Poland The 61st Infantry division was created just before the outbreak of conflict and took part in the
invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 as part of
von Küchler's 3rd Army under
Army Group North. It engaged in heavy fighting at the
Battle of Mława, afterwards crossing the
Narew River near
Pułtusk. Fighting its way across the
Bug River, it approached the Polish capital at
Warsaw on 18 September and remained in the vicinity until the end of the campaign.
France 1940 In December 1939 the division was shifted to the west and subsequently took part in the attack on Belgium on 10 May 1940 as a unit of 4th Army Corps. During the advance into Belgium the 61st divisions 151st Infantry Regiment linked up with German airborne troops assaulting
Fort Eben-Emael on 11 May, the Belgian defenders surrendered the fortifications on the same day. The division also participated in the
Battle of Dunkirk during the
invasion of France. Loses in the western campaign were 348 killed, 1052 wounded, 106 missing The division served
occupation duty in
Brittany afterward.
The attack on the Soviet Union In early 1941 it was transferred to
East Prussia, and in June it joined in
the invasion of the Soviet Union as part of
18th Army (again commanded by von Küchler and once again under Army Group North). The division participated in the
occupation of Tallinn and the Moonsund Archipelago.
Attack on the Moonsund Archipelago After the fall of Tallinn the Germans had to clear the Baltic Islands to get full and unhindered use of the sea lanes. Units of the 61st division were transported by the Navy to Saaremaa, the southern Island, see
Operation Beowulf. The island was defended by 3rd Independent Brigade of the 8th Army of the Leningrad front, plus coastal artillery, and naval units. there were also a small number of fighter planes on the airport. Most of the 60-mile-long island was cleared by 21 September by the 176th & 151st Infantry Regiments, except for the
Sorve Peninsula. Here The Russian forces dug in and resisted stubbornly until 5 October. With the southern Island finally cleared the attack was extended to Hiiumaa, the northern Island on 12 October. Within 2 weeks the island was cleared and the Germans claimed 16.000 prisoners and to have captured 100 artillery pieces. The way was open now for the Soviet Naval forces in the north to be bottled up in the Gulf of Finland, and the 61st Infantry was now available for redeployment. It took part in the
Siege of Leningrad and remained in the area until January 1944, after which the Soviet
Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha and
Kingisepp–Gdov offensives forced it back into
Estonia where it fought in the
Battle of Narva, particularly in the
Narva Offensive (18–24 March 1944). Held in reserve, it was one of only two divisions considered "fully combat effective" by the Army Group North in July of that year. The division was redesignated as
61st Volksgrenadier Division in October 1944, and continued fighting in the East under Army Groups North and Center. Evacuated to
East Prussia, the division fought in the so-called
Heiligenbeil pocket, caught between the advancing Soviets and the
Frisches Haff. Once the "cauldron" collapsed in March 1945 the division was written off as a loss and its remaining assets were taken over by the
21st Infantry Division while the division staff was withdrawn to
Königsberg, all falling into Soviet hands at the end of the war. == Organization ==