historical question

[Dandelion]

Originally posted by Corvidae:

Dandelion,

Sounds interesting, I would like to find more info on these luftwaffe infantry divisions,

Use Andreas' links to your advantage, I have no online links to offer but can as always recommend Tessin. Below a summary.

The first Luftwaffe field units were actually created in the (early) winter of 1942. Under command of AOK16 (Hgr Nord) stood the Lw-Division Meindl consisting of Lw-Feld-Rgt 1.-5., plus Rgt 14. but this regiment had only a regimental Hq. It also included the Ski-Bataillon of Luftflotte I. In the centre there was the Lw-Infanterie-Regiment Moskau and in Finland was raised the 1. Lw.Feld-Btl.

The order to raise Lw-Feld-Divisionen was issued September 12th 1942 and responsibility was given to Fliegerkorps XIII. The first eight divisions (1.-8.) started training in October, apparently all in Groß-Born with the men mainly drawn from Flieger regiments 10 (Neukuhren), 14 (Klagenfurt), 21 (Magdeburg) and 42 (Stade), plus a number of anonymous contributor Lw units. These divisions consisted of four battallions except 7th which had only three and 8th appearing to have had only two. There were no regimental Hqs in the divisions. In addition, each of these divisions had an antitank battallion, antiaircraft battallion, artillery battallion, a signal company and a pioneer company.

Second generation (divisions 9-20) were trained in various locations. Most of them still in Groß-Born, the rest in Fallingbostl, Bergen/Celle and Arys. Identified contributor Lw units were Flieger Regiments 62 (Quedlingburg), 72 (Detmold), 12 (Handorf), 13 (Neubiberg), 61 (Oschatz), 23 (Kaufbeuren) and the abovementioned Lw.Inf.Rgt.Moskau (formed the core of 19th division). In addition, recruits were drawn from general reserves of the Luftgau IV. The battallion in Finland was renamed Landesschützen Bataillon 1 der Luftwaffe and did not provide manpower for any of these divisions. These divisions consisted of two Lw-Jäger-Rgt of three battallions each, plus an artillery regiment of three or four battallions (of which one was Flak), a recon company, pioneer company and signals company.

Divisions 21 and 22 were planned to be raised using the abovementioned Lw-Division Meindl as core, but this never came to be. Number 22 was never raised and 21st used a newly trained regiment (43) as core unit instead. The Meindl division was instead transformed into a number of Lw Jäger Bataillone (three to be precise). These were never transferred to the army, instead their number was increased to 10 by the end of the war.

There were a number of other odd units raised, belong to the Lw Feld units. Lw-Feld-Rgt 501-503 were raised in Norway. Later transfered to the army with the others.

In Italy, the Wach-Bataillone OBS (Oberbefehlshaber Süd) 1 to 4 were raised and some served in Tunisia. They were dissolved, not transferred, in 1943.

In the Balkans Sicherungs-Bataillone I to VI were raised by late 1944 and these were formally part of the Lw-Feld troops as well, although the divisions of that force belonged to the army by then.

As the divisions proper reached fronts and started suffering (abnormal) casualties, Flieger regiments 11, 16, 24, 26, 33, 41 and 43 were all dissolved to provide replacements.

Divisions 7 and 8 "disappeared" in the chaos after Stalingrad, the odd survivors were adopted by division 15. Division 2 was destroyed at Nevel in october 1943 (survivors went to division 6) and division 3 was destroyed at Vitebsk. Division 15, consisting primarily of remnants and survivors, proved an unstable formation and was dissolved. All other divisions suffered various grevious rates of casualties.

The order to transfer to the army was issued november first 1943. The army inherited the remnants of divisions 1, 4-6, 9-14 and 16-21. The heavy battallions of the artilleryregiments were not transferred to the army, they returned to serve as Flak units.

It wasn't the end of the Lw Feld troops though. In october 1944 the Luftwaffe were ordered to provide 40 fortress battallions, each of 3 companies, for service along the West Wall. There were delivered, numbered I-XXXX. None of them saw any extended service, but were dissolved, the men going to army or paratroop formations.

Also by october 44, the Luftwaffe raised a number of Lw-Inf-Btl (41, 42, 51, 52 (all these in Germany), 81 (Slovakia), 82 (slovakia), 85 (Budapest)) and these served until destroyed or until VE day.

A division of airforce infantry was raised in march 45 in Berlin. These were school personnel and such. To label them part of the Lw Feld troops is possible but highly academic.

That's the frame of Luftwaffe service.

In army service the divisions retained their number but were called Feld-Div. (L) and the regiments were simply called Jäger-Rgt (not Lw). Divisions 4, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 21 were three regiment divisions, the rest had only two. They used Division n.A. organisation (in Western literature often called Division 44 organisation). They received green Waffenfarbe (arm of service colour of the Jäger, or rifle, corps) except division 20. After retraining, Divisions 4 and 6 were sent to the central (eastern) front, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 21 to the northern (eastern) front, 16-18 were sent west, 19 and 20 sent south (Italy), 11th to the Aegean and 14th to Norway.

By spring 44 divisions 9, 10 and 13 were destroyed on the eastern front.

Division 19 was actually destroyed in Italy but then recreated as a regular infantry division. Also destroyed in Italy was division 20, re-raised as division 155 (a training division).

Divisions 4 and 6 were destroyed in july 44, estern front.

Divisions 16 and 17 were destroyed in Normandy and division 18 was ditto in Belgium some weeks later. Remnants were used to raise two regular infantry divisions.

The only formations to survive as such until VE day were 11 (Greece) and 14 (Norway).

Hope that helped get you started in penetrating the subject in greater detail.

Cheers

Dandelion

[JonS]

Would you happen to have the Div insignia for 16 Div in Normandy?

[Kingfish]

Originally posted by JonS:

Would you happen to have the Div insignia for 16 Div in Normandy?

[JonS]

To be fair though, didn't the 16th do passingly well? Granted they sort of evaporated during GOODWOOD, but they were just a tad outgunned in that one ...

[John Kettler]

Dandelion,

Rats! You beat me to it on the Dien Bien Phu M24 Chaffees. As for the use those prime Luftwaffe recruits were put to after not even being trained by combat verterans or properly officered, what a waste!

Regards,

John Kettler

[Kingfish]

Originally posted by JonS:

To be fair though, didn't the 16th do passingly well? Granted they sort of evaporated during GOODWOOD, but they were just a tad outgunned in that one ...

I guess it depends on what you mean by passingly well. As compared to the other low-grade IDs they performed as well as could be expected. They just had the misfortune of being in the path of two major CW offensives in the span of two weeks.

[Dandelion]

Originally posted by JonS:

To be fair though, didn't the 16th do passingly well? Granted they sort of evaporated during GOODWOOD, but they were just a tad outgunned in that one ...

Well yes I think they did perform credibly. Normandy was after the army restructuring and reorganisation of the divisions. They ought to have performed like any other infantry division and by and large they did. Like Kingfish I tend to regard them as a regular reserve division, performing as such.

And as for the performance before that point, it was merely the inevitable consequence of the endemic dilettantism of their government.

All the best

Dandelion