The 132. Infanterie-Division was formed on 5 October 1940 in Landshut within Wehrkreis VII as part of the 11th wave of mobilization, drawing personnel from the 263. and 268. Infanterie-Divisionen along with elements linked to the conversion of the 27. Infanterie-Division into the 17. Panzer-Division, and initially comprised Infanterie-Regimenter 436, 437 and 438, Artillerie-Regiment 132, Pionier-Bataillon 132 and supporting units. After training in Germany it first saw action in the Balkanfeldzug of April–May 1941, advancing from the Steiermark border toward Marburg an der Drau, Zagreb and into Bosnia where it helped suppress the Serb uprising around Sanski Most in the Independent State of Croatia before being relieved and transferred east. In June 1941 the division joined Heeresgruppe Süd for Operation Barbarossa, advancing from Lemberg via Ostrog, Schitomir and Berditschew to the area south of Kiew, fighting along the Dnieper and later moving to the Crimea in November 1941. There it took part in the battles for the Isthmus of Perekop, the Kerch Peninsula and the prolonged Siege of Sevastopol, distinguishing itself by capturing the Fortress Maxim Gorky. In September 1942 it was transferred to Heeresgruppe Nord and the 18. Armee to prepare for the assault on Leningrad under Operation Nordlicht, but instead became heavily engaged in repelling the Soviet Sinyavino Offensive and subsequent fighting around Lake Ladoga, Krasny Bor and the forests of Kolpino. The division continued defensive operations on the northern sector through 1943–1944, later helping maintain the link between Heeresgruppe Nord and the remnants of Heeresgruppe Mitte after Operation Bagration, until it was finally cut off in the Kurland Pocket in October 1944. Commanded successively by Generalleutnant Rudolf Sintzenich, General der Artillerie Fritz Lindemann, Generalleutnant Herbert Wagner and Generalmajor Rudolf Demme, the division fought on until the end of the war and surrendered to Soviet forces in the Kurland Pocket on 10 May 1945.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generalmajor Ludwig Kirschner (1904-1945) was born on 12 June 1904 in Bayreuth and began his career on 1 May 1925 as an officer candidate in the Bayerische Landespolizei, becoming Polizei-Leutnant in 1928 and Polizei-Oberleutnant in 1934 before transferring to the Wehrmacht as Oberleutnant in 1935 and later serving with Infanterie-Regiment 110 of the 33. Infanterie-Division. Promoted to Hauptmann in 1936, he commanded a company of Infanterie-Regiment 104 during the western campaign of 1940, then took over I. Bataillon of the newly formed Infanterie-Regiment 436 of the 132. Infanterie-Division, rising to Major on 1 August 1941 and leading it into the Russian campaign. On 15 January 1942 his battalion spearheaded the attack on Feodosia; two days later, acting on his own initiative despite severed contact with the regiment and strong enemy forces on both flanks, he broke through Soviet positions with only 150 men, reached the coastal road north of Saarygol and completed the German encirclement of the town, an action for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 January 1942. In May 1942 he assumed command of Infanterie-Regiment 72 of the 46. Infanterie-Division, was promoted to Oberstleutnant in November, and after further distinguished fighting in the Caucasus mountains following the failed advance on Tuapse was awarded the Eichenlaub (135th award) on 28 October 1942. Advanced to Oberst in May 1943, he later commanded the Bataillonsführerschule in Antwerpen and, from 1 November 1944, the newly raised 320. Volksgrenadier-Division, which he led through heavy fighting near Krakau and in the Carpathians as part of the 17. Armee during the Westkarpatische Operation and the Weichsel-Oder-Operation; promoted to Generalmajor on 30 January 1945, he was killed in action on 11 February 1945 near Saybusch on the defensive line along the river Soła.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/132nd_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
