56th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The 56th Infantry Division was a military major unit of the Wehrmacht.

Division history

The 56th Infantry Division was set up on 26 August 1939 as a division of the second wave formation in the military district IV ( Dresden). After the invasion of Poland was stationed in Geldern in 1940 and took on the West campaign for the conquest of Belgium in part. The Staff of Infantry Regiment 234 was given together with the respective first battalion of the infantry regiments 171, 192 and 234 on 25 October 1940, the 304th ID.

At the beginning of the German -Soviet War, the 56th ID was part of Army Group South and arrived in the Ukraine, where she was involved in the Battle of Kiev in August and September 1941. Then it was the Army Group Centre subordinated and received assurance tasks in the rear area of the 2nd Army.

In July 1943, the 56th ID was taken due to high losses from fighting, and refreshed at Elnya. Already in October 1943 had to be canceled after the division again heavy losses. The division headquarters was formed with survivors of the 56th ID, the Corps Division D, until it came to a re -up of the 56th ID on September 10, 1944. In March 1945, the bulk of the division was destroyed in the boiler of Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, on April 4th 1945 was the division as resolved.