102nd Infantry Division (Germany)

The 102nd Infantry Division was a German military unit during World War II.

Organisation and history

The division was formed on 15 December 1940 in "Wehrkreis" II (Mecklenburg/Pomerania), in the 12th mobilisation wave, using elements of the 8th Infantry Division and the 28th Infantry Division.

The division fought on the Eastern Front, spending much of its existence as part of Ninth Army assigned to Army Group Centre. In 1943 it was involved in Operation Citadel and its aftermath, losing much of its strength in a series of fierce defensive battles around Orel; by October it was listed as assigned to Second Army and reduced to "Kampfgruppe" level. The division had the following organisation in December 1943:

*Grenadier-Regiment 84
*Grenadier-Regiment 232
*Divisions-Gruppe 216
*Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 102
*Artillerie-Regiment 104
*Pionier-Bataillon 102
*Panzerjäger-Abteilung 102
*Aufklärungs-Abteilung 102
*Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 102
*Divisions-Nachschubführer 102

January 1944 found the division back with Ninth Army, covering its southern flank in the Pripet Marshes. It avoided the disastrous encirclement and destruction of much of Ninth Army around Bobruisk in late June during the Soviet Operation Bagration, and was then assigned back to Second Army, holding a line of defence along the River Narew.

The Soviet army's East Prussian Offensive, from 13 January 1945 onwards, broke the under-strength division, which was pushed north and trapped in the Heiligenbeil pocket, being reassigned to Fourth Army. In February it held the perimeter near Mehlsack, before being assigned to defend Braunsberg until it fell on 20 March. A few troops broke through westwards and eventually surrendered to the Americans in Schleswig-Holstein: the other encircled divisional elements in the "kessel" were eventually taken over by the 28th Jäger Division, being involved in the final defence of the Kahlholzer Haken peninsula at Balga.

Commanders

*Lieutenant-General John Ansat (10 December 1940 - 1 February 1942)
*Lieutenant-General Albrecht Baier (1 February 1942 - 10 March 1942)
*Major-General Werner von Räsfeld (10 March 1942 - 1 May 1942)
*Colonel-General Johannes Frießner (1 May 1942 - 19 January 1943)
*General Otto Hitzfeld (19 January 1943 - 5 November 1943)
*Lieutenant-General Werner von Bercken (5 November 1943 - March 1945)

See also

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

References

* " [http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Infanteriedivisionen/102ID-R.htm] ". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved July 03, 2007.