I know of two grand uncles on my mother’s side that fell in Russia, one around Stalingrad and one in a battle related to Moscow, but this could mean a number of things, so would like more information to really be able to place them. I presume they’re both from Vienna, would be nice to understand which districts the local divisions were raised from.
But I think this topic is also of interest to other people as well, so an overview for the whole country would be nice.
Thanks!
Hello,
I have not found any in formation on “Wermacht Units levied from Austria”. Nazi Germany and its army were centraly organized.
Wenn Du Dich für die Geschichte Östereichs als Teil Nazideutschlands interressierst, empfehle ich Dir mit den Wikipedia Artikeln zu beginnen:
The Wehrmacht utilized “Wehrkreis” for administrative and training purposes - divisions were ‘from’ there, and often so were the men. There were a bunch of these Wehrkreises, but only 2 in Austria, Wehrkreis XVII (Vienna) and XVIII (Salsburg) (this is after the Austrian Army was incorporated into the Wehrmacht, of course.)
This will be long, but here we go:
WKXVII (Vienna) Divisions - 9th Pz, 9th Mtn, 42&100 Jagr, 44&45&92&243&262&297&327&334&351&392 Infantry, 177&417&487 ‘Replacement’, 564 Volksgrenadier
WKXVIII (Salsburg) Divisions - 2nd Pz, 118th Jagr, 381st Training, 2&3&5&6&8 Mtn, 418 'Mtn ‘replacement’, 334th Infantry.
(who went where In a separate message)
Generally, “Replacement divisions” were for training men for duty (part of the “Replacement Army”), and giving them an organization that will divide them into useful ‘packets’, and train them to be… well, replacements. Occasionally, “Replacement divisions” would magically become ‘real’, if the need was great. “Replacement Divisions” would generally be near their Wehrkreis (Vienna and Salzburg, in this case.)
A “Training Division” was attached to a specific Army Group, and be kept in its area of operation to provide quick replacements. Again, might suddenly become real.
To make things even more complicated, there were “Reserve Divisions”, which were mobile refit formations, which often started out as “Replacement Divisions”, and other divisions with other ‘types’ (“Fortress”, “Coastal Defense”, for instance.)
Do you happen to know a unit name and number?
Yes exactly, but not to create formations whith a local focus of loyality.
OK, here we go!
2nd Panzer - Poland, France (1940 - captured Abbeville), Balkans (1941), Russia late 1941 (its reconaissance battlaion claimed to have gotten so close to Moscow they could see the Kremlin), Rzhev, Kursk, Orel, Dnieper. France 1944, Faiaise, Bulge, surrendered to US Army May 1945
9th Panzer - Poland, France (1940 - with Pz-38t’s!), Greece Yugoslavia 1941, Russia (south) 1941, Kursk, Odessa, Dnieper (by January 1944, total strength 13 tanks), encircled at Falaise (broke out), Aachen, Bulge, Remagen, Ruhr pocket, surrendered April 1945.
2nd Mountain - originally the 6th division in the Austrian Army, Poland, Norway (1940), Advence on Murmansk, 1941, Lapland 1942, Western Front, 1944, surrendered May 1945
3nd Mountain- originally the combined 5th and 7th Austrian infantry divisions - Poland, Norway 1940, Russia (from Finland) 1941, Leningrad 1942, Stalingrad relief (failed), Donetz, Nikopol, Hungary, surrendered to the Red Army May 1945
5th Mountain - Balkans-Greece 1941, Crete, Russia (north) 1942-3, Italy 1944-5, surrendered to US Army late April 1945
6th Mountain - France Poland 1940 (occupation duties), Balkans-Greece 1941, Russia (north) Murmansk campaign 1941-4, surrendered to the British in Norway, May 1945.
8th Mountain - there were two - one formed March 1944, north Finland-Norway, 1944-5 (redesignated, for some reason, for its commander, “Division Group Krautler”). The second started out as the 157th Replacement Infantry Division (1939), then the 157th Reserve Division (1942), then the 157th Reserve Mountain Division (1944) - Italy 1944. Named 8th Mountain Divsion February 1945. Surrendered April 1945.
9th Mountain - two of these existed at the same time. “Division Group Krautler” (originally the 8th Mountain) was renamed the 9th Mountain on May 6th, 1945 (it surrendered 3 days later in Norway.), the other was built out of training and replacement units (including Luftwaffe ground crews) Designated the 9th Mountain division May 1st, 1945, surrendered May 8th, 1945
418nd Mountain Replacement - Activated May 1943 to replace a ‘reserve’ division sent to Italy. Saw no combat.
42nd Jager - Yugoslavia and Italy 1944, destroyed April 1945 in Italy
100th Jager - Originally the “100th Light”, in 1942 designated “Jager” - Russia (south) 1941-1942, destroyed at Stalingrad January 1943. Reconstituted in Mid 1943, Russia (south an central) 1944-5, surrendered May 1945.
118th Jager - activated in 1941 as a ‘static division’, Serbia 1941-3, Herzegovina 1943-4, Russia 1945. Surrendereed to the British, May 1945
44th Infantry (“Hoch und Deutschmeister” - from an expansion of the Austrian Army regiment of that name. Poland, France (1940), Russia (south), cut off and destroyed at Stalingrad. Reconstituted in 1943 - Italy, Hungary (1945), surrendered to US Army north of Linz.
45th Infantry - from Austrian 4th division - Poland, France (1940), Russia (Brest-Litovsk summer 1941, Moscow - Winter 1941-2, south - Orel/Voronesch 1943, Kursk 1943, destroyed with AGC, 1944. Rebuilt and Renamed 45th Volksgrenadier late 1944, surrendered Czechoslovakia, 1945.
92nd Infantry - Italy 1944, dissolved as ‘unfit’, personnel tranferred to 352nd Infanty
243th Infantry- France (Brittany/St. Lo/Cotentin - 1944), disbanded fall 1944
262nd Infantry - raised from Austrian reservists, manned western defences 1939-40, Russia (south and center - Kiev, Briansk, Moscow 1941; Kursk 1943) ceased to be a division and absorbed by other units, October 1943
297th Infantry - Russia (south - Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov 1941), destroyed at Stalingrad, January 1943. Reconstituted as a (weak) division summer 1943 - Serbia, ALbania, Montenegro, Russia (south), surrendered 1945.
327th Infantry - formed as a “static division” (not many vehicles) 1940, France (occupation duties 1941-2), Russia (now as a regular infantry) Kiev/Zhitomir, downgraded to a ‘division group’ because of heavy losses, destroyed spring 1944)
334th Infantry - North Africa 1942-3, destroyed Tunisia May 1943. Rebuilt summer 1943 - Italy 1943-1945, desroyed April 23, 1945.
351st Infantry - Formed March 1940, dissolved August 1940. Never saw combat
392nd Infantry - formed of Croatian volunteers, with German cadres, august 1943. Croatia 1944. Surrendered to Yugoslavian partisans, April 1945
177th Replacement - saw no combat
417th Replacement - saw no combat
487th Replacement - created 1942, supplied replacements until ‘mobilized’ March 1945 (then surrendered)
564th Volksgrenadier - combined before completed with the 9th Infantry into the 9th Volksgrenadier Division, Western Front 1944-5
381st Training - formed September 1942 (part of Army Group A), disbanded February 1943.
(Source: Samuel Mitcham’s excellent “German Order of Battle” series.)
Hope this helps!
Sometimes a cross of Adrew has some Hakens. REALY, feeding my rabid Antiamerican bias with an author that is pro “German” and pro “The lost cause”. But I am not rabid nor “ANTI” anythnig.
You do need to read up on those authors though, speaking as a historian, especially if you disagree. That way, if you disagree, you can effectively argue against, say, Mitcham, without resorting to blanket statements like what certain historians sadly do – use his own words against him. 
uh, what? I’m Framistaning my Feldercarb here…
I think he might be referring to Mitcham’s work as having issues.
Ah. Well, I’m just using these as point-references (“what was the 5th mountain division?” like that.). I don’t bother with his point of view on anything; I don’t care. For what I want, it seems excellent.
His American Civil War stuff (from the titles) does seem a bit… suspect, I gotta say…
I thought this was a great synopsis. If 2-3 lines can serve as a unit history it was perfect. Hopefully it gave the OP the information he needed to follow up with his learning.
Thanks for the amazingly detailed response, much appreciated. I can use this as a starting point for further research.
Thanks again!