Country Nazi Germany Type Infantry | Branch Army Size Division | |
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Active 1 December 1939 – 8 May 1945 Engagements World War II
Battle of France
Operation Barbarossa
Demyansk Pocket
Siege of Leningrad
Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive
Courland Pocket | ||
The 81st Infantry Division (German: 81. Infanterie-Division) was a German division of foot soldiers, artillery and tanks in the German land forces of the Unified Armed Forces of Germany (Wehrmacht) during World War II. It was formed on 1 December 1939.
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During the Toropets-Kholm Offensive of late 1941, the division brought in by rail during the last days of December. Its first regiment—the 189th Infantry under Colonel Hohmeyer together with the 2nd Battalion of Artillery Regiment 181 and the 3rd Company of the Engineer Battalion 181—was immediately ordered to detrain at Toropets and Andreapol. From there, it advanced to Okhvat where it was encircled and completely destroyed on 14 January. 1,100 dead were later found in a forest near Okhvat, including the regimental commander who was posthumously promoted to Major General. A total of 40 survivors from the artillery battalion made it back to the German lines. The move into action and collapse was so swift that the regiment was not even identified on German situation maps.