The 36. Infanterie-Division was formed on 1 October 1936 in Kaiserslautern within Wehrkreis XII and mobilized in August 1939 as part of the first wave, initially assigned to defensive duties along the Westwall near Zweibrücken. Under Generalleutnant Georg Lindemann it advanced in May 1940 with the 16. Armee and VII. Armeekorps through Luxembourg and into France, enduring heavy fighting at Stonne south of Sedan before capturing Verdun on 15 June and continuing to the Toul area. Redesignated 36. Infanterie-Division (mot.) on 1 November 1940 after transferring Infanterie-Regiment 70 and receiving motorized elements, the division under Generalleutnant Otto-Ernst Ottenbacher and later General der Infanterie Hans Gollnick participated in Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord, destroying Soviet armor near Raseiniai on the Dubysa, breaking the Stalin Line north of Ostrow, and fighting at the Luga bridgehead and toward Leningrad. De-motorized and redesignated 36. Infanterie-Division again on 1 May 1943, it continued defensive operations on the central Eastern Front until nearly annihilated at Bobruysk in June 1944 during Operation Bagration. Reformed on 3 August 1944 as 36. Grenadier-Division and renamed 36. Volksgrenadier-Division in October 1944, the division fought on the Western Front until the end of the war in May 1945. Its original structure included Infanterie-Regiment 87, Infanterie-Regiment 118 and Artillerie-Regiment 36 together with supporting units numbered 36.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Generalmajor Alexander Conrady (1903-1983) was born on 16 July 1903 in Neu-Ulm and died on 21 December 1983 in Augsburg. He entered the Reichswehr on 1 April 1923 as Fahnenjunker in the 19. (Bayerisches) Infanterie-Regiment, advancing through the ranks to Leutnant in 1926, Oberleutnant in 1929, Hauptmann in 1934, Major in 1940, Oberstleutnant in 1942, Oberst later that year and finally Generalmajor in 1944. After staff duties with the 27. Infanterie-Division during the Polish and French campaigns, he joined the 36. Infanterie-Division on the Eastern Front, becoming Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 118 in August 1941. For his leadership during the heavy defensive battles east of Rshew from 11 to 21 August 1942, when as temporary commander of Infanterie-Regiment 118 he rapidly repositioned his forces across difficult terrain under enemy pressure, repelled more than sixty attacks, held every metre of ground and inflicted heavy losses, he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 17 October 1942 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur I./Infanterie-Regiment 118 (motorisiert). In October 1942 he took permanent command of the regiment, soon redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 118. During the defensive fighting after the Battle of Kursk, on 14 July 1943 near Orel his regiment faced an assault by 180 tanks and strong infantry; though wounded, Oberst Conrady remained in command, and despite being overrun several times the unit continued stubborn resistance for weeks under his skilful and courageous direction, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 22 August 1943. He later led the 36. Infanterie-Division until his capture by Soviet forces on 1 July 1944 during Operation Bagration near Bobrujsk, remaining a prisoner until his release in October 1955.
General der Infanterie Hans Gollnick (1892-1970) was born on 22 May 1892 at Domäne Gursen in Kreis Flatow, Westpreußen, and died on 15 February 1970 in Hamburg. He entered the Kaiserliche Armee on 22 March 1912 as Fahnenjunker in the 3. Westpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 129, becoming Leutnant in 1913. During the First World War he served with the Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 21, was severely wounded at Tannenberg in August 1914, received both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz, and ended the war as Oberleutnant and regimental adjutant. Retained in the Reichswehr, he rose steadily through the ranks and by 1 October 1938 had been promoted to Oberst. At the outbreak of the Second World War he commanded the Infanterie-Regiment 76 of the 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.) in the Polish campaign, including the action at Krojanty, and later in the Westfeldzug. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 June 1941, he assumed command of the 36. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert) on the Eastern Front on 15 October 1941. For distinguishing himself during his division’s defensive battle northeast of Sytschewka from 4 to 11 August 1942 in the Rzhev sector he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 November 1942. Advanced to Generalleutnant on 1 January 1943, he continued to lead the formation, by then redesignated 36. Panzergrenadier-Division. He received the Eichenlaub (282nd award) to the Ritterkreuz on 24 August 1943 for further proving himself an able commander in the defensive fighting east of Orel, especially at Sheljabug on 14 July and Podmasslowo from 15 to 18 July 1943, when the 262. Infanterie-Division was also subordinated to him as temporary Gruppe Gollnick. Thereafter he commanded the XXXXVI. Panzerkorps, was promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 October 1943, and from May 1944 led the XXVIII. Armeekorps in East Prussia, serving as Festungskommandant of Memel and commander of Armee-Abteilung Samland before the war’s end; after the capitulation he briefly administered German troops in the Flensburg area under British authority until his release in February 1946.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generaloberst Georg Lindemann (1884-1963) was born on 8 March 1884 in Osterburg in the Altmark as the son of a Prussian judicial official and entered the Prussian army on 26 February 1903 as Fahnenjunker in the Magdeburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 6, receiving his commission as Leutnant in 1904 and later serving with the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 13 before assignment to the Großer Generalstab. During the First World War he saw service on both the Western and Eastern fronts as well as in the Balkans, rising to Rittmeister and earning the Iron Cross Second and First Class along with the Ritterkreuz des Königlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern while performing staff duties with various Korps and Armeen. After the war he briefly served with Freikorps units suppressing communist uprisings, then continued his career in the Reichswehr, commanding Reiter-Regiment 13 and later the Kriegsschule Hannover before being promoted to Generalmajor in 1936 and taking command of the newly formed 36. Infanterie-Division. In the 1940 Western Campaign this division under his leadership as Generalleutnant formed the spearhead that broke through the Maginot Line near Douzy on 15 May and, after further hard fighting, captured Hill 304 and the “Dead Man” positions on 14 June, enabling the rapid fall of Fortress Verdun; for these achievements he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 August 1940. Promoted to General der Kavallerie, he next commanded the L. Armeekorps in the Balkan Campaign and then in Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord, advancing toward Leningrad. On 16 January 1942 he assumed command of the 18. Armee, was promoted to Generaloberst in July 1942 after the destruction of the Soviet 2nd Shock Army on the Volkhov, and successfully defended the Leningrad front through successive battles south of Lake Ladoga in 1942–43, for which leadership he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 21 August 1943. He briefly led Heeresgruppe Nord from March to July 1944 until relieved after disagreements with Hitler over the defence of Polozk, later serving as Wehrmachtbefehlshaber Dänemark until the German surrender. Held in Allied and Danish captivity until 1948, he lived quietly in Freudenstadt until his death on 25 September 1963.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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