15th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

German 15th Infantry Division 15. Infanterie-Division
Active	1 October 1934 – 5 September 1944 17 October 1944 – 5 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Würzburg

The German 15th Infantry Division (15. Infanterie-Division) was formed on 1 October 1934 in Würzburg under the cover name Artillerieführer V. With the announcement of German rearmament the division was renamed on 15 October 1935. Mobilized on 25 August 1939 the division took part in the Invasion of Poland 1939 and the Battle of France in 1940. On 21 November 1940 one third of its personnel was used to create the 113th Infantry Division. The division was one of the units taking part in the Second Battle of Kharkov from February till March 1943. The division was destroyed in August 1944 during the Soviet Iaşi-Chişinău Operation. In October 1944 a new 15. Infanterie-Division was raised near Cluj-Napoca using the remainders of the old division and new recruits. On 5 May 1945 the division surrendered to the Red Army at Brod.

Organization (1939)

• Infanterie-Regiment 81 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 88 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 106 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Artillerie-Regiment 15 (I.-III.)
• Artillerie-Regiment 51 (Stab., I.)
• Beobachtungs-Abteilung 15
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung 15
• Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 15
• Pionier-Bataillon 15
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 15
• Feldersatz-Bataillon 15
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 15

Commanders

• General der Artillerie Fritz Brandt 1 October 1934 - 31 March 1936
• Generalleutnant Emil Leeb 1 April 1936 - 1 April 1939
• Generalmajor Walter Behschnitt 1 April 1939 - 6 October 1939
• Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis 6 October 1939 - 12 August 1940
• Generalleutnant Ernst-Eberhard Hell 12 August 1940 - 8 January 1942
• Oberst Alfred Schreiber 8 January 1942 - 3 February 1942
• Generalmajor Bronislaw Pawel 3 February 1942 - 18 Juni 1942
• Generalleutnant Erich Buschenhagen 18 June 1942 - 20 November 1943
• Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl 20 November 1943 - August 1944
• Oberst Ottomar Babel 14 August - 5 September 1944 (MIA)

2nd formation

• Generalmajor Siegfried von Rekowski (cancelled)
• Generalmajor Hanns Laengenfelder 17 October 1944 - 5 May 1945

Literature

• Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand: Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues. Vol.III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1969, p. 286.
• Georg Tessin: Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939 - 1945. Vol. Iv: Die Landstreitkräfte 15 - 30. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1970.
• Weblink: http://www.15id.info (History Website, in German)

Heer infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht   Panzergrenadier divisions 3rd Panzergrenadier Division 10th Panzergrenadier Division 15th Panzergrenadier Division 16th Panzergrenadier Division 18th Panzergrenadier Division 20th Panzergrenadier Division 25th Panzergrenadier Division 29th Panzergrenadier Division 90th Panzergrenadier Division Panzergrenadier Division Brandenburg Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark Großdeutschland Panzergrenadier Division   Mountain divisions 1st Mountain Division 1st Ski Division 2nd Mountain Division 3rd Mountain Division 4th Mountain Division 5th Mountain Division 6th Mountain Division 7th Mountain Division 8th Mountain Division 9th Mountain Division 157th Mountain Division 188th Mountain Division   Grenadier divisions 19th Grenadier Division 31st Grenadier Division 36th Grenadier Division 45th Grenadier Division 78th Grenadier Division 541st Grenadier Division 542nd Grenadier Division 543rd Grenadier Division 544th Grenadier Division 545th Grenadier Division 546th Grenadier Division 547th Grenadier Division 548th Grenadier Division 549th Grenadier Division 550th Grenadier Division 551st Grenadier Division 552nd Grenadier Division 553rd Grenadier Division 558th Grenadier Division 559th Grenadier Division 560th Grenadier Division 561st Grenadier Division 562nd Grenadier Division 563rd Grenadier Division 564th Grenadier Division   Jäger divisions 5th Jäger Division 8th Jäger Division 28th Jäger Division 42nd Jäger Division 97th Jäger Division 100th Jäger Division 101st Jäger Division 104th Jäger Division 114th Jäger Division 117th Jäger Division 118th Jäger Division 200th Jäger Division   Motorised divisions 2nd Infantry Division (mot) 3rd Infantry Division (mot) 10th Infantry Division (mot) 13th Infantry Division (mot) 14th Infantry Division (mot) 16th Infantry Division (mot) 18th Infantry Division (mot) 20th Infantry Division (mot) 25th Infantry Division (mot) 29th Infantry Division (mot) 36th Infantry Division (mot) 60th Infantry Division (mot) 345th Infantry Division (mot) 386th Infantry Division (mot)   Light divisions 3rd Light Division 5th Light Infantry Division 8th Light Infantry Division 28th Light Infantry Division 90th Light Africa Division 97th Light Infantry Division 99th Light Infantry Division 100th Light Infantry Division 101st Light Infantry Division 164th Light Africa Division 999th Light Africa Division   Infantry divisions 1st Infantry Division 4th 6th 7th 9th 11th 12th 14th 15th 17th 19th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 26th 27th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 38th 39th 41st 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 52nd 56th 57th 58th 59th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 98th 102nd 106th 110th 111th 112th 113th 121st 122nd 123rd 125th 126th 129th 131st 132nd 134th 137th 148th 153rd 154th 155th 156th 157th 158th 159th 160th 161st 162nd 162nd (Turk.) 163rd 164th 166th 167th 168th 169th 170th 174th 176th 180th 181st 182nd 183rd 189th 190th 196th 197th 198th 199th 203rd 205th 206th 207th 208th 209th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 216th 217th 218th 219th 221st 223rd 225th 227th 228th 230th 231st 232nd 237th 239th 240th 242nd 243rd 244th 245th 246th 249th 250th 251st 252nd 253rd 254th 255th 256th 257th 258th 260th 262nd 263rd 264th 265th 266th 267th 268th 269th 270th 271st 272nd 273rd 274th 275th 276th 277th 278th 279th 280th 281st 282nd 286th 290th 291st 292nd 293rd 294th 295th 296th 297th 298th 299th 301st 302nd 303rd 304th 305th 306th 309th 311th 319th 320th 321st 323rd 324th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 330th 331st 332nd 333rd 334th 335th 336th 337th 338th 339th 340th 342nd 343rd 344th 346th 347th 348th 349th 351st 352nd 353rd 355th 356th 357th 358th 359th 361st 362nd 363rd 364th 365th 367th 369th 370th 371st 372nd 373rd 376th 377th 379th 383rd 384th 385th 387th 389th 392nd 393rd 395th 399th 416th 430th 462nd 521st 526th 555th 556th 557th 600th 606th 650th 702nd 703rd 704th 707th 708th 709th 710th 711th 712th 713th 714th 715th 716th 717th 718th 719th   Volksgrenadier divisions 6th Volksgrenadier Division 9th 12th 16th 18th 19th 22nd 26th 31st 36th 45th 46th 47th 61st 62nd 78th 79th 98th 167th 183rd 211th 212th 246th 256th 257th 271st 272nd 276th 277th 278th 320th 326th 334th 337th 340th 347th 349th 352nd 361st 363rd 462nd 541st 542nd 544th 545th 547th 548th 549th 551st 553rd 558th 559th 560th 561st 562nd 563rd 564th 565th 566th 567th 568th 569th 570th 571st 572nd 573rd 574th 575th 576th 577th 578th 579th 580th 581st 582nd 583rd 584th 585th 586th 587th 588th 708th   Frontier Guard divisions 538th Frontier Guard Division

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the 15th Infantry Division Stab Erich Buschenhagen1 (Oak Leaves) Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis Hanns Laengenfelder2 (Oak Leaves) Hans Möller Robert Bauer Infanterie/Grenadier-Regiment 81 Karl Kuhn Leander Reinbacher Helmut Weyrauch Otto Wutzel, Otto Infanterie/Grenadier-Regiment 88 Heinz Bundesmann Kurt Kittel Helmut Lambach Otto Laudenbach Anton Ritter Kersten Freiherr von Rosen Wolf Wendt Gustav-Adolf von Zangen3 (Oak Leaves) Infanterie/Grenadier-Regiment 106 Wilhelm Behrens Hubert Fleckenstein Josef Gollas Max Krause Hanns Laengenfelder2 (Oak Leaves) Herbert Proll Walther Schindler Josef Schüssler Friedrich Stellwagen Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 15 Fritz Engelien August Humke Panzerjäger-Abteilung 15 Anton-Otto Frank4 (Oak Leaves) Pionier-Bataillon 15 Joseph Lang 1Oak Leaves with the LII. Armeekorps. 2Knight's Cross with Grenadier-Regiment 106, Oak Leaves with the Stab. 3Oak Leaves with the 15th Army. 4Oak Leaves with the Heeres-Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 743 (XXXXI. Panzerkorps)