305th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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305th Infantry Division (Bodensee)
305 Unit Insignia.svg
German 305th Infantry Division Insignia
ActiveOctober 1940 – April 1945
CountryGermany
AllegianceGerman Third Reich Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg
German High Command Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Size Division
Part ofGerman VII Army in France
German VI Army in Russia
German X Army in Italy
Nickname(s) Bodensee Division
Baden-Württembergische Division
Fels im Meer

The 305th Infantry Division (designated 305. Infanterie-Division in German) was a German Army unit that saw extensive, front-line action during World War II. This division was present at the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Monte Cassino, and surrendered to U.S. Army's 88th Infantry Division in Northern Italy near Trento in late April 1945.

Contents

Formation

The 305th Infantry Division was part of the 13th wave of Wehrmacht mobilizations October through November 1940. As of December 1940, the 305th Infantry Division was based out of Ravensburg, Upper Swabia on the Bodensee. [1]

Division history

Battle of Stalingrad

The 305 Infantry Division was under the command of Lieutenant General Kurt Oppenländer during the Battle of Stalingrad. Infanterie-Regiment 578 was disbanded on 21 December, due to the Divisions inability to maintain three line regiments, and its constituent Bataillone were redistributed to the Divisions remaining Infanterie Regiments. The remnants of the Division surrendered in the northern kessel on 2 February 1943. Under Construction

First formation

Second formation

The 305th ID was reformed in Brittany (France) during the first half of 1943.

After Mussolini's fall, the division was relocated in August 1943, to the Ligurian coast in the Italian theater of war. During Operation Achse, she was entrusted with the occupation of the military port of La Spezia, but could not prevent the escape of the Italian warships anchored there.

In October, the division was moved to southern Italy in the eastern section of the Volturno Line, where she took part in defensive battles against the advancing 5th US Army. She then withdrew to the Sangro River in the eastern section of the Gustav Line. After the fall of the Gustav Line in the spring of 1944, the division, with the allies in close pursuit, marched towards Umbria and had to be replenished with troops from the 94th Infantry Division.
Before retreating to the Gothic Line in the summer of 1944, she fought against Allied forces in Tuscany near Arezzo and in Casentino. From autumn 1944 to the Allied spring offensive in April 1945, the 305th division was stationed in Romagna, east of Bologna. The division was taken prisoner in May 1945 north of Lake Garda.

War crimes

The division has been implicated in a number of war crimes in Italy between October 1943 and April 1945, with up to twelve civilians executed in each incident. [2]

Commanding officers

Order of battle

1942

1944

Knight's Cross Holders

Wilhelm Braun (20-January-1943)
Josef Bruetsch (17-February-1945)
Kurt Oppenländer (25-July-1942)

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References

  1. "Feldgrau :: 305.Infanterie-Division". www.feldgrau.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2006.
  2. "305. Infanterie Division" (in Italian). Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy. Retrieved 20 September 2018.

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