The 5th Infantry Division (5. Infanterie-Division), later redesignated the 5th Light Infantry Division (5. leichte Infanterie-Division) and finally the 5th Jäger Division (5. Jäger-Division), known as the “Ulmer-Infanterie-Division” after its strong association with the city of Ulm, was formed in October 1934 under the cover name Wehrgauleitung Ulm / Kommandant von Ulm and officially activated as a standard infantry division in 1935. Its troops were garrisoned primarily in Konstanz, Ulm, and Freiburg, with an initial organization comprising Infanterie-Regimenter 14, 56, and 75, Artillerie-Regiment 5, I./Artillerie-Regiment 41, and supporting units. Mobilized on 25 August 1939 as a 1st-wave division, it remained on the Western Front in the Oberrhein sector during the 1939 Polish campaign and saw only light action in the 1940 Battle of France with the Second Army before performing occupation duties in France until March 1941. In April 1941 the division moved to East Prussia and participated in Operation Barbarossa with Army Group Center, enduring heavy fighting around Vyazma until the end of the year; it was then withdrawn to France in late 1941/early 1942 for refit and reorganization as the 5. leichte Infanterie-Division (with Infanterie-Regiment 14 detached), returned to the Eastern Front in 1942, fought at Demyansk (March–April) and around Staraya Russa until late 1943, and was reorganized and redesignated the 5. Jäger-Division in July 1942 to operate as a lighter, more mobile formation suited to difficult terrain. It continued on the Eastern Front through the retreats via Vitebsk, Kovel, and the Narew in 1944, defended in Pomerania near Neustettin and Dramburg in early 1945, and fought its final actions around Freienwalde on the Oder during the Battle of Berlin before surrendering to the Red Army at Wittenberge on 8 May 1945. Long-serving commanders included Generalleutnant Wilhelm Fahrmbacher, General der Infanterie Karl Allmendinger (who oversaw much of the 1940–1943 period), and General der Infanterie Helmut Thumm, among others.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Generalmajor Horst Niemack (1909-1992) was a German officer who served
in the Wehrmacht from the late 1920s through the end of World War II,
rising from cavalry roots to command armored reconnaissance and infantry
units before later serving as a Brigadegeneral der Reserve in the
Bundeswehr, and he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, the
Eichenlaub, and the Schwerter through repeated demonstrations of bold
leadership in critical combat situations. As Rittmeister and Kommandeur
of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 within the 5. Infanterie-Division, he
received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 July 1940 for his
decisive actions during the Western Campaign; specifically, at midday on
11 June 1940 he led his unit in a daring thrust into the rear of enemy
forces at Damery on the Marne river when a frontal advance proved
impossible, an aggressive envelopment that demoralized the opposing
troops and enabled friendly forces to cut off major enemy elements while
swiftly reaching the river line. For his outstanding leadership of the
same Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 during the opening phase of Operation
Barbarossa under the 5. Infanterie-Division / V. Armeekorps / 9. Armee /
Heeresgruppe Mitte, he was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des
Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 August 1941 (the 30th such award); on 22 June
1941, commanding the divisional Vorausabteilung, he took a calculated
detour off the main road to cut through Serijai and reach the Niemen
river at Krikstonjai, and on 27 June he thrust toward the Niemen at
Orla, where his Reiterschwadron advanced via Szczara through Korole into
the area northeast of Piaski while the rest of the Abteilung moved via
Korole, seizing Hill 132 south of Korole in addition to the assigned
objectives and helping to seal off the escape routes of Soviet forces
trapped in the Bialystok-Grodno pocket. Finally, as Oberst and
Kommandeur of the Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment „Großdeutschland“ of the
Panzer-Grenadier-Division „Großdeutschland“ / LVII. Armeekorps / 8.
Armee / Heeresgruppe Süd, he received the Schwerter on 4 June 1944 (the 69th such award) for repelling a major Soviet assault east of the
Sereth that began on 2 May 1944; when a group of 34 enemy tanks suddenly
appeared near his command post and threatened a vital crossroads,
Niemack had only his staff, communications platoon, and some drivers
available, yet he personally led this small force into close combat,
destroying eight tanks including personally dispatching the Soviet
command tank and its leader, an action that broke the momentum of the
enemy attack in that sector and earned him the distinction as one of the
earliest recipients of the Swords. These successive awards reflected
Niemack’s consistent pattern of taking personal initiative at decisive
moments across the Western and Eastern Fronts, later culminating in his
command of the Panzer-Lehr-Division in early 1945.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_J%C3%A4ger_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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