Luftwaffe Field Division

The Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: "Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen" or LwFD) were German military formations which fought during World War II.

History

The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942, following suggestions that the German Army, the "Heer", could be bolstered by transferring personnel from other services. The head of the "Luftwaffe", Hermann Göring, formulated an alternative plan to raise his own infantry formations under the command of "Luftwaffe" officers; this was at least partly due to political differences with the "Heer" (Army). Goering took great pride in the degree of political commitment and indoctrination of the air force men (he went as far as to describe the air-force paratroopers and "political soldiers") while the Army was considered (by nazi standards) too "conservative" (linked to traditions and ideals harking back to the Imperial days of the Kaiser). The plan was approved, and the divisions were raised from 200,000 - 250,000 "Luftwaffe" ground, support and other excess personnel. They were initially organized with two Jäger regiments of three battalions each, along with an artillery battalion and other support units, but were substantially smaller than equivalent "Heer" divisions, and by Göring's personal order were intended to be restricted to defensive duties in quieter sectors. Most of the units spent much of their existence on the Eastern Front: Luftwaffe Field Divisions were present at actions such as the 'Little Stalingrad of the North', the attempt to relieve Velikiye Luki; the attempted defence of Vitebsk during Operation Bagration, and the fighting in the Courland Pocket, though they also fought in other theatres.

The Luftwaffe Field Divisions initially remained under "Luftwaffe" command, but late in 1943 those that had not already been disbanded were handed over to the "Heer" and were reorganized as standard infantry divisions with three two-battalion rifle regiments (retaining their numbering, but with "Luftwaffe" attached to distinguish them from similarly numbered divisions already existing in the "Heer") and army officers.

Until taken over by the "Heer" (and in many cases for some time afterwards) these units were issued with standard "Luftwaffe" "feldblau" uniforms, and being so easily identifiable were said to often be singled out by opposing forces. Their reputation as combat troops was poor, despite the high standard of "Luftwaffe" recruits; suffering from a shortage of trained officers and NCOs, and from poor morale, the Luftwaffe Field Divisions are generally regarded to have negligible strategic impact on the war.

Divisions

* 1st Luftwaffe Field Division
* 2nd Luftwaffe Field Division
* 3rd Luftwaffe Field Division
* 4th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 5th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 6th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 7th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 8th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 9th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 10th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 11th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 12th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 13th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 14th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 15th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 16th Luftwaffe Field Division
** Eventually transferred to the "Heer" as 16th "Luftwaffe" Infantry Division (later 16th Volksgrenadier Division)
* 17th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 18th Luftwaffe Field Division
* 19th Luftwaffe Field Division (later 19th Luftwaffe "Sturm" Division)
** Eventually transferred to the "Heer" as 19th Grenadier Division (later 19th Volksgrenadier Division)
* 20th Luftwaffe Field Division (later 20th Luftwaffe "Sturm" Division)
* 21st Luftwaffe Field Division (previously the "Meindl" Division, an "ad hoc" collection of Luftwaffe resources)
* 22nd Luftwaffe Field Division - never formed, its sub-units were assigned to other divisions.

See also

* Division (military), Military unit, List of German divisions in WWII
* Heer, Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe

References

*Ruffner, Kevin. "Luftwaffe Field Divisions, 1941-45", Osprey, 1997, ISBN 1-85532-100-9