Ritterkreuzträger of 8. Infanterie-Division / 8. leichte-Division / 8. Jäger-Division

The 8. Infanterie-Division, also known as the 8. leichte-Division and later the 8. Jäger-Division, was a versatile Wehrmacht unit with a long combat history on the Eastern Front. Formed in October 1934 in Oppeln, Silesia (hence its nickname "Schlesische Division"), it initially served as a standard infantry division during the invasions of Poland and France. In December 1941, after suffering heavy losses in the campaign against the Soviet Union with Army Group Center, it was reorganized in France as the 8th Light Infantry Division and redesignated as the 8th Jäger Division on 30 June 1942. Equipped as a lighter, more mobile mountain-capable force with two Jäger regiments, it returned to the Eastern Front in 1942, fighting with distinction in Army Group North around the Leningrad and Staraya Russa sectors before transferring south. The division continued to see intense combat through the defensive battles of 1943–1945, ultimately surrendering to Soviet forces in May 1945. Its evolution reflected the German Army's need for agile light infantry units suited to difficult terrain and prolonged attritional warfare.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. LEICHTE-DIVISION (December 1941 - June 1942)

Oberleutnant Karl Hausmann (1912-1997), born on 10 January 1912 in Neuweistritz-Habelschwerdt, Silesia, rose to prominence during the intense fighting on the Eastern Front. Serving initially with Infanterie-Regiment 28 of the 8. Infanterie-Division and later with Jäger-Regiment 28 of the 8. leichte-Division (redesignated as 8. Jäger-Division), he participated in campaigns in Poland, the West, and Operation Barbarossa before distinguishing himself in the brutal winter battles of 1942. As Oberfeldwebel and Führer of 3.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 28, Hausmann earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 May 1942 for his outstanding bravery and decisive leadership during Operation Bruckenschlag, the relief effort to break through to the encircled German forces in the Demyansk Pocket. In extreme winter conditions with temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius, deep snow, and fierce Soviet resistance, he personally led his Jäger troops in repeated assaults on fortified enemy positions near the Lovat River and Ramushewo, overcoming machine-gun fire and counterattacks through hand-to-hand combat and determined advances that helped secure the vital corridor, turning a stalled attack into a successful link-up with the trapped troops.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_J%C3%A4ger_Division_(Wehrmacht)