321st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The 321st Infantry Division (German: 321. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. Between November 1943 and June 1944, it was known as Division Group 321 (German: Divisionsgruppe 321).

History

321st Infantry Division

The 321st Infantry Division was formed as a static division of the 13th Aufstellungswelle in the Braunschweig area in Wehrkreis XI. Its initial recruits were drawn, among others, from parts of the 267th and 295th Infantry Divisions, of the fourth and eighth Aufstellungswelle respectively.[1] The division's initial commander was Ludwig Löweneck.[2]

After the division's deployment was completed in April 1941, the 321st Infantry Division was sent to occupation duty in France. It served in the Boulogne-sur-Mer area from May 1941 until December 1942. It served initially under the XXXVII Army Corps (renamed LXXXII Army Corps later in the war), but was moved to the LXXXI Army Corps in June 1942.[1]

On 23 July 1942, the previously incomplete infantry regiments and artillery regiments were brought to full strength. Following a decree on 21 October 1942, the division was restructured from a static division to an assault division and prepared for deployment on the Eastern Front.[1] Starting in January 1943, the 321st Infantry Division, commanded by Wilhelm Thomas since 16 November 1942,[2] was deployed in the central sector of the Eastern Front.[1]

The division was heavily battered over the course of the year 1943.[1][2] The 321st Infantry Division, commanded by Ulrich Liss starting on 28 July,[2] by Karl Sievers starting on 22 August,[2][3] and by Georg Zwade starting on 23 September,[2] effectively stopped existing as a self-reliant fighting force by October 1943.[1] As an emergency solution, the eviscerated division was first attached as a supporting force to the 110th and 211th Infantry Divisions,[2] and subsequently permanently dissolved as an independent division on 2 November 1943.[1]

Between January and August 1943, the division had served under the LVI Panzer Corps,[1][4] but was moved to the LV Army Corps in September.[1]

Division Group 321

After the dissolution of the 321st Infantry Division, its remnants on the Eastern Front were grouped into Division Group 321, which was subsequently assigned to the 110th Infantry Division, a formation that the previous 321st Infantry Division had already fought alongside earlier in the year 1943.[1]

Division Group 321, which was formally assembled on 2 November 1943 (the day of the dissolution of the 321st Infantry Division), was destroyed in June 1944 while under command of Army Group Center, which was at that time suffering a decisive strategic defeat at Soviet hands (Operation Bagration).[1]

Battle Group Normandy (later: 352nd Infantry Division)
Main article: 352nd Infantry Division

Instead of serving with Division Group 321, some veterans of the dissolved 321st Infantry Division were also transferred to the Saint-Lô sector in occupied France to assist in the formation of the 352nd Infantry Division, a division that would subsequently become famous as the force that defended Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944.[2] On 12 October 1943, Kampfgruppe Normandie ('Battle Group Normandy') was formed from veterans of the 321st Infantry Division in preparation to the formation of the 352nd Infantry Division.[5][6] The formation of the 352nd Infantry Division was ordered on 5 November 1943,[7] and the newly formed division arrived in the Saint-Lô area in December.[8]

Organization

Superior formations
Superior formations of the 321st Infantry Division of the German Wehrmacht, 1940–1943[1]
Year Month Army Corps Army Army Group Area
1940 December Still in deployment. Wehrkreis XI
1941 January – April
May – December XXXVII Army Corps 15th Army Army Group D Boulogne-sur-Mer
1942 January – May
June – November LXXXI Army Corps
December Army Group reserves.
1943 January – August LVI Panzer Corps 4th Army Army Group Center Zhizdra
September – October LV Army Corps 9th Army Bryansk

When the 321st Infantry Division was dissolved, its remnants became Division Group 321 and put under control of the 110th Infantry Division.[1]

Subordinate formations

After deployment, the 321st Infantry Division consisted of the following parts:[1]

  • Infantry Regiment 588 (three battalions).[Note 1]
  • Infantry Regiment 589 (three battalions).[Note 2]
  • Infantry Regiment 590 (three battalions).[Note 3]
  • Artillery Regiment 321 (three detachments).[Note 4]
  • Division Units 321.

Noteworthy individuals
  • Ludwig Löweneck, divisional commander of the 321st Infantry Division (15 December 1940 – 16 November 1942).
  • Wilhelm Thomas, divisional commander of the 321st Infantry Division (16 November 1942 – 28 July 1943).
  • Ulrich Liss, divisional commander of the 321st Infantry Division (28 July 1943 – 22 August 1943).
  • Karl Sievers, divisional commander of the 321st Infantry Division (22 August 1943 – 23 September 1943).
  • Georg Zwade, divisional commander of the 321st Infantry Division (23 September 1943 – 2 November 1943).

Notes
  1. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 467 and Infantry Regiment 497, previously known as the Erg. Btl. II./12 and the Erg. Btl. II./82 respectively. Both of the regiments were previously part of the 267th Infantry Division.
  2. Formed from the third battalions of Infantry Regiment 517 and Infantry Regiment 518. Both of those regiments were previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  3. Formed from the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 487, previously part of the 267th Infantry Division, and the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 516, previously part of the 295th Infantry Division.
  4. Formed from the third detachments of Artillery Regiment 267 and Artillery Regiment 295 (with each regiment carrying the ordinal number of its previous parent infantry division), as well as four additional batteries.

References
  1. Tessin, Georg (1974). "321". Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). 9. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 143–147. ISBN 3764808721.
  2. Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). German Order of Battle. Volume Two: 291st-999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Stackpole Books. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9780811734165.
  3. Mitcham, Samuel W. (2009). "7: Caen". Defenders of Fortress Europe: The Untold Story of the German Officers During the Allied Invasion. Potomac Books. ISBN 9781597972741.
  4. Forczyk, Robert (2019). Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 9781472830753.
  5. Zaloga, Steven (2013). The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day. Stackpole Books. p. 61. ISBN 9780811712286.
  6. Zetterling, Niklas (2019). Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness. p. 246. ISBN 9781612008172.
  7. Tessin, Georg (1974). "352". Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). 9. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 260–264. ISBN 3764808721.
  8. Buckingham, William F. (2004). D-Day: The First 72 Hours. ISBN 9780752496412. 352 Infantry Division was raised from scratch in the Hanover area in early November 1943, using a cadre of experienced, pre-war regular personnel from 321 Infanterie Division, a formation destroyed on the Eastern Front the previous summer.
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