The 44. Infanterie-Division, also known as the Reichs-Grenadier-Division Hoch- und Deutschmeister in its later iteration, was a Wehrmacht formation established on 1 April 1938 in Vienna shortly after the Anschluss, drawing primarily from the former Austrian 2. Infanterie-Division and consisting of Infanterie-Regiment 131, 132, and 134 along with supporting artillery, Panzerjäger, and pioneer units. It first saw combat during the Invasion of Poland in 1939, where it fought around Krakau and Lemberg, before participating in the Battle of France in 1940 with notable actions such as the storming of Chuignolles by elements under commanders like Oberstleutnant Karl Eibl. After a period of coastal defense duties in occupied France, the division was transferred east for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 as part of Army Group South, engaging in heavy fighting at Schitomir, Uman, and the Zwiahel bridgehead, followed by the Second Battle of Kharkov and the advance toward the Don River during Case Blue in 1942. Assigned to the 6. Armee under General Friedrich Paulus, it endured brutal defensive battles northwest of Stalingrad in the autumn and winter of 1942, suffering catastrophic losses during the Soviet encirclement and ultimately being largely destroyed in the pocket by early 1943 alongside much of the German forces there. Reconstituted in the west later that year as a Grenadier Division, the 44. Infanterie-Division was redeployed to Italy, where it fought in defensive actions including Operation Achse and the grueling Battle of Monte Cassino, before being shifted back to the Eastern Front and then involved in retreats through the Balkans and Austria as the war drew to a close, finally surrendering to Allied forces in May 1945 after years of intense combat across multiple theaters that exemplified both the early offensive successes and the attritional collapse of the German Army in World War II.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
General der Infanterie Karl Eibl (1891-1943) was an Austrian-born general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who rose from service as an officer in the k.u.k. Landwehrregiment 21 during the First World War to become one of the most highly decorated commanders on the Eastern Front. Having been absorbed into the Wehrmacht after the Anschluss as a Major and later Oberstleutnant commanding III./Infanterie-Regiment 131 of the 44. Infanterie-Division, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 August 1940 as Oberstleutnant for his personal leadership in storming the heavily fortified French strongpoint at Chuignolles during the Westfeldzug, an action that broke through determined resistance and enabled the continued German advance toward Proyart. Transferred to command Infanterie-Regiment 132 of the same division for Operation Barbarossa, Eibl distinguished himself further in the battles around Schitomir and Uman, leading his regiment in decisive successes at the Zwiahel bridgehead that earned him the Eichenlaub on 31 December 1941 as Oberst. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 February 1942 and given command of the newly formed 385. Infanterie-Division, he led the unit through intense fighting along the Don and at Woronesch as part of the 6. Armee; during the defensive battles in the Rossosch area amid the Soviet Operation Little Saturn in late 1942, Eibl’s division repelled overwhelming enemy attacks for weeks despite heavy losses, holding the line against breakthrough attempts in the great Don bend and securing his award of the Schwerter on 19 December 1942 as the 21st recipient overall and the second soldier of the Heer after Erwin Rommel, while simultaneously being promoted to Generalleutnant. Shortly afterward, on 20 January 1943, Eibl assumed temporary command of the XXIV. Panzerkorps northwest of Stalingrad following the suicide of Generalleutnant Arno Jahr, but the next day he was mortally wounded by hand-grenade fragments from Italian Alpini troops who mistook his vehicle for a Soviet armored car in a snowstorm; he succumbed to his injuries after an emergency amputation at a casualty collection point in Kravzoka near Rossosch and was posthumously promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 March 1943.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Major Karl-Heinz Noak (1916-1978) was a highly decorated officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II who later served as an Oberst in the Bundeswehr. Born in Berlin, he joined the Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 3 in October 1936 and was commissioned Leutnant in Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 4 by April 1939, later serving as Zugführer in the 2./Panzerjäger-Abteilung 46 of the 44. Infanterie-Division. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 August 1940 for extraordinary bravery and prudent leadership during the Battle of France, when his actions were crucial in securing a bridgehead across the Loire River at Beaugency using the still-intact bridge. Under the heaviest enemy fire, Noak advanced metre by metre with his Pak gun across the bridge, then launched a bold thrust on the opposite bank with a strong patrol, capturing a bitterly defending French company along with numerous machine guns, anti-tank guns, and a field gun—an achievement of decisive importance for operations on the southern bank in mid-June 1940. Transferred to the Eastern Front with the 137. Infanterie-Division, Noak, now Oberleutnant and Chef of the 1./Panzerjäger-Abteilung 137, received the Eichenlaub (63rd award) on 16 January 1942 for his outstanding leadership on 26–27 June 1941 near Białowieża. Tasked with blocking the sole Soviet retreat road through dense forests with his lead company from Pionier-Bataillon 137, reinforced by troops from Infanterie-Regiment 448, his unit faced the main Soviet withdrawal alone due to a positioning error. Acting as a lone wave breaker amid the flow of retreating forces, Noak's company held firm in intense combat through his exemplary command, preventing the enemy breakout and contributing significantly to the division's advance. He later commanded schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 654, earning the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 6 January 1945, and survived the war to continue his military career in the postwar Bundeswehr until his death in Koblenz.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/44th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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