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916 Regiment 352. Infanterie Division

   The 352nd Infantry Division was formed in the summer of 1943. Officially the unit was created on November 14th from various units from the Eastern Front involved in the Kursk Offensive. The end of the summer of 1943 saw the close of the Kursk Offensive on the Eastern Front. The losses during this operation added to the vast loss of men that year. As a result, a new wave of divisions were ordered to be raised for deployment by the spring of 1944. Infantrie Division 352 was to be among this number. The early fall of 1943 saw the formation of the nucleus of this division in the area surrounding St. Lo, occupied France.

  Grenadier Regiment 916 was formed and initially billeted in the village of Les Mesnil Rouxelin, just north of St. Lo. The entire division was based predominately on the surviving elements of the 321st Infantrie Division which had been mauled at Kursk. Other elements were from the 268th Infantrie Division and Grenadier Regiment 546, the later forming the base for Granadier Regiment 916. The men from the 546th were mostly men who survived the fighting in Stalingrad and had been lucky enough to have been evacuated. Along with other recovering veterans from all theaters of the war who were recovering in rest camps in France, these formed the base of the division.

  A large pool of recruits, initially from Infantrie Ersatz und Ausbildungs Battalion 480 based in Schlann, now Slany in the Czech Republic, these men numbered about 2000. The unit was filled out with further new drafts when the division was assigned it's depot regiments all in Werhrkreis X, Hanover. That which was assigned to Grenadier Regiment 916 was Grenadier Ersatz Battalion 396 stationed at Nordheim. Initially the officers of the staff felt that the eventual deployment for this new unit would be on the Eastern Front, so training was geared to this eventuality. In other words, the division would be trained to fight outnumbered, out gunned, surrounded for most of the time and never to surrender. However, as early as January 1944, the division was assigned assigned the security of the St. Lo sector which was eventually to include the Normandy Coast.

  The 352 was a combat unit unlike the two stationary divisions it was placed between on the coast, the 709th ans the 716th. These units were not mobile and meant just to hold ground. The 352 was given huge areas of territory to police as well as many unrealistic missions. First it was to man the Coastal Defenses, then it was also the Army Corps reserve Division and one Regiment plus supporting troops was also the tactical reserve of the LXXXIV Corps, to which the 352 was assigned. It was plagued by supply and ration problems which would never disappear. On June 6, 1944, the men of the 352 met the Allied invasion head on. Most of its actions centered on Omaha Beach but it's troops were engaged in actions against all the beaches. It fought a tough and determined battle against the odds, forestalling the Allied time table to take St. Lo by 43 days.

  Normandy was held by the tenacity of the Grenadiers of the 352, who only retreated in the face of total destruction. The 352 saw action at Arnhem and throughout the Ardennes Offensive. It surrendered after the war ended on May 8th, 1945 to American Troops after having refused to do so to the French Forces. The 286th Infantry Division, containing the 468th, 488th and 499th Regiments home station was Munich VII.

  1939 - Reservist unit activated 39/40 - Saar Front 41/43 - Ost front Battle of Yelnya Bend before Moscow. Elements in Cholm and Demyansk fought at Rzhev and Kursk. The 321st Infantrie Division containing the 588th, 589th, and 590th Regiments home station was WHKS XI Hanover.

  1940 - Activated at Abberville. Dec. 1942 - Russia Army Group Center Kursk (heavy losses). The 546th Grenadier Regiment (389th) home station was WHKS XII Hesse.

  1941 / 42 - Organized in the winter drive to and across the Don River, Volga Stalingrad (surviviors from Stalingrad formed the base if the 1st and 2nd battalions on the 916th Grenadier Regiment. The 1352 Artillery Regiment, 352 Fusilier Battalion, the 352 Panzerjaeger Battalion, 352 Pioneer Battalion, 352 Signal Battalion, and the 352 Reconnaissance Battalion home station was Gosar Nordheim XI Hanover.

NOTE WORTHY: Pzjgr. 4 Bt. - 14 Marder II/ Pak 75mm, 10 Stug IIIG, Opel Mounting 37mm guns. Art. Regt. - 3 batt. of 105mm, 1 batt. of 150mm.

  The Division contained 29% Russian, mostly Ukrainians, Bylorssians and some Georgians. The unit was moved up to the Calvados Coast (Normandy) in May of 1944. The 2nd Battalion was in position in front of Coleville/St. Laurant, while the 1st Battalion was stationed at Arromanches. The Divison was hit on June 6, 1944, by the 3rd Commonwealth Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade and 2 U.S. Infantry Divisions.

  By Late August 1944 the Divison was pulled out of the line and sent to southern Denmark for refitting. On September 17th in Holland they were caught at Arnhem, the unit was attached to the 10th SS and 363rd Infantry Division. Having fought the 101st Airborne at Nijmegan and the British Para in Arnhem itself the Division was refitted once more with "Recruits" from the 581st V.G. (Volks Grenadier) Division and some Marine (Coastal Artillery) detachments. The Division was put back in the line for the Efiel Battles, southern flank of the Ardennes Offensive, Diekirch and Ettelbruck (principle engagements).

  By 1945, the Division was engaged in the Rhineland operations south of Remagen and eventually was refitted from the 66th V.G. Regiment, 99th Security Regiment and remnants of the 9th Infantry Division. The Division defended the Trier and surrendered to the U.S. at the end of the war near Nuremberg. Many soldiers were turned over to the French and remained in captivity for between three to five years after the war.

Commanding officers of the Division (352)

1. General Kraiss - KC - Normandy - Killed

2. Colonel Heyna - Interm

3. General Schmidt - Ardennes

4. General Bazing - Nuremberg

Commanding officers of the Regiment (916)

1. Oberst (Colonel) Ernst Goth - Normandy

2. Major Lehman - Arnhem

3. Oberst (Colonel) Ernst Goth - Ardennes to the end of the war.

Oberst Ernst Goth