German 71st Infantry Division - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The German 71st Infantry Division Kleeblatt ("Cloverleaf") was raised in August 1939. It served garrison duty on the West Wall until May 1940, and then joined in the invasion of France. Thereafter it served in the occupations of France

German occupation of France in World War II

The Military Administration in France was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II. It remained in existence from May 1940 to December 1944. As a result of the defeat of France and its Allies in the Battle of France, the French cabinet sought a cessation...

and Luxembourg

German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II

The German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II was the period in the history of Luxembourg after it was used as a transit territory to attack France by outflanking the Maginot Line. Plans for the attack had been prepared by 9 October 1939, but execution was postponed several times...

until September. From October 1940 through January 1941 the division served as a demonstration unit for OKH. It then transferred to Przemyśl

Przemysl

Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....

, and joined 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 June 1941. In the fall it withdrew to Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

for rest, and then once more served as a demonstration unit from November 1941 through April 1942.

Thereafter it was committed back to the Russian 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...

, where it served under the Sixth Army

German Sixth Army

The 6th Army was a designation for German field armies which saw action in World War I and World War II. The 6th Army is best known for fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad, during which it became the first entire German field army to be completely destroyed...

and was lost at 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...

in early 1943. The division was reconstituted over the summer and then served in Italy from the fall of 1943 through the end of 1944, almost ground to destruction at the Battle of Monte Cassino

Battle of Monte Cassino

The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...

. The remnants then spent time in northern Italy where they opposed 1st Canadian Infantry Division

1st Canadian Infantry Division

The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....

north of the Metauro River and on the Gothic Line with very heavy losses. Following this, 71st Division fought in Hungary, finally surrendering to the British near St. Veith in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 71st Infantry Division:

(26 August 1939 - 15 October 1939) Generalmajor Wolfgang Ziegler
(15 October 1939 - 15 February 1941) General der Infanterie Karl Weisenberger
Karl Weisenberger
Karl Weisenberger was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
(15 February 1941 - 28 March 1941) General der Infanterie Friedrich Herrlein
Friedrich Herrlein
Friedrich Herrlein was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LV. 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...
(28 March 1941 - 25 January 1943) General der Infanterie Alexander von Hartmann
Alexander von Hartmann
Alexander von Hartmann was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 71. 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...
(25 January 1943 - 14 March 1943) Generalmajor Fritz Roske
(14 March 1943 - 1 January 1945) Generalleutnant Wilhelm Raapke
(1 January 1945 - 8 May 1945) Generalmajor Eberhard von Schuckmann

Commanders

See also