70th Infantry Division
70. Infanterie-Division
Active1944
Country Nazi Germany
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Garrison/HQWalcheren Island
EngagementsWorld War II

The 70th Infantry Division (German: 70. Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the German Army during World War II. It was formed late in 1944 from personnel previously exempted from military service due to stomach disorders or injuries (sometimes referred to as a "Stomach division").

History

As World War II progressed, German manpower available for military service declined and this was exacerbated by the severe losses suffered in Normandy, Tunisia and Stalingrad, for example. Groups of men, previously declared unfit for active service, were drafted or recalled into service. These included those with stomach complaints and it was decided that these men would be concentrated into one formation to facilitate the provision of special foods and to isolate infectious or unpleasant conditions (hence the unofficial description of "White Bread" or Magen (Stomach) Division).[1]

In August, 1944, the Division garrisoned Walcheren Island and South Beveland and in October consolidated on Walcheren during the assault by the II Canadian Corps. Although not a first-class formation, the 70th was installed in static defences and supported by ample heavy artillery, held out for several days.[2] The Division, left with no escape route from Walcheren, surrendered on 5 November 1944 and 10,000 Germans became prisoners of war.[1][3]

Later, during the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans employed another "Stomach" unit, the Infantrie Ersatz und Ausbildungs Battaillon 282 (M), referred to as "Stomach Trouble Battalion 282" by the 749th Tank Battalion.[4]

Order of battle

The Divisional commander was Generalleutnant Wilhelm Daser.[1]

Structure
Structure of the division: [5]
  • 1018th Grenadier Regiment (1018. Grenadier-Regiment)
  • 1019th Grenadier Regiment (1019. Grenadier-Regiment)
  • 1020th Grenadier Regiment (1020. Grenadier-Regiment)
  • 170th Artillery Regiment (170. Artillerie-Regiment)
  • 170th Fusilier Battalion (70. Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon)
  • 170th Tank Destroyer Company (170. Panzerjäger-Kompanie)
  • 170th Engineer Battalion (170. Pionier-Bataillon)
  • 170th Signal Detachment (170. Signalabtrennung)
  • 170th Field Replacement Battalion (170. Feldersatz-Bataillon)
  • 170th Divisional Supply Group (170. Divisionsversorgungsgruppe)

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Enemy Forces - South Beveland and Walcheren; 70th Infanterie Division". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 7 Dec 2011.
  2. ↑ Levine, Alan (2000). From the Normandy beaches to the Baltic Sea: the Northwest Europe campaign, 1944-1945. Greenwood Publishing Group.
  3. ↑ "NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2001". South African Military History Society. Retrieved 7 Dec 2011.
  4. ↑ "749TH TANK BATTALION; Battle of the Bulge - End of the War". Retrieved 7 Dec 2011.
  5. ↑ German Order of Battle: 1st-290th Infantry Divisions in WWII. Stackpole Books. 21 August 2007. ISBN 9780811746540.
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