2nd Gebirgs Division: Chronology etc...

[macdaddy]

Hey there! I was wondering whether we could build an operational synopsis (ie a brief overview of the operations with losses, etc) and chronology of the actions of the 2nd Gebirgsjager Division. Also, is it possible to find statistics of manpower strength and losses through out the war? How many men did the unit hold when it first was called the 2nd Gebirgs Division, and how many men did it have when it surrendered in Southern Germany at the end of the war? Could we also build the division into units please? Any help with these questions would be much appreciated! Unfortunately, I cannot read German and do not currently have any English versions of this unit's history. Thanks! Sincerely, Paul Gallagher.

[Simon O.]

Hi Paul and welcome to the forum. With regard to this and the other two units your looking for information on, Adrian has already given you a link to the Lexikon der Wehrmacht website which should start you off. Looking over your questions i have to say that in all seriousness you're going to have to learn to read German. Living in New Zealand should present no problem in aquiring books www.zvab.com is the place to look for the divisional histories and the like, if you would like a reading list for all 3 divisions i'd be happy to list some. But as i said, you're going to have to learn some German.


If you search these forums you should come up with various bits of info i and others have written about the 2 and 3 Geb.Div. you might also like to search through google, you'll be able to build up quite a bit of info that way.

[Simon O.]

divisional histories.

2 GD: 'Es War ein Edelweiss' by Matthias Kräutler
3 GD: 'Odyssee einer Gebirgs Division' by Karl Ruef
6 SS-GD 'Nord': 'Kampf unter dem Nordlicht' by Franz Schrieber

All of the above authors were senior officers in their respective divisions and other units.

There is precious little in English about the units you're interested in other than brief summaries in various works covering a wider subject. However, a few books which are worthwhile.

2 GD: 'The Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation: Soviet breakthrough and pursuit in the arctic, October 1944' by Major James F. Gebhardt. (this book covers the operations of the whole of the XIX Geb. Korps of which 2 GD was a major part)

6 SS-GD: 'Seven days in January: With the 6 SS-Mountain Division in Operation Nordwind' by Wolf Zoepf
'Black Edelweiss' by Johann Voss (more of a personal memoir)


the only real concrete figures i can give you for any of these units is the strength and casualties suffered by the 2 GD during october 1944 in the Soviet offensive which pushed the Germans out of Russia, Finland and into Norway up on the Murmansk front.
As of 1.10.44 the division had a total reported strength of 14438 men. In that month they suffered, 497 dead, 1557 wounded and 900 missing

[junior]

Simon,

Send you an e-mail.

Cheers
Junior

[macdaddy]

Thanks for the information Simon! I appreciate it! I am wondering though, are there divisional or regimental records or diaries that you know of from the 2nd and 3rd Geb or the 6th SS Geb? On another forum I was able to track down an action in which a Geb Art Leutnant was killed of whom I have the deathcard for. Thanks, and all the best mate! Sincerely, Paul Gallagher.

[Simon O.]

Well, there are the incomplete records in the US archives of captured German documents. Microfilm copies of these records can be ordered, as long as you know which rolls you're after. I can tell you for example that the war diary for the 3 GD during the Narvik campaign is on roll W1689A-B roll 174 and that the war diary for the 2 GD around 1944 is on 77562 roll 109.

http://www.archives.gov/research_roo..._virginia.html


If you have specific questions then we can try and answer them if possible.