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71st Infantry Division

71. Infanterie-Division

History

Division was reformed in northern Italy after being destroyed at Stalingrad. After Italian capitulation division took part in disarming Italian army and securing of key ports of Trieste on 9/10 September by 211th Grenadier Regiment, Pula (Pola) on 12 September by battle group (KG ?) and Rijeka (Fiume) with Sušak on 13/14 September by 194th Grenadier Regiment which was reinforced with 22 Panzer IV from 1st Panzer Regiment.

On 11 September around 9 a.m. division sent strong motorized column from Senožeča (South-East from Trieste) towards Pula. Columns was delayed for few hours at Višnjan by resistance from local population which has risen in mass uprising after years of Italian fascist rule, Partisans suffered between 60 to 84 killed. Column vanguard reached Pula at midnight with entire column arriving at 2 a.m. on 12 September. Italian garrison with some 15000 soldiers and other personnel surrendered without resistance, allowing Germans to capture entire naval base intact together with stored material. Division disarmed around 33000 Italian soldiers.

After securing key ports division took part in Operation ISTREN in order to crush mass uprising in Istria.

In December division was gradually replaced in Istria by 114th Jager Division which was being delayed by anti-partisan operations, and was transferred to Italy and Monte Cassino front later also fought at Anzio bridgehead.

During November 1944 division was sent to southern Hungary where huge gap was forming following Soviet breakthrough after Batina operation. Sabotaged railway lines slowed down division transfer and it arrived piecemeal to late to have significant impact in preventing Soviet advance. In Hungary division come under command of 2nd Panzer Army and joined in operation EISBRECHER which was jointly with Frühlingserwachen and WALDTEUFEL also being final German offensive of the war.

Commanders

  • Lt General Wilhelm Raapke
  • Major General Eberhard von Schuckmann
  • 194th Grenadier Regiment
    • Kaspar Völker
  • 211th Grenadier Regiment
    • Colonel Hermann Barnbeck
    • 1st Batalion
      • Major Knuht

Order of battle

  • 194th Grenadier Regiment
  • 211th Grenadier Regiment - Domžale

Battles & Campaigns

  • Operation Donnerschlag - plan for breakout of th 6th Army from Stalingrad
  • Operation ACHSE - disarming of Italian army
  • Operation ISTREN
  • 6-23 Mar 45 - Operation Eisbrecher - Hungary

Reference

  • Die 71. Infanterie-Division 1939-1945: Gefechts- und Erlebnisberichte aus den Kämpfen der "Glückhaften Division", pages 273, 274, 313-329