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List Of German Divisions In WwiiThis is a list of German divisions in WWII. Only ground units are covered; "divisions" of aircraft are not. Upgrades and reorganizations are shown only to identify the variant names for what is notionally a single unit; other upgrades and reorganizations are deferred to the individual articles. Due to the scope of this list pre-war changes are not shown, nor are upgrades from units smaller than a division. Name elements not usually translated - Grenadier
- A traditional term for heavy infantry.
- Jger
- A traditional term for light infantry (literally "hunter").
- Lehr
- A demonstration unit (literally "learning-" or "teaching-").
- Nummer
- "Number". (See description in Infantry Series Divisions, below.)
- Panzer
- Armored (literally "armor").
- Sturm
- "Storm" or "Assault".
- Volks
- "of the People".
- zbV
- Abbreviation for "Special Purpose".
Volks, Sturm, and Grenadier were sometimes used simply as morale-building epithets, often without any significance to a unit's organization or capabilities. Heer Panzer Divisions Numbered Panzer Divisions Named Panzer Divisions - Panzer Division Clausewitz (previously Division Nr. 233 (mot.), Panzergrenadier Division Nr. 233, and Panzer Division Nr. 233, Reserve Panzer Division 233)
- Dberitz, Schlesien, and Holstein are approximately synonymous with Clausewitz.
- Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 1 (previously 60th Infantry Division, 60th Motorized Infantry Division, and Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle)
- Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 2 (previously 13th Infantry Division, 13th Motorized Infantry Division, and 13th Panzer Division)
- Panzer Division Jterbog
- Panzer Division Kempf (part Heer, part Waffen-SS)
- Panzer Division Kurmark
- Panzer Division Lehr (sometimes identified as 130th Panzer Division)
- Panzer Division Mncheberg
Light Divisions The designation "Light" (leichte) had various meanings in the German Army of World War II. There was a series of 5 Light divisions; the first four were pre-war mechanized formations organized for use as mechanized cavalry, and the fifth was an ad hoc collection of mechanized elements rushed to Africa to bail the Italians out and organized into a division once there. All five were eventually converted to ordinary Panzer divisions. Various other divisions were dubbed "Light" for other reasons, and are listed among the Infantry Series Divisions. Infantry Series Divisions Types of division in the series German infantry divisions had a variety of designations and specializations, though numbered in a single series. The major variations are as follows: - Fortress (Festung)
- Divisions of non-standard organization used to garrison critical sites. The smaller ones might consist of only two or three battalions.
- Grenadier
- A morale-building honorific usually indicative of reduced strength when used alone.
- Light, Jger
- Provided with partial horse or motor transport and usually lighter artillery, and reduced in size compared to an ordinary infantry division. Some of these were essentially identical to mountain divisions, and were sometimes referred to as Gebirgsjger ("Mountain Light Infantry") divisions.
- This description does not apply to the Light divisions in Africa (5th, 90th, 164th, 999th), nor to the five Light mechanized divisions listed in their own subsection.
- Motorized
- Provided with full motor transport for all infantry and weapons systems. Usually reduced in size compared to an ordinary infantry division.
- Division Nummer
- A sort of placeholder division, with a number (Nummer) and staff but few if any combat assets. These divisions started out without any type in their name (e.g., Division Nr. 179), though some acquired a type later on (e.g, Panzer Division Nr. 179).
- Panzergrenadier
- As motorized, but with more self-propelled weapons and an added battallion of tanks or fully armored assault guns.
- Static (bodenstndige)
- Deficient in transport, even enough to move its own artillery. Many of these were divisions that had been mauled on the Russian Front and were sent west to serve as costal defense garrisons until sufficient resources were available to rehabilitate them.
- Volksgrenadier
- A late-war reorganization with reduced size and increased short-range firepower. Many previously destroyed or badly mauled infantry divisions were reconstituted as Volksgrenadier divisions, and new ones were raised as well.
- zbV
- An ad hoc division created to meet a special requirement. (E.g., Division zbV Afrika)
Most of the size reductions listed above were by about a third, either by the removal of an infantry regiment or the removal of one infantry battalion from each of the three regiments. Infantry divisions were raised in waves, sets of divisions with a standardized table of organization and equipment. In general the later waves (i.e., the higher-numbered divisions) were of lower quality than the earlier ones. Numbered Divisions - 1st Infantry Division
- 2nd Motorized Infantry Division (later 12th Panzer Division)
- 3rd Motorized Infantry Division (later 3rd Panzergrenadier Division)
- 4th Infantry Division (later 14th Panzer Division)
- 5th Infantry Division (later 5th Light Infantry Division, 5th Jger Division)
- Not related to the 5th Light Division.
- 6th Infantry Division (later 6th Grenadier Division, 6th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 7th Infantry Division
- 8th Infantry Division (later 8th Light Infantry Division, 8th Jger Division)
- 9th Infantry Division (later 9th Volksrenadier Division)
- 10th Infantry Division (later 10th Motorized Infantry Division, 10th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 11th Infantry Division
- 12th Infantry Division (later 12th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 13th Motorized Infantry Division (later 13th Panzer Division, Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 2)
- 14th Infantry Division (later 14th Motorized Infantry Division, then 14th Infantry Division again)
- 14th Luftwaffe Infantry Division
- 15th Infantry Division
- 15th Panzergrenadier Division (previously 33rd Infantry Division, 15th Panzer Division)
- Not related to 15th Infantry Division.
- 16th Infantry Division (later split into – )
- 16th Panzer Division, and
- 16th Motorized Infantry Division (later 16th Panzergrenadier Division, 116th Panzer Division)
- 16th Luftwaffe Infantry Division (later 16th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 17th Infantry Division
- 18th Infantry Division (later 18th Motorized Infantry Division, 18th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 18th Volksgrenadier Division
- Not related to the 18th Infantry Division.
- 19th Infantry Division (later 19th Panzer Division)
- 19th Grenadier Division (later 19th Volksgrenadier Division)
- This unit was originally in the Luftwaffe as the 19th Luftwaffe Field Division (later 19th Luftwaffe Sturm Division)
- 20th Motorized Infantry Division (later 20th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 21st Infantry Division
- 22nd Infantry Division (later 22nd Air Landing Division, 22nd Volksgrenadier Division)
- 23rd Infantry Division (later 26th Panzer Division)
- After being reorganized as the 26th Panzer Division, some of the 23rd Infantry Division's original components were used to create a new 23rd Infantry Division.
- 24th Infantry Division
- 25th Infantry Division (later 25th Motorized Infantry Division, 25th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 26th Infantry Division (later 26th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 27th Infantry Division (later 17th Panzer Division)
- 28th Light Infantry Division (later 28th Jger Division)
- 29th Motorized Infantry Division (later 29th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 30th Infantry Division
- 31st Infantry Division (later 31st Grenadier Division, 31st Volksgrenadier Division)
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 33rd Infantry Division (later 15th Panzer Division, 15th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 34th Infantry Division
- 35th Infantry Division (later 35th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 36th Infantry Division (later 36th Motorized Infantry Division, then 36th Infantry Division again, 36th Grenadier Division, and finally 36th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 38th Infantry Division
- 39th Infantry Division (later 41st Fortress Division, 41st Infantry Division)
- 78th Infantry Division (later 78th Sturm Division, 78th Grenadier Division, 78th Volksgrenadier Division, and finally 78 Volks-Sturm Division)
- 79th Infantry Division (later 79th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 80th Infantry Division
- 89th Infantry Division
- 90th Light Infantry Division (previously the Division zbV Afrika; later 90th Light Afrika Division, 90th Panzergrenadier Division)
- 91st Infantry Division (later 91st Air Landing Division)
- 95th Infantry Division (later 95th Volksgrenadier Division)
- 97th Light Infantry Division (later 97th Jger Division)
- 99th Light Infantry Division (later 7th Mountain Division)
- 100th Light Infantry Division (later 100th Jger Division)
- 101st Light Infantry Division (later 101st Jger Division)
- 104th Jger Division
- 114th Jger Division
- 117th Jger Division
- 118th Jger Division
- 133rd Fortress Division
- 141st Reserve Division
- 143rd Reserve Division
- 147th Reserve Division
- 148th Reserve Division
- 149th Field Training Division
- 150th Field Training Division
- Division Nr. 151 (later 151st Reserve Division)
- Division Nr. 152
- Division Nr. 153 (later 153rd Reserve Division, 153rd Field Training Division, 153rd Grenadier Division)
- Division Nr. 154 (later 154th Reserve Division, 154th Field Training Division, 154th Infantry Division)
- Division Nr. 155 (later Division Nr. 155 (mot.), Panzer Division Nr. 155, 155th Reserve Panzer Division)
- 155th Field Training Division (later 155th Infantry Division)
- Not related to Division Nr. 155.
- Division Nr. 156 (later 156th Reserve Division, 47th Infantry Division, 47th Volksgrenadier Division)
Named Divisions
Mountain Divisions Ski Division Cavalry Divisions According to Davies, the Cavalry divisions were mounted infantry and the Cossack divisions were "true cavalry", modelled on the Russian cavalry divisions. Landwehr Divisions Artillery Divisions Named Fortress Divisons Named Training Divisions Field Replacement Divisions Kriegsmarine Naval Infantry Divisions Luftwaffe Hermann Gring Divisions The Hermann Gring formations grew from a single police detachment to an entire armored corps over the course of the war. The later epithet Fallschirm ("parachute") was purely honorific. Airborne Divisions In order to keep its existence secret, the first German airborne division was named as if a Flieger ("flier") division in the series of Luftwaffe divisions that controlled air assets rather than ground troops: - 7th Flieger Division (often translated 7th Air Division)
The division was later reorganized to start a series of nominally airborne divisions. Though named Fallschirmjger ("paratrooper") divisions, most were not actually trained for airdrops, and in practice all operated as ordinary motorized infantry throughout their existence. The lower-numbered ones maintaned an lite status, but quality generally declined among the higher-numbered ones. Field Divisions These were ordinary infantry divisions organized from Luftwaffe personnel made available after mid-war due to the manpower crunch. They were originally Luftwaffe units but were later handed over to the Heer, retaining their numbering but with Luftwaffe attached to distinguish them from similarly numbered divisions already existing in the Heer. Training Divisions Anti-Aircraft Divisions These were headquarters for controlling aggregates of FLAK ("anti-aircraft artillery") assets rather than ordinary combined arms divisions organized for ground combat. Waffen-SS All divisions in the Waffen-SS were ordered in a single series, regardless of type. Those tagged with nationalities were at least nominally recruited from those nationalities. Many of the higher-numbered units were small battlegroups, i.e. divisions in name only. Also Panzer Division Kempf, a temporary unit of mixed Heer and Waffen-SS components. See also References - Astel, John; Goodwin, A. E.; Long, Jason, Bengtsson, Sven Ake; & Parmenter, James D. (1998). "Orders of Battle". Data booklet from the Europa game Storm Over Scandinavia. Grinnel, Iowa: Game Research/Design. ISBN 1860100910.
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- Parada, George (2004). "Panzer Divisions 1940-1945". Retrieved April 1, 2005.
External links
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