131st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 131st Infantry Division was a military major unit of the Wehrmacht.
Division history
Areas of application:
- Germany: October 1940-June 1941
- Eastern Front, middle section: June 1941-July 1943
- Eastern front, southern sector: July to September 1943
- Eastern Front, middle section: from September 1943 to January 1945
- East Prussia: From January to February 1945
The 131 ID was set up as a division of the 11th wave formation in October 1940 on the military training area mountains in the Lüneburg Heath near Celle from parts of the 31, 269th and 19th Infantry Division. It has been deployed for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, in the spring of 1941. The 131 ID was there the army group subordinated center and marched from Lyskowo, Ruzhany, Pogost, Gluska, towards the south of Bobruisk on Parichi. She fought with the 4th Army in June 1941 at Brest- Litovsk and Bialystok at the Belarusian border. As a reserve of the Army High Command, the division crossed the Dnieper at Zhlobin and remained in August 1941 in the area of Gomel. On the line Gomel - Marino on Sosch Novozybkov near Bryansk developed a series of battles. From there she was instructed to turn off south towards Kiev. On Snow occurred in Chernigov, Kulikowka and Neshin to more struggles. Thereafter, the Division was moved into the space in November 1941 Roslawl back north to the 2nd Panzer Army to Smolensk. The 131 ID came about Kaluga on the Oka, Sukhinichi, Kozelsk, Belew after Alexin in the central Russian Tula Oblast. In Alexin and Kostrowo the 131st ID has been implicated in numerous battles with the Red Army, so that they retire to Kaluga and had set up to defend there. The year 1942 was marked for the 131st ID by fighting in Kostino and Juchnow, where it long lasting position battles came to the runway between Juchnow and Roslawl with the Soviet troops to the strategically important traffic line. North of Spas- Demensk was included an association of the Red Army in the summer of 1942, which was destroyed by the 131 ID along with paratroopers. 1943, the 131 ID was used in Kirov, where he was exposed to defensive fighting with the Red Army in Kirov, Jakimowo and Bjeloy. The pressure of the enemy was too strong, so that the Division had to withdraw on the Desna, from there we went west through Bogdanowo, over the Sosch to Pronja south of Chausy. Riverside Pronja the unit was again involved in trench warfare. From the Central Army Group, she was transferred in January 1944 to Vitebsk, where they should southeast of Vitebsk hold a defensive line on the river Lutschessa. After collapse of the Red Army in this area, the division was moved to Kovel, to keep the place there shown as Fixed city at any cost. Riverside Turja the battles were recorded in July 1944 and they had to retreat to Calvary itself. The escape route of the division led over the river Szeschupa, the Lithuanian Suwalki, the Wystiter lake, the Masurian - East Prussian fortified churches, Rominter Heide to Gołdap. The 131 ID fought in the battle of encirclement Heiligenbeil, Rosenberg and Balga and is destroyed by the Red Army. They managed to disembark the division headquarters to Swinoujscie, where he served on April 16, 1945 Statement of 4 RAD Division.
People
Structure
Changes in the structure of the 131 ID 1940-1944