3rd Mountain Division (Germany)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name="3. Gebirgs-Division"


caption=Eduard Dietl - first commander of the division
country=Nazi Germany
type=Mountain Division
branch=Heer Unit
dates=Raised April 1, 1938, Surrendered 1945
command_structure=Created as "3. Gebirgs-Division"in 1940.
garrison=Graz
nickname=
battles=
notable_commanders=Generaloberst Eduard Dietl
General der Gebirgstruppen Julius Ringel
associated units= As of 1939

138. Gebirgsjäger Regiment
139. Gebirgsjäger Regiment
Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment 112
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12
Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 48
Gebirgs-Pionier-Bataillon 83
Gebirgsjäger-Feldersatz-Bataillon 68
Gebirgs-Divisions-Nachschubtruppen 68
Gebirgs-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 68
Radfahr-Abteilung 68
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 83

The 3. Gebirgs-Division was a division in the German Army during World War II. Raised from the Austrian 5th and 7th Divisions, it took part in the Invasion of Poland 1939 as part of Army Group South, but was transferred to garrison the West Wall before that campaign was over. In 1940 it joined the invasion of Norway, most famously sending its 139th Mountain Regiment under General Eduard Dietl to seize the ice-free Arctic port of Narvik. The Allies briefly managed to take the town back, but abandoned it to the Germans after the invasion of France.

In 1941 the division moved into Lapland to participate in Operation Silberfuchs, the attack on the Soviet Arctic as part of Operation Barbarossa, but failed to capture Murmansk. The division was withdrawn to Germany for rehabilitation at the end of the year, but left its 139th Mountain Infantry Regiment behind to operate independently. After rehabilitation, the division returned to Norway in 1942, where it served as a reserve. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front, where it served as a reserve for Army Group North near Leningrad. In November 1942 it was committed to the front where the Soviets had surrounded Velikiye Luki, and then transferred to the far south to help in the attempt to relieve Stalingrad. It fought the remainder of the war in the south, retreating with the front lines through the Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and finally surrendering to the Soviets in Silesia at the end of the war.

Commanders

* Generaloberst Eduard Dietl (1938 - June 14, 1940)
* General der Gebirgstruppen Julius Ringel (June 14, 1940 - October 23, 1940)
* General der Gebirgstruppen Hans Kreysing (October 23, 1940 - August 10, 1943)
* Generalleutnant Egbert Picker (August 10, 1943 - August 26, 1943)
* General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp (August 26, 1943 - September 10, 1943)
* Generalleutnant Egbert Picker (September 10, 1943 - September 29, 1943)
* Generalleutnant August Wittmann (September 29, 1943 - July 03, 1944)
* Generalleutnant Paul Klatt (July 03, 1944 - May 08, 1945)

See also

* 9th Mountain Division (more about the 139th Mountain Regiment)
* Division (military), Military unit, List of German divisions in WWII
* Heer, Wehrmacht

References

* Pipes, Jason. " [http://www.feldgrau.com/3hg.html 3rd Gebirgsjager Division] ". Retrieved April 8, 2005.
* Wendel, Marcus (2004). " [http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=1046 3. Gebirgs-Division] ". Retrieved April 8, 2005.
* " [http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Gebirgsdivisionen/3GebD-R.htm 3. Gebirgs-Division] ". Article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. de icon Retrieved April 8, 2005.