The 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.) was a fully motorized infantry formation of the German Wehrmacht, originally established on 1 October 1934 in Hamburg under the cover name Reichswehrdienststelle Hamburg and officially designated as the 20. Infanterie-Division on 15 October 1935, before being motorized in autumn 1937 with core units including Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 69, 76, and 90, Artillerie-Regiment (mot.) 20, Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 20, Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 20, and Pionier-Bataillon (mot.) 20. It first saw combat during the 1939 invasion of Poland as part of XIX. Armeekorps under General Heinz Guderian, advancing rapidly through central Poland, crossing the Narew River, engaging in battles south of Zambrow, and participating in the fighting around the fortress of Brest-Litovsk before serving as occupation troops. In May 1940 it joined the Westfeldzug with XVI. Armeekorps, breaking through the Dyle Line, fighting in Flanders and around Dunkirk, then pushing across the Aisne to the Moselle, after which it performed occupation duties in France until early 1941. Deployed to the Eastern Front for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 under Panzergruppe 3 and Army Group Centre, it advanced through Bialystok and Minsk before transfer to Army Group North in September, where it endured heavy defensive actions on the Volkhov Front throughout 1942, including relief efforts at Velikiye Luki, before returning to Army Group Centre. On 23 July 1943 it was redesignated the 20. Panzergrenadier-Division, reinforced with an assault gun battalion, and continued fighting on the Eastern Front through grueling campaigns such as the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket, ultimately ending the war in the Battle of Berlin in May 1945 under LVI. Panzerkorps after successive commanders including Generals Mauritz von Wiktorin, Hans Zorn, Erich Jaschke, and Georg Jauer. Renowned for its mobility and rapid deployment capabilities that complemented panzer operations, the division exemplified the Wehrmacht's early Blitzkrieg doctrine but suffered attrition in prolonged defensive struggles, maintaining significant manpower strength into 1945 before its final destruction.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generalleutnant Hans Traut (1895-1974), born on 25 January 1895 in Saargemünd and deceased on 9 December 1974 in Darmstadt, was a German officer who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht during World War II, ultimately commanding several infantry formations on both the Western and Eastern Fronts after serving in the First World War and the Reichswehr. As Oberstleutnant and commander of I./Infanterie-Regiment 90 of the 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.), he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 August 1940 for his bold thrust during the Westfeldzug in France, where on 16 June 1940 he advanced from Langres toward Vesoul to seize the vital railroad junction and block enemy retreat routes southward; despite threats from the north, he reinforced his battalion, fought through to secure the Pont-sur-Saône river crossing, and personally led a renewed nighttime assault up a heavily defended mountain slope under intense machine-gun fire to capture the heights overlooking Vesoul by dawn, sealing the town's fate. Promoted to Oberst and given command of Infanterie-Regiment 41 (mot.) within the 10. Infanterie-Division, he received the Eichenlaub on 23 January 1942 as the 67th recipient for his outstanding leadership during Operation Barbarossa, including the fierce fight for Shlobin and the Dnieper crossing on 6 July 1941, the prolonged defense of Propoisk from 19 to 25 July, repelling a Soviet battalion incursion near Novosybkov with improvised supply troops and a Flak Zug on 24 August, holding against attacks by elements of four Soviet divisions north of the Desna on 27 August, pushing back strong enemy forces at the Glukhov bridgehead in late September to capture 1,700 prisoners, the contested battle for Negino in October, the storming of Yefremov in November while subordinated to the 18. Panzer-Division, and a decisive counterattack at Gorlovo on 8 December that recaptured heights at Klekotki, freed 39 German prisoners, and reopened key supply routes. Later rising to Generalleutnant, Traut commanded the 263. Infanterie-Division and then the 78. Sturm Division, participating in Unternehmen Zitadelle and subsequent defensive battles before being captured by Soviet forces during the Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive in July 1944, after which he endured imprisonment as a war criminal until his release in 1955.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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