15th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The German 15th Infantry Division (15. Infanterie-Division) was formed on 1 October 1934 in Würzburg under the cover name Artillerieführer V. With the announcement of German rearmament the division was renamed on 15 October 1935. Mobilzied on 25 August 1939 the division took part in the Invasion of Poland 1939 and the Battle of France in 1940. On 21 November 1940 one third of its personnel was used to create the 113th Infantry Division. The division was one of the units taking part in the Second Battle of Kharkov from February till March 1943. The division was destroyed in August 1944 during the Soviet Iaşi-Chişinău Operation. In October 1944 a new ''15. Infanterie-Division'' was raised near Cluj-Napoca using the remainders of the old division and new recruits. On 5 May 1945 the division surrendered to the Red Army at Brod.

Organization (1939)

 * Infanterie-Regiment 81 (Stab, I.-III.)
 * Infanterie-Regiment 88 (Stab, I.-III.)
 * Infanterie-Regiment 106 (Stab, I.-III.)
 * Artillerie-Regiment 15 (I.-III.)
 * Artillerie-Regiment 51 (Stab., I.)
 * Beobachtungs-Abteilung 15
 * Aufklärungs-Abteilung 15
 * Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 15
 * Pionier-Bataillon 15
 * Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 15
 * Feldersatz-Bataillon 15
 * Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 15

Commanders

 * General der Artillerie Fritz Brandt 1 October 1934 - 31 March 1936
 * Generalleutnant Emil Leeb 1 April 1936 - 1 April 1939
 * Generalmajor Walter Behschnitt 1 April 1939 - 6 October 1939
 * Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis 6 October 1939 - 12 August 1940
 * Generalleutnant Ernst-Eberhard Hell 12 August 1940 - 8 January 1942
 * Oberst Alfred Schreiber 8 January 1942 - 3 February 1942
 * Generalmajor Bronislaw Pawel 3 February 1942 - 18 Juni 1942
 * Generalleutnant Erich Buschenhagen 18 June 1942 - 20 November 1943
 * Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl 20 November 1943 - August 1944
 * Oberst Ottomar Babel 14 August - 5 September 1944 (MIA)

2nd formation

 * Generalmajor Siegfried von Rekowski (cancelled)
 * Generalmajor Hanns Laengenfelder 17 October 1944 - 5 May 1945

Literature

 * Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand: Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues. Vol.III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1969, p. 286.
 * Georg Tessin: Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939 - 1945. Vol. Iv: Die Landstreitkräfte 15 - 30.  Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1970.
 * Weblink: http://www.15id.info (History Website, in German)