Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division

The Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division ("Volunteer Tribal Division") was a German infantry division of the Wehrmacht during World War II. It was created on 1 February 1944 in Southern France. The Division was a so-called Ostlegion, which means its personnel was made up from volunteers from the Soviet Union. Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division was made up with Turkic, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Tartar, Cossack, Armenian and other Soviet volunteers, spread over five regiments. The primary purpose of the division were anti-partisan operations against the French Resistance.

In 1944, the French Maquis started numerous uprisings in France. To defeat the French forces, units of the Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division were used in various operations. This included German operations against the Maquis du Mont Mouchet, Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura and the Maquis du Vercors.

Part of these anti-Maquis operations also included Operation Treffenfeld, in which units of the Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division participated. During Operation Treffenfeld, the 5th Regiment of the division conducted the Dortan Massacre at the French town of Dortan on 13/14 July 1944. Twenty-four civilians were killed in what the German command described as "reprisal measures".

Commanding officers

 * Generalleutnant Ralph von Heygendorff, 1 February 1944 – 11 March 1944
 * Generalmajor   Wilhelm von Henning, 11 March 1944 – 12 September 1944
 * Generalmajor       Bodo von Wartenberg, 12 September 1944 – ?