323rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
German:323. Infanterie-Division
Active	1940–1943
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	World War II

The323rd Infantry Division (German:323. Infanterie-Division) was aninfantry division of the GermanHeer duringWorld War II. It was formed in 1940, sent to theEastern Front in 1942, and dissolved after heavy casualties in 1943. The remnants of the division were briefly grouped into the Division Group 323, which was eventually folded into the88th Infantry Division in May 1944.

The 323rd Infantry Division was formed as a static division of the 13thAufstellungswelle inFranconia inWehrkreis XIII. Of its initial battalions, three were drawn from each the62nd and the73rd Infantry Divisions.^[1] The division's initial commander wasMax Mühlmann.^[2]

Between May 1941 and April 1942, the 323rd Infantry Division served on occupation duty in northwestern France. On 13 January 1942,Hans Bergen took command of the division.^[2]

Following a decree on 7 February 1942, the division was restructured from a static division to an assault division to prepare it for service on theEastern Front. The previously understaffed regiments of the division were brought to full strength in March 1942 through the addition of a 13th and 14th company to each of the infantry regiments and the addition of a heavy fourth detachment to the artillery regiment.^[1]

After heavy fighting on the Eastern Front that began with the division's arrival there in May 1942, the formation had been reduced toKampfgruppe strength by February 1943.^[1] In January 1943, the 323rd Infantry Division fought alongside the other divisions of theVII German Corps and theIV Hungarian Corps, and elements of the division were assigned to aid the75th Infantry Division's flank defense, along with elements of the57th Infantry Division and the remnants of the340th and377th Infantry Divisions between 23 and 25 January.^[3] In February, the remnants of the division were attached to the 75th Infantry Division and the26th Infantry Division, before the division was eventually officially dissolved on 2 November 1943, after which the remnants became the Division Group 323 (German:Divisionsgruppe 323).^[1]

The division's commander Bergen was replaced byViktor Koch on 5 November 1942, byAndreas Nebauer on 25 December 1942, and byRonald Koschella on 2 February 1943.^[2]

The Division Group 323 was formed on 2 November 1943 from the remnants of the 323rd Infantry Division and put under the supervision of the88th Infantry Division under4th Panzer Army. The division group's staff had been formed from Grenadier Regiment 594, previously part of the 323rd Infantry Division as well, and the division group was dissolved after the German breakout from theKorsun–Cherkassy Pocket. The remaining personnel was fully integrated into the 88th Infantry Division by May 1944.^[1]

The initial internal structure of the 323rd Infantry Division was as follows:^[1]

• Infantry Regiment 591 (three battalions). Drawn from one battalion each of the Infantry Regiment 199 and the Infantry Regiment 164, both previously part of the 62nd Infantry Division.
• Infantry Regiment 593 (three battalions). Drawn from one battalion each of the Infantry Regiment 213 and the Infantry Regiment 170, both previously of the 73rd Infantry Division.
• Infantry Regiment 594 (three battalions). Drawn from one battalion each of the Infantry Regiment 186, previously part of the 73rd Infantry Division, and the Infantry Regiment 183, previously part of the 62nd Infantry Division.
• Artillery Regiment 323 (three detachment). Drawn from one detachment each of the Artillery Regiment 162, previously part of the 62nd Infantry Division, and the Artillery Regiment 173, previously part of the 73rd Infantry Division, as well as four additional batteries.

• Max Mühlmann, divisional commander of the 323rd Infantry Division (15 November 1940 – 12 January 1942).
• Hans Bergen, divisional commander of the 323rd Infantry Division (12 January 1942 – 5 November 1942).
• Viktor Koch, divisional commander of the 323rd Infantry Division (5 November 1942 – 25 December 1942).
• Andreas Nebauer, divisional commander of the 323rd Infantry Division (25 December 1942 – 2 February 1943).
• Ronald Koschella, divisional commander of the 323rd Infantry Division (2 February 1943 – 2 November 1943).

• Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II
• Military units and formations established in 1940
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1943

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• Articles containing German-language text
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