389th Infantry Division (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The 389th Infantry Division was a German division of the Wehrmacht
in the Second World War, which fought for example in the Battle of Stalingrad
. It was formed on the 27 January 1942 in Milowitz.
It was designed as a "Sturm- und Stoß" division (English: storm and impulse division), whose soldiers had to run through a hard training and a long conscription to fight on the foremost part of the front. The soldiers were mostly veterans of the previous campaigns on the Western Front and the Invasion of Poland. From May 1942 onwards, it was employed in battles on the Eastern Front
as a part of the 6th Army under the command of General der Panzertruppe
Friedrich Paulus
. After he had taken over the command in January 1942, the Red Army launched an offensive
near the city of Kharkov. The German troops could repel the attack and conducted a successful counter-offensive, during which they encircled the Soviet formations. In this engagement, the Red Army
sustained great casualties.
The 389th Infantry Division also participated in the German summer offensive Operation Blau, which had the aim to capture the Caucasus
and Stalingrad. Stalingrad should then be used to prevent the Soviet forces from using the Volga as a supply route. The 6th Army should advance to Stalingrad. After the start of the offensive on the 28th of June 1942, Axis forces of Army Group B
could advance quickly. By the 23rd of August, German units reached the Volga north of the city. It was then planned that the 6th Army should encircle the Soviet 62nd
and 64th Army together with 4th Panzer Army. The 4th Panzer Army started the attack regularly on the 29th of August. However, the 6th Army was still confronted with a Soviet counter-attack. Therefore, it could only attack 3 days later. This gave the Soviet forces to withdraw from the future pocket. During the Battle of Stalingrad
, the 389th Infantry Division was the main force of the failed attack on the tractor factory. During the Soviet counter-offensive beginning under the codename Operation Uranus
on the 19th of November 1942, the division's remnants were captured after the Axis capitulation on the 2nd of February 1943.
The division was reformed from the 17th of February 1943 onwards in France
. Its forces consisted of survivors and persons, who had been in furlough. In the end of September 1943, the 389th Infantry Division was redeployed on the Eastern Front, where it took part in fierce engagements in Dnjepr section causing high casualties among the division's forces. Afterwards, on the 25th of January, the 2nd Ukrainian Front conducted a massive attack, due to which forces of the 57th Infantry Division
were sent to help the 389th Infantry Division. However, the support arrived too late and the division could just take up remnants of the 389. ID. As the 2nd Ukrainian Front then marched North, this division was pushed into the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket.
Again, the 389. ID was reformed in Hungary
in March 1944 and employed as part of Army Group North
in the Kurland Pocket, where it fought until February 1945. Then, it was redeployed to Western Prussia. In the end of the war, it was captured by Soviet forces on the Hel Peninsula
.
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:...
in the Second World War, which fought for example in the Battle of 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...
. It was formed on the 27 January 1942 in Milowitz.
History
The 389th Infantry division was formed on the 27th of January 1942 as a division of the 18th mobilization wave on the training area in Milowitz near Prague. The Motto of the division was "Der Sonne Rad mit Schild und Speer, dem Rhein, dem Reich zu Wehr und Ehr".It was designed as a "Sturm- und Stoß" division (English: storm and impulse division), whose soldiers had to run through a hard training and a long conscription to fight on the foremost part of the front. The soldiers were mostly veterans of the previous campaigns on the Western Front and the Invasion of Poland. From May 1942 onwards, it was employed in battles on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front
Eastern Front may refer to one of the following:* Eastern Front * Eastern Front * Eastern Front * Eastern Front * Eastern Front * 1635: The Eastern Front...
as a part of the 6th Army under the command of General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe was a rank of German Army General introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1935. As the commander of a Panzer Corp this rank corresponds to a US Army Lieutenant-General...
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...
. After he had taken over the command in January 1942, the Red Army launched an offensive
Second Battle of Kharkov
The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel, was an Axis counter-offensive against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted from 12 May to 28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. Its objective was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets, or the...
near the city of Kharkov. The German troops could repel the attack and conducted a successful counter-offensive, during which they encircled the Soviet formations. In this engagement, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
sustained great casualties.
The 389th Infantry Division also participated in the German summer offensive Operation Blau, which had the aim to capture the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Stalingrad. Stalingrad should then be used to prevent the Soviet forces from using the Volga as a supply route. The 6th Army should advance to Stalingrad. After the start of the offensive on the 28th of June 1942, Axis forces of 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...
could advance quickly. By the 23rd of August, German units reached the Volga north of the city. It was then planned that the 6th Army should encircle the Soviet 62nd
62nd Army (Soviet Union)
The 62nd Order of Lenin Army was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. Formed as the 7th Reserve Army as part of the Stavka Reserve in May 1942, the formation was designated as the 62nd Rifle Army the following month...
and 64th Army together with 4th Panzer Army. The 4th Panzer Army started the attack regularly on the 29th of August. However, the 6th Army was still confronted with a Soviet counter-attack. Therefore, it could only attack 3 days later. This gave the Soviet forces to withdraw from the future pocket. During the Battle of 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...
, the 389th Infantry Division was the main force of the failed attack on the tractor factory. During the Soviet counter-offensive beginning under the codename Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
on the 19th of November 1942, the division's remnants were captured after the Axis capitulation on the 2nd of February 1943.
The division was reformed from the 17th of February 1943 onwards in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Its forces consisted of survivors and persons, who had been in furlough. In the end of September 1943, the 389th Infantry Division was redeployed on the Eastern Front, where it took part in fierce engagements in Dnjepr section causing high casualties among the division's forces. Afterwards, on the 25th of January, the 2nd Ukrainian Front conducted a massive attack, due to which forces of the 57th Infantry Division
57th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 57th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 26 August 1939 in Landshut.-History:...
were sent to help the 389th Infantry Division. However, the support arrived too late and the division could just take up remnants of the 389. ID. As the 2nd Ukrainian Front then marched North, this division was pushed into the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket.
Again, the 389. ID was reformed in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in March 1944 and employed as part of Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
in the Kurland Pocket, where it fought until February 1945. Then, it was redeployed to Western Prussia. In the end of the war, it was captured by Soviet forces on the Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
.
Commanders
- Generalleutnant Erwin JaeneckeErwin JaeneckeErwin Jaenecke , was a German Colonel General. He served during World War II against Poland, France and the Soviet Union....
(February 1942 – November 1942) - Generalmajor Erich Magnus (November 1942 – January 1943)
- Generalmajor Martin Lattmann (January 1943 – April 1943)
- Generalmajor Erwin Gerlach (April 1943 – November 1943)
- Generalleutnant Kurt Kruse (November 1943 – November 1943)
- Generalmajor Paul Herbert Forster (November 1943 – April 1944)
- General der InfanterieGeneral der InfanterieGeneral of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer and refers to:* General of the Infantry * General of the Infantry...
Walther HahmWalther HahmWalther Hahm was a German general who held several commands at division and corps level during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme...
(April 1944 – September 1944) - Generalleutnant Fritz BeckerFritz Becker (general)Fritz Becker was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at divisional and corps levels. 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...
(September 1944 – End)
Organization
- Infanterie-Regiment 544 (KasselKasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
) - Infanterie-Regiment 545 (WiesbadenWiesbadenWiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
) - Infanterie-Regiment 546 (NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
) - Artillerie-Regiment 389
- I. Btl.
- II. Btl.
- III. Btl.
- IV. Btl.
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 389 - Field Replacement battalion
- Pionier-Bataillon 389 - Pioneer battalion
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 389 - Tank hunter battalion
- Aufklärungs-Abteilung 389 - Reconnaissance battalion
- Füsilier-Bataillon 389 - Fusilier battalion
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 389 - Signals battalion
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 389- Supply battalion
Literature
- Wilhelm Hauck, Die deutschen Infanterie-Divisionen Aufstellungsjahre 1939 – 1945, Band 3, 1993, Podzun- Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0476-7.
- David M. Glantz: Armageddon in Stalingrad: September-November 1942 (The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 2). University of Kansas Press, Lawrence 2009, ISBN 978-0-7006-1664-0.
- David M. Glantz with Jonathan M. House, To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942 (The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume I), University of Kansas Press, Lawrence 2009, ISBN 978-0-7006-1630-5.
- Florian von und zu Aufsess, Die Anlagenbänder zu den Kriegstagebüchern der 6. Armee, Band I, Selbstverlag Schwabach 2006
- Florian von und zu Aufsess, Die Anlagenbänder zu den Kriegstagebüchern der 6. Armee, Band II, Selbstverlag Schwabach 2006
- Florian von und zu Aufsess, Die Anlagenbänder zu den Kriegstagebüchern der 6. Armee, Band III, Selbstverlag Schwabach 2006
- Janusz Piekalkiewicz, Stalingrad, Anatomie einer Schlacht, 4. Auflage, Heyne-Verlag München 1992, ISBN 3-453-06012-1
- Armeeoberkommando 6, Kriegstagebuch Nr. 12 vom 23. Mai - 19. Juli 1942, Bundesarchiv -Militärarchiv Freiburg-, RH 20-6/176
- Armeeoberkommando 6, Kriegstagebuch Nr. 13 / 1. Band vom 20. Juli - 26. August, Bundesarchiv -Militärarchiv Freiburg-, RH 20-6/198