26th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

*26. Infanterie-Division*
26th Infantry Division
26. Infanterie-Division; 26th Infantry Division
Active	1 April 1936–1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	World War II

The 26th Infantry Division (German: 26. Infanterie-Division) was a pre-World War II German Infantry Division of the 1st mobilisation wave (1. Welle). It was mobilised for World War II on September 26, 1939, disbanded on September 10, 1944, near Radom and reformed as the 26th Volksgrenadier Division (26. Volksgrenadier-Division) on September 17, 1944, near Poznań by absorption of the new 582nd Volksgrenadier Division of the 32nd mobilisation wave (32. Welle). Remnants of the Division entered U.S. captivity in the Harz region in 1945.

Commanding officers

General der Infanterie Sigismund von Förster, 1 September 1939
Generaloberst Walter Weiß, 15 January 1941
General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese, 15 April 1942
Generalleutnant Johannes de Boer, 5 August 1943
Generalmajor Heinz Kokott, 10 August 1944

Operational history

The 26th Infantry Division spent the early war years on the Western Front, taking part in the Battle of France in May/June 1940, first under the command of the Sixteenth Army (16. Armee) and later the Twelfth Army. The division was transferred to the Eastern Front in June 1941 to serve under Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte). It participated in the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. After this action the 26th Infantry Division absorbed the 174th Reserve Division (174. Reserve-Division). The division was disbanded after casualties were sustained near Kowel on September 10, 1944; surviving troops were transferred to the 253rd Infantry Division (253. Infanterie-Division).

A new 26th Volksgrenadier Division was formed on September 17, 1944, in the Warthelager (now Biedrusko in west central Poland), near Poznań by absorption of the 582nd Volksgrenadier Division and remnants of the old 26th Infantry Division. This new division spent the rest of the war on the Western Front under Army Group B (Heeresgruppe B) until it entered U.S. captivity in the Harz in 1945.

Organisation

1939

Infanterie-Regiment 39, I-III Battalions
Infanterie-Regiment 77, I-III Battalions [1]
Infanterie-Regiment 78, I-III Battalions
Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-III Battalions plus the Ist Battalion of Artillerie-Regiment 62
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 26
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 26
Pionier-Abteilung 26
Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
Feldersatz-Bataillon 26

1944

Füsilier Regiment 39, I and II Battalions
Grenadier Regiment 77, I and II Battalions
Füsilier Regiment 78, I and II Battalions
Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-IV Battalions
Divisions-Füsilier-Kompanie 26 (later expanded to Füsilier-Bataillon 26)
Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 26
Pionier-Abteilung 26
Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
Feldersatz-Bataillon 26

References

Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand (1969). Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues (in German). Vol. III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler. p. 286.
Georg Tessin (1970). 'Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939 - 1945 (in German). Vol. IV: Die Landstreitkräfte 15 -30. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler.