The 708th Infantry Division (German: 708. Infanteriedivision) was a German Army infantry division 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...

.

History

The 708th Infantry Division was formed in May 1941 and transferred to France in June to serve as an occupational force in the area around Bordeaux and Royan.

A month after the D-day landings in July 1944, the 708th were moved north-west to Normandy to cut off the Allies' supply lines. Failing to halt the allied advance, the Wehrmacht quickly moved out of France in August. The divisions commander, Generalmajor Arndt was killed in Troyes on 24 August during the evacuation. The 708th was destroyed near Le Mans

Le Mans

Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...

 in the evacuation. Survivors were moved into the newly-formed 708th People's Grenadier Division (708. Volks grenadierdivision).

Order of battle

1941

• 728. Infanterie-Regiment
• 748. Infanterie-Regiment
• 658. Artillerie-Abteilung
• 708. Pionier-Kompanie
• 708. Nachrichten-Kompanie
• 708. Versorgungstruppen

1944

• 728. Grenadier-Regiment
• 748. Grenadier-Regiment
• 360. Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment
• 708. Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon
• 658. Artillerie-Regiment
• 708. FlaK-Kompanie
• 708. Feldersatz-Bataillon
• 708. Panzerjäger-Kompanie
• 708. Pionier-Bataillon
• 708. Nachrichten-Abteilung
• 708. Versorgungstruppen

Commanders

• Generalmajor Walter Drobnig (3 May 1941 - 1 Mar 1942)
• Generalleutnant z.V. Hermann Wilck (1 Mar 1942 - 30 July 1943)
• Generalmajor Edgar Arndt (30 July 1943 - 24 Aug 1944) (KIA) (1)

Operations Officers

• Major Wilhelm Breidenstein (Sep 1943 - Feb 1944)
• Oberstleutnant Heinz-Joachim Mueller-Lamkow (Feb 1944 - Aug 1944)

See also

• Division (military)
  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...
  
  , Military unit, List of German divisions in WWII
• Heer
  German Army
  The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
  
  , Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...