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225th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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For other military formations with a similar name, see 225th Division.
225th Infantry Division
225. Infanterie-Division
Division insignia
ActiveAugust 1939 - April 1945
Country Nazi Germany
BranchHeer (Wehrmacht)
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
EngagementsWorld War II
Military unit

The 225th Infantry Division (German: 225. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II.

Operational history

The division was formed on 26 August 1939 as part of the third Aufstellungswelle in the Hamburg area of Wehrkreis X. It initially consisted of Artillery Regiment 225 as well as the Infantry Regiments 333 (Hamburg), 376 (Lübeck) and 377 (Bremen). The division was formed from Landwehr personnel from the regiments' areas. The division's initial commander was Ernst Schaumburg.

The 225th Infantry Division was sent to Aachen and used for border guard duty while the bulk of German forces focussed on the Invasion of Poland. The second battalion of Regiment 377 was given to the 555th Infantry Division on 29 January 1940. After the German victory in Poland, the 225th Infantry Division saw action in the western campaign, specifically in the invasion of the Netherlands. The division took part in the drive on Amsterdam. In late May, the 225th Division was involved in combat in Belgium, during the fighting along the Lys. On 25 May 1940, soldiers of the 377th Regiment carried out the Vinkt Massacre, taking 140 Belgian civilians hostage and using them as human shields, resulting in dozens of deaths. On May 27th, frustrated by the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais' refusal to surrender and believing they had been fired on by local partisans, the German soldiers began to execute their civilian hostages, only four survived. The massacre is one of many warcrimes of the Wehrmacht carried out during the 1940 campaign. After the German victory in the west, the 225th Infantry Division remained on occupation duty until the end of 1941. The Artillery Regiment 225 joined 215th Infantry Division on 16 November 1941.

In January 1942, it became one of the division that was quickly redeployed to the Eastern Front in response to the Soviet victory at the Battle of Moscow. The division became part of Army Group North and remained under this army group for the rest of the war, with a brief exception in July 1944, when the division was attached to Army Group Centre before being transferred back to Army Group North. The 225th Infantry Division saw action in the Soviet winter offensives of 1941/42 and 1942/43, took part in the Siege of Leningrad, participated in the Battle of Demyansk from November 1942 to February 1943, and fought at Lake Ilmen between March and May 1942. At that time, the 333rd Grenadier Regiment (formerly Infantry Regiment 333 (Hamburg)) fought at the Oranienbaum Bridgehead, where it sustained massive casualties (448 dead, 1050 wounded, 89 missing) between 1 May and 15 June 1942. As a result of these irrecoverable losses, the 333rd Regiment was disbanded in January 1943. On 20 February 1944, the 225th Infantry Division absorbed most of the remnants of the 9th Luftwaffe Field Division. Over the course of the year 1944, the 225th Infantry Division was part of the German retreat through the Baltic. The division was trapped in the Courland Pocket in October 1944 and eventually surrendered to Soviet forces in April 1945.

Noteworthy individuals

Legacy

A memorial for the fallen soldiers of the 225th Infantry Division was erected in 1959 in Hamburg-Dammtor.

References

  1. ^ Tessin, Georg (1977). "225. Infanterie-Division". Die Landstreitkräfte 201-280. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 8. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 117–121. ISBN 3764810971.
  2. ^ Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). "225TH INFANTRY DIVISION". German Order of Battle. Volume One. 1st-290th Infantry Divisions in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811734165.
  3. "Het 'Guernica' van Vlaanderen". Historiek (in Dutch). 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  4. "Weihe des Ehrenmals der ehem. 225. Infanterie-Division". Hamburger Abendblatt. 8 May 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014.
Numbered infantry divisions of the German Army (1935–1945)
1st – 99th
1st – 9th
10th – 19th
20th – 29th
30th – 39th
40th – 49th
50th – 59th
60th – 69th
70th – 79th
80th – 89th
90th – 99th
100th – 199th
100th – 119th
121st – 129th
130th – 149th
150th – 159th
160th – 169th
170th – 189th
190th – 199th
200th – 299th
200th – 209th
210th – 219th
220th – 229th
230th – 239th
240th – 249th
250th – 259th
260th – 269th
270th – 279th
280th – 289th
290th – 299th
300th – 399th
300th – 309th
310th – 329th
330th – 339th
340th – 349th
350th – 359th
360th – 369th
370th – 379th
380th – 389th
390th – 399th
400th – 719th
400th – 499th
500th – 599th
600th – 699th
700th – 709th
710th – 719th
See also: List of German divisions in World War II, Aufstellungswelle
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