331. Infanterie Division

The 331. Inf.Div. had been fighting on the eastern front since the beginning of 1942. During March 1944 it was withdrawn from the east to reform. However the infantry plus the equipment of the other parts of the division remained in the east and was distributed among other units. Thus the division did not contain as many combat experienced officers and men as could be assumed at first glance.¹

The structure of the division was²:

Each infantry battalion had 52 machine guns and twelve mortars. The thirteenth company of each infantry regiment had two 15 cm sIG and four 7,5 cm leIG, except 13./Gren.Rgt. 557 which had no 15 cm sIG. The fourteenth company of each infantry regiment had three heavy anti-tank guns. The fourteenth company was in all cases partly motorized.³

On 1 May the division had an authorized strength of 12 602 but was short of 1 255.⁴ At the beginning of June it was reported that the division had 10 543 men plus 1 366 HiWi.⁵

The artillery regiment had the following equipment on 1 June⁶:

1./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
2./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
3./Art.Rgt. 331	four 15 cm s.FH
4./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
5./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
6./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
7./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
8./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
9./Art.Rgt. 331	four 10,5 cm le.FH
10./Art.Rgt. 331	four French 15,5 cm howitzers
11./Art.Rgt. 331	four French 15,5 cm howitzers
12./Art.Rgt. 331	four French 15,5 cm howitzers

On 1 July the divisional antitank battalion had the following equipment⁷:

1./Pz.Jäg.Abt. 331	fourteen Marder
2./Pz.Jäg.Abt. 331	ten StuG III
3./Pz.Jäg.Abt. 331	twelve 2 cm Flak 38

It was reported on 18 July that the division was 100 % mobile, i. e. compared to its authorized mobility.⁸ Ten days later it was ordered that the division should be moved to Pz.Gr. West in Normandy.⁹ The division was loaded on 51 trains and on 4 August they had unloaded.¹⁰

A Kampfgruppe from the 331. Inf.Div. was in the L'Aigle - Gacé area on 11 August, subordinated to 81. Korps.¹¹ This area is located some 20 - 50 km east of Argentan. The US forces operationg south. The rest of the division (except the Gren.Rgt. 558) was subsequently employed in this area.¹²

Since the US forces did not make any serious effort in the area defended by the 331. Inf.Div. its casualties were probably slight. This is also indicated by the fact that the divisional artillery regiment was still at full strength on 25 August.¹³

The whereabouts of the 558. Gren.Rgt. is less clear. According to Mahlmann, the commander of 353. Inf.Div., a regiment (he does not remember the number of the unit) from the 331. Inf.Div. arrived at the 353. Inf.Div. about 10-12 August.¹⁴

Possibly the division lost about 1 500 men in Normandy until 22 August, of which more than half were incurred by 558. Gren.Rgt., but this is just an estimate.¹⁵

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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	Anlagen zum KTB LXXXII. A.K. Zustandmeldung 331. Inf.Div., Stand 1.5.44, T314, R1602, F000121ff and Stoart AOK 15 Nr. 629/44 g.Kdos, Art.Gliederung der 15. Armee, Stand vom 1.6.44, T312, R516, F8115287ff. Note that the 557 Gren.Rgt. had initially the number 567 (See Tessin, op. cit.).
3	Anlagen zum KTB LXXXII. A.K. Zustandmeldung 331. Inf.Div., Stand 1.5.44, T314, R1602, F000121ff.
4	Ibid.
5	OB West Ia Nr. 4325/44 g.Kdos, 5.6.44, T311, R24, F7029158.
6	Stoart AOK 15 Nr. 629/44 g.Kdos, Art.Gliederung der 15. Armee, Stand vom 1.6.44, T312, R516, F8115287ff.
7	BA-MA RH 10/242 and also BA-MA RH 10/349.
8	HGr B Ia Nr. 4943/44 g.Kdos, 18.7.44, T311, R4, F7003813.
9	HGr B Ia Nr, 5273/44 g.Kdos., 28.7.44, BA-MA RH 21-5/50.
10	OB West Ia Nr. 6435/44 g.Kdos, 4.8.44, T311, R28, F7035146.
11	HGr B Ia Nr 5961/44 g.Kdos, 11.8.44, T311, R4, F7003928.
12	See KTB LXXXI. A.K. Ia, Lagekarten, T 314, R1594, F000001ff.
13	Anlage 1 zum Gen der Art beim Chef Ge,St.d.Heeres Ib Nr. 2610/44 g.Kdos, 27.8.44, BA-MA RH 11 II/v. 4.
14	P. Mahlmann, 353. Inf.Division, MS # A-985, p 2f.
15	According to the document OKH Org.Abt. I Nr. I/19995/44 g.Kdos. 16.10.1944, T78, R432, F6403685ff, the 331. Inf.Div. had a strength of about 6 000 men on 1 September. This document gave estimates and as shown in the chapter on German losses these estimates were too pessimistic. The division must also have suffered losses between 22 August and 1 September.