85.

Infanterie Division
The division raised in February 1944. It was immediately put under command of 15. Armee on the Channel coast.1 The authorized organization of the division was2:

The T/O&E included 63 machine guns and twelve 8,1 cm mortars in each infantry battalion. The 13. Kp. of each infantry regiment was supposed to have two 15 cm s.IG. and six 7,5 cm le.IG., while the 14. Kp was authorized three 7,5 cm Pak, six machine guns and 36 Panzerschreck.3 The single company of the Pz.Jg.Abt. was supposed to have twelve 7,5 cm Pak and each of the two companies of the Pi.Btl. was allotted two heavy and nine light machineguns, two 8,1 cm mortars and six flame throwers.4 Artillery was rather weak with only eight 10,5 cm howitzers in I. battalion, four 10,5 cm and four 15 cm howitzers in II. battalion. The III. battalion was supposed to have twelve heavy Pak.5 The division was relatively weak and on 20 June it had only 8 393 men plus 332 HiWI.6 On 1 June the artillery regiment had four 10,5 cm le.FH 18/40 in each of the two batteries in I. and II. Abt. Batteries 3 and 6 did not exist. The III. Abt. had four 8,8 cm Pak guns in each of its three batteries. The batteries of the III. Abt. were motorized.7 It is quite possible that the 8,8 cm guns of III. Abt. were replaced with 15 cm s.FH. This was the intention according to a report dated 22 June.8 On 30 June the division had 18 heavy AT guns (7,5 cm or 8,8 cm).9 This corresponds to the authorized strength of the AT company and the two infantry regiments. During June the division created a Fs.Btl.10, probably by using elements from the two infantry regiments. Also the 3./Pz.Jg.Abt. 185, equipped with 3,7 cm Flak, was to be raised during June by the replacement army and sent to the division.11 If it saw action in Normandy is unclear. At the beginning of August the division began to move to Normandy. On 4 August the Pz.Jg.Abt. 185 and the III./Art.Rgt. 185 were on the western side of the Seine. The Gren.Rgt. 1053, two companies of the Fs.Btl, Pi.Btl. 185 (- 3. Kp) and the I./Art.Rgt. 185 were in the Cleres area. The rest of the division was in the area east of Neufchatel.12 On 10 August the Gren.Rgt. 1053, 1./Pi.Btl. 185 and III./Art.Rgt. 185 were in action.13 The division fought mainly on the northern shoulder of the Falaise pocket. Probably the division had about 5 000 men on 22 August14, which would indicate that its casualties amounted to about 3 000 men.

Notes:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

G. Tessin, Verbnde und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrck 1966-1975). Anlage zu AOK 15 Ia Nr. 1295/44 g.Kdos, v. 6.2.44, T312, R516, F8114595. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. OB West Ia Nr. 4772/44 g.Kdos. 20.6.44, T311, R25, F7029678. OB West Ia Nr. 4772/44 g.Kdos. 20.6.44, T311, R25, F7029678.Stoart AOK 15 Nr. 629/44 g.Kdos, Art.Gliederung der 15. Armee, Stand vom 1.6.44, T312, R516, F8115287ff. AOK 15 Ia Nr. 6368/44 geh., 22.6.44, BA-MA RH 20-15/67. bersicht der Ausstattung mit s.Pak u. Stu.Gesch., Stand 30.6, Anlage zu AOK 15 - 500/44 geh (Stopak), T312, R516, F8115326.

10 Tessin, op.cit. see units numbered 185. 11 AOK 15 Ia Nr. 5558/44 8.6.44, BA-MA RH 20-15/67. 12 OB West Ia Nr. 6436/44 g.Kdos, 4.8.44, T311, R28, F7035147. 13 OB West Ia Nr. 6724/44 g.Kdos. 10.8.44, T311, R28, F7035390. 14 This is based on the fact that it was assessed to have a strength of 3 000 men on 1 September according to the overly pessimistic document OKH Org.Abt. I Nr. I/19995/44 g.Kdos. 16.10.1944, (T78, R432, F6403685ff).