German 14th Infantry Division 14. Infanterie-Division German 14th Motorized Infantry Division 14. Infanterie-Division (mot.) |
|
---|---|
Active | 1 October 1934 – 8 May 1945 |
Country | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Army |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Division |
Nickname(s) | Sächsische Division |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Lothar Rendulic |
The 14th Infantry Division (German: 14. Infanterie-Division; nickname: the Sächsische Division or Saxonian Division) was a German military unit which fought during World War II.
The division was formed in 1934 in Leipzig, by expanding the 11th (Saxonian) Infantry Regiment of the 4th Division of the old Reichswehr. As this was a direct breach of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, its existence was initially concealed; it was formally designated as the 14th Infantry Division in October 1935. This history, particularly of Infantry Regiment 11, made it one of the prestige infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht.
Mobilised in the 1st wave in 1939, the division was involved in the German invasion of Poland, where it attacked towards and Lublin, and the following year's invasion of France. In October 1940 it was 'motorised', i.e. provided with motor transport as opposed to the usual horse and foot mobility of Wehrmacht infantry divisions, as the 14. Infanteriedivision (mot.), with the following organisation:
During Operation Barbarossa, the division was involved in the encirclement of Minsk. In the winter of 1942/3 it was intended to reform the division as the 14th Panzergrenadier Division, but this process was stopped; in 1943 the formation was demotorised, having the following organisation:
During this period the 14th Infantry Division was mostly assigned to Ninth Army, with Army Group Centre on the Eastern Front; it suffered heavy losses during the Battles of Rzhev, and then in the defence against Operation Suvorov.