362nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The 362nd Infantry Division (German: 362. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1943 to 1945. Formed in Italy, it participated in the Italian Campaign for the entire duration of its war service. It was implicated in the massacre of 97 civilians in what is known as the Benedicta massacre, which occurred at Piedmont in April 1944.

362nd Infantry Division
Active	1943 – 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Füssen
Engagements	Second World War Italian Campaign

Operational history

The 362nd Infantry Division was formed in Italy, in the area around Rimini, during the period from October to November 1943. It was formally established on 15 November under the command of Generalleutnant[Note 1] Heinz Greiner. The division nominally fell within the responsibility of Wehrkreis VII (military district VII), and was centred on Füssen. It was a Type 44 division,[1] which meant that it had six battalions of infantry in contrast to the nine of a conventional division, and also had less motorised transport.[3]

Its core, including Greiner and his divisional staff, were the remnants of the 268th Infantry Division, which had previously served on the Eastern Front and had recently been disbanded following significant losses incurred in the Battle of Kursk and subsequent retreat.[4] Infantry numbers were boosted with battalions from the 44th, 52nd, 76th and the 305th Infantry Divisions.[1]

Its first engagement was in the Battle of Anzio in January 1944 and when the Allies managed to break through the German defences four months later, the division was overrun. Greiner (who had earlier won praise from Manstein for his performance as a regimental commander and staff officer) was just returning from leave when his division was literally overrun by the massive air-supported assault of the U.S. 3rd Infantry and 1st Armored Divisions on May 23 and 24. Allied intelligence reported that the 362nd was "destroyed."Thus when the 1st Armored Division began its exploitation of the breakthrough on May 26 through Velletri, in the zone of the 362nd Division, no serious resistance was expected. But in one of the most intensive one-day battles of the war, under Grenier's inspiring leadership, the 362nd not only held, its counterattacks drove the surprised American tsnkmen back to their starting positions. (TN Dupuy, A Genius for WarUSA 1977) [1] Prior to this, the division was involved in the Benedicta massacre, which occurred at Piedmont between 6 and 7 April 1944, where 97 civilians were executed.[5][6]

Withdrawn to Rome, the division suffered heavy losses during the Allied advance and had to be rebuilt. Two of its original grenadier regiments were disbanded and were replaced by the 1059th and 1060th Infantry Regiments, transferred from the recently disestablished 92nd Infantry Division. Returning to the front on the Gothic Line, it manned the frontlines near Florence and later at Bologna. During Operation Grapeshot, the last major engagement mounted by the Allied forces on the Italian Front, the division became surrounded near the Po River by the American forces. It surrendered on 23 April 1945.[1]

Commanders

• Generalleutnant Heinz Greiner (15 November 1943 – 31 December 1944);[Note 2]
• Generalmajor[Note 3] Max Reinwald (1 January – February 1945; 17 – 23 April 1945);
• Generalmajor Alois Weber (February – 16 April 1945).[1]

Notes

Footnotes

1. The rank of generalleutnant is equivalent to that of major general in the United States Army.[2]
2. Greiner later wrote an account of the division, which was published in 1968.[1]
3. The rank of generalmajor is equivalent to that of brigadier general in the United States Army.[2]

Citations

1. Mitcham 2007b, pp. 70–71.
2. Mitcham 2007c, p. 197.
3. Mitcham 2007a, p. 11.
4. Mitcham 2007a, p. 316.
5. "Benedicta Bosio 06.04.1944" (in Italian). Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
6. "356. Infanterie Division" (in Italian). Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy. Retrieved 20 September 2018.

References

• Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007a). German Order of Battle, Volume One: 1st–290th Infantry Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA, United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3416-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007b). German Order of Battle, Volume Two: 291st–999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA, United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007c). German Order of Battle, Volume Three: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA, United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3438-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)