Formed on 26 August 1939 during German
mobilization and shortly before the
Invasion of Poland, the unit that would become the 153rd division was initially designated
Commander of Reserve Troops III and served as the training division and administrative body for recruits from
Wehrkreis III (
Berlin). This unit was dubbed
Division No. 153 on 12 December 1939. Division No. 153 continued the previous function of Commander of Reserve Troops III. The reserve regiments that were part of the division included, but were not limited to, Infantry Reserve Regiment 23 'Potsdam', Infantry Reserve Regiment 76 '
Brandenburg', Infantry Reserve Regiment 218 '
Berlin-Spandau', Motorized Infantry Reserve Regiment 83 '
Eberswalde', and others. The remaining replacements were moved for additional training to 463rd Division and the fighting units of the 153rd then transferred to
Ukraine. This division was then soon renamed again as part of an order given on 10 December 1942. Parts of the division that were stationed in
Crimea were transferred to the
258th Infantry Division, the remainders were merged to become 153rd Field Training Division (). This division was first ready for operations, specifically the training of recruits for other divisions on the
Eastern Front, on 15 January 1943. On 20 August, the XXIX Army Corps was ordered to form a new front west of the
Seret river. It was given 153rd Field Training Division for this task, along with
13th Panzer (which at this point had no tanks left) and
10th Panzergrenadier Divisions and
Panzerverband Braun. At this point, the 153rd Division was so depleted that it could not even muster a regiment-sized force. On 24 August, the Soviet
2nd and
3rd Ukrainian Fronts captured
Huși, crossed the
Prut river, and subsequently trapped the German 6th Army, along with great amounts of German divisions, between Prut and
Dniester. Some parts of the division's second iteration fled to
Bulgaria, but were then delivered into Soviet captivity by the Bulgarian leadership. on 11 September 1944. The 153rd Field Training Division was deployed for a third iteration in October 1944 in the German rear area. On 14 December 1944, orders were given to refit the third iteration of the 153rd Field Training Division for frontline combat. The division was fighting in
Hungary at the time. There, it got trapped alongside the
1st and
23rd Panzer Divisions between the
Danube and
Lake Balaton. The 153rd Field Training Division was eventually overrun at
Székesfehérvár and only parts of the division escaped. These remnants renamed in February 1945. This division remained in combat in the
Německý Brod pocket until the end of the war. It was assigned to XXIX Army Corps in April and then ended the war under command of XXXXIX Army Corps, both then part of
1st Panzer Army under
Army Group Vistula. On 8 May, the day of
German surrender, the 153rd Grenadier Division was captured by Soviet forces at Německý Brod. == Noteworthy individuals ==