| 295th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 295. Infanterie-Division | |
| Active | February 1940 - May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
The295th Infantry Division (German:295. Infanterie-Division) was aninfantry division of the GermanHeer duringWorld War II.
The division was formed on 10 February 1940 as part of the eighthAufstellungswelle in theMagdeburg are withinWehrkreis XI. It initially consisted of Infantry Regiments 516, 517 and 518, as well as Artillery Regiment 295.[1]
In May 1940, the 295th Infantry Division was in theOKH reserves and was sent to Belgium in June, during theBattle of France. The division was subsequently on occupation duty in theLille area, before being transferred toRouen, where it remained until April 1941.[2] On 15 November 1940, the division transferred a third of its personnel to the321st Infantry Division, part of the thirteenthAufstellungswelle.[1]
In June 1941, the 295th Division was in the spearhead ofOperation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It fought as part of17th Army (Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel) in theVinnytsia area and participated in theBattle of Uman. It crossed theDnieper and took part in the German advance throughUkraine before facing a setback during theSoviet winter offensive of 1941.[2] The 295th Division also theMobile Group of theFirst Slovak Republic, Slovakia's most significant contribution to Operation Barbarossa.[3]: 124
Members of the 295th Infantry Division participated in theZolochiv pogrom that took place between 2 July and 4 July 1941. The division's officers were either unable or unwilling to stop the5th SS Panzer Division Wiking's excess of violence against local civilians.[4]
In August 1941, members of the 295th Infantry Division either actively participated or at least in the majority passively stood by during amassacre of civilians in Bila Tserkva, a Ukrainian settlement close toKiev. The divisional first staff officer,Helmuth Groscurth, was unable to prevent the village's young children from falling victim to the SS. At least 90 were shot by SS units.[5]
The division was destroyed during theBattle of Stalingrad in January 1943.[1]
On 12 February 1943, an order was given to deploy the division, initially atKampfgruppe strength, later upgraded to a static division that was deployed in occupied Norway. The static division was ordered to be upgraded to full division strength on 24 January 1945. After the end of World War II, the division was imprisoned by British forces.[1]