Formed in June 1940 under the command of Generalmajor Ferdinand Schörner, the German 6. Gebirgs-Division began its service with occupation duties in France before relocating to Poland later that year. In the spring of 1941, the unit participated in the invasion of Greece, notably executing a breakthrough through the Metaxas Line and capturing Athens alongside other formations, which showcased the high tactical proficiency of its core elements, including the Gebirgsjäger Regiment 141 and Gebirgsjäger Regiment 143. Following the Balkan campaign, the division was transferred north in September 1941 to Finland, subsequently operating under the 20. Gebirgsarmee along the harsh Arctic sector of the Eastern Front. Over several years of grueling trench and mountain warfare in Lapland—led successively by officers such as Generalleutnant Christian Philipp and Generalmajor Max-Josef Pemsel—the division endured extreme sub-zero weather and challenging terrain while defending nickel mines near Petsamo. As the strategic situation deteriorated, the division executed Operation Birke and Operation Nordlicht in late 1944, executing a grueling tactical withdrawal on foot across hundreds of kilometers through Arctic Norway under constant pursuit by Soviet forces. By the winter of 1944 and 1945, the exhausted remnants of the division retreated into southern Norway, where they ultimately capitulated to British forces in May 1945 following the unconditional surrender of Germany, leaving behind a complex legacy of elite mountain combat capability combined with participation in the severe security protocols of the German Heer.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner (1892-1973) was born on 12 June 1892 in Munich and died on 2 July 1973 in the same city; he began service in 1911 as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger in the Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment, rose through the ranks of the Imperial German Army and Reichswehr, and became the only soldier to advance from that status to Generalfeldmarschall. In the First World War he earned the Pour le Mérite as Leutnant der Reserve for the storming of Höhe 1114 during the Caporetto offensive of 1917, along with the Eisernes Kreuz II. and I. Klasse. Promoted to Oberst in 1939, he commanded Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 in the Polish campaign, then as Generalmajor led the newly formed 6. Gebirgs-Division. On 20 April 1941 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for decisive actions in the Balkan campaign: before dawn on 6 April his troops overran enemy outposts on the snow-covered Belaasica mountain in a surprise thrust, penetrating two bunker lines of the Metaxas Line so that the whole division reached the valley before the Krusa mountain; on 8 April, acting on his own initiative, he launched a further surprise attack that ejected Allied defenders from the northern Krusa heights and advanced toward Salonika, contributing significantly to the collapse of Greek resistance in Macedonia. After service on the Arctic front and promotion to Generalleutnant then General der Gebirgstruppe commanding the XIX. Gebirgskorps, he took over the XXXX. Panzerkorps in late 1943. On 17 February 1944 he was awarded the Eichenlaub (398th) as Kommandierender General of the XXXX. Panzerkorps for the successful defence and evacuation of the Nikopol bridgehead under extreme pressure from November 1943 to February 1944; despite terrible roads and terrain he directed the withdrawal with personal front-line leadership so that planned movements could be completed while inflicting heavy losses on Soviet forces. Promoted Generaloberst in May 1944, he assumed command of Heeresgruppe Nord in July. On 28 August 1944 he received the Schwerter (93rd) for skilful leadership that repeatedly prevented encirclement during the Soviet Baltic offensive, stabilising the Courland front and enabling fighting withdrawals through Estonia and Latvia. Finally, on 1 January 1945 he was granted the Brillanten (23rd) as Oberbefehlshaber of Heeresgruppe Nord for directing the first three battles of the Courland Pocket, during which Soviet assaults gained only minor ground at heavy cost, and for the orderly withdrawal of forces from Estonia and northeastern Latvia after the major Soviet offensive of mid-September 1944. Later promoted Generalfeldmarschall on 5 April 1945 and named Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres in Hitler’s testament, Schörner also held the Goldenes Parteiabzeichen, Ostmedaille and multiple mentions in the Wehrmachtbericht, closing a career marked by rapid advancement and the highest grades of the Ritterkreuz.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Mountain_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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