LW Felddivision jacket worn by WH officer

[naxos]

[Ian Jewison]

Could have been his original jacket! Of course Luftwaffen Feld Division were incorporated into the Heer in 1943. Not all the same date incidentally!

There designations were:

Luftwaffen Feld Division then Feld Division (Luftwaffe) after being transferred to the Army.

/IAn

[Willi Z.]

Cool photo! It was probably taken in Normandy. There are also photos, from Normandy, of Heer officers wearing FJ smocks.

I do not think there is any Luftwaffe Field Division connection though. IMO it is just a matter of wearing camo uniforms for a practical purpose.

[naxos]

Cool photo! It was probably taken in Normandy. There are also photos, from Normandy, of Heer officers wearing FJ smocks.

I do not think there is any Luftwaffe Field Division connection though. IMO it is just a matter of wearing camo uniforms for a practical purpose.

Here are some more images from the same series:

[Luft 76]

Very nice photos ! I already have seen some of them, but not all.
I can say to you that these men were members of 18. FD (L) who fought in Mantes area (Seine valley, west of Paris) around 20 - 26 august 44. As said, this division, like the others FD, have many Heer members, and in particular officers, since the division was taken over by Heer at the end of 43. The division were severly hit during these fightings and nearly destroyed in the "Mons Pocket" early september. Surviving were used to form the 18. VGD.
The mix of Heer and Lw uniforms is one of the most typical caracteristic of the three "french" FD (16. 17. and 18. FD). But probably not none...

[christian Brown]

The 18th Luftwaffe Field Division

Very nice photos ! I already have seen some of them, but not all.

I can say to you that these men were members of 18. FD (L) who fought in Mantes area (Seine valley, west of Paris) around 20 - 26 august 44. As said, this division, like the others FD, have many Heer members, and in particular officers, since the division was taken over by Heer at the end of 43. The division were severly hit during these fightings and nearly destroyed in the "Mons Pocket" early september. Surviving were used to form the 18. VGD.
The mix of Heer and Lw uniforms is one of the most typical caracteristic of the three "french" FD (16. 17. and 18. FD). But probably not none...

The 18th Field Division (L) had moved from the coast of Dunkirk and into the region of Mantes basically on foot, although some horse drawn transport was available, especially the artillery batteries. The division had moved in the direction of Amiens but was soon ordered to the Mantes region. The unit moved to the Mantes in about eight days time. on August 23rd the bulk of the 18th Field Division (L) as well as part of the 49th Infantry Division and the headquarters staff of the 116th Panzer Division were just north of Mantes. While the division moved down the Seine, it encountered no opposition from Allied units. Soon after arriving in the city of Mantes, USA forces crossed the river, threatening again to cut off German forces south of the Seine River. The division was ordered committed and ordered to launch a counterattack which would throw the American forces back across the River Seine just southeast of Mantes.

The division committed one of its Jager regiments, Jager-Regiment 48 (L) plust its Fusilier battalion, which was used as the main striking force in it's attack. The units of the 18th Field Division (L) did not throw the USA forces back across the Seine, but it did halt the US advance momentarily. Continued US strikes, geared to break through the Luftwaffe defense, eventualy drew the rest of the division during the proceeding next days. This caused the eventual loss of heavy casualties by the division. Oders were eventualy received to withdraw, in oder to disengage from the enemy, Jager-Regiment 36 (L) was ordered to launch an attack, supported with a few tanks, on the morning of August 27th 1944. The assault met with initial success, but the attacking battalions eventually lost 50% of their original strengths.

The 18th Field Division (L) began to withdraw towards Rouen, but the unit was unable to completely withdraw as an orginized division. The divisional commander, Generalleutnant von Treskow decided to split the unit into two combat groups. An additional regimental sized unit composed of men from the destroyed 17th Field Division (L), now came under Treskow's command. Treskow's two combat groups were formed from Jager-Regiment 35 (L) and Jager-Regiment 48 (L). These were named after their regimental commanders: Kampfgruppe Scmidt [Oberst Schmidt-Jager-Regiment 35 (L)] and Kampfgruppe Mangold [Oberstleutnant Mangold-Jager-Regiment 48 (L)]. The battle group from the 17th Field Division (L) was named Kampfgruppe Koppel[Jager-Regiment 33 (L)]. Remnants of Jager-Regiment 36 (L) plus the artillery batteries were divided amoung these Kampfgruppen.

The withdrawal of the regimental battle groups went fairly well in the direction of beauvais, but then an American armored division caught up to Jager-Regiment 48 (L) (Kampfgruppe Mangold) on August 30th and made a mess of the unit. The supply wagons and horse drawn artillery were either squashed or blown apart. What the armored division failed to destroy was strafed and eliminated by American fighter-bombers.

On September 1st the bulk of the Division was on the Franco-Belgian border near the Somme Canal at Ham, in the region of St. Quentin. The following day, after a day of reorganizing, the Division moved again, this time in the direction of Cambrai. It was there, along the Amiens-Cambrai-Mons road that the final chapter on the brief history of the 18th Field Division (L) began. The leading elements of the 3rd US Armored Division, in cooperation with other American and British forces were able to encircle a large batch of german soldiers between Cambrai and Mons. Inside the pocket, extending from Mons to the forest of Compiegne' were 25,000 men of the 47th, 49th, 331st, 353rd and 18th Field Division (L).