272.

Infanterie Division
The origins of the 272. Inf.Div. was the 216. Inf.Div. which had fought on the central sector of the eastern front since January 1942.1 In November 1943 the division was withdrawn and sent to western Europe to be used as cadre for the new 272.2 Inf.Div. In April 1944 it was sent to the 19. Armee in southern France, where it contimued training.3 On 1 April it was reported that the division was short of only 559 men.4 At this time the organization of the division probably was5:

According to an organization chart for 3 August 19446 minor changes had occurred. The Pz.Jg.Abt. had been expanded by the addition of a Flak company with ten 8,8 cm Flak guns, one platoon with three towed 7,5 cm AT guns and one platoon with three SP 7,5 cm AT guns. It seems however that the organization chart depicts authorized organization, not actual for the date indicated. There are no indications in the records that any SP 7,5 cm AT guns were sent to the division.7 Also all the infantry battlions are indicated to have similar equipment, 54 machine guns and 10 mortars each.8 This is highly unlikely for a division engaged in combat. On 19 June it was reported that the division had 11 211 men and 1 514 HiWI.9 The weapons comprised 464 light machine guns, 102 heavy machine guns, 54 m.GrW, 32 s.GrW, nineteen 7,5 cm le.IG, nine 15 cm s.IG, twenty-two 7,5 cm Pak and nine 15 cm howitzers while the number of 10,5 cm howitzers was 33.10 Mobility was provided by 177 motorcycles, 105 cars, 136 trucks, 71 towing vehicles and 4 302 horses.11 Training had still not progressed enough on 19 June. Battalion exercises had only been conducted to a limited extent and further training of various specialist was required. The division was rated to be useful for defensive missions.12 It seems that the artillery regiment did not have four guns in each battery. On 19 June, it was reported that the division had all the nine 15 cm howitzers it was supposed to have.13 As indicated above the division had 33 howitzers of 10,5 cm calibre. It was reported to have a shortage of two.14 Thus it seems that most of the light artillery batteries had four howitzers. However, according to the 3 August organization chart all the light batteries were supposed to have only three howitzers. On 2 July the division began to move from the Mediterranean coast to Normandy by rail.15 It was intended to unload the division at Le Mans, but due to air attacks and damage to the railnet several areas were used for unloading. Some of them were located as much as 200 km south of Le Mans.16 It took time to assemble the trains and load the division. On 5 July it was reported that only 18 trains had departed of the 54 needed to transport the division.17 During the night between 13 and 14 July the division began moving into the frontline and on the 14 three battalions were in the main defensive line.18 The 272. Inf.Div. gradually relieved the 1. SS-Pz.Div. On 16 July the following elements had entered combat: Gren.Rgt. 980 and I./Gren.Rgt. 982. Also the following elements were just behind the front, ready for action: Fs.Btl. 272 and 2./Art.Rgt. 272. In the Falaise-Argentan area Div.Pz.Jg.Kp. 272, 5./Art.Rgt. 272, 8./Art.Rgt. 272, I./Gren.Rgt. 981, 13./Gren.Rgt. 982, 14./Gren.Rgt. 982 were located. The remainder of the artillery regiment was in the Le Mans - Alenon area, as were the II./Gren.Rgt. 981, II./Gren.Rgt. 982.19

On 24 July it was reported that all movements of 272. Inf.Div. were completed.20 The division seem to have been engaged in intensive combat soon after it arrived in Normandy, since according to telephone conversation between von Kluge and Eberbach at the evening on 17 July, the 272. Inf.Div. had until 16 July (included) lost 33 officers and 900 NCO:s and men.21 At the beginning of August the division received about 600 replacements through a march battalion and from the dissolved 16. Luftwaffe Division. Also the AT battalion of 272. Inf.Div. was reinforced by elements from 16. LW.Div.22 This probably brought the organization to that indicated above for 3 August.23 During the night between 27 and 28 July the division bagen to be relieved. It was transferred to the east, taking over the sector of 21. Pz.Div. in the Troarn area.24 As a result of this the 272. Inf.Div. was never surrounded at Falaise. Rather it seems to have been able to withraw from Normandy in relatively good shape. This is also indicated by the fact that it was reported on 25 August that the division had 27 artillery howitzers combat ready25, or about 75 % of its authorized strength. In September the division was sent to Dberitz near Berlin for refitting. On 12 September elements of Gren.Rgt. 980 amounting to 344 officers and men returned to the division. Also on this day about 720 men from III. and IV./Art.Rgt. 272 were sent to Dberitz. This means that these two battalions still had more than half their personell strength.
Notes: G. Tessin, Verbnde und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrck 1966-1975). Ibid. Ibid. WFST/Op. (H)/West Nr.004662/44 g.Kdos, den 3. Mai 1944, Fehlstellen der Divisionen im Bereich OB West, Stand 1.4.44, T77, R1421, F000237f. This has been derived from Tessin, op. cit. See Anlage 1 in F.-A. Schack, Die Kmpfe der 272. Infanterie-Division in Nord-Frankreich vom 28.7. bid 28.8.44, MS # B-702. This Anlage is a reprint of a wartime Gliederungsbild. See BA-MA RH 10/349. Schack, op. cit. OB West Ia Nr. 4772/44 g.Kdos., T311, R25, F7029682f.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 F.-A. Schack, 272. Infanterie-Division, Normandie vom 5. &endash; 26.7.1944, MS # B-540, p. 5. 16 Ibid. 17 OB West Ia Nr. 5316/44 g.Kdos, T311, R28, F7034222. 18 Meldung HGr B 13.45 14.7.44 an OB West Ia, T311, R28, F7034472. 19 OB West Ia Nr. 5757/44 g.Kdos 16.7.44, T311, R28, F7034532. 20 OB West Ia Nr. 5972/44 g.Kdos, 24.7.44, T311, R28, F7034777. 21 Ferngesprch Feldmarschall v. Kluge - Gen. Eberbach 21.58 Uhr bis 22.15, 17.7.44, T311, R28, F7034568. 22 MS # B-702 (see above), p.6. 23 According to Schack (MS # B-702, p. 29) the division had a complete Pz.Jg.Abt. deuring the latter part of the fighting in Normandy. 24 M. Jenner, Die 216./272. Infanterie-Division (Podzun Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1964) p 159f. 25 Anlage 1 zum Gen der Art beim Chef GenSt.d.Heeres Ib Nr. 2610/44 g.Kdos, 27.8.44, BA-MA RH 11 II/v. 4.