164th Infantry Division (Germany)
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The 164th Division was a unit of the Wehrmacht in World War II. It was initially created as the 164th Infantry Division in November 1939. In January of 1942, consolidating Axis seizure of the island during the Battle of Crete, the 164th was reorganized as Fortress Division Kreta. In August 1942 the division was split to form the smaller Fortress Brigade Kreta and the 164th Light Afrika Division, with the former remaining in Crete and the latter sent to North Africa.
The 164th Light Afrika Division fought at El Alamein and took heavy casualties in the westward retreat. It was sent to Tripoli for rehabilitation, but the necessary resources were not available, so it was sent to Tunisia to build fortifications. It was almost entirely destroyed there, and the remnants were lost in general Axis surrender in May.
[edit] See also
- Western Desert Campaign, North African Campaign
- Division (military), Military unit
- Wehrmacht, List of German divisions in WWII
[edit] References
Note: The Web references may require you to follow links to cover the unit's entire history.
- Wendel, Marcus (2004). "164. Infanterie-Division". Retrieved April 4, 2005.
- "164. Infanterie-Division". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved April 4, 2005.
- German language article on 164th Afrika division
