257th Infantry Division The 257th Infantry Division was formed in
Berlin-Karlshorst in
Wehrkreis III as a division of the fourth
Aufstellungswelle on 26 August 1939, the day of German
mobilization. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 457, 466, and 477, as well as the Artillery Regiment 257. The three infantry regiments of the division took their initial battalions from several reserve formations of Wehrkreis III, including Infantry Regiment 8 (
Frankfurt an der Oder), Infantry Regiment 9 (
Wittenberg), Infantry Regiment 39 (
Grünberg in Schlesien), Infantry Regiment 67 (
Berlin-Spandau), Infantry Regiment 68 (
Rathenow), and Infantry Regiment 150 (
Berlin-Tegel). The initial commander of the 257th Infantry Division was
Max von Viebahn. After the
Invasion of Poland, in which the division served a reserve role under
Army Group South, it was used as an occupation force in the
Kraków sector. At the end of the year 1941, the 257th Infantry Division engaged in defensive operations against the Soviet
winter campaign of 1941–42. In May 1942, the division fought in the
Second Battle of Kharkov. The 257th Infantry Division was now commanded by
Karl Gümbel, who had assumed his post on 1 May 1942. Gümbel would be shortly replaced by
Carl Püchler on 1 June. On 5 November 1943,
Anton Reichard von Mauchenheim genannt Bechtolsheim assumed command of the division. On 2 July 1944,
Friedrich Blümke assumed command of the division. In August 1944, the 257th Infantry Division was destroyed while under the supervision of Army Group South. It was formally dissolved on 9 October 1944. Its final commander, appointed on 1 October 1944, had been
Erich Seidel.
257th Volksgrenadier Division The 257th Volksgrenadier Division was activated on 13 October 1944, using survivors of the 257th Infantry Division as well as the personnel of
Shadow Division Groß-Görschen, also known as the
587th Volksgrenadier Division, a division of the thirty-second
Aufstellungswelle. The Grenadier Regiments of the 257th Volksgrenadier Division were still numbered 457, 466, and 477, as they had been under the 257th Infantry Division. The 257th Volksgrenadier Division was captured by
United States Army forces at
Füssen in May 1945. The 257th Volksgrenadier Division's only commander was Erich Seidel. == Superior formations ==