 37mm anti-tank guns, 1 medium halftrack, 36 engineer squadrons, 9 light engineer squadrons, and 36 104mm howitzers.[3] Starting in February 1942, the division was commanded byRichard Müller.[2]
In the Soviet Union, the division was assigned to defensive duty in theBryansk sector from February 1942 to July 1943.[2] On 8 May 1942, a new Artillery Regiment was formed from the forces of the164th Infantry Division. In fall 1943, parts of the dissolved321st Infantry Division were merged into the 211th Infantry Division.[1] On 16 July 1943, the divisional commander Richard Müller was killed in action at theBattle of Kursk and subsequently replaced byJohann-Heinrich Eckhardt.[2] The division participated in theBattle of Nevel in December 1943.[2]
The division was involved in defensive operations against Soviet forces during the Soviet summer offensive of 1944,Operation Bagration. After defensive combat atRóżan against Red Army forces in 1944, the division was largely destroyed. Its redeployment as aVolksgrenadier Division was ordered on 25 November 1944.[1]
In December 1944, the division was redeployed as the 211th Volksgrenadier Division. It served inHungary starting in January 1945, where it surrendered toAmerican and Soviet forces nearBudweis in March 1945.[1] Parts of the division went into American captivity, the rest became Soviet prisoners.[2]
A memorial for the members of the 211th Division was placed in the city ofLeverkusen in southernNorth Rhine-Westphalia, the region where the division was assembled from.[4]
