392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division
The badge worn on the right upper sleeve by members of the so-called "legionnaire" divisions
Active	17 August 1943 – 5 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  Independent State of Croatia
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Anti-Partisan operations
Size	Division (c. 12,000)
Nickname(s)	Blue Division
Engagements	World War II in Yugoslavia
Commanders
Notable commanders	Johann Mickl

The 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division (German: 392. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division, Croatian: 392. (hrvatska) pješačka divizija) was a so-called "legionnaire" division of the German Army during World War II. It was formed in August 1943 using Croatian Home Guard soldiers with a German cadre. The division was commanded by Germans down to battalion and even company level in nearly all cases. Originally formed with the intention of service on the Eastern Front, this did not eventuate, and the division was used in anti-Partisan operations in the territory of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) until the end of the war. It was commonly known as the Blue Division.

After the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Ante Pavelić, the leader of the newly created Axis puppet state the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), offered Adolf Hitler volunteers to serve on the Eastern Front. This offer soon resulted in the formation and deployment of army, air force and naval detachments which, after being trained and equipped by Germany, were committed to fighting the Red Army. The largest element was the 369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 100th Jäger Division, but was decimated at Stalingrad in January 1943. The Croatian forces performed creditably on the Eastern Front, and the Germans continued to support the development of NDH forces with the aim of raising several divisions to serve there. Due to the lack of trained leaders and staff, these divisions were raised using a German cadre.