The 26th Infantry Division (26. Infanterie-Division) was a pre-Second World war German Infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 Division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...

 of the 1st mobilisation wave (1. Welle). It was mobilised for World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 on September 26, 1939, disbanded September 10, 1944 near Radom

Radom

Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...

, reformed as the 26th Volksgrenadier Division (26. Volksgrenadier-Division) on September 17, 1944 near Poznań

Poznan

Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

 by absorption of the new 582nd Volksgrenadier Division of the 32nd mobilisation wave (32. Welle). Remnants of the Division entered U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 captivity in the Harz

Harz

The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...

 region in 1945.

Commanding officers

• General der Infanterie Sigismund von Förster, 1 September 1939
• Generaloberst Walter Weiß
  Walter Weiß
  General Walter-Otto Weiß was a Wehrmacht High Command officer in World War II. He became Commander in Chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front in 1945. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
  
  , 15 January 1941
• General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese
  Friedrich Wiese
  Friedrich Wiese was a German general who commanded the 19. Armee during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
  
  , 15 April 1942
• Generalleutnant Johannes de Boer
  Johannes de Boer
  Johannes de Boer was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
  
  , 5 August 1943
• Generalmajor Heinz Kokott
  Heinz Kokott
  Heinz Kokott was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
  
  , 10 August 1944

Operational history

The 26th Infantry Division spent the first war years on the Western Front

Western Front (World War II)

The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...

, taking part in the Battle of France

Battle of France

In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...

 in May/June 1940 first under the command of Sixteenth Army (16. Armee) and later Twelfth Army. The division was transferred to the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

 in June 1941 to serve under Army Group Centre

Army Group Centre

Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...

 (Heeresgruppe Mitte), In July 1943 it participated in the Battle of Kursk

Battle of Kursk

The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...

. After this battle the 26th Infantry Division absorbed the 174th Reserve Division (174. Reserve-Division). On September 10, 1944 the division was disbanded after casualties taken near Kowel, remnants troops were transferred to 253rd Infantry Division (253. Infanterie-Division).

A new 26th Volksgrenadier Division was formed on September 17, 1944 in the Warthelager near Poznán

Poznan

Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

 by absorption of the 582nd Volksgrenadier Division and remnants of the old 26th Infantry Division. This new division spent the rest of the war on the Western Front under Army Group B

Army Group B

Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.-Battle for France:The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam...

 (Heeresgruppe B) until it entered U.S. captivity in the Harz in 1945.

1939

• Infanterie-Regiment 39, I-III Battalions
• Infanterie-Regiment 77, I-III Battalions http://infanterie-regiment77.org/
• Infanterie-Regiment 78, I-III Battalions
• Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-III Battalions plus the Ist Battalion of Artillerie-Regiment 62
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung 26
• Panzerjäger-Abteilung 26
• Pionier-Abteilung 26
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
• Feldersatz-Bataillon 26

1944

• Füsilier Regiment 39, I and II Battalions
• Grenadier Regiment 77, I and II Battalions
• Füsilier Regiment 78, I and II Battalions
• Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-IV Battalions
• Divisions-Füsilier-Kompanie 26 (later expanded to Füsilier-Bataillon 26)
• Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 26
• Pionier-Abteilung 26
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
• Feldersatz-Bataillon 26

See also

• 26th Division (German Empire)
  26th Division (German Empire)
  The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
  
   for the eponymous division in the First World War