German 78th Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 78th Infantry Division (German: 78. Infanterie-Division), later the 78th Sturm (Assault) Division, was a German
infantry
formation which fought during World War II
.
, incorporating reservists from Baden-Württemberg
(its divisional symbol was a representation of Ulm Cathedral).
It was stationed in France for occupation duties from the summer of 1940 through the spring of 1941, and then transferred east to participate in Operation Barbarossa
with Army Group Centre
. The Division advanced from the Polish border to the gates of Moscow, being halted on the 3rd of December 1941 by the Soviet defence as well as the bitter winter. By January 7, 1942 the Division had been pushed back from Ruza to Gzhatsk where the Soviet winter offensive was halted. The Division then formed the South East flank of the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient. Late in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in the Rzhev battles
.
At the beginning of 1943 it was reorganised as the 78th Sturm Division (a new divisional symbol, an armoured fist, being adopted, derived from the artificial hand of Götz von Berlichingen
) with additional adjustments to its strength and organisation over the next several months. Each of its three infantry regiments was redesignated as a Sturm-Regiment. The designation Sturm (assault) reflected the division's increased strength, which eventually included subordinate Sturmgeschutz
(assault gun) Heavy Mortar
and Nebelwerfer
(rocket launcher) battalions and a tank destroyer
unit equipped with Marder II
s, as well as extra regimental artillery support. With its new organisation, the division took part in Operation Citadel as part of the XXIII Corps
of the Ninth Army
, being involved in the fighting at Ponyri. During the following Soviet Counteroffensive
the division was first transferred from the Ninth Army to the Second Panzer Army in July, then again to the Fourth Army
in September where the division was forced back to the Panther-Wotan line
East of Orsha
.
During the June - July 1944 Soviet offensive against Army Group Centre, Operation Bagration, the division was assigned to defend the main Moscow
- Minsk
road and the town of Orsha
. During the fighting the division was destroyed, having failed to break out of an encirclement east of Minsk on the night of 5/6 July. Surviving elements were taken over by the 565th Volksgrenadier Division.
Later that month, the division was reconstituted as the 78th Grenadier Division, by renaming the 543rd Volksgrenadier Division then in the process of forming. In October 1944 it was renamed as 78th Volksgrenadier Division, and in early 1945 renamed again to 78th Volks-Sturm Division, being assigned to Army Group Centre
. It was among the forces of the First Panzer Army pushed from Upper Silesia
into Czechoslovakia
, where its troops surrendered to the Soviets near Olomouc
at the end of the war in May.
Note: The title Volks-Sturm indicates a "Volksgrenadier
Sturm Division", not a part of the Volkssturm
militia.
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...
.
Unit history
The 78th Infantry Division was raised in August 1939 in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, incorporating reservists from Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
(its divisional symbol was a representation of Ulm Cathedral).
It was stationed in France for occupation duties from the summer of 1940 through the spring of 1941, and then transferred east to participate in 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...
with 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...
. The Division advanced from the Polish border to the gates of Moscow, being halted on the 3rd of December 1941 by the Soviet defence as well as the bitter winter. By January 7, 1942 the Division had been pushed back from Ruza to Gzhatsk where the Soviet winter offensive was halted. The Division then formed the South East flank of the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient. Late in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in the Rzhev battles
Battles of Rzhev
Rzhev Battles is a general term for a series of World War II offensives launched during January 8, 1942—March 31, 1943 by the Soviet Red Army in the general directions of Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow, known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" for...
.
At the beginning of 1943 it was reorganised as the 78th Sturm Division (a new divisional symbol, an armoured fist, being adopted, derived from the artificial hand of Götz von Berlichingen
Götz von Berlichingen
Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen and also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German Imperial Knight and mercenary....
) with additional adjustments to its strength and organisation over the next several months. Each of its three infantry regiments was redesignated as a Sturm-Regiment. The designation Sturm (assault) reflected the division's increased strength, which eventually included subordinate Sturmgeschutz
Sturmgeschütz
Sturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
(assault gun) Heavy Mortar
Granatwerfer 42
The Granatwerfer 42 was a mortar used by Germany during World War II....
and Nebelwerfer
Nebelwerfer
The Nebelwerfer was a World War II German series of weapons originally designed to deliver chemical weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called Chemical Troops ...
(rocket launcher) battalions and a tank destroyer
Tank destroyer
A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
unit equipped with Marder II
Marder II
The Marder II was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis.-History:During the very first days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Germans were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium tanks and KV heavy tanks...
s, as well as extra regimental artillery support. With its new organisation, the division took part in Operation Citadel as part of the XXIII Corps
XXIII Corps
XXIII Corps can refer to:*XXIII Corps *XXIII Corps *XXIII Corps *XXIII Russian Corps...
of the Ninth Army
German Ninth Army
The 9th Army was a World War II field army.The 9th Army was activated on May 15, 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command.-1940:The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line when it was involved in the invasion of France...
, being involved in the fighting at Ponyri. During the following Soviet Counteroffensive
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist General credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812.The Operation began on 12...
the division was first transferred from the Ninth Army to the Second Panzer Army in July, then again to the Fourth Army
German Fourth Army
The 4th Army was a field army of Imperial Germany during World War I and of the Wehrmacht during World War II-World War I:At the outset of war, the Fourth Army, with the Fifth Army, formed the center of the German armies on the Western Front, moving through Luxembourg and Belgium in support of the...
in September where the division was forced back to the Panther-Wotan line
Panther-Wotan line
The Panther-Wotan Line was a defensive line partially built by the German Wehrmacht in 1943 on the Eastern Front. The first part of the name refers to the short northern section between Lake Peipus and the Baltic Sea at Narva.-Purpose :...
East of Orsha
Orsha
Orsha is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk voblast on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.-Facts:*Location: *Population: 125,000 *Phone code: +375 216*Postal codes: 211030, 211381–211394, 211396–211398-History:...
.
During the June - July 1944 Soviet offensive against Army Group Centre, Operation Bagration, the division was assigned to defend the main Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
road and the town of Orsha
Orsha
Orsha is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk voblast on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.-Facts:*Location: *Population: 125,000 *Phone code: +375 216*Postal codes: 211030, 211381–211394, 211396–211398-History:...
. During the fighting the division was destroyed, having failed to break out of an encirclement east of Minsk on the night of 5/6 July. Surviving elements were taken over by the 565th Volksgrenadier Division.
Later that month, the division was reconstituted as the 78th Grenadier Division, by renaming the 543rd Volksgrenadier Division then in the process of forming. In October 1944 it was renamed as 78th Volksgrenadier Division, and in early 1945 renamed again to 78th Volks-Sturm Division, being 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...
. It was among the forces of the First Panzer Army pushed from Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
into Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, where its troops surrendered to the Soviets near Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
at the end of the war in May.
Note: The title Volks-Sturm indicates a "Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
Sturm Division", not a part of the Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
militia.
Commanding officers
| Rank and name | Date |
|---|---|
| 78. Infanterie-Division | |
| General der Artillerie Fritz Brand | 1 September 1939 - 1 October 1939 |
| General der Artillerie Curt Gallenkamp Curt Gallenkamp Curt Gallenkamp was a highly decorated General der Artillerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II. 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 military leadership... |
1 October 1939 - 29 September 1941 |
| Generalleutnant Emil Markgraf | 29 September 1941 - 19 November 1941 |
| General der Infanterie General of the Infantry (Germany) General of the Infantry is a rank of general in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr or Wehrmacht - the second-highest regular rank. The same rank spread to the Imperial Russian Army and the Defence forces of Finland between the world wars... Paul Völckers Paul Völckers Paul Gustav Völckers was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the XXVII 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... |
19 November 1941 - 30 December 1942 |
| 78. Sturm-Division | |
| General der Infanterie Paul Völckers | 30 December 1942 - 1 April 1943 |
| Generalleutnant Hans Traut Hans Traut Hans Karl Emil Julius Ludwig Traut was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the IV. corps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves... |
1 April 1943 - 1 November 1943 |
| Generalleutnant Heribert von Larisch Heribert von Larisch Heribert von Larisch was a high-ranking officer of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the renowned Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.-World... |
1 November 1943 - 15 February 1944 |
| General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp Siegfried Rasp Siegfried Rasp was a German general of infantry, serving during World War II. Born in Munich, Rasp became an officer aspirant on September 6, 1915 and earned his commission as a Leutnant on June 24, 1916 in the 1st Bavarian Infantry Regiment.He was promoted to Oberst in July 1941, Generalmajor in... |
15 February 1944 - 12 July 1944 |
| Generalleutnant Hans Traut | 15 Feb 1944 - 12 July 1944 |
| General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp | 12 July 1944 - 18 July 1944 |
See also
- VolksgrenadierVolksgrenadierVolksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
- 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 - HeerGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, WehrmachtWehrmachtThe 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:...
Online sources
Note: These web references may require reference to other links to cover the unit's entire history.- Wendel, Marcus (2004). "78. Infanterie-Division". Retrieved April 7, 2005.
- "78. Infanterie-Division / 78. Sturm-Division". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved April 7, 2005.