16th Motorized Infantry (Pz Grenadier) Division

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Windhund
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16th Motorized Infantry (Pz Grenadier) Division

#1

Post by Windhund » 06 Feb 2005, 02:33

This is my first post on this fine forum, which I have been monitoring for several months. I'm attempting to obtain information on this division, particularly it's activities during and after Fall Blau. My sole source of info is the stirring description of it's deployment between Armee Groups A and B during the Stalingrad campaign contained in Paul Carell's "Hitler Moves East". Carell's description of it's probe to Astrakhan has fascinated me to this day after having read it when I was a boy, not to mention it's brilliant fighting withdrawal as it was caught up in strong Soviet armored attacks as they attempted to "spring the trap" on the German forces deep in the Caucasus (see Carell's "Scorched Earth"). These adventures inspired the nickname "Windhund" or greyhound division

Anyway, the only divisional history I've identified is Heinz Gunther Guderian's "From Normandy to the Ruhr-The History of the 116 Pz Division". This is devoted solely to the division's final incarnation as a panzer division and its campaign in the West. To my knowledge, no organized history exists that chronicles the years 1941-1943. As a matter of fact, I've only seen one picture of a Pzkw III taken in Voronezh in 1942, which I observed somewhere on the internet.

Does anyone have any photos or better yet awareness of a book of photos that might be available? I'm interested too in possibly creating a diorma using models which depicts the desperate fighting between the Volga and Don.
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Daniel L
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#2

Post by Daniel L » 06 Feb 2005, 15:09

Hi, I agree. It's an interesting unit. There are more literature than Guderian's book. Check out this link for some good tips.

http://www.windhund-division.de

Best regards/ Daniel


Mark V.
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#3

Post by Mark V. » 06 Feb 2005, 15:29

Hi Windhund and wellcome aboard!

Nice to see someone also interested in this great division.

There's actually a lot of literature on the Windhunde. A massive 3-volume division history by Fritz Memminger Die Kriegsgeschichte der Windhund-Division with over 2,000 pages (unfortunately mostly text and covers only 16.Inf.Div.(mot.)/16.Pz.Gren.Div. not 116.Pz.Div.), a book about unit's Knight's Cross holders - Wir für alle by Kurt Wendt and then there're finally also two pictorials Warum? and Warum? Das Finale der Invasion, don't know about the latter quality but judging by the author (Kurt Wendt) both must be excellent. Oh, and all books mentioned are in German, hope this ain't a problem.

cheers

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Windhund
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#4

Post by Windhund » 06 Feb 2005, 17:40

Thank you very much for the assistance and kind words. I have heard of the Kriegsgeschichte der Windhund book and I've also been on the official website and corresponded with the webmaster. It's difficult when you don't know German very well and Google's translations are not very good to be sure.

I would be interested in finding Warum? or Warum? Das Finale der Invasion despite the fact that it's written in German since these are picture books. I would imagine that Google (my savior) will provide some leads as to where I might find either one of these volumes.

Overall, I'm very pleased to learn that the legacy of this division's early days has not been ignored and am looking forward to learning more about it.

Mark V.
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#5

Post by Mark V. » 07 Feb 2005, 15:50

Hi Windhund!

Glad to be of assistance. Both books are pretty rare. You won't get them in ordinary online bookstores even most of German antiquarian book dealers (listing is on http://www.zvab.com ) currently don't have them. So my advice is either to wait and frequently search ebay.de or try to get them trough inter-library loan - this is ussualy the cheapest and the easiest way.

cheers

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Windhund
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#6

Post by Windhund » 08 Feb 2005, 13:12

Thanks for the link, Mark. I'll check it regularly. It appears that the book I want is Warum? not Warum? Das Finale Der Invasion because the former book is about the Kalmyck steppe campaign, this according to Axel Strube of the official Windhund website. The latter book covers Normandy to the end of the war, much like Heinz Gunther Guderian's more well known book does.

It will be difficult to find apparently but with Axel's help, the nice people of this forum, plus a post on Stone and Stone bookseller brokers, I hope to have it one day.

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#7

Post by Breezy » 06 Jan 2006, 03:19

I have some background information on the division in 1941-43. The commander was General Sigfrid Henrici who later commanded XLth Panzer Korps. It was not part of the initial Barbarossa assault, but crossed the frontier on June 24. It was engaged in the Uman and Nikolaev battles, then was part of XLVIII Panzer Korps thrust to Kursk in November 1941, where it fought to capture the city. It advanced east as far as Tim 1/3 of the way between Kursk ad Voronezh. In Blau 1 it was part of the force that entered Vornezh. The divison eventually ended up relieving 111 and 370 Division's near Elista in August where it stayed until January 1943. In Juy 1943 the division was heavily engaged along the Mius River where it was 6th Army's reserve, attacking along with 23rd Panzer Division to restore the broken front. It was later reinforced with 3rd Panzer,Das Reich and Totenkopf Divisions. The division withdrew into the Zaporozhe bridgehead in September.

Marc Rikmenspoel
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#8

Post by Marc Rikmenspoel » 06 Jan 2006, 08:48

For what little it is worth, there's some accounts of the Panzers of the 16. PGD in action in 1942-43 in Franz Kurowski's Panzerkrieg book, recently translated into English by Fedorowicz. So for those who lack the opportunity and ability to study German works on the division, this offers at least a bit of something.

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#9

Post by pavle » 07 Jan 2006, 12:42

Just to make things clear :it's the 16 inf. division as base for the 16inf (moT) than 16 pz.gr.div to 116 pz.div

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Windhund
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#10

Post by Windhund » 10 Jan 2006, 14:15

Thanks for the info :) I will have to obtain a copy of Franz Kurowski's book. The official website of the Windhund Division has a long narrative about the division's movements in 1942-43 but it does not translate well using Google's translator.

arsand
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Re: 16th Motorized Infantry (Pz Grenadier) Division

#11

Post by arsand » 28 Nov 2008, 11:25

Hi, I am Andrey from Nikolaew (Ukraine). We cant find the place of dead Soviet 155 Mountain Regiment of 96 Soviet Mountain Division. We need any information about battles of 16 Infanterie Division (mot) on the 15 August 1941-23 August 1941 near Nikolaew.
MAP: http://www.amedia.mykolayiv.com/0001.gif

arsand
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Re: 16th Motorized Infantry (Pz Grenadier) Division

#12

Post by arsand » 28 Nov 2008, 11:31

Could You giv me any information about battles of 16th Inf.div.(mot) on the 15-23 August 1941 close to Nikolaew from book: Memminger, Fritz
Die Kriegsgeschichte der Windhund-Division - 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.), 16. Panzergrenadier-Div
Poppinghaus, 1962

Mark V.
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Re: 16th Motorized Infantry (Pz Grenadier) Division

#13

Post by Mark V. » 28 Nov 2008, 19:11

arsand wrote:Hi, I am Andrey from Nikolaew (Ukraine). We cant find the place of dead Soviet 155 Mountain Regiment of 96 Soviet Mountain Division. We need any information about battles of 16 Infanterie Division (mot) on the 15 August 1941-23 August 1941 near Nikolaew.
MAP: http://www.amedia.mykolayiv.com/0001.gif
Hi Andrey,

If the Russian soldiers from the 155th Mountain Regiment indeed died in the area show on the map then I believe you've got the wrong the division. 16.Inf.Div.(mot.) was on 11.08.1941 relieved by the Hungarian Corps and was in the following days put in 1st Panzer Group reserve at Olgopol (see map). The only unit to have taken part in the operations at Nikopol was a reinforced Inf.Rgt.60 (mot.), which was on 15.08.1941 attached to the 16.Pz.Div. and took up positions on the eastern side of Ingul along the railway line Nikolajev - Krivoj Rog. The regiment was involved in fierce fighting at Sasselje where it was blocking the retreat route of the Russians withdrawing across Ingul. Both Memminger and Lehmann (SS-Inf.Div.LSSAH) report high numbers of killed and captured Russian soldiers.

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