711. Infanterie Division
The division had been formed in May 1941 as a static division and was soon subordinated to the 15. Armee on the Channel coast. It remained in that area until the allied invasion.1 The organization of the division was2:
This was an unusually weak organization and this is reflected in the manpower strength of the division. On 1 May 1944 it was actually over strength by 373, but still it only had 7 242 officers and men.3
The average age of the officers was 37 years, while NCO:s were around 31 and privates 29 years old.4
Usually artillery battalions had three batteries, but the four batteries per battalion in this case did not compensate for the fact that the division had only two artillery battalions. The I. Abteilung was equipped with captured Russian 7,62 cm guns, while II. Abteilung had captured French 15,5 cm howitzers. All batteries had four guns each.5
When the allies landed the 711. Inf.Div. was deployed east of the Orne river. It was not heavily engaged on D-Day. Probably the Germans did not rate the combat value of the 711. Inf.Div. particularly high, since the 346. Inf.Div. was moved through the area of the 711. Inf.Div. to take over most of the sector against the British forces that were on the eastern side of the Orne. Consequently the 711. Inf.Div. did not see much intensive action.
Even as late as 16 August one of the infantry battalions still had no combat experience.6 Parts of the division had been temporarily subordinated to other units, but generally the division did not see much action. Consequently it must have suffered relatively few casualties. Support for this assumption is also found in the fact that on 25 August the division still had 29 pieces of artillery operational7, only three less than its original number.
Probably the division suffered about 1 000 - 1 500 casualties during the battle in Normandy.
Notes:
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1 |
G. Tessin, Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1966-1975). |
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2 |
Derived from Tessin, MS # B-796 and Stoart AOK 15 Nr. 629/44 g.Kdos, Art.Gliederung der 15. Armee, Stand vom 1.6.44, T312, R516, F8115287ff. |
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3 |
Gen.Kdo. LXXXI. A.K. IIb Nr. 398/44 geh, T314, R1590, F000849. |
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4 |
Ibid. |
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5 |
Stoart AOK 15 Nr. 629/44 g.Kdos, Art.Gliederung der 15. Armee, Stand vom 1.6.44, T312, R516, F8115287ff. |
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6 |
J. Reichert, Einsatz der 711. Infanteri-Divisionin de Zeit vom 24. Juli 44 - 15 September 44, MS # B-796, p. 4. |
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7 |
Anlage 1 zum Gen der Art beim Chef Gen.St.d.Heeres Ib Nr. 2610/44 g.Kdos, 27.8.44, BA-MA RH 11 II/v. 4. |