85th Infantry Division (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The 85th Infantry Division, designated 85. Infantriedivision in German, was a Wehrmacht division used in the Second World War.
, previously the commanding officer of the 122nd Infantry
. It was quickly sent to German-occupied France with the rest of the 15th Army as an occupational force ready to counter any allied invasion of Europe via France, which was suspected for a long time beforehand.
was taken as a surprise by the Germans, who had little time to prepare for the oncoming invasion force. In August 1944, the 85th Infantry Division served as one of only three Wehrmacht divisions preventing the Allied forces from capturing Falaise
. On August 7, Operation Totalize was commenced. The following day, the 85th Infantry Division was flanked by the 1st Polish Armoured Division. The two divisions continued to exchange fire for another three days, when the division finally moved out from the village of Saint-Sylvain.
One of the grenadier regiments, was attacked by the Poles in mid-August as they crossed the Dives and Vendeuvre rivers, while another unit of the division was attacked in a woodland area south of Courcy
.
On August 15, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division broke through the 85th's defences around the Falaise pocket.
, the allied invasion of the Netherlands.
Under attack by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
in early October, "Kampfgruppe Chill", a detachment of the 85th, was assigned to the Scheldt to replace the retreating 346th Infantry Division
. This was however, part of a deception by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich von der Heydte
to fool the Canadians into attacking a much more powerful force. In reality, the detachment consisted of the 185th Artillery Regiment and remnants of the 1053rd and 1054th Grenadier Regiments. The rest of the force consisted of three battalions of the 2nd Parachute Division. The Calgary Highlanders
, unaware of the true size and skill of the division group, suffered bitterly at Hoogerheide due to this deception, which was worsened by the arrival of the 244th and 667th Army Assault Gun Brigades.
Kurt was replaced as division commander by the highly-decorated Major General Helmut Bechler in mid-November. Also in mid-November, the division had been separated between armies, with parts going to the 15th Army's 98th Army Corps and the 1st Parachute Army.
The division, along with the 74th Army Corps, participated in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest
in December 1944 as the Wehrmacht attempted to force the Allies out of the Ardennes. The division under Bechler continued to hold out against Allied advances until its final capitulation in March 1945. The rest of the corps would be destroyed at the Ruhr pocket the following April in the Battle of Aachen
.
History
The 85th Infantry Division was raised in February 1944 and placed under the command of Lieutenant General Kurt ChillKurt Chill
Kurt Chill was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LV. 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...
, previously the commanding officer of the 122nd Infantry
122nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 122nd Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 5 October 1940- Organisation :-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Siegfried Macholz, 5 October 1940 – 8 December 1941...
. It was quickly sent to German-occupied France with the rest of the 15th Army as an occupational force ready to counter any allied invasion of Europe via France, which was suspected for a long time beforehand.
Invasion of France
Regardless of the inevitability of an Allied invasion of France, Operation OverlordOperation 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...
was taken as a surprise by the Germans, who had little time to prepare for the oncoming invasion force. In August 1944, the 85th Infantry Division served as one of only three Wehrmacht divisions preventing the Allied forces from capturing Falaise
Falaise
Falaise is the name of several communes in France:* Falaise, Ardennes* Falaise, Calvados** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War* La Falaise, in the Yvelines département* The Falaise escarpment in Quebec City...
. On August 7, Operation Totalize was commenced. The following day, the 85th Infantry Division was flanked by the 1st Polish Armoured Division. The two divisions continued to exchange fire for another three days, when the division finally moved out from the village of Saint-Sylvain.
One of the grenadier regiments, was attacked by the Poles in mid-August as they crossed the Dives and Vendeuvre rivers, while another unit of the division was attacked in a woodland area south of Courcy
Courcy
Courcy is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Courcy, in the Calvados département*Courcy, in the Manche département*Courcy, in the Marne département...
.
On August 15, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division broke through the 85th's defences around the Falaise pocket.
The Netherlands
The month of its relocation to the Netherlands also coincided with Operation Market GardenOperation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, the allied invasion of the Netherlands.
Under attack by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 at the outset of the Second World War. It was initially composed of volunteers within brigades established along regional lines, though a halt in recruitment in the early months of...
in early October, "Kampfgruppe Chill", a detachment of the 85th, was assigned to the Scheldt to replace the retreating 346th Infantry Division
346th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 346th Infantry Division was a division of the German Army during the Second World War.It was formed on 21 September 1942, at Bad Hersfeld. The majority of its manpower transferred from formations serving in France on occupation duties. In November 1942, the division was sent to France as a...
. This was however, part of a deception by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich von der Heydte
Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte
Dr. jur. Dr. rer. pol. Friedrich August Freiherr von der HeydteIn German a Doctor of Law is abbreviated as Dr. iur. or Dr. jur. and a Doctorate of Economics is abbreviated as Dr. rer. pol....
to fool the Canadians into attacking a much more powerful force. In reality, the detachment consisted of the 185th Artillery Regiment and remnants of the 1053rd and 1054th Grenadier Regiments. The rest of the force consisted of three battalions of the 2nd Parachute Division. The Calgary Highlanders
The Calgary Highlanders
The Calgary Highlanders is a Canadian Forces Land Force Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
, unaware of the true size and skill of the division group, suffered bitterly at Hoogerheide due to this deception, which was worsened by the arrival of the 244th and 667th Army Assault Gun Brigades.
Kurt was replaced as division commander by the highly-decorated Major General Helmut Bechler in mid-November. Also in mid-November, the division had been separated between armies, with parts going to the 15th Army's 98th Army Corps and the 1st Parachute Army.
The division, along with the 74th Army Corps, participated in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest
Battle of Hurtgen Forest
The Battle of Hürtgen Forest is the name given to the series of fierce battles fought between U.S. and German forces during World War II in the Hürtgen Forest, which became the longest battle on German ground during World War II, and the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought...
in December 1944 as the Wehrmacht attempted to force the Allies out of the Ardennes. The division under Bechler continued to hold out against Allied advances until its final capitulation in March 1945. The rest of the corps would be destroyed at the Ruhr pocket the following April in the Battle of Aachen
Battle of Aachen
The Battle of Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, which occurred between 2–21 October 1944. By September 1944, the Wehrmacht had been pushed into Germany proper, after being defeated in France by the Western Allies...
.