| 73rd Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 73. Infanterie-Division | |
 Insignia of the 73rd Infantry Division | |
| Active | 26 August 1939 – 16 April 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Nickname | Kleist Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
The German73rd Infantry Division or in German73. Infanterie-Division was a German military unit which served duringWorld War II. The division consisted of more than 10,000 soldiers, primarily of theinfantry branch, with supportingartillery. The division was only semi-motorized and relied on marching for the infantry units and horse-drawn transport for most of the support equipment, especially the artillery.
The 73rd Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939 as part of the 2nd wave (aufstellungswelle). Shortly after its formation it then participated in theinvasion of Poland as a reserve division ofArmy Group North.
In 1941, it fought briefly in theGreek Campaign. It fought on the southern sector of theEastern Front, from July 1941 through May 1944. As part of the11th Army, it participated in theCrimean campaign in late 1941, including the initial assaults nearPerekop and the "Tartar Ditch" as well asSevastopol.
In the spring of 1944, it was cut off by the Soviet forces in theCrimea and destroyed in Sevastopol in May 1944. The division was reformed inHungary on 16 June 1944. it participated in battles aroundWarsaw in the summer, at the end of July it was routed by theRed Army's2nd Guards Tank Army commanded byAlexei Radzievsky, and in September 1944 was destroyed by Soviet forces during their assault on thePraga suburb ofWarsaw. The division was subsequently reformed.
On 1 January 1945, the 73rd Infantry Division (then part of9th Army underArmy Group A) had a strength of 10,782 men.[1]: 504
The 73rd Infantry Division was destroyed in the fighting aroundDanzig in 1945. The surviving divisional staff officers went down with the linerGoya on 17 April 1945.
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Structure of the division:[2][3]
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