256th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

256th Infantry Division
Division Insignia
Active	26 August 1939 - 26 June 1944
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	World War II
Insignia
Identification symbol
Identification symbol
Identification symbol
Identification symbol
Identification symbol

The 256th Infantry Division (256. Infanterie-Division) was a German infantry division in World War II. They formed on August 1939 as part of the 4. Welle (wave). The division was destroyed at Vitebsk in June 1944 during Operation Bagration. The remnants of the division formed Divisions-Gruppe 256 which was assigned to Korps-Abteilung H.

The division was raised in Wehrkreis IV (Dresden) on 26 August 1939. The division is shipped to Poland (Protektorat Böhmen-Mären) as occupation force. The division was to remain there in that role until November 1939 after which it's transported to Lippstadt, western Germany, in order to commence training for the attack on France and the Low Countries in 1940.

Just before the attack on May 10, the division was moved to the town of Kleve on the Dutch border where it was attached to the XXVI Corps under General der Artillerie Albert Wodrig, which was itself part of Heeresgruppe B (Army Group) under General-Oberst Fedor von Bock. Attached with the 256th Infantry Division in the XXVI Corps were the 254th Division and the so-called SS-VT (SS Verfügungstruppe, later 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.) On the morning of May 10, the 256th Division got the order to break through the Dutch border defense, take the bridge at Gennep and push through to the Peel/Raam defensive line at Mill.

Though making good progress in the beginning, it turned out that the bridge at Gennep was the only 'bigger' road bridge which was taken intact, making a speedy transportation of troops almost impossible.This led to the 256th Division coming to Mill in pieces after which heavy fighting ensued for almost 48 hours. General Fedor von Bock visited the broken defensive line around Mill on May 11.