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| 305th Infantry Division (Bodensee) | |
|---|---|
| German:305. Infanterie-Division | |
 German 305th Infantry Divisional Insignia | |
| Active | October 1940 – April 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  Heer |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | German VII Army inFrance German VI Army in theSoviet Union German X Army inItaly |
| Nicknames | Bodensee Division Baden-Württembergische Division Fels im Meer |
| Engagements | Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kalach Battle of Stalingrad Operation Achse Italian Campaign |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | GeneralleutnantKurt Oppenländer General der ArtillerieFriedrich-Wilhelm Hauck |
The305th Infantry Division (German:305. Infanterie-Division) was aGerman Army unit that saw extensive front-line action duringWorld War II. This division was present at theBattle of Stalingrad, theBattle of Monte Cassino, and surrendered toU.S. Army's88th Infantry Division inNorthern Italy nearTrento in late April 1945.
The 305th Infantry Division was part of the 13th wave ofWehrmacht mobilizations October through November 1940. In December 1940, the 305th Infantry Division was based out ofRavensburg,Upper Swabia on theBodensee.[1]
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The 305th Infantry Division was under the command of Lieutenant General Kurt Oppenländer during the Battle of Stalingrad. Infantry Regiment 578 was disbanded on 21 December due to the division's inability to maintain three line regiments, and its constituent battalions were redistributed to the division's remaining infantry regiments. The remnants of the division surrendered in Northern Kessel on 2 February 1943.
The 305th Infantry Division was reformed inBrittany during the first half of 1943.
After Mussolini's fall, the division was relocated in August 1943, to theLigurian coast in the Italian theater of war. DuringOperation Achse, the division was entrusted with the occupation of the military port ofLa Spezia, but could not prevent the escape of the Italian warships anchored there.
In October, the division was moved to southern Italy in the eastern section of theVolturno Line, where it took part in defensive battles against the advancing 5th US Army. The division then withdrew to theSangro River in the eastern section of theGustav Line. After the fall of the Gustav Line in the spring of 1944, the division, with the Allies in close pursuit, marched towardsUmbria and had to be replenished with troops from the94th Infantry Division.
Before retreating to theGothic Line in the summer of 1944, it fought against Allied forces inTuscany nearArezzo and inCasentino. From autumn 1944 to theAllied spring offensive in April 1945, the 305th division was stationed inRomagna, east ofBologna. The division was taken prisoner in May 1945 north ofLake Garda.
The division has been implicated in a number of war crimes in Italy between October 1943 and April 1945, with up to twelve civilians executed in each incident.[2]
