1st Luftwaffe Field Division

German military unit 1st Luftwaffe Field Division(1. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) 1942–1944 Nazi Germany Luftwaffe Infantry Division World War II Eastern Front Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive The 1st Luftwaffe Field Division (de 1. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the Luftwaffe branch of the Wehrmacht that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the Luftwaffe in Konigsberg, East Prussia. It served on the Northern Sector of the Eastern Front under Army Group North from late 1942 to early 1944 at which time it was disbanded. Operational history Order of Battle, 1st Luftwaffe Field DivisionMitcham 2007a 299–300Munoz 2025 9–16 June/July 1942 I Field Jager Battalion II Field Jager Battalion III Field Jager Battalion IV Field Jager Battalion 1st Luftwaffe Field Artillery Battalion 1st Luftwaffe Field Bicycle Company 1st Luftwaffe Field Anti-Tank BattalionThis comprised a company of towed 75mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns, a 37mm Flak company mounted on halftracks, and an assault gun battery of Sturmgeschutz III 75mm L24 assault guns.Munoz 2025 9–16 Note 1st Luftwaffe Field Engineer Company 1st Luftwaffe Field Pioneer Company 1st Luftwaffe Field Signal Company 1st Luftwaffe Field Flak Battalion 1st Luftwaffe Field Divisional Supply Troops Order of Battle, 1st Field Division (L)Munoz 2025 9–16 December 1943 I Jager Battalion II Jager Battalion III Jager Battalion IV Jager Battalion 1st Artillery Regiment 1st Anti-Tank Battalion 6th Aufklarungs Company 6th Pioneer Company 6th Signal Company 6th Field Divisional Supply Troops The 1st Luftwaffe Field Division, the first of several such divisions, was formed in mid-1942 in Königsberg, Eastern Prussia, under the command of OberstThe rank of Oberst is equivalent to that of colonel in the United States Army.Mitcham 2007b 197 Note Gustav Wilke. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus Luftwaffe (German Air Force) ground crew. Infantry recruits came from Flieger-Regiment 10, a cadre regiment under the command of Oberst Robert Pistorius. The division included four battalions of infantry, as well as artillery, anti-tank, engineer and signal units although it lacked regimental staff. After training was completed in December 1942 it was sent to Army Group North as part of Georg Lindemann's 18th Army although still under Luftwaffe command. Stationed near Novgorod, it was transferred to the Army in December 1943. The division saw little fighting until the withdrawal from Leningrad in January 1944 during which it was involved in heavy defensive battles north of Novgorod.Mitcham 2007a 299–300Munoz 2025 9–16 The division's personnel were inadequately trained for its role as infantry and due to the heavy losses incurred in the Soviet attacks of the 1943/1944 winter,Some 1,300 personnel were killed or wounded in the Soviet Leningrad-Novgorod offensive.Munoz 2025 14 Note the division itself was disbanded shortly afterwards. Its surviving personnel were absorbed by the 28th Jager Division.Mitcham 2007a 299–300 Commanders The following officers were commanders of the 1st Luftwaffe Field Division:Ranks stated are those at the time of taking command.Mitcham 2007a 299–300 Note Oberst Gustav Wilke (30 September 1942 – 16 January 1943; 14 April – 14 June 1943; 23 July — 30 September 1943); GeneralmajorThe rank of generalmajor is equivalent to that of brigadier general in the United States Army.Mitcham 2007b 197 Note Werner Zech (17 January – 13 April 1943); Oberst Anton Longin (15 June – 22 July 1943); Generalmajor Rudolf Petrauschke (1 October 1943 – February 1944).Mitcham 2007a 299–300 War commentary At least 680 graves of soldiers of the 1st Luftwaffe Field Division are found at the war cemetery in Veliky Novgorod, where a total of 11.400 German and Spanish soldiers are buried.de:Kriegsgräberstätte Nowgorod Notes Footnotes Note Citations 30em References Mitcham Samuel W. Samuel W. Mitcham German Order of Battle, Volume Two: 291st–999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII 2007a Stackpole Books 978-0-8117-3437-0 Mitcham Samuel W. German Order of Battle, Volume Three: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS Divisions in WWII 2007b Stackpole Books 978-0-8117-3438-7 Munoz Antonio J. Hitler's Luftwaffe Infantry, The German Air Force Field Divisions 1942–1945 2025 Frontline Books 978-1-03613-033-6 Stout Michael J. Goering's Ground Troops: The Luftwaffe Field Divisions of World War II 2026 Naval Institute Press 978-1-68247-977-3 June 2017 01 Category:1942 establishments in Germany Category:1944 disestablishments in Germany Category:Military units and formations established in 1942 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1944