162nd (Turk) Infantry Division

[Jonathan M]

Does anybody know if this division was organised as a 1944 Infantry Division and does anyone have any data on its manpower levels. I know its an obscure question but ive had no luck in the usual places (FG and LdW)

thanks in advance
Jonathan

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Jonathan -

On 15 Aug 44, 162. (Turk.) Inf.-Div. was reorganized from two regiments of 3 battalions each (Soll Stärke: c.10,000) to three regiments of 2 battalions each (Soll Stärke: c.12,500).

[Tessin: Bd. VII, p.131].

From the beginning 1943, the 162. (Turk.) Inf.-Div. under Gen.Maj. Prof . Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer was involved in the training of Osttruppen battalions in Poland then in Slovenia where it was involved in anti-partisan warfare along the Triest-Ljubijana raiways line. From 21.05.43 the divisional staff controlled Turkestan, Azerbaijan and Georgian legions to form 162 (turk.) ID. From the beginning of 1944, the divsion was in North Italy to protect the Ligurian coast. In June 44, the division was briefly engaged on the Italian front but quickly retired (July 44) due to poor performances. Training anew in the Ravenna area then back to the front in October 44; withdrawn quickly again for the same reasons. During the last months of the war it was in the mountains northeast of La Spezia and the Tavo Valley. It retreated along the Po River, Padua and later disbanded in the area of Belluno. All soldiers from the territory of the USSR who were captured by the British were given to Soviets in compliance with the Yalta agreement.

HTH,

--Larry

P.S. There is a lot of published material on this division, almost all of which is in the form of articles in military history periodicals. The first of these reach back into the 1950's!

[Jonathan M]

Cheers Larry

Thats the thing with Gibraltar. as a small community our library is small and is not stocked out with journals and trying to get a subscription to them, mostly published in the states is sometimes difficult. Believe me when i say im always trying to add to my library and resource bank. I think i have more TR and ww2 books in my house than the local library! I try and i thank those of you here who help out, and when i can i try to repay with what little i know.

Thanks again mate
Jonathan

[Larry deZeng]

We don't usually have any of those periodicals in our public libraries either, Jonathan. We have to either determine what university research libraries have then and then take a trip there, or request a photocopy of the article through interlibrary loan. Some of the stuff is so obscure that there are no university holders in the entire country. And subscriptions work both ways. It is often quite difficult for us to get subscriptions to European periodicals unless the publisher has a North American distributor. That isn't quite as true now as it was prior to 2002 or so. Back in the 'seventies and 'eighties, I made more than a dozen "research trips" to large universities between Florida and Maryland to investigate periodicals and make photocopies, and when I struck out there I went to the Library of Congress in WashDC, which has everything.

--Larry

[Jonathan M]

Thinking back, Cardiff University Library had loads of periodicals. Shouldve photocopied the lot while i was there lol.

Which periodical/journals would you reccomend then Larry?

Thanks
Jonathan

[Larry deZeng]

Jonathan wrote:

Which periodical/journals would you reccomend then Larry?

I am so out of touch with periodicals now that I'm afraid I can't answer that question. The last time I checked, which was about 12 years ago, there were some 650 military periodicals published, of which about 25% were mostly devoted to history. Anything I might have recommended 12 years ago would be completely out of date by now. Besides, most of them specialized in ground, air or naval, by period and/or by country. It would be very difficult for anyone to makes recommendations because these low circulation journals and magazines come and go almost overnight. It's even worse today because of the rapidly shrinking publishing industry.

--Larry

[mufasa]

... J post you a photo of a relax moment of the turlestan soldiers of the 303 Regiment of the 162 Division in Rimini in the summer of 1944.....

[mufasa]

.... on Rimini beach summer 1944...

[mufasa]

.... on Rimini Beach 1944 II

[mufasa]

... and the memory of the 162 Turk. Division on the german war cemetery of the Gothic line on the Futa Pass near Bologna.....