Active 1941–45 Branch Army | Country Nazi Germany | |
 | ||
Type 3rd Mobilization Wave Infantry Division (Infanterie-Division "Alter Art") | ||
The 246th Infantry (later Volksgrenadier) Division (German: 246. Infanterie-Division later 246. Volksgrenadier-Division) was a Third Wave division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was formed in Trier (Wkr. XII) and initially stationed on the Saar Line, later in South-western France from August 1941 until January 1942.
Contents
On formation it consisted of:
The division lacked 50mm anti-tank guns, and used trophy French vehicles.
From February 1942 to January 1943 the division served in the area of Vitebsk and was a part of the 9th Army. Most of the operations in which the division participated were in the area of Bely and south-west of it, the sector extending to Smolensk. The division's most active period was during the Winter-Spring of 1942, but from May it was transferred to the Kampfgruppe Esebeck (Generalleutenant Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck), and from March in Kampfgruppe Zeidlitz. During July 1942, in cooperation with the 2nd Panzer Division it was engaged in combat with the 17th Guards and 135th Rifle Divisions and the 21st Tank Brigade.