German 176th Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The German
176th Infantry Division was a military unit that served during World War II
.
In November and December 1944, the Division was part of XII SS Corps, 5th Panzer Army. Between January and March 1945 the 176th Infantry Division was assigned to the XII SS Corps, 15th Army. The 176th Division was a 'regular' military division which operated mainly on the Dutch side of the "Roer bridgehead" during Operation Blackcock
. During the operation Its HQ was located at Effeld near Vlodrop. The division was actually refitting and re-equipping during the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Blackcock
.
In April 1945 the division was assigned to the LXXIV Korps of 15th Army and saw action in the Duisburg area where it eventually surrendered.
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...
176th Infantry Division was a military unit that served during 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...
.
Brief history
In 31 October 1944, the 176th Infantry Division was formed out of the 176th Division and was a “training and replacement” division. It had a strength of about 7,000 men, most of whom were in a poor shape. The division was nicknamed the "kranken division" (sick division) because most of the division was made up of men deemed unfit for military service like physically handicapped and men with severe allergies. One battalion consisted of men with serious hearing maladies, two comprised Luftwaffe personnel with ample infantry training, while many others were convalescents and semi-invalids.In November and December 1944, the Division was part of XII SS Corps, 5th Panzer Army. Between January and March 1945 the 176th Infantry Division was assigned to the XII SS Corps, 15th Army. The 176th Division was a 'regular' military division which operated mainly on the Dutch side of the "Roer bridgehead" during Operation Blackcock
Operation Blackcock
Operation Blackcock was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg. It was conducted by the 2nd British Army in January 1945 between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Rur and...
. During the operation Its HQ was located at Effeld near Vlodrop. The division was actually refitting and re-equipping during the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Blackcock
Operation Blackcock
Operation Blackcock was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg. It was conducted by the 2nd British Army in January 1945 between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Rur and...
.
In April 1945 the division was assigned to the LXXIV Korps of 15th Army and saw action in the Duisburg area where it eventually surrendered.
Commanders
The 176th Division was under command of General-Major Christian-Johannes Landau (1897 - 1952). Landau was a World War I veteran and “artilleryman”, and took command of the division on January 1, 1945. He was awarded the Iron Cross on May 9, 1945. Landau held a Masters degree in Agriculture. He was taken into captivity on May 9, 1945 and released in 1947. He died in 1952 in Freiburg, Brunswig at the age of 55.Organisation
The division had been formed in October 1944, and included three Grenadier Regiments (1218th, 1219th, and 1220th). It totalled six Grenadier battalions, one Fusilier battalion and one "Panzerjäger" ("Anti-Tank) battalion. The 1178th Artillery Regiment consisted of four battalions. From captured documents dating from October 1944 it is believed that the 176th Division operated in so-called Battle Groups ("Kampfgruppen"), three of which were centred on the Grenadier Regiments, while the fourth was organized around the Engineer/Pioneer battalion.Sources
- U.S. Army, Order of Battle of the German Army, Washington, 1945
- Nutter, Thomas E. Mythos revisited – American Historians on German Fighting Power in WWII "Chapter 10 – Closing in with the enemy"