The weird case of the 153. Feldausbildungs-Division in March 1944 in Crimea

Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the Freikorps, Reichswehr, Austrian Bundesheer, Heer, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Fallschirmjäger and the other Luftwaffe ground forces. Hosted by Christoph Awender.
Post Reply
User avatar
2KILFA
Member
Posts: 154
Joined: 22 Jul 2021, 12:33
Location: Europe- East Asia

The weird case of the 153. Feldausbildungs-Division in March 1944 in Crimea

#1

Post by 2KILFA » 11 Aug 2021, 15:33

The weird case of the 153. Feldausbildungs-Division in March 1944 in Crimea
I'm looking for some information regarding the fate of this German field training division during this period, which is weird, to say the least.
Numerous sources that I looked into come to universal agreement that the division was destroyed in Crimea in March 1944, with remnants being withdrawn to the neighboring German 6th Army in southern Ukraine by April 1944.
There's several questions related with this. First, its the period and losses. March 1944 was a quiet period for the German 17th Army stationed in Crimea, with very minimal fighting taking place. The Soviet Crimean Offensive, which destroyed the 17th Army, did not begin until 8 April 1944. Losses of the 17th Army during March 1944 amounted to less than 3,000 killed, wounded, missing, without including the sick ones.
It is very hard to imagine that overwhelming majority of these losses would be incurred by the field training division, while all the other divisions just had quiet time. So, the question is how exactly did this unit got "destroyed" in March 1944, with such a minimal casualties suffered by the army?
Secondly, its the location. As late as January 1944, the 153 FTD was located near Sevastopol, far away from the actual frontlines. This is also makes sense, since these type of divisions were not usually assigned duties at the frontlines. For the unit to be destroyed it would have to transferred to some location in the Crimea opposite the Red Army.
Finally, it is true that by April 1944, the division was transferred to the 6th Army. In the 6th Army's order of battle on 28 March 1944 and situational map for 1 April 1944, the 153 FTD is part of the army. So its clear that by April 1944 the division was no longer a part of the 17th Army.
However, for the unit that is supposed to be destroyed, it is not categorized as a battlegroup or remnants of the division, which is usually the case for heavily damaged formations. In the situational map for that date, the unit is behind the frontline and is pointed out as "Most of the 153 FTD". I have read somewhere that some elements of the division were attached to other units, hence why it says "Most of the 153 FTD", though I don't remember where it was from
My question is do the members have anything useful to add to this? The division may have indeed been badly mauled, but specifications are required.
Was the unit transferred from Sevastopol after January 1944? If so, where was it transferred and how it got destroyed? Or maybe some elements were detached and sent to other divisions in Crimea where they were destroyed in combat? What was the state of the division at the time of its arrival to the 6th Army and so on.
My reasonable guess is that, due to reasons outlined above, the division was not destroyed in Crimea, but simply transferred to the 6th Army in late March 1944. Someone among the higher levels of command of the 17th Army must've mistakenly reported that it was destroyed, and this was repeated in every single work afterwards.
Note that I'm well aware, that the division was "truly" destroyed in Romania in August 1944 for the second time, then rebuild again.

RFVD11
Member
Posts: 136
Joined: 16 Feb 2012, 14:41

Re: The weird case of the 153. Feldausbildungs-Division in March 1944 in Crimea

#2

Post by RFVD11 » 12 Aug 2021, 02:14

I just show parts transferred to 29th.Armeekorps after Sevastopol. Perhaps the remains were evacuated from there. Later it has a short lived life as 153.Grenadier Division (regimental strength).
AHK


Post Reply

Return to “Heer, Waffen-SS & Fallschirmjäger”