48th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

Operational history

Formed in West Flanders from the 171st Reserve Division. The 48th was transferred to France after the collapse of the Normandy Front. First engaged in the Chartres area by the 3rd US Army, it performed poorly, being continually driven back by the 3rd Army through Metz and finally the Siegfried Line, where it collapsed altogether and was absorbed into the 559th Infantry Division. Reorganized into a Volksgrenadier division in Austria, it was sent to the Eastern Front assigned to the German 8th Army defending Vienna, where it surrendered to the Soviets.

Contents

• Operational history
• Organization
• References

Organization