| 61. Infanterie-Division German 61st Infantry Division |
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| Active | 16 August 1939 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country | Nazy Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | World War II |
The German 61st Infantry Division was a combat division of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War.
Established in August 1939 with its headquarters at Insterburg, the unit invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 as part of von Küchler's 3rd Army under Army Group North. It engaged in heavy fighting at the Battle of Mława, afterwards crossing the Narew River near Pułtusk. Fighting its way across the Bug River, it approached the Polish capital at Warsaw on September 18 and remained in the vicinity until the end of the campaign.
In 1940 it fought in Belgium and at Dunkirk during the invasion of France, and served occupation duty in Brittany afterward. In early 1941 it was transferred to East Prussia, and in June it joined in the invasion of the Soviet Union as part of 18th Army (again commanded by von Küchler and once again under Army Group North). The division participated in the occupation of Tallinn and the Moonsund Archipelago. It took part in the Siege of Leningrad and remained in the area until January 1944, after which the Soviet Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha and Kingisepp–Gdov offensives forced it back into Estonia where it fought in the Battle of Narva, particularly in the Narva Offensive (18–24 March 1944). Held in reserve, it was one of only two divisions considered "fully combat effective" by the Army Group North in July of that year.
The division was redesignated as 61st Volksgrenadier Division in October 1944, and continued fighting in the East under Army Groups North and Center. Evacuated to East Prussia, the division fought in the so-called Heiligenbeil pocket, caught between the advancing Soviets and the Frisches Haff. Once the "cauldron" collapsed in March 1945 the division was written off as a loss and its remaining assets were taken over by the 21st Infantry Division while the division staff was withdrawn to Königsberg, all falling into Soviet hands at the end of the war.
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The 61st Infantry Division consisted of the following units in 1940:
By 1942 the division's composition had been somewhat altered to the following:
Once officially designated a Volksgrenadier Division in 1944, the unit was composed of the following:
The following officers commanded the 61st Infantry Division:
Thirty-seven of the division's personnel were Knight's Cross recipients, including commanders Siegfried Haenicke, Werner Hühner, Gottfried Weber (when commander of the 1st battalion of the 162nd Infantry Regiment), and Günther Krappe.
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