Rahul Sharma (Editor)

5th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)

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Active
  
1940–45

Branch
  
Army

Role
  
Mountain warfare

Country
  
Nazi Germany

Type
  
Gebirgsjäger

Size
  
Division

The 5th Mountain Division (German: 5. Gebirgs Division) was established in the Austrian Tirol in October 1940, out of regiments taken from the 1st Mountain Division and the 10th Infantry Division. Its first action was in the 1941 Balkans Campaign, when it took part in Operations Marita and Merkur; in the latter it was used in an air-landing role. In November, it returned to Germany for refitting, and in April 1942 it was deployed to the Eastern Front, where it joined Army Group North on the Volkhov Front. In April 1943 it was redeployed to Italy. It fought out the remainder of the war in Italy and the Western Alps, and surrendered to the U.S. Army near Turin in May 1945.

Commanders

  • Julius Ringel (1 November 1940 – 10 February 1944)
  • Max-Günther Schrank (10 February 1944 – 18 January 1945)
  • Hans Steets (18 January 1945 – 8 May 1945)
  • References

    5th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht) Wikipedia