Formed on December 1, 1939, as part of the seventh wave of mobilization, the German 81. Infanterie-Division initially served in garrison and occupation duties before participating extensively on the Eastern Front. Commanded successively by experienced officers such as Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper, Generalleutnant Erich Schopper, and later Generalleutnant Franz-Eccard von Bentivegni, the division incorporated core organic formations including Infanterie-Regiment 161, Infanterie-Regiment 174, and Infanterie-Regiment 189, alongside Artillerie-Regiment 181. Throughout the campaigns of World War II, the unit engaged in heavy defensive battles across grueling sectors of the Soviet-German theater, suffering severe attrition while operating under army groups striving to hold back relentless Red Army offensives. As the strategic initiative shifted decisively toward the Allies, the division faced crippling encirclements and continuous rear-guard actions, ultimately sharing the fate of numerous Heer formations trapped in the Baltic region. The depleted remnants of the 81. Infanterie-Division were eventually absorbed into the Courland Pocket, where they sustained combat operations until the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, culminating in surviving personnel entering Soviet captivity and dissolving a military history defined by protracted attrition and unrelenting Eastern Front warfare.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Oberstleutnant der Reserve Walter Mix (1917-2004) was born on 21 December 1917 in Deutsch-Krone, Pomerania, and died on 17 November 2004 in Bad Bevensen. He joined the Infanterie-Regiment 4 in 1937, participating in the Polish campaign and the Western campaign, and was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve on 1 June 1940. From June 1941 he fought in Russia with the 32. Infanterie-Division, earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 1 July 1941 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 2 August 1941, followed by the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 3 June 1942 as Leutnant der Reserve in Infanterie-Regiment 4. Early in 1942 he became Oberleutnant der Reserve and Chef of the 9. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 174 (later Grenadier-Regiment 174) of the 81. Infanterie-Division. On 18 December 1942 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for actions during the Soviet attack on the northern Demyansk corridor that began on 1 December 1942. Soviet forces sought to sever Grenadier-Regiment 174 in the Ssorokino sector south of Gorby from the 290. Infanterie-Division and succeeded in isolating the unit. On the evening of 12 December 1942 the III./Infanterie-Regiment 174, led by the 9. Kompanie under Oberleutnant Mix, fought through the Soviet lines and restored contact with the 290. Infanterie-Division, an achievement for which he was decorated as the 1378th recipient. Promoted to Kommandeur of the II. Bataillon on 1 January 1943 and to Hauptmann der Reserve on 1 February 1943, then to Major der Reserve on 1 December 1943, Mix further distinguished himself around Newel. From 23 November 1943 the II./Grenadier-Regiment 174 operated offensively as part of Kampfgruppe Mix. After Kampfgruppe Meyer secured Chischnewo and heights south of Lakuschki around 10:00, Mix’s Bataillon attacked from the left, capturing the villages of Kuznezowo and Naumowo together with Hill 182.4 after a short but hard fight supported by a few StuGs. On 25 November the Bataillon reached the area west of Lake Shadro and, by a surprise strike toward Jurowo, thwarted a Soviet counter-attack. On 12–13 January 1944 renewed Soviet assaults focused on the central sector of the 81. Infanterie-Division and seized Hill 188.3 from Grenadier-Regiment 174; Mix was severely wounded and evacuated. For his successes in the Newel fighting he was awarded the Eichenlaub (405th award) on 22 February 1944 as Hauptmann der Reserve and Kommandeur of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 174. After recovery he served from 1 October 1944 as Taktiklehrer and Kampfgruppenführer at the Fahnenjunkerschule IV, then from 23 February 1945 as Führer of the Grenadier-Führernachwuchs-Regiment 1249. On 12 March 1945, as Oberstleutnant der Reserve, he took command of Grenadier-Regiment 266, leading it in the Lausitz and Erzgebirge. Additional decorations included the Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz and the Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42”.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/81st_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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