The 4th Luftwaffe Field Division

Luftwaffe Field Division

The Luftwaffe Field Divisions were German military formations which fought during World War II.-History:...

 was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 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...

 formation which fought during 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...

.

History and organisation

The division was formed in 1942 in the area of Third Air Command (Berlin). In November 1942, it was assigned to 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...

 on 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...

. By 1943 it had the following organisation:

• Staff
• 49. Jäger Regiment
• 50. Jäger Regiment
• 51. Jäger Regiment
• 4. Panzerjäger Battalion
• 4. Artillery Regiment
• 4. Fusilier Battalion
• 4. Pioneer Battalion
• 4. Signals Battalion
• 4. Feldersatz Battalion
• Supply Troops

In the summer of 1944, the 4th Luftwaffe Field Division was holding a salient

Salients, re-entrants and pockets

A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...

 north of Vitebsk

Vitebsk

Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...

 as part of Third Panzer Army's LIII Corps, with the 6th Luftwaffe Field Division on its right flank, and the 246th Infantry Division on its left. The commencement of the Soviet Operation Bagration on 22 June 1944 saw the entire corps surrounded within days, after the Soviet 39th and 43rd Armies managed to break through defensive lines to the north and south. LIII Corps' commander, General Friedrich Gollwitzer

Friedrich Gollwitzer

Friedrich Gollwitzer was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LIII. corps. 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...

, moved the 4th Luftwaffe Field Division southwest of Vitebsk, intending to spearhead a breakout operation, but the division was encircled at Ostrovno and annihilated on or around 26 June.

Commanders

• Lieutenant-General Rainer Stahel (25 September 1942)
• Major-General Hans-Georg Schreder (22 November 1942)
• Major-General Wilhelm Völk
  Wilhelm Volk
  Wilhelm Volk was a German author. He used the pseudonym Ludwig Clarus.Volk was born in Halberstadt, Germany. He was a convert from Lutheranism to Catholicism. He was the author of a number of large works on the lives of the Catholic saints, and on Italian and Spanish literature. He died at...
  
   (8 April 1943)
• Major-General Hans Sauerbrey (5 November 1943)
• Major-General Wilhelm Völk
  Wilhelm Volk
  Wilhelm Volk was a German author. He used the pseudonym Ludwig Clarus.Volk was born in Halberstadt, Germany. He was a convert from Lutheranism to Catholicism. He was the author of a number of large works on the lives of the Catholic saints, and on Italian and Spanish literature. He died at...
  
   (20 November 1943)
• Major-General Heinrich Geerkens (December 1943)
• Lieutenant-General Robert Pistorius (24 January 1944 - 27 June 1944, (KIA))

See also

• Division (military)
  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...
  
  , Military unit, List of German divisions in WWII
• Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
  , Wehrmacht
  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:...