The German 15th Infantry Division (15. Infanterie-Division) was formed on 1 October 1934 in Würzburg

Würzburg

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

 under the cover name Artillerieführer V. With the announcement of German rearmament the division was renamed on 15 October 1935. Mobilzied on 25 August 1939 the division took part in the Invasion of Poland 1939 and the Battle of France

Battle of France

In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...

 in 1940. On 21 November 1940 one third of its personnel was used to create the 113th Infantry Division

113th Infantry Division (Germany)

The 113th Infantry Division was created on 10 December 1940 in Grafenwöhr. The Division was annihilated in the Battle of Stalingrad and reformed on 21 March 1943 in France...

. The division was destroyed in August 1944 during the Soviet Iaşi-Chişinău Operation. In October 1944 a new 15. Infanterie-Division was raised near Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...

 using the remainders of the old division and new recruits. On 5 May 1945 the division surrendered to the Red Army at Brod

Havlíckuv Brod

Havlíčkův Brod , Německý Brod until 1945 is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It is also the capital of the Havlíčkův Brod district. It is located on the Sázava River in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and has a population of 24,321 as of 2003...

.

Organization (1939)

• Infanterie-Regiment 81 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 88 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 106 (Stab, I.-III.)
• Artillerie-Regiment 15 (I.-III.)
• Artillerie-Regiment 51 (Stab., I.)
• Beobachtungs-Abteilung 15
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung 15
• Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 15
• Pionier-Bataillon 15
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 15
• Feldersatz-Bataillon 15
• Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 15

Commanders

• General der Artillerie Fritz Brandt 1 October 1934 - 31 March 1936
• Generalleutnant Emil Leeb 1 April 1936 - 1 April 1939
• Generalmajor Walter Behschnitt 1 April 1939 - 6 October 1939
• Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis
  Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis
  Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis was a General der Infanterie who commanded the XXXVIII. corps 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...
  
   6 October 1939 - 12 August 1940
• Generalleutnant Ernst-Eberhard Hell
  Ernst-Eberhard Hell
  Ernst-Eberhard Hell was a German general who held several divisional commands and was later elevated to Corps level during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
  
   12 August 1940 - 8 January 1942
• Oberst Alfred Schreiber 8 January 1942 - 3 February 1942
• Generalmajor Bronislaw Pawel 3 February 1942 - 18 Juni 1942
• Generalleutnant Erich Buschenhagen
  Erich Buschenhagen
  Erich Buschenhagen was a German general who commanded the LII Corps during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
  
  18 June 1942 - 20 November 1943
• Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl 20 November 1943 - August 1944
• Oberst Ottomar Babel 14 August - 5 September 1944 (MIA)

2nd formation

• Generalmajor Siegfried von Rekowski (cancelled)
• Generalmajor Hans Laengenfelder 17 October 1944 - 5 May 1945

Literature

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