265. Infanterie Division

The division was formed in May 1943 as a static division. It was immediately sent to Brittany in France.¹ The structure of the division on 1 May 1944 was²:

The artillery regiment had the following equipment³:

1./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
2./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
3./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
4./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
5./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
6./Art.Rgt. 265 four 7,62 cm guns
7./Art.Rgt. 265 four 12,2 cm howitzers
8./Art.Rgt. 265 four 12,2 cm howitzers
9./Art.Rgt. 265 four 12,2 cm howitzers
10./Art.Rgt. 265 four 12,2 cm guns

All three infantry regiments had three support companies, the 13. with six 7,62 cm infantry guns, the 14. With three 7,5 cm AT guns and the 15. Which also was an AT company, but with immobile equipment.⁴
The division had no other antitank weapons and the field replacement battalion only consisted of two companies.⁵

On 1 March the division had an overall strength of 9 488 men.⁶ One month later it reported a shortage of 28 men.⁷

The division formed a mobile Kampfgruppe. It was made up of the staff of 896. Inf.Rgt plus the III./Gren.Rgt. 894, II./Gren.Rgt. 895, 13./Gren.Rgt. 896, 14./Gren.Rgt. 896, 14./Gren.Rgt. 895. It also included the 2., 3. and 9. artillery batteries under the staff of I./Art.Rgt. 265. Finally the 2./Pi.Btl. 265 was part of the Kampfgruppe.⁸

Probably the Kampfgruppe had a strength of about 3 000 men. It had 123 light machine guns, 19 heavy machine guns, sixteen 8 cm mortars, six 7,62 cm infantry howitzers, six 7,5 cm AT guns, six flame throwers, eight 7,62 cm artillery guns and 12,2 artillery howitzers.⁹

When the allied forces landed in Normandy it was decided to send the mobile Kampfgruppe to Normandy. On 11 June it was located west of St. Lô.¹⁰

It remained in Normandy and was at the sector of 91. Inf.Div. when operation Cobra was launched. Probably the remnants of the Kampfgruppe was absorbed by some division.

The main part of the division remained in the coastal fortresses in the Lorient area for the rest of the war. Given the fact that all its transport had been used for the mobile Kampfgruppe¹¹ it really did not have much choice.

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Notes:

1	G. Tessin, Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1966-1975).
2	Gliederungen AOK 7, BA-MA RH 20-7/136.
3	Ibid.
4	Ibid.
5	Ibid.
6	Ibid.
7	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.
8	Gliederungen AOK 7, BA-MA RH 20-7/136.
9	Ibid.
10	HGr B Ia Nr 3342/44 g.Kdos, Tagesmeldung 11.6.44, T311, R3, F7002373.
11	HGr B Ia Nr. 4943/44 g.Kdos, 18.7.44, T311, R4, F7003813ff.