275. Infanterie Division

 

The division was formed in November 1943 in western France.¹ It had the following structure²:

The infantry regiments were quite poorly equipped on 1 May 1944³:

I./Gren.Rgt. 983	30 machine guns, three 8 cm mortars
II./Gren.Rgt. 983	29 machine guns, two 8 cm mortars
13./Gren.Rgt. 983	one heavy and one light infantry howitzer
14./Gren.Rgt. 983	two 5 cm AT guns, 34 Panzerschreck
I./Gren.Rgt. 984	28 machine guns, four 8 cm mortars
II./Gren.Rgt. 984	28 machine guns, two 8 cm mortars
13./Gren.Rgt. 984	one heavy and one light infantry howitzer
14./Gren.Rgt. 984	three 5 cm AT guns, 34 Panzerschreck
I./Gren.Rgt. 985	26 machine guns, two 8 cm mortars
II./Gren.Rgt. 985	26 machine guns, three 8 cm mortars
13./Gren.Rgt. 985	no infantry howitzers
14./Gren.Rgt. 985	three 5 cm AT guns, 34 Panzerschreck

The Füs.Btl. had 30 machine guns and two 8 cm mortars. The Pz.Jäg.Kp. had eight heavy (probably 7,5 cm) AT guns.⁴

Main equipment of the artillery regiment was:

1./Art.Rgt. 275	three 10,5 cm howitzers
2./Art.Rgt. 275	three 10,5 cm howitzers
3./Art.Rgt. 275	three 10,5 cm howitzers
4./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
5./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
6./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
7./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
8./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
9./Art.Rgt. 275	four 10,5 cm howitzers
10./Art.Rgt. 275	one 15 cm howitzer
11./Art.Rgt. 275	no guns
12./Art.Rgt. 275	one 15 cm howitzer

The division reported a strength of 11 538 men on 1 March.⁵ Three months later it was reported to have 10 768 officers and men plus 1 560 HiWi.⁶

Since the division had a shortage of transport a mobile Kampfgruppe was organized. This consisted of I./Gren.Rgt. 984, II./Gren.Rgt. 984, one infantry howitzer platoon, one platoon with 7,5 cm AT guns, Pi.Btl. 275, Füs.Btl. 275, III./Art.Rgt. 275 and the Pz.Jäg.Kp. 275.⁷ Probably the Kampfgruppe had a strength of about 4 000 men.

When the allies invaded it was decided to send the mobile Kampfgruppe to Normandy. On 8 June it had loaded on fourteen trains.⁸ Three days later it was reported that this unit was in the area west of St. Lô.⁹ The following day it was subordinated to 352. Inf.Div.¹⁰

On 27 June the Kampfgruppe was reported to have three "mittelstarkes" battalions and one "schwach".¹¹

During June this Kampfgruppe (also known as Kampfgruppe Heintz) was the only parts of 275. Inf.Div. comitted to the fighting. However, on 27 June it was decided that the division should be sent to Normandy as soon as it could be relieved.¹²

During the night between 5 and 6 July units from 343. Inf.Div. and 265. Inf.Div. began to relieve the 275. Inf.Div.¹³ Therefter the division began to move towards the fornt as fast as it could given the shortage of transport. On 15 July it was reported that Gren.Rgt.985 and I./Art.Rgt. 275 was located 22 km south east of Avranches. Other elements trailed behind.¹⁴

On 19 July Gren.Rgt. 985 was near Canloy, Gren.Rgt. 983 was near Marigny while the Art.Rgt. 275 was in the Canisy - Amrigny area.¹⁵ Six days later the last units of the division were reported to be comitted.¹⁶

At the time of operation Cobra the 275. Inf.Div. was not employed as a single formation. The 4./Art.Rgt. 275 and 6./Art.Rgt. 275 were with the 2. SS-Pz.Div., while one infantry battalion was with the Pz.Lehr Division.¹⁷ This battalion was the remnants of the Kampfgruppe sent to Normandy previously. The 985. Inf.Rgt. was sent to the 352. Inf.Div.¹⁸ Also the rest of the artillery was directly subordinated to 84. Korps.¹⁹

It seems that the division was never employed as a united formation in Normandy and this makes it hard to follow its whereabouts. Also the reports giving its condition after the Falaise pocket are conflicting.

One report, which is consistently too pessimistic, states that the division had a strength of approximately 4 000 men on 1 September.²⁰ This can be compared to a report showing that the division received 5 473 replacements 22 - 28 August.²¹ The report also shows that no replacements arrived 1 - 21 August.²² Another report asserts that the division suffered 21 237 casualties from D-Day until 13 September.²³ This is either a typing error or else losses suffered by other units are included in this figure.

There also exist a Gliederung that shows the condition of the 275. Inf.Div. on 10 September 1944.²⁴ According to this the infantry battalions had 2 151 men together. The Füs.Btl. had 288 men while the Pi.Btl. had only one company with 59 men. The artillery regiment had just one battery with four guns. The 985. Inf.Rgt. was not present. The division had not received any replacements since 29 August.²⁵
It is quite likely that the missing 985. Inf.Rgt had been partially absorbed by some other unit. The same could have happened to other parts of the division since it was not deployed as a complete unit. This makes it very difficult to estimate the casualties suffered by the division.

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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 der AOK 7, 275. I.D. Stand 1.5.44, BA-MA RH 20-7/136.
3	Ibid.
4	Ibid.
5	BA-MA RH 20-7/136.
6	OB West Ia Nr. 4352/44 g.Kdos, 4.6.44, T311, R24, F7029123.
7	OB West Ia Nr. 4797/44 g.Kdos, 20.6.44, T311, R25, F7029700.
8	OB West Ia 4432/44 g.Kdos., den 8.6.44, T311, R25, F7029387.
9	HGr B Ia Nr 3342/44 g.Kdos, Tagesmeldung 11.6.44, T311, R3, F7002373.
10	HGr B Ia Nr 3384/44 g.Kdos, Tagesmeldung 12.6.44, T311, R3 F7002377.
11	AOK 7 Ia Nr. 3454/44 g.Kdos., 27.6.44., T312, R1565, F001375.
12	HGr B Ia Nr. 4109/44 g.Kdos, 27.6.44, T311, R3, F7002302.
13	Ob West Ia Nr. 539/44 g.Kdos, 6.7.44, T311, R28, F7034246.
14	OB West Ia Nr. 5669/44 g.Kdos, 15.7.44, T311, R28, F7034483.
15	OB West Ia Nr. 5819/44 g.Kdos, 19.7.44, T311, R28, F7034643.
16	Anlagen zum KTB 21.7 - 31.7.1944, Ob West Ia, page 113, 25.7.1944, T311, R28, F7034795.
17	Gen.Kdo. LXXXIV. A.K. Ia 048/44 g.Kdos. T314, R1604, F001373.
18	See Ziegelmann, MS # B-489, p. 3. The author writes that the number of the regiment is 895, but this is probably a typing error. Rather it must have been 985.
19	Gen.Kdo. LXXXIV A.K. Ia Nr. 035/44g.Kdos 22.7.44, Taktische Gliederung der Artillerie, Stand 21.7.44, T314, R1604, F001388.
20	OKH Org.Abt. I Nr. I/19995/44 g.Kdos. 16.10.1944, T78, R432, F6403685ff.
21	Anlagen zum KTB LXXXI. A.K., K.H.Qu., den 20.9.44, T314, R1594, F000271.
22	Ibid.
23	Anlagen zum KTB LXXXI. A.K., K.H.Qu., den 23.9.44, T314, R1594, F000267.
24	Gen.Kdo. LXXXI. A.K. Ia, Gliederung 275. Inf.Div., Stand 10.9.44, T314, R1563, F000980.
25	Anlagen zum KTB LXXXI. A.K., K.H.Qu., den 20.9.44, T314, R1594, F000271.