German 90th Light Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 90th Light Infantry Division was a German Army division during World War II.
, finally surrendering to the Allies in Tunisia in May 1943. It was regarded apparently by the 2nd New Zealand Division as their special foe, as the two formations faced each other on several occasions.
As with the other units of the Afrika Korps
, replacement units were quickly raised from available troops stationed in Western Europe. As such, the Africa Division was reconstituted as the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Sardinia
during July 1943. Evacuated from Corsica with the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS
to the Italian mainland in October 1943, the division appeared opposite both the Americans and British as they pushed north. It was then very nearly wiped out in the bitter fighting with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division
along the Moro River in late November 1943. A short time later it was withdrawn into reserve at Frosinone and redesignated 90th Grenadier Division (Motorized). While still rebuilding, it was deployed piecemeal along the front in response to the Allies spring offensive in 1944 to serve as a rearguard while the balance of the German units in southern Italy fell back to the Winter Line
. Shifted southeast from the Franco-Italian border in September 1944, 90th Grenadier was finally listed as destroyed in the fighting south of Bologna. The remainder of its personnel surrendered to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in Italy in April 1945.
History
The 90th Light Infantry Division was created in August 1941 as Division z.b.V. Afrika, from units already in Africa under the control of Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. Afrika. The abbreviation z.b.V. stands for "zur besonderen Verwendung", which translates as "for a special use" in English. Through its five-year existence it was redesignated several times, although always known colloquially as the Africa Division. This is because it was the only German combat division to have actually been raised in Africa itself. It fought for the remainder of the North African campaignNorth African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, finally surrendering to the Allies in Tunisia in May 1943. It was regarded apparently by the 2nd New Zealand Division as their special foe, as the two formations faced each other on several occasions.
As with the other units of the Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
, replacement units were quickly raised from available troops stationed in Western Europe. As such, the Africa Division was reconstituted as the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
during July 1943. Evacuated from Corsica with the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS
Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS
The Sturmbrigade Reichsführer-SS was a German military unit of World War II. It was formed in February 1943 when Adolf Hitler ordered the Begleit-Bataillon Reichsführer-SS , which had proved itself in battle, be upgraded to the status of an assault brigade or Sturmbrigade thus Sturmbrigade...
to the Italian mainland in October 1943, the division appeared opposite both the Americans and British as they pushed north. It was then very nearly wiped out in the bitter fighting with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division
1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
along the Moro River in late November 1943. A short time later it was withdrawn into reserve at Frosinone and redesignated 90th Grenadier Division (Motorized). While still rebuilding, it was deployed piecemeal along the front in response to the Allies spring offensive in 1944 to serve as a rearguard while the balance of the German units in southern Italy fell back to the Winter Line
Winter Line
The Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. The primary Gustav Line ran across Italy from just north of where the Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, through the Apennine Mountains to the...
. Shifted southeast from the Franco-Italian border in September 1944, 90th Grenadier was finally listed as destroyed in the fighting south of Bologna. The remainder of its personnel surrendered to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in Italy in April 1945.
Lineage
- Division z.b.V. Africa (August 1941 – November 1941)
- 90th Light Infantry Division (November 1941 – March 1942)
- 90th Light Africa Division (March 1942 – May 1943)
- 90th Panzergrenadier Division (July 1943 – November 1943)
- 90th Grenadier Division (mot.) (November – 1943 May 1945)
Commanders
- Generalmajor "Max Sümmermann" (July 17, 1941 – December 10, 1941: KIA)
- Oberst "Johann MicklJohann MicklJohann Mickl was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Born in Zenkovci in prekmurian-German family...
" (December 11, 1941 – December 27, 1941) - Generalmajor "Richard Veith" (December 28, 1941 – April 28, 1942)
- Generalmajor "Ulrich KleemannUlrich KleemannUlrich Kleemann was an officer in the German Army during World War II.Colonel Kleemann of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Brigade was awarded a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 October 1941...
" (April 29, 1942 – June 14, 1942) - Oberst "Werner MarcksWerner MarcksWerner Marcks was a German general who commanded several panzer divisions during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
" (June 14, 1942 – June 18, 1942) - Oberst "Erwin Menny" (June 18, 1942 – June 19, 1942)
- Oberst "Werner MarcksWerner MarcksWerner Marcks was a German general who commanded several panzer divisions during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
" (June 19, 1942 – June 21, 1942) - Generalmajor "Ulrich Kleemann" (June 21, 1942 – September 8, 1942)
- Generalmajor "Hermann-Bernhard RamckeHermann-Bernhard RamckeHermann-Bernhard "Gerhard" Ramcke was a German general. He was a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves, and Diamonds, one of only 27 people in the German military so decorated...
" (September 8, 1942 – September 17, 1942) - Oberst "Hermann Schulte-HeuthausHermann Schulte-HeuthausHermann Schulte-Heuthaus was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht 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 leadership...
" (September 17, 1942 – September 22, 1942) - Generalleutnant "Theodor Graf von Sponeck" (September 22, 1942 – May 12, 1943)
- Generalleutnant "Carl-Hans Lungershausen" (May 23, 1943 – December 20, 1943)
- Generalleutnant "Ernst-Günther BaadeErnst-Günther BaadeGeneralleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade was a German general serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme...
" (December, 1943 – December, 1944) - General der Panzertruppe "Gerhard von SchwerinGerhard von SchwerinGerhard Helmuth Detloff Graf von Schwerin was a German army General in World War II. As General der Panzertruppe, he was tasked with defending the city of Aachen while in command of the 116th Panzer Division "Windhund" .By the time the 3rd US Armored Division reached Aachen on 13 September 1944,...
" (December, 1944 – April 1, 1945) - Generalmajor "Heinrich Baron von BehrHeinrich Baron von BehrHeinrich Alexander Ferdinand Baron von Behr was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II and an Generalmajor in the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
" (April 1, 1945 – April 28, 1945)
Division z.b.V. Africa
- Command
- 155th Rifle Regiment
- 361st Infantry Regiment
- 288th Special Purpose Regiment
- 361st Artillery Battalion (motorized)
- 605th Antitank Battalion
- 900th Engineer Battalion
90th Light Infantry Division
- Command
- 155th Rifle Regiment
- 200th Infantry Regiment (motorized)
- 361st Africa Infantry Regiment
- 361st Artillery Battalion
- 190th Antitank Battalion
90th Light Africa Division
- Command
- 155th Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 200th Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 361st Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 288th Africa Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 190th Panzer Battalion (assigned later in TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
) - 190th Artillery Regiment (motorized)
- 580th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion (later assigned to 21st Panzer)
- 90th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion (assigned in late 1942)
- 190th Antitank Battalion
- 900th Engineer Battalion
- 190th Panzer Signals Battalion
- 190th Field Replacement Battalion
90th Panzergrenadier Division
- Command
- 155th Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 200th Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 361st Panzergrenadier Regiment
- 190th Panzer Battalion
- 190th Artillery Regiment
- 242nd Sturmgeschütz Battalion (retired to the division in October 1943)
- 1st/190th Antitank Company (only a company, from the October 1943 all the battalion)