23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
German 23rd Infantry Division 23. Infanterie-Division |
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Unit insignia |
Active |
1 October 1934 – 14 September 1942 23 October 1942 – 8 May 1945 |
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Country |
Germany |
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Allegiance |
Wehrmacht |
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Branch |
Heer |
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Type |
Infantry |
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Size |
Division |
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Garrison/HQ |
Potsdam |
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Nickname(s) |
Grenadierkopf |
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German 23rd Infantry Division 23. Infanterie-Division (15 October 1935 - 8 May 1945) |
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| Components | |
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26th Panzer Division 26. Panzer-Division (14 September 1942 - 8 May 1945) |
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| Parent unit | |
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| Components | Panzer Regiment 26 Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 Panzergrenadier Regiment 67 Armored Reconnaissance Battalion 26 Panzerjäger Battalion 51 Divisional units 93 |
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23rd Infantry Division
The German 23rd Infantry Division was a military unit operational during World War II. It was organized along standard lines for a German infantry division. It was non-motorised and relied on horse-drawn wagons for its mobility. The unit carried the nickname Grenadierkopf.
The 23rd Infantry participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the reserve component of the 4th Army. The division was commanded by Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt and consisted of the 9th, 67th, and 68th infantry regiments.
Commanding officers
26th Panzer Division
In July 1942, the division was reorganized as the 26th Panzer Division. It then served occupation duties in the west until mid-1943, whereupon it transferred to Italy to resist the Allied invasion, fought at Salerno, and remained in Italy for the rest of the war, surrendering to the British near Bologna at the end.
Commanding officers
- General der Panzertruppen Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 14 September 1942
- Generalmajor Hans Hecker, 22 January 1944
- General der Panzertruppen Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 20 February 1944
- Oberst Dr. rer. pol. Dr. jur. Hans Boelsen, 11 April 1944 – 7 May 1944 (deputy)
- Generalleutnant Eduard Crasemann, 6 July 1944
- Oberst Carl Stollbrock, 15 December 1944 - 15 January 1945 (deputy)
- Generalmajor Alfred Kuhnert, 29 January 1945
- Generalleutnant Viktor Linnarz, 19 April 1945
New 23rd Infantry Division
In November 1942 a new 23rd Infantry Division was formed, with the new 9th and 67th regiments called Grenadier to distinguish them from the original 9th and 67th regiments now called Panzergrenadier in the 26th Panzer Division. This new division served on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, ultimately surrendering in East Prussia.
Commanding officers
- Generalmajor Friedrich von Schellwitz, re-creation - August 1943
- General der Artillerie Horst von Mellenthin, August 1943 - 1 September 1943
- Generalleutnant Paul Gurran, 1 September 1943 - 22 February 1944
- Generalleutnant Walter Charles de Beaulieu, 22 February 1944 - 1 August 1944
- Generalleutnant Hans Schirmer, 1 August 1944 - disbanded
See also
References
- Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand (1969). Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues (in German). Vol. III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler. p. 286.
- Georg Tessin (1970). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939 - 1945 (in German). Vol. IV: Die Landstreitkräfte 15 -30. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler.
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| Panzergrenadier divisions |
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| Grenadier-Regiment 9 | | |
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| Grenadier-Regiment 67 |
- Franz Büttner
- Werner Lösing
- Klaus Ritter
- Hermann Tesch
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| Füsilier-Regiment 68 | |
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| Panzerjäger-Abteilung 23/Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1023 | |
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| Pionier-Bataillon 23 | |
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