The division was originally formed on June 26th, 1941 when a number of units were brought together under the operational control of “Division Command for Special Use Africa”, otherwise known in German as Divisions-Kommando z.b.V Afrika. History. The fighting that ensued was desperate in every sense of the word. It had literally been bleed white during the previous 5 weeks of fighting and the clashes south of El Alamein inflicted even great losses on the division. Militair-Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. "Die Deutsche Wehrmacht 1939–1945". Norderstedt, Germany. The division surrendered at Enfidaville on May 12th, 1943 and the 90th Light survivors went into Allied captivity thereafter. It fought for the remainder of the North African campaign, finally surrendering to the Allies in Tunisia in May 1943. During this time in July 1942, the division was renamed from 90.leichte-Infanterie-Division to the 90.leichte-Afrika-Division (mot). The abbreviation z.b.V. In August of 1941 that unit became simply the “Division for Special Use Africa” (Division z.b.V Afrika). Against these much reduced British forces, Rommel launched the first major German offensive of the North Africa Campaign on March 31st, 1941. During World War II, the "Tough Ombre" division landed at Utah Beach on D-Day (June 6, 1944) as part of the massive Allied invasion of western Europe. When the Axis arrived at El Agheila the British didn’t expect much in the way of a counter-attack but Rommel wasn’t about to remain idle. With the defeat at Alam El Halfa fighting culminated in the Second Battle of El Alamein from October 23rd until November 4th, 1942. Afrika changed names when it became simply Division z.b.V Afrika. Afrika, from units already in Africa under the control of Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. The Germans could ill-afford setbacks; with each approaching day, the British could withstand losses far better than their German counterparts. First elements of the Division saw action on Dday, 6 June, on Utah Beach, Normandy, the remainder entering combat, 10 June, cutting across the Merderet River to take Pont l'Abbe in heavy fighting. Those two years followed the entire North Africa Campaign from 1941 until May of 1943 when all Axis units surrendered in Tunisia. https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-90th-Light-Africa-Division see photos for details. The 90.leichte took part in the fighting for Alam El Halfa located south of the main Axis blocking force which consisted of Italian infantry units acting as a diversionary force. We are a collection of dedicated reenactors located in Ohio and Pennsylvania who have chosen to portray the 90th Infantry Division of World War II. All that within the The 90th Light Infantry Division was a German Army division during World War II that served in north Africa as well as Sardinia and Italy. It continued to hold the lines between the frontier and around Tobruk. It consisted of subunits with various combat specialties like mountain and desert warfare, night attack, infiltration, and so on. Afrika, from units already in Africa under the control of Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. The 288th Armored Infantry Unit was originally known as the 288th Special Unit, or “Sonderverbande 288” and was essentially a WWII version of a regimental sized special operations unit. British forces too were exhausted and battered after their retreat. The remainder of its personnel surrendered to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in Italy in April 1945. On May 26th, 1942 Rommel launched an attack to forestall an impending offensive by the British. Numerous sources list the division as becoming the 90th Light Infantry Division on November 27th, 1941, and later the 90th Light Africa Division in March of 1942, but two rather prominent sources (Rolf Stoves “Die gepanzerten und Motorisierten deutchen Grossverbande 1935-1945” and Peter Schmitz & Jurgen Thies “Die Truppenkennzeichen der Verbande und Einheiten der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS und ihre Einsatze im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945”) list the division as becoming the 90th Light Infantry Division on April 1st, 1942 and later the 90th Light Afrika Division on July 26th, 1942. Within two weeks they were once more at the Egyptian frontier and Tobruk was under siege. Through its five-year existence it was redesignated several times, although always known colloquially as the Africa Division. In less than two months the British had advanced 500 miles and caused the loss of over 130,000 Italian troops in exchange for less than 2000 of their own. In the process, it lost thousands of men and left an elite battle record second to none. (no ISBN). With the loss of Tobruk and Mersa Matruh the British were in a precarious situation. The 164th Infantry Division was sent to Crete to help consolidate and garrison the island after the successful German airborne assault. It was a well-trained unit originally formed in Potsdam in 1941 from specialist soldiers with previous experience in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. 361st Reinforced Africa Regiment that became part of the division upon formation was created from former German Foreign Legionaries who had served France before 1940. The 90th Light advanced from El Agheila to Agedabia, Antelat, and then to the coast to help re-secure Benghazi. The history of the 90.leichte-Afrika-Division is shorter than most typical German divisional units because it existed for only two years. Evacuated from Corsica with the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS to the Italian mainland in October 1943, the division appeared opposite both the Americans and British as they pushed north. In addition, much-needed armor had been pulled from the front and moved to Egypt for rest and refit. Each of the links below open in a new window . Within less than five months both sides had fought back and forth across the entire Libyan coast covering more than 900 miles in the process! Afrika, was created on June 26th, 1941. A History of the 90th Division in WW1 by Major George Wythe, 90th Division Association, 1920 Digitized and Transcribed by Mervin Hogg, 90th Division Association. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. From July 1st until July 8th the 90.leichte fought from near Tell El Eisa as the northernmost German division and pushed east coming up against Ruweistat Ridge, south of El Alamein. fully embroidered, cut edge construction. Many of the ‘veteran combatants’ had been replacements themselves a short time before. Shifted southeast from the Franco-Italian border in September 1944, 90th Grenadier was finally listed as destroyed in the fighting south of Bologna. In any case by this time the name had most certainly changed to the 90.leichte. Some confusion appears to exist regarding the actual date on which the division changed from the Africa Special Use Division to the 90th Light. As such, the Africa Division was reconstituted as the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Sardinia during July 1943. The first unit incorporated was the 39th Panzerjager (anti-ta… The division played a major role in most of the actions against the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign and eventually surrendered to the Allies in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign in May 1943. The history of the 90th Light Infantry Division is brief lasting a mere two years, from 1941 to mid-1943 where they entered captivity after the fall of Tunisia. As the demands for more troops in North Africa became more des-perate, the division was split into a small fortress division and a mobile Light Division… By mid-February 1943 all of Libya was firmly in British hands. Although the division was not as weak as it had been at El Alamein the previous fall it was still seriously short of men and material, amounting to approximately 5700 men. The abbreviation z.b.V. The 90th Light African Division was known colloquially as the Africa Division, largely in part this is because it was the only German combat division to have actually been raised in Africa itself. The fighting during the Gazala offensive lasted for nearly three weeks and by June 12th the British were forced to retreat having suffered the loss of hundreds of tanks and thousands of men. Again on June 15th, 1941 the British launched another assault, Operational Battleaxe, in the hope of once more clearing the frontier and relieving the Tobruk garrison. From July 8th to the 21st both sides continued to fight hard but the German attack ground to a halt. On November 18th, 1941 the British launched Operation Crusader to clear German and Italian units from the frontier and relieve Tobruk. 90th Infantry Division 1-16 of 24 results for Books: "90th infantry division" A History of the 90th Division in World War II, 6 June 1944 to 9 May 1945 (Divisional Series, 50) by Lt. Joe. Originally raised as the Division Command for Special Uses Africa, composed of two units already fighting around Tobruk in summer 1941. 357th Infantry Regiment: colonel Philip H. Ginder, replaced on June 13th, 1944 by by colonel John W. Sheehy, replaced on June 15th, 1944 by lieutenant colonel Charles M. Schwab, replaced on June 17th, 1944 by colonel George H. Barth – 1st Battalion – 2nd Battalion – 3rd Battalion 358th Infantry Regiment: colonel James V. Thompson, wounded on June 12th, 1944, replaced on June 16th, 1944 by colonel Richard C. Partridge, replaced on August 3rd, 1944 by colonel Christian H. … So what was the 90thLight Division? Africa (August 1941 – November 1941), 90th Light Infantry Division (November 1941 – March 1942), 90th Light Africa Division (March 1942 – May 1943), 90th Panzergrenadier Division (July 1943 – November 1943), 90th Grenadier Division (mot.) The besieged Australian garrison at Tobruk also continued to hold out against repeated German attacks of which the Division Command for Special Use Africa was involved. Africa, from units already in Africa under the control of Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. shows light use and wear and has a collector's inventory number inked on the back. It was regarded apparently[citation needed] by the 2nd New Zealand Division as their special foe, as the two formations faced each other on several occasions. In August the Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Military units and formations established in 1941, Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/90th_Light_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)?oldid=4685541, Division z.b.V. What's new on the Division Association site? This formation initially controlled approximately two regimental sized infantry units. The Italian forces advanced across the Egyptian frontier and initially had limited success. Each step the 90.leichte helped establish blocking lines to prevent the Allies from overtaking the retreating and battered remnants of the Axis forces. Original Items: One-of-a-kind set. After Operation Battleaxe ran its course both sides were exhausted and settled in to rest and refit. By December 17th the Axis forces were in full retreat. The official history of the 90th Division in WW1 is available for online reading. It was during this time that the predecessor of the 90.leichte, the Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. In February 1944 the 90th Infantry was relieved from assignment to the 10th Light Division and was replaced by the 87th Mountain Infantry which was reorganized as … Obergefreiter and later Unteroffizier Hans Wiechers served for the majority of World War Two in the German Army. On May 15th the British launched Operation Brevity in the hopes of taking control of Sollum and Halfaya passes along with Fort Capuzzo and relieving Tobruk. Partial remnants of the 90.leichte-Afrika-Division that weren’t stationed in Africa at the time of the surrender and men earmarked for transfer to the unit that never arrived were instead used to form a new Division in Sardinia known initially as Divisions-Komando Sardinien, and later in July 1943 as the 90.Panzergrenadier-Division. The 90th Light Infantry Division was a light infantry division of the German Army during World War II that served in North Africa as well as Sardinia and Italy. The title z.b.V generally implied that a unit wasn’t intended to exist in that form for very long or that it was being formed quickly on the spot from available resources. It was a well-trained unit originally formed in Potsdam in 1941 from specialist soldiers with previous experience in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. An important piece of the puzzle is provided by official records. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. The 90th Light Infantry Division was created in August 1941 as Things moved along very quickly thereafter, by June 20th the Germans were able to capture Tobruk and they crossed the Egyptian frontier a few days later. The operation failed and the German lines held. German and Italian forces quickly received reinforcements and were once more ordered on the offensive on January 21st, 1942. The third battalions of the infantry regiments listed above came from the 12th formation wave divisions formed in Germany, respectively the 106th Infantry, 110th Infantry, 112th Infantry, and 113th Infantry Divisions. It is hoped this operational overview will provide the reader with an excellent understanding of its history and that any mistakes or omissions are taken into consideration given the nature of the division. It was a stunning defeat for the Axis. It was this disaster that the Germans were landed in February 1941 when Rommel arrived in Tripoli with his blocking forces intended to reverse Axis fortunes. stands for "zur besonderen Verwendung", which translates as "for a special use" in English. After re-establishing lines at Gazala both sides settled in while their units reorganized, refit, and re-supplied for the inevitable struggle for Tobruk. Once more the see-saw battle in North Africa raged. Afrika. The division that would become famous later as 90th Light Division started its life as a formation of odds and sods, thrown together quickly out of whatever was available while a much more important war raged in the east. Afrika. News. 75mm guns represent captured Rus-sian 76.2mm, 25pdr are British. While still rebuilding, it was deployed piecemeal along the front in response to the Allies spring offensive in 1944 to serve as a rearguard while the balance of the German units in southern Italy fell back to the Winter Line. The 90th Light Infantry Division was a German Army division during World War II. The last battalion came from the 197th Infantry Division of the 7th formation wave. The German-Italian force hit the now quiet British lines near the El Agheila frontier, battled for and recaptured El Agheila and Beda Fomm, and retook Benghazi. At the Tunisian frontier, the 90.leichte held positions in the Mareth Line which the British struck on March 23rd, 1943. During these battles the 90.leichte took harrowing losses; by July 8th its overall strength was less than 2000 men. Next to fall were El Agheila, Merduma, and Sirte. By May of 1943, the division was severely drained. The 90th Light Infantry Division was a light infantry division of the German Army during World War II that served in North Africa as well as Sardinia and Italy. As with the earlier Cyrenaica offensive the Germans were now overextended and in dire need of re-supply. The 90th Infantry Division was activated in summer 1917, just months after the United States entered World War I. It consisted of subunits with various combat specialties like mountain and desert warfare, night attack, infiltration, and so on. The operation was aimed at breaking out of the Gazala positions and finally taking Tobruk. As the Italians pulled back they lost control of not only the Egyptian frontier but all of the vital coastal towns between Egypt and El Aghelia, including Sollum, Tobruk, Gazalla, Benghazi, and Beda Fomm. And so ended the combat history of the 90th Infantry Division, a history which began on the beaches of Normandy and wound through one thousand miles of hedgerows, plains, hills, rivers and forests half way across the continent of Europe, where the men with the T-O patch stood triumphantly at last on the liberated soil of Czechoslovakia. Ironically the Allies never seriously contested the German retreat as they pulled back. By December 1942, the Germans were back at El Agheila. In the south the Americans had landed without any problems or hardships. Moving from the area of Deir El Quattara the 90th Light fought through the British lines to Deir Munassib, Deir El Ragil, and Deir El Agram. Infantry officer replacements totaled nearly 150 percent. The 90.leichte continued to serve as a blocking force at Homs and finally at Tripoli, the last bastion of the Germans in all of Libya. 90th Light Infantry Division (Germany) History The 90th Light Infantry Division was created in August 1941 as Division z.b.V. By the winter of 1940, the Italian offensive had come to a grinding halt. A short time later it was withdrawn into reserve at Frosinone and redesignated 90th Grenadier Division (Motorized). Again the division suffered heavy losses in bitter fighting. The 90th's casualties were light. This was desert warfare at its most classic; swirling and unrelenting. The division played a major role in most of the actions … The Story of the 90th Infantry Division [ booklet text only ] "Tough 'Ombres!" Some sources indicate that shortly after on November 27th the Division z.b.V Afrika was renamed the 90.leichte-Infanterie-Division while it continued to fight in the swirling battles between the frontier and Tobruk. good condition and displays well. Abrams | Jan 1, 1999 German supply lines were severely strained by this point having to travel nearly 1000 miles to reach the front, and each combat loss was becoming harder to replace. 288th Armored Infantry Unit was originally known as the 288th Special Unit, or “Sonderverbande 288” and was essentially a WWII version of a regimental sized special operations unit. As can be seen, some aspects of this unit’s history are sadly murky. guaranteed original. W elcome to the online home of the 90th Infantry Division Preservation Group. The 90.leichte helped secure Mersa Matruh on June 26th and 27th which was the last British fortress before El Alamein and Alexandria. With their rout in the Second Battle of El Alamein the Germans retreated back towards Libya, the British in close pursuit. DIVISION CHRONICLE The 90th Infantry Division landed in England, 5 April 1944, and trained from 10 April to 4 June. On December 8th, 1940 the British launched a counter-offensive named Operation Compass at Sidi Barrani and the attack was a roaring success. This operation sealed the fate of the Axis in North Africa as a combined force was now set to converge on the German and Italian armies from both the east and west. Axis fortunes in North Africa were now at a close. https://military.wikia.org/wiki/90th_Light_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht) Following the unsuccessful First Battle of El Alamein the Germans launched repeated attacks against the British, including the Battle of Alam El Halfa on August 30th and 31st, 1942. The window was slowly closing; the Germans were on the offensive but their chances of success fading. The formation was originally created as the '5th Light Division' or the '5th Light Afrika Division' in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoccollection of smaller units rushed to support the collapsing Italian forces in Cyrenaica, Libya. Nearly 200 British tanks were lost on the 5th and 6th of June alone. It consisted of two regimental units already in action, the 155th Rifle Regiment, and 361st Infantry Regiment. By July the Allies retreated to hastily constructed defensive lines 60 miles to the west of Alexandria and the first battle of El Alamein began. The Division Commander received warning orders that the 90th Infantry Division would attack across the Merderet River through the lines of the 8nd Airborne Division with a view to cutting off the Peninsula. During this time the 90th Light was involved in numerous blocking efforts to help stem the British advance. The 90.leichte was at the fore of these operations. It was then very nearly wiped out in the bitter fighting with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division along the Moro River in late November 1943. The 90.leichte moved along the interior route through Cyrenaica from Gazala to Mechili, Msus, Agedabia, Marsa El Brega and finally to the defensive positions at El Agheila. u. Grossverbände… im Zweiten Weltkrieg, author unknown, Das Reichsheer und Seine Tradition, author unknown, Deutsche Rote Kreuz Suchdienst, Divisionsschicksale, author unknown. By February 6th, 1942 German and Italian forces were back near Gazala. As a very unique and interesting aside, the 361st Reinforced Africa Regiment was created from former German Foreign Legionaries who had served France before 1940. Many feel this attack was Rommel’s last chance at defeating the British in North Africa. is a small booklet covering the history of the 90th Infantry Division. 90th Light Africa Division DAK May 26, 1942 900th Pionier Battalion (-) x 6 x 1 x 2 By Greg Moore gregpanzerblitz.com May, 2010 x 9 x 3 x 12 x 2 x 3 Infantry Battalion x 3 x 3 x 1 Pioneer Company 707th Infantry Gun Company x 20 x 4 Cobbled together artillery regiment. Formed initially as an ad-hoc unit in June of 1941 for the assault on Tobruk. Our impressions primarily focus on the Infantry Rifle Company and Heavy Weapons Company. In this case, the “special use” the unit was formed for was the assault on Tobruk and defense of the lines around the besieged town.
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