The 32. Infanterie-Division, also known as the Pommersche Division due to its recruiting base in Pomerania, was formed on 1 October 1936 in Köslin within Wehrkreis II under the initial command of Generalleutnant Nikolaus von Falkenhorst as a standard first-wave infantry formation consisting of Infanterie-Regimenter 4, 94, and 136, Artillerie-Regiment 32, along with reconnaissance, anti-tank, engineer, and supply units typical of the Wehrmacht's Heer. Mobilized on 1 August 1939, it participated in the invasion of Poland as part of the Fourth Army, advancing rapidly from the border near Preußisch Friedland to the Vistula River at Kulm, crossing the Drewenz at Gollup, encircling Modlin Fortress, and contributing to operations around Warsaw-Praga. In 1940 it fought in the Battle of France, crossing the Meuse at Givet, pushing through Belgian and French defenses to Cambrai, La Bassée, and Lille while overcoming resistance from North African and British units, then advancing across the Somme and Seine rivers toward the Loire near Nantes during Fall Rot, before relocating to the Cotentin Peninsula in preparation for the canceled Operation Sea Lion. Transferred to East Prussia in October 1940 and slightly reorganized with transfers to other divisions, it joined Operation Barbarossa in 1941 as part of Army Group North, seeing heavy action in the northern sector before becoming trapped in the Demyansk Pocket in the winter of 1941-1942 alongside other units, enduring encirclement and supply shortages until relief, after which several battalions were disbanded due to casualties. The division continued defensive operations in the Demjansk and Staraja Russa areas, later withdrawing to the Courland Pocket in 1944-1945 where it engaged in desperate battles against Soviet forces, before being evacuated by the Kriegsmarine and finally surrendering on the Hel Peninsula on 8 May 1945 under commanders including notable figures such as Wilhelm Wegener and Hans Boeckh-Behrens, having exemplified the endurance and attrition faced by German infantry divisions on the Eastern Front throughout the war.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener (1895-1944) was a highly decorated German officer who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War, ultimately commanding major formations on the Eastern Front before his death in action. Born in Trebatsch, Brandenburg, Wegener served in the First World War with Grenadier-Regiment Graf Gneisenau (Pommersches Nr. 2) Nr. 9, was taken prisoner by the British in 1916, and later joined the Reichswehr, advancing steadily to become Adjutant of the 32. Infanterie-Division by the late 1930s. At the outbreak of war he served as Adjutant of the II. Armeekorps before assuming command of Infanterie-Regiment 94 of the 32. Infanterie-Division in July 1940. During Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord, his regiment distinguished itself in heavy fighting; on 24 July 1941, when three Soviet divisions struck the division’s left flank at dawn while it was in marching formation, Wegener’s men repelled the main assault and then hunted down infiltrating enemy groups in fierce forest battles, saving the divisional staff from being overrun. Further successes during the attack on Cholm, the defense of its bridgehead, and defensive operations east of Demyansk earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 October 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 94. In early 1942, with his regiment encircled in the Kessel von Demjansk, Wegener led a determined counterattack in the Watolino sector after Soviet forces captured Medyanki; using Bataillon Stuppi he recaptured the village in bitter house-to-house fighting on 15 January 1942, destroying a Soviet regiment and preventing a breakthrough that would have isolated Infanterie-Regiment 418, actions that brought him the 66th Eichenlaub on 19 January 1942 while still an Oberst. Promoted through Generalmajor and Generalleutnant, he briefly commanded the 32. Infanterie-Division before taking charge of the L. Armeekorps in September 1943 as General der Infanterie, leading it through grueling withdrawal battles from the Leningrad front across the Luga and Pleskau to Livland. In August and September 1944, as commander of the Wegener group comprising the L., X. Armee and VI. SS-Armee-Korps, he masterfully repelled repeated Soviet attacks in the Modohn area and stabilized the frontline, feats recognized with the 97th Schwerter on 17 September 1944. Just days later, on 24 September 1944 near Wolmar (Valmiera), Latvia, General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener was killed by Soviet ground-attack aircraft while returning from the front to his headquarters; Berlin radio announced his “hero’s death” on the Eastern Front two days afterward.
Hauptmann Ernst Ziemer (1911-1986) was a decorated frontline commander whose wartime career was defined by exceptional combat leadership during intense defensive and assault operations on the Eastern Front. Enlisting in the Reichswehr in 1931 with Infanterie-Regiment 4, he participated in the 1939 Polish Campaign before transferring to Infanterie-Regiment 94 of 32. Infanterie-Division. During Operation Barbarossa, he distinguished himself as an aggressive tactician, leading a platoon of 15. Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 94. In the fierce winter fighting around the Valdai Hills and Lake Ilmen in late 1941, when Soviet counterattacks repeatedly threatened to shatter German defensive lines, he demonstrated extraordinary initiative by orchestrating determined counterthrusts, holding vital defensive sectors against numerically superior forces, and personally eliminating multiple enemy combat positions. For these decisive actions, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 December 1941 while serving in the rank of Oberfeldwebel. Commissioned as Leutnant in 1942, he rose to Oberleutnant and later Hauptmann, assuming command of 1. Kompanie / Grenadier-Regiment 94. In autumn 1943, during grueling battles along the northern sector, his relentless tactical resolve in repelling heavy Soviet breakthroughs and stabilizing ruptured positions earned him the 317th Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 November 1943. His wartime record also brought promotions to Major in 1944 and Oberstleutnant in 1945. Beside the prestigious Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, his decorations included the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, the Eisernes Kreuz 1939 II. und I. Klasse, the Nahkampfspange, the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42, and the Verwundetenabzeichen. He survived the war and lived in West Germany until his death in Lüneburg in 1986.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32nd_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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