The 290th Infantry Division was a German infantry division in World War II. It was formed in the Munster Training Area in Wehrkreis X on 6 February 1940 and surrendered to Soviet forces at the end of the war as part of Army Group Courland.
| 290th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| 290. Infanterie-Division | |
 Division Insignia | |
| Active | 6 February 1940 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | Army Group North |
| Nickname(s) | Sword Division |
| Engagements | Battle of France Operation Barbarossa 1941 Baltic offensive Siege of Leningrad Demyansk Pocket Operation Bagration Courland Pocket |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Theodor Freiherr von Wrede |
History
edit
The division participated in Fall Rot as part of Army Group B, and later performed occupation duties in France until February 1941, when it was sent to East Prussia during the buildup prior to Operation Barbarossa. It served in various sectors on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group North, later Army Group Kurland, for the remainder of the war.
In the winter of 1941 the division was trapped in the Demyansk Pocket along with the 12th, 30th, 32nd and 123rd infantry divisions, and the SS-Division Totenkopf, as well as RAD, Police, Todt organization and other auxiliary units, for a total of about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries. Their commander was General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, commander of the II. Armeekorps (2nd Army Corps).
Commanding officers
edit- Generalleutnant Max Dennerlein (? February – 8 June 1940)
- Generalleutnant Theodor Freiherr von Wrede (8 June – 19 September 1940)
- General der Infanterie Helge Auleb (19 September – 14 October 1940)
- Generalleutnant Theodor Freiherr von Wrede (14 October 1940 – 1 May 1942)
- Generalleutnant Conrad-Oskar Heinrichs (1 May 1942 – 1 February 1944)
- Generalmajor Gerhard Henke (1 February – ? June 1944)
- Generalmajor Rudolf Goltzsch (? June – 18 August 1944)
- Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister (18 August 1944 – 25 April 1945)
- Generalmajor Carl Henke (25 April – 27 April 1945)
- Generalleutnant Alfred Hemmann (27 April – 8 May 1945)
Order of battle
edit1940
edit- Infantry Regiment 501
- Infantry Regiment 502
- Infantry Regiment 503
- Artillery Regiment 290
- Divisions Units 290
1944
edit- Grenadier Regiment 501
- Grenadier Regiment 502
- Divisions Fusilier Battalion 290
- Artillery Regiment 290
- Divisions Units 290
References
edit- Tessin, Georg (1974). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945. Neunter Band. Die Landstreitkräfte 281–370. Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück. ISBN 3-7648-0872-1.
- Weg und Schicksal der bespannten 290. I. D. (Schwertdivision). 1940–1945. Chronik in Bildern. Hrsg. vom Traditions-Verband 290 I.D. Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Friedberg 1986, ISBN 3-7909-0292-6.