6th Parachute Division (Germany)
 |
| German 6th Parachute Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1944–45 |
| Country |  Germany |
| Branch |  Luftwaffe |
| Type | Fallschirmjäger |
| Role | Airborne forces |
| Size | Division |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Rüdiger von Heyking Hermann Plocher |
The 6. Fallschirmjäger-Division (6th Parachute Division) was a Fallschirmjäger (airborne) division of the German military during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.
The division was formed in France in June 1944, commanded by Rüdiger von Heyking. It contained the 16th, 17th and 18th Fallschirmjäger Regiments, and the 6th Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regiment.[1]
The 16th Regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front before the division saw combat, and would later be redesignated as 3rd Fallschirm-Grenadier-Regiment and assigned to Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring. The remainder of the division was sent into combat in Normandy in July and took heavy losses; it was withdrawn to the Netherlands to rebuild, and saw combat there later in the year. In early 1945, it fought in the Battle of the Reichswald, and surrendered to Allied forces in May.[1]
Commanding officers
- Generalleutnant Rüdiger von Heyking, 1 May 1944 – 3 September 1944
- Oberst Harry Herrmann, 3 September 1944 – 1 October 1944
- Generalleutnant Hermann Plocher, 1 October 1944 – 8 May 1945
Notes
References
- "6. Fallschirmjäger-Division". Axis History Factbook. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-25.