148th Reserve Division

the German division other divisions 148th Division (disambiguation) October 2016 148th Reserve Division148th Infantry Division 148. Reserve-Division148. Infanterie-Division 148th Infanterie Division Logo 2.svg 150 Nazi Germany Infantry Army 18 September 1944 - 28 April 1945 Division Operation DragoonGothic LineSpring 1945 offensive in ItalyBattle of Collecchio Otto Fretter-Pico 50px Reserve insignia 50px 50px 50px Infantry insignia Infantry insignia Infantry insignia The German 148th Reserve Division (German: 148. Reserve-Division) was a German reserve infantry formation during the Second World War. It was made up of three infantry regiments (the 281st, 285th, and 286th) and an artillery regiment. Initially an occupation force in southern France, serving as a depot for rest and refitting, it was activated as an infantry division and fought in Italy from 1944 to 1945. Redesignated the 148th Infantry Division (German: 148. Infanterie-Division) in September 1944 to fight the allied invasion during Operation Dragoon, it later fought in the Po River battles, surrendering to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force on April 28, 1945, after being encircled in the Battle of Collecchio, near the city of Fornovo di Taro at Galano. History During Operation Dragoon, the 148th was ordered to counterattack against the beaches at Le Muy, where the US 45th Infantry Division had landed. The German plan was to throw the Allies in the Le Muy – Saint-Raphaël region back into the sea unilaterally. With almost no mobile reserves to react against the beach landings, the commander of the 189th Infantry Division, Richard von Schwerin, was ordered to establish an ad hoc battle group (Kampfgruppe) from all nearby units to counterattack the Allied bridgeheads in this area. While Schwerin assembled all the men he could find, the 148th Infantry Division near Draguignan encountered heavy resistance from the FFI, which had been reinforced by British paratroopers, upsetting the plan for a swift counterattack toward the beaches.Clarke Jeffrey J. https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/7-10.pdf Riviera to the Rhine: European Theater of Operations Smith Robert R. U.S. Government Printing Office 2015 978-1-5152-3379-4 Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 105–107 en-US 1505747684 After heavy fighting throughout the day, Schwerin ordered his troops to retreat under cover of night. At the same time, heavy fighting occurred at Saint-Raphaël. Mobile units of the 148th Infantry Division finally had arrived there and encountered the US 3rd Infantry Division, which was trying to take Saint-Raphaël. This attack, however, was fruitless. By 17 August, the German counter-attacks had been largely defeated, Saint-Raphaël was secured together with a large bridgehead along the coastline, and mobile forces had linked up with the airborne troops in Le Muy.Vogel Detlef Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg 1979–2008 Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Germany. Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt 3-421-01934-7 Stuttgart 597–599 6329100Clarke Jeffrey J. Riviera to the Rhine: European Theater of Operations U.S. Government Printing Office 978-1-5152-3379-4 Washington, D.C. 118–125 1505747684 2015 en-US Smith Robert R. Center of Military History, United States Army https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/7-10.pdf French troops had been pouring ashore since 16 August, passing to the left of the American troops with the objective of Toulon and Marseille. left|thumb|266x266px|German Colonel von Kleiber in preliminary talks with Brazilian Major Franco Ferreira about the surrender of the 148th Infantry Division to the FEB, after the Battle of Collecchio, on April 29, 1945. By the night of 16/17 August, Army Group G headquarters realized that it could not drive the Allies back into the sea. Simultaneously in northern France, the encirclement of the Falaise pocket threatened the loss of large numbers of German forces. Given the precarious situation, Adolf Hitler moved away from his "no step backwards" agenda and agreed to an OKW plan for the complete withdrawal of Army Groups G and B. The OKW plan was for all German forces (except the stationary fortress troops) in southern France to move north to link up with Army Group B to form a new defensive line from Sens through Dijon to the Swiss frontier. Two German divisions (the 148th and 157th) were to retreat into the French-Italian Alps. The Allies were privy to the German plan through Ultra interception.Zaloga Steve Operation Dragoon 1944 : France's other D-Day 2009 Osprey Publishing John White 978-1-84603-367-4 Oxford 55 262433392Clarke Jeffrey J. Riviera to the Rhine: European Theater of Operations U.S. Government Printing Office 978-1-5152-3379-4 Washington, D.C. 128; 134–137 1505747684 2015 en-US Smith Robert R. Center of Military History, United States Army https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/7-10.pdf The Germans started the withdrawal, while the motorized Allied forces broke out from their bridgeheads and pursued the German units from behind. The rapid Allied advance posed a major threat for the Germans, who could not retreat fast enough. The Germans tried to establish a defense line at the Rhône to shield the withdrawal of several valuable units there. The US 45th and 3rd Divisions were pressing to the north-west with uncontested speed, undermining Wiese's plan for a new defense line. Barjols and Brignoles were taken by the two American divisions on 19 August, which also were about to envelop Toulon, as well as Marseille from the north, cutting off the German units there.Zaloga Steve Operation Dragoon 1944 : France's other D-Day 2009 Osprey Publishing John White 978-1-84603-367-4 Oxford 57–59 262433392Vogel Detlef Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg 1979–2008 Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Germany. Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt 3-421-01934-7 Stuttgart 598–601 6329100 On 18 August Neuling's surrounded LXII Corps headquarters attempted an unsuccessful breakout and was finally captured with the rest of the city after some fighting. The German troops in this area were exhausted and demoralized from the fighting against the FFI, so Taskforce Butler was also able to advance at high speed. Digne was liberated on 18 August. At Grenoble, the 157th Reserve Infantry Division faced the Allied advance, and its commander decided to retreat on 21 August toward the Alps. This decision would prove to be fatal for the Germans, as it left a large gap in the eastern flank of the retreating Army Group G. Blaskowitz now decided to sacrifice the 242nd Infantry Division in Toulon, as well as the 244th Infantry Division in Marseille, to buy time for the rest of Army Group G to retreat through the Rhône Valley, while the 11th Panzer Division and the 198th Infantry Division would shield the retreat in several defense lines. In Italy, the 148th Infantry Division would first be used in anti-partisan warfare. On April 28, the 148th Infantry Division's forces were concentrated near the Po river. Trying to stop the Germans crossing, Lieutenant Pitaluga's squadron, equipped with M8 Greyhound armored reconnaissance cars, opened fire against German troops who almost immediately blew the bridge behind them. Supported by a few Shermans of the 760th American tank battalion, Brazilian 3rd artillery howitzer groups with 105 mm and 155 mm guns, of the Brazilian 1st Company of the 6th Infantry Regiment (this regiment was commanded by Colonel Nelson de Mello), attacked under heavy German artillery and machinegun fire and set up a defensive line four miles from Fornovo, on the line Gaiano–Segalora–Talignano. Near 9 PM a furious German attack was launched against Segalora, trying to break the siege to get to the city of Parma, where other German forces were concentrating, having been repelled by 3rd company, also of the 6th Infantry Regiment. On April 29, the Germans made another try to break the siege. thumb|296x296px|War Prisoners of the 148th At this moment men of the 2nd Company of the 6th Infantry Regiment, (Major Oest), supported by American tanks, advanced to capture Felegara, which was already occupied by 3rd Company of the 6th Infantry Regiment and Pitaluga's squadron. With Felegara surrounded, the siege was complete and the German forces retreated to Fornovo Di Taro's downtown. Besieged, the Germans started negotiations to surrender all their forces to Brazilian command. These forces were from the 148th German Infantry Division, the remnants of an Italian Bersaglieri and Alpini Divisions and the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division. On April 29, 1945, the 1st Company of the 6th Infantry Regiment command post were located at Fornovo-Ponte Scodogna; also present was the four-star General Mascarenhas de Moraes, Commander-in-Chief of the Brazilian forces. Representatives of the German forces showed up to start surrender negotiations. Colonel Floriano de Lima Brayner, represented the Brazilian's forces; at 1 PM, 13 ambulances with 400 wounded German officers and soldiers arrived. They were immediately removed to the Brazilian campaign hospital at Modena. An hour and half later, another eight ambulances arrived with more wounded men. The first fighting unit to surrender was the 36th Regiment of the 9th motorized division. The troops laid down their arms beside the Collechio-Fornovo-Berceto Road. There were infantry weapons (PAK - Panzer Abwehr Kanone) What's a PAC? June 2023 of several calibers, 75 and 150 mm mortars, many kinds of vehicles, a column of 105 mm artillery pieces, 88 mm guns mounted on halftracks, 80 in total. There was also much ammunition of all types. Over the next 20 hours, 14,779 men surrendered to Brazilian forces. Also captured were 4,000 horses, 2,500 vehicles and 1,000 motor cycles. Italian general Mario Carloni and Lieutenant General Otto Fretter-Pico with all his staff capitulated. The 5th Army commander, General Mark Clark, said: " A magnificent end to a magnificent campaign!" War crimes The division has been implicated in one recorded war crime, the Regnano Castello massacre (Tuscany), on 23 November 1944, when 14 civilians were executed.http://www.straginazifasciste.it/?page_id=38&id_strage=4846&lang=en REGNANO CASTELLO CASOLA IN LUNIGIANA 23.11.1944 Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy 20 September 2018 it Commanding officers The 148th Division had a number of commanders in its reserve phase, with General Hermann Böttcher serving twice. When it was activated as an infantry division, it was commanded solely by General Otto Fretter-Pico. Some sources, including Samuel W. Mitcham in the first volume of his work German Order of Battle,Mitcham Samuel W. https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/German_Order_of_Battle/nKIhAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=German%20Order%20of%20Battle:%201st-290th%20Infantry%20divisions%20in%20World%20War%20II German Order of Battle: Volume One: 1st–290th Infantry Divisions in WWII Stackpole Books 2007 978-0-8117-3416-5 Stackpole Military History Series Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 195 en 299143987 incorrectly list Lieutenant General Otto Schönherr Edler von Schönleiten as the commander from 20 March 1944. This is based on a transposition of numbers, as Otto Schönherr took command of Division No. 418 (de Division Nr. 418), also a reserve and training division.Mitcham Samuel W. https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/_/69mb0QEACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNpbWk5saUAxVPILkGHbcvDuEQre8FegQIDBAF German Order of Battle: Volume Two: 291st–999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII Stackpole Books 2007 978-0-8117-3437-0 Stackpole Military History Series Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 113 en 254488743 148th Reserve Division +No.RankNameMandate1GeneralmajorKonrad Stephanus1 December 1939 – 7 February 19402GeneralleutnantHermann Böttcher7 February 1940 – 10 February 19423GeneralleutnantHubert Gercke10 February 1942 – 2 April 19424GeneralleutnantHermann Böttcher2 April 1942 – 1 April 19435GeneralleutnantFriedrich-Wilhelm von Rothkirch und Panthen1 April 1943 – 25 September 19436GeneralmajorOtto Fretter-Pico25 September 1943 – 18 September 1944 148th Infantry Division +No.RankNameMandateNotes1Generalmajor GeneralleutnantOtto Fretter-Pico18 September 1944 – 28 April 1945Promoted on 9 October 1944 Notes Bibliography Mitcham Samuel W. https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/Hitler_s_Legions/pdCNQgAACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjV9q2XjcaUAxWwA7kGHbC0E0sQiqUDegQIBBA9 Hitler's Legions: The German Army Order of Battle, World War II Stein and Day 1985 978-0-8128-2992-1 New York 540 en 11113727 https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/Operation_Dragoon_Autopsy_of_a_Battle/-LCemwEACAAJ?hl=en Operation Dragoon: Autopsy of a Battle: The Allied Liberation of the French Riviera: August-September 1944 Gassend Jean-Loup 2014 Schiffer Publications 978-0-7643-4580-7 Atglen, Pennsylvania 560 en 1474513651 External links Reserve Division 148 in Southern France - 1944: Nice, Cannes, Grasse, Sospel, St. Raphaël https://division148.blogspot.com/ 148 Division.blogspot de Timelapse - World War II on the French Riviera: video depictings numerous photos of soldiers of Reserve Division 148 in southern France https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiR9QRlyzrM YouTube en Category:Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1944 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945