Military unit
The 562nd Grenadier Division (‹See Tfd›German: 562. Grenadier-Division) was an infantry division of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht.
2nd Grenadier Division East Prussia
The division was formed on 24 July 1944 at Stablack in Wehrkreis I (East Prussia) as the 2nd Grenadier Division East Prussia (‹See Tfd›German: Grenadier-Division Ostpreußen 2). The division had a mere four grenadier battalions. It had the following organisation:
562nd Grenadier Division
On 27 July, the division was renamed the 562nd Grenadier Division. All of its subordinate units were also renamed:
- 1144th Grenadier Regiment
- 1145th Grenadier Regiment
- 1562nd Artillery Regiment
- 562nd Fusilier Company
- 1562nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 1562nd Engineer Company
- 1562nd Signal Company
562nd Volksgrenadier Division
On October 9, the division was upgraded to a Volksgrenadier division. By then, the division was already part of the Army Group Centre's 4th Army's LV Corps. The division fought at Augustavas and Narew.
Finally, it fought on its home territory opposing the Red Army's East Prussian offensive. Most of the division was destroyed in the Heiligenbeil Pocket in March 1945. Only a small part of the division evacuated via the sea to the Hel peninsula together with the 4th Army. The division was disbanded on 16 April 1945 and its survivors were captured by the Soviets. The division's staff was later used as the staff of the 4th Reich Labour Service Division.
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