297th Infantry Division (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The 297th Infantry Division, designated 297. Infantriedivision in German, was one of the components of the 6th Army during its failed attack on Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...

.

History

The 297th Infantry Division was raised in February 1940 as part of the eighth wave of Wehrmacht divisions, assembled from the men of Military district "WK VII"
Military district (Germany)
During World War II Germany used the system of military districts to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the Field Army...

, which is now Bruck an der Leitha
Bruck an der Leitha
Bruck an der Leitha is a city located in Lower Austria, Austria at the border to the Burgenland, which is marked by the Leitha river....

 and the surrounding Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...

n areas. Remaining in Austria throughout 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...

; Norway and the low countries, the division's first deployment was Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...

 in July 1941. After the initial invasion, it remained in the Ukraine to police the "southern sector", as part of the 17th Army.

Stalingrad and capitulation

In January 1942, the division was transferred to LI Army Corps of the 6th Army as the Wehrmacht prepared to continue their assault on the Soviet Union. By June, once the weather began to change for the better, the 297th division was moved out from the 6th Army altogether, serving with the 1st Panzer Army until June. It was returned to the 6th Army, after serving briefly with the 4th Panzer Army, as it made inroads around the black sea to take down the industrial city of Stalingrad. The division fought in the ruined city until Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II, and is best known for having commanded the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942...

' surrender in January 1943, along with the 297th's commanding officer, Artillery General Max Pfeffer
Max Pfeffer
Max Pfeffer was a highly decorated General der Artillerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the IV Armeekorps. 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...

 on the 16th. His successor, Major General Moritz von Drebber, surrendered to the Red Army a mere nine days later.

Reformation and the Balkans

The division was reformed in April 1943 as part of the 1st Army to again police France, until it was moved to Yugoslavia between June and July to fight off the rising problem with partisan groups as part of Army Group E
Army Group E
Army Group E was a German Army Group active during World War II.Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army...

. The division remained in Serbia for four months, where it was then moved elsewhere in the Balkans as part of XXI Gebirgs-Armeekorps of the 2nd Panzer Army until September 1944, when the corps was transferred into the hands of Army Group E. In February and March 1945 the division took part in an anti-partisan operations in Croatia codenamed "Werwolf" and "Waldteufel", respectively.

The following month, the division was returned to the 2nd Panzer Army as part of LXVIII Armeekorps, and moved to XXII Gebirgs-Armeekorps at the end of the month.

Commanders

The following officers commanded 297th Infantry Division:
  • General of the Artillery Max Pfeffer
    Max Pfeffer
    Max Pfeffer was a highly decorated General der Artillerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the IV Armeekorps. 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...

     (5 Apr 1940 - 16 Jan 1943)
  • Major General Moritz von Drebber
    Moritz von Drebber
    Moritz Otto von Drebber was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 297. Infanterie-Division. 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...

    (16 Jan 1943 - 25 Jan 1943)
  • Lieutenant General Friedrich-Wilhelm Deutsch (1 Apr 1943 - 17 Feb 1944)
  • Lieutenant General Otto Gullmann (17 Feb 1944 - 26 Oct 1944)
  • Lieutenant General Albrecht Baier (26 Oct 1944 - 8 May 1945)

External links

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