The 57th 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...

 Division (German: 57. Infanterie-Division) was a German

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...

 division

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...

 in 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...

. It was formed on 26 August 1939 in Landshut.

History

The 57th Infantry Division was formed in August 1939 as part of the second wave of German infantry divisions. During the German-Soviet invasion of Poland, the division remained in the Saarland

Saarland

Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...

.

The division was moved into Poland as an occupational force in August 1940 until the initiation of 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...

 in June 1941. The division took part in the campaign as part of Army Group South

Army Group South

Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...

, where it assaulted Kiev

Battle of Kiev

The Battle of Kiev may refer to one of two battles of World War II:* Battle of Kiev , when two German Panzer Groups encircled a Soviet army in the city* Battle of Kiev , when the city was liberated by the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front...

.

Orders of Battle

1939

• 179th Infantry Regiment
• 199th Infantry Regiment
• 217th Infantry Regiment
• 157th Artillery Regiment
• 157th Engineer Battalion
• 157th Reconnaissance Battalion
• 157th Anti-tank Detachment
• News department
• 157th Troops supply

1944

• 164th Grenadier Regiment
• 199th Grenadier Regiment
• 217th Grenadier Regiment
• 57th Fusilier Battalion
• 157th Artillery Regiment
• 157th Field-replacement Battalion
• 157th Engineer Battalion
• 157th Anti-tank detachment
• News department
• 157th Troops supply

Commanding officers

• Generalleutnant Oskar Blümm
  Oskar Blümm
  Oskar Blümm was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 57. Infanterie-Division. 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...
  
  , 1 September 1939 – 26 September 1941
• General der Infanterie Anton Dostler
  Anton Dostler
  Anton Dostler was a General of the Infantry in the regular German army during World War II. In the first allied war trial after the war, Dostler was tried and found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death by firing squad.-Military career:Anton Dostler joined the German Army in 1910 and served...
  
  , 26 September 1941 – 10 April 1942
• Generalleutnant Oskar Blümm, 10 April 1942 – 10 October 1942
• General der Infanterie Friedrich Siebert
  Friedrich Siebert
  Friedrich Maximilian Siebert was a German general who commanded the XIII Corps during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
  
  , 10 October 1942 – 20 February 1943
• Generalleutnant Otto Fretter-Pico
  Otto Fretter-Pico
  Otto Fretter-Pico was a highly decorated major-general in the German Army during World War II who commanded several divisions. 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...
  
  , 20 February 1943 – 1 September 1943
• Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller
  Vincenz Müller
  Vincenz Müller was a German military officer and general who served in the Imperial German army, the Wehrmacht Heer, and after the war in the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic, where he was also a politician.-Early career:Müller was born in the Kingdom of Bavaria into a...
  
  , 1 September 1943 – 19 September 1943
• Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz
  Adolf Trowitz
  Adolf Eduard Trowitz was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. 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...
  
  , 19 September 1943 – 7 July 1944