The328th Infantry Division (German:328. Infanterie-Division) was the name of two distinctinfantry divisions of theGermanarmy duringWorld War II. The first, simply dubbed328th Infantry Division, existed between 1941 and 1943, while the second, designated328th Infantry Division "Zealand" (German:328. Infanterie-Division „Seeland"), existed for just under two months in 1945.
| 328th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| German:328. Infanterie-Division | |
| Active | 19 December 1941 – 2 November 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Eastern Front Case Anton |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Albert Fett Wilhelm Behrens Joachim von Tresckow Karl Böttcher |
The 328th Infantry Division was formed as a so-calledvalkyrie division of the seventeenthdeployment wave on 19 December 1941. By 2 January 1942, the division was deployed atMielau and consisted of Infantry Regiments 547 through 549 with two battalions each (for a total of six infantry battalions) as well as the Artillery Regiment 328 with two detachments and the Division Units 328.[1]Albert Fett was briefly assigned as divisional commander, beforeWilhelm Behrens took command on 30 December 1941. He was in turn succeeded byJoachim von Tresckow, who (except for a brief interruption byKarl Böttcher in May 1943) commanded the 328th Infantry Division for the rest of its existence.[2]
The 328th marched on foot fromSuwałki into the rear area ofArmy Group Centre on theEastern Front, where Infantry Regiment 547 was detached from the division along with 1st Bn Artillery Regiment 328. The two formations did not return to the division and were integrated into the83rd Infantry Division on 11 February 1943.[1]
In October 1942, the 328th Infantry Division was redeployed from theZubtsov sector, where it had been heavily battered byRed Army troops, toGerman-occupied France. There, it was reinforced by upgrading the regiments 548 and 549 (now designatedgrenadier regiments) with a third battalion, as well as by forming an all-new three-battalion regiment in the form of Grenadier Regiment 569, bringing the division to a strength of nine infantry battalions. Artillery Regiment 328 was brought up to a strength of four batteries.[1]
In France, the division participated inCase Anton, the November 1942 German military occupation of thezone libre ofVichy France, and took over command of theMarseille sector, where it concerned itself with issues such as the establishment ofmilitary brothels.[3]
The division was subsequently deployed to the Eastern Front again, where it took heavy damage over the course of the year 1943 and was eventually dissolved on 2 November 1943.[1]
The remnants of the division were formed intoDivision Group 328 (German:Divisions-Gruppe 328), which was attached to the306th Infantry Division. Subsequently, some former segments of the divisions were brought westwards to help form the353rd Infantry Division.[1]
| Year | Month | Army Corps | Army | Army Group | Operational area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 12 | None ("valkyrie division") | Mława | ||
| 1942 | 1–3 | UnderOKH, redeploying toArmy Group Centre | In transit | ||
| 4–6 | Multiple | 9th | AG Centre | Rzhev | |
| 7 | XXXXVI | ||||
| 8 | VI | ||||
| 9 | XXVII | ||||
| 10 | Multiple | ||||
| 11–12 | LXXXIII | Felber | AG D | Marseille | |
| 1943 | 1–5 | ||||
| 6 | In transit | Kempf | AG South | Kharkiv | |
| 7–9 | LVII | 1st Panzer | Izium | ||
| 10 | LII | Dnieper | |||
| 11 | LVII | ||||
| 12 | LVII (Div. Grp. 328) | ||||
| 328th Infantry Division "Zealand" | |
|---|---|
| German:328. Infanterie-Division „Seeland" | |
| Active | 9 March 1945 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Copenhagen |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 328th Infantry Division "Zealand" was formed inGerman-occupied Denmark on 9 March 1945, using recovering wounded Wehrmacht personnel.[4] These wounded soldiers had previously been organized in formations known asrecoveree battalions D (German:Genesenden-Bataillone D), with the letter D indicatingDenmark.[5] It was to consist of three Grenadier Regiments (593, 594, 595) of three battalions each, as well as a newly-formed Artillery Regiment 328 of two batteries, and the Supply Regiment 328. The division was never battle-ready, as it was still in the process of deployment when Germanysurrendered on 8 May 1945.[1] Throughout its brief existence, the would-be division was headquartered atCopenhagen.[4]