272nd Infantry Division (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The 272nd Infantry Division was a Type 1944 infantry division of the German Wehrmacht
during World War II, that was originally formed in December 1943. The division fought in many of the major battles throughout Operation Overlord
, culminating in the Retreat from Northern France and the Low Countries in late August/early September 1944.
, which had been decimated on the Eastern Front and disbanded the month before. The entire staff of the 216th, its signal battalion, divisional support units, and most of its artillery regiment were simply re-designated with the new divisional number. Grenadier Regiments 396 and 398 were disbanded, except the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Regiment 396, which was re-designated as Füsilier Battalion 272. Its commander, Generalleutnant Friedrich August Schack
, was carried over from his previous command of the 216th.
Only Grenadier Regiment 348, under the command of Oberstleutnant Burian, was withdrawn from Russia in its entirety, to be re-designated as Grenadier Regiment 980. Both Grenadier Regiments 981 and 982 were created from reserve and training battalions of the 182nd Reserve Division, consisting almost entirely of native German personnel or Reichsdeutsche. The combat engineer and antitank battalions were formed from scratch using elements forwarded from the Replacement Army.
The 272nd Infantry Division trained in the Bevern area in Belgium while under the command and control of the Fifteenth Army. In April 1944 it was sent to the French Mediterranean Coast to continue its training plan and to conduct security duties near the Franco-Spanish border while under the control of the Nineteenth Army. By 19 June, it reported that its present for duty strength was 11,211 men and 1,514 Russian auxiliaries or Hiwis, for a total of 12,725 men, close to its authorized strength. For information about its commitment to the defensive front in Normandy and its main engagements, refer to the section shown below.
After surviving the retreat from Normandy, on 17 September 1944 it was redesignated as the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division.
(15 Dec. 1943 to 3 Sep. 1944)
Ia (Operations Officer): Oberstleutnant i.G. Hubert Werner
of 24 July 1944, which announced to the German people "In the Caen area, the 272nd Infantry Division, under the inspirational leadership of Generalleutnant Schack, has especially distinguished itself through its tough defense and magnificent counterattacks."
On July 25, 1944, after a preliminary barrage lasting upwards of five hours, forces of the II Canadian Corps
initiated a massive offensive across a seven-kilometer front, stretching from the Orne River to Bourguebus Ridge, along the entire northern slope of Verrières Ridge
. Although initial successes were made by Canadian forces, strong adherence to defensive doctrine by German forces across the ridge prevented major gains. The ridge's defenders, including the 272nd Division, inflicted particularly heavy casualties on the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada with 315 out of the 325 men who left the Canadian start line killed, wounded, or captured.
Counterattacks were carried out throughout the 25th and 26 July by Heer and Waffen SS troops and tanks, so that by the evening of 26 July, the tip of the Anglo-Canadian spearhead had been broken off and the front line pushed back between two and three kilometers. The next evening, the exhausted survivors of the 272nd were pulled out of line and sent to a quiet area on the front line near the town of Troarn to rest, reconstitute and take in replacements. It continued to reorganize until 3 August, absorbing the bulk of the disbanded 16th Luftwaffe Field Division. This brought the 272nd back up to 50–60% of its authorized strength. By being transferred to the Troarn area, the division avoided being trapped in the Falaise Pocket
. Though it had fought hard during the effort to stop Operation Goodwood
, much more lay ahead – fighting at Troan, retreat across the Dives, the tank battle at Lisieux, and the retreat across the Seine and the low countries.
The Grenadiers of the 272nd had acquitted themselves well against British tanks, using Panzerfaust
, hand grenade bundles and antitank guns to make numerous tank kills in ten days of combat while undergoing some of the fiercest bombardments of the Normandy Campaign. This feat was recognized in a second Wehrmachtbericht
of 4 August 1944, which stated "The 272nd Infantry Division ... forced to rely alone on the tough resistance of its brave Grenadiers ... is to be thanked that the enemy breakthrough attempt south of Caen was prevented by timely counterattck by its assembled forces"..
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during World War II, that was originally formed in December 1943. The division fought in many of the major battles throughout Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, culminating in the Retreat from Northern France and the Low Countries in late August/early September 1944.
Unit Origins
The 272nd Infantry Division was formed in Belgium beginning on 12 December 1943 from the remnants of the 216th Infantry Division216th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 216th Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 by reorganizing several Border Defense and Army Reserve units from Lower Saxony, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Hannover...
, which had been decimated on the Eastern Front and disbanded the month before. The entire staff of the 216th, its signal battalion, divisional support units, and most of its artillery regiment were simply re-designated with the new divisional number. Grenadier Regiments 396 and 398 were disbanded, except the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Regiment 396, which was re-designated as Füsilier Battalion 272. Its commander, Generalleutnant Friedrich August Schack
Friedrich August Schack
Friedrich August Schack was a General of Infantry best known for his pyrrhic defense of Caen after the allied invasion, September 1944, and for his brief leadership of the LXXXI Army Corps defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line.-World War I:Schack enlisted in the army, 6th August 1914,...
, was carried over from his previous command of the 216th.
Only Grenadier Regiment 348, under the command of Oberstleutnant Burian, was withdrawn from Russia in its entirety, to be re-designated as Grenadier Regiment 980. Both Grenadier Regiments 981 and 982 were created from reserve and training battalions of the 182nd Reserve Division, consisting almost entirely of native German personnel or Reichsdeutsche. The combat engineer and antitank battalions were formed from scratch using elements forwarded from the Replacement Army.
The 272nd Infantry Division trained in the Bevern area in Belgium while under the command and control of the Fifteenth Army. In April 1944 it was sent to the French Mediterranean Coast to continue its training plan and to conduct security duties near the Franco-Spanish border while under the control of the Nineteenth Army. By 19 June, it reported that its present for duty strength was 11,211 men and 1,514 Russian auxiliaries or Hiwis, for a total of 12,725 men, close to its authorized strength. For information about its commitment to the defensive front in Normandy and its main engagements, refer to the section shown below.
After surviving the retreat from Normandy, on 17 September 1944 it was redesignated as the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division.
Divisional Organization
Upon its formation in December 1943, the 272nd Infantry Division was composed of the following regiments & formations.- Division Headquarters and Staff Company 272
- Grenadier Regiment 980 (Oberst Ewald BurianEwald BurianEwald Burian was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
)
- Grenadier Regiment 981 (Major Edwin Bodsch)
- Grenadier Regiment 982 (Oberstleutnant Paul Roesener)
- Füsilier Battalion 272 (Major Gerhard Thuermer)
- Artillerie-Regiment 272 (Oberstleutnant August Wilbrandt)
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 272 (Hauptmann Friedrich AdrarioFriedrich AdrarioFriedrich Adrario was a highly decorated Hauptmann in the Wehrmacht during World War II and Generalmajor in the Bundesheer. 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...
)
- Pionier Battalion 272 (Hauptmann Hassinger)
- Nachrichten Battalion 272 (Major Schossig)
- Divisions-Nachschubführer 272 (Major Ritter)
- Feld-Ersatz Battalion 272 (Major Schuetz)
Division Commanders
Generalleutnant Friedrich August SchackFriedrich August Schack
Friedrich August Schack was a General of Infantry best known for his pyrrhic defense of Caen after the allied invasion, September 1944, and for his brief leadership of the LXXXI Army Corps defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line.-World War I:Schack enlisted in the army, 6th August 1914,...
(15 Dec. 1943 to 3 Sep. 1944)
Ia (Operations Officer): Oberstleutnant i.G. Hubert Werner
The 272nd Infantry Division during the Battle of Caen, July - August 1944
The Division’s outstanding performance in the fighting near Caen was recognized in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtbericht
The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
of 24 July 1944, which announced to the German people "In the Caen area, the 272nd Infantry Division, under the inspirational leadership of Generalleutnant Schack, has especially distinguished itself through its tough defense and magnificent counterattacks."
On July 25, 1944, after a preliminary barrage lasting upwards of five hours, forces of the II Canadian Corps
II Canadian Corps
II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps and I Canadian Corps , comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II.Authorization for the formation of the Corps headquarters became effective in England on...
initiated a massive offensive across a seven-kilometer front, stretching from the Orne River to Bourguebus Ridge, along the entire northern slope of Verrières Ridge
Battle of Verrières Ridge
The Battle of Verrières Ridge was a series of engagements fought as part of the Battle of Normandy, in western France, during the Second World War. The main combatants were two Canadian infantry divisions—with additional support from the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade—against elements of three...
. Although initial successes were made by Canadian forces, strong adherence to defensive doctrine by German forces across the ridge prevented major gains. The ridge's defenders, including the 272nd Division, inflicted particularly heavy casualties on the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada with 315 out of the 325 men who left the Canadian start line killed, wounded, or captured.
Counterattacks were carried out throughout the 25th and 26 July by Heer and Waffen SS troops and tanks, so that by the evening of 26 July, the tip of the Anglo-Canadian spearhead had been broken off and the front line pushed back between two and three kilometers. The next evening, the exhausted survivors of the 272nd were pulled out of line and sent to a quiet area on the front line near the town of Troarn to rest, reconstitute and take in replacements. It continued to reorganize until 3 August, absorbing the bulk of the disbanded 16th Luftwaffe Field Division. This brought the 272nd back up to 50–60% of its authorized strength. By being transferred to the Troarn area, the division avoided being trapped in the Falaise Pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
. Though it had fought hard during the effort to stop Operation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood was an attack launched on 18 July 1944, during the Second World War, by the British army to the east of the city of Caen...
, much more lay ahead – fighting at Troan, retreat across the Dives, the tank battle at Lisieux, and the retreat across the Seine and the low countries.
The Grenadiers of the 272nd had acquitted themselves well against British tanks, using Panzerfaust
Panzerfaust
The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
, hand grenade bundles and antitank guns to make numerous tank kills in ten days of combat while undergoing some of the fiercest bombardments of the Normandy Campaign. This feat was recognized in a second Wehrmachtbericht
Wehrmachtbericht
The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
of 4 August 1944, which stated "The 272nd Infantry Division ... forced to rely alone on the tough resistance of its brave Grenadiers ... is to be thanked that the enemy breakthrough attempt south of Caen was prevented by timely counterattck by its assembled forces"..