The Glorious 707th Infantry Division...

[chalutzim]

What was the final destiny of the 707th Infantry Division (http://www.feldgrau.com/707i.html)?

The 707th infantry division was one of the very few large Wehrmacht units that took part in the murdering of Jews on a great scale. The analysis of the private diary of one of the regimental commanders of this division, Colonel Carl von Andrian, sheds some light on the motives for which his own unit participated in the holocaust. On the other hand, von Andrian's diary clearly indicates where personal responsibility comes to a limit. His private notes give an impression of how an older Wehrmacht officer bound to conservative values let himself be drawn, without any considerable resistance, into the German war of extermination against the Soviet Union, in spite of his constantly recurring moral scruples and even if he was able to keep his regiment out of the most cruel crimes.

http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de ... usgabe=720

Thanks for the help.

[daveh]

707th Infantry division.

Formed in April 1941 it served on the Eastern front as a line of communication division. Served on the front line on occassion eg near Bryansk summer 1943.
In June 1944 it was part of 9th Army's reserve. It was committed against the Soviet attack on Army Group Centre in June 1944. It was rapidly smashed, its then commander was captured. The remnants of the division was disbanded on 3rd August 1944.

[chalutzim]

(...) The remnants of the division was disbanded on 3rd August 1944.

daveh, thanks for the help. Do you know where I can find further information about this division: books, internet, etc?

Regards.

[daveh]

hi

not found a site yet apart from feldgrau

The books I used were Hitler's Legions by S Mitchum ISBN 0 436 28200 3

and Nafziger' s 3 volume German Order of Battle published by Greenhill bboks.

[Andy H]

In one book it states that at the beginning of the offensive the 707th (Co Gen-Maj G.Gihr) was in AG reserve and not in 9th Army OoB till 24/06/44, yet in another book there listed under 9th Armies OoB from 22/06/44!

The release of the 707th from AG reserve was so that the division cuould clear up Russian advances some 10km deep east of Podsely. One regiment was 40km's northeast of Bobruysk and was ordered to move by foot, whilst the second regiment some 15km south of Bobruysk was moved by truck.

There's more about the 707th within the text which I'll have to rummage through.

Andy

[Gareth Collins]

Here's info on it's last commander;
Generalmajor Gustav Gihr
Born: 18/08/1894 in Geisingen, County Of Villingen.
Died: 31/10/1959 in Freiburg, Breisgau.
Major Awards: German Cross In Gold.
Promotion Dates: Officer-Candidate (25/08/1914); Lieutenant (02/10/1914); Senior Lieutenant (20/06/1918); Police-Senior Lieutenant (07/10/1920); Police-Captain (07/11/1921); Police-Major (29/01/1934); Major (16/03/1936); Lieutenant-Colonel (01/04/1937); Colonel (01/04/1940); Major-General (01/10/1943).
MILITARY CAREER
Pre WWI and WWI: Entered the Army as an Officer-Aspirant in the 98th Infantry-Regiment (10/01/1914-02/08/1914); Detached to the War School in Kassel (07/07/1914-02/08/1914); In the Field with the 98th Infantry-Regiment (02/08/1914-11/09/1914); Wounded, in Hospital, later with the Replacement-Depot of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (11/09/1914-22/12/1914); In the Field with the 98th Infantry-Regiment (22/12/1914-09/01/1915); Hospital Stay then with the Replacement-Depot of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (09/01/1915-10/02/1915); Company-Leader in the 98th Infantry-Regiment (10/02/1915-28/09/1915); Hospital Stay then with the Replacement-Depot of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (28/09/1915-19/01/1916); Company-Leader with the 98th Infantry-Regiment (19/01/1916-24/08/1916); Hospital Stay then with the I. Replacement-Battalion of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (24/08/1916-03/11/1916); Leader of the 11th Company of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (03/11/1916-14/04/1918); In Hospital (14/04/1918-18/05/1918); 2nd Ordinance-Officer with the Staff of the 12th Reserve-Division (18/05/1918-~).
Inter-War Years: 2nd Ordinance-Officer with the Staff of the 12th Reserve-Division (~-04/01/1919); Leader of the 9th Company of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (04/01/1919-22/03/1919); Leader of the I. Battalion of the 98th Infantry-Regiment (22/03/1919-19/04/1919); Transferred to the 1st Recruitment-Company of Detachment Thümmel (19/04/1919-29/04/1919); Leader of the 4th Company of the Infantry-Replacement-Depot of the 25th Reichswehr-Brigade (29/04/1919-19/08/1919); Leader of the 1st Company of the 25th Instruction-Battalion (19/08/1919-23/08/1919); Leader of the 2nd Company at the NCO-School of the 25th Instruction-Battalion (23/08/1919-23/09/1919); Leader of the 7th Company of the 8th Reichswehr-Rifle-Regiment, later, Battalion-Adjutant and Regimental-Ordinance-Officer (23/09/1919-15/05/1920); Granted Leave (15/05/1920-06/10/1920); Retired (06/10/1920); Entered Police Service and Adjutant of the Police-School Karlsruhe (07/10/1920-02/06/1921); Transferred into the Baden Ministry Of The Interior (02/06/1921-05/10/1925); Leader of the Operation-Unit Karlsruhe (05/10/1925-08/05/1926); Leader of the Operations-Unit Heidelberg (08/05/1926-15/05/1929); Inspections-Leader in Heidelberg (15/05/1929-26/10/1931); Temporary-Leader of the Protection-Police Mannheim (26/10/1931-07/12/1933); Leader of the District-Police in Mannheim (07/12/1933-22/08/1934); Commander of the State-Police-Department Karlsruhe (22/08/1934-16/03/1936); Detached to Battle-School for Staff-Officers at the Infantry School in Döberitz (13/05/1935-28/05/1935); Transferred to Army Service as Commander of the I. Battalion of the 109th Infantry-Regiment (16/03/1936-12/10/1937); Commander of the I. Battalion of the 107th Infantry-Regiment (12/10/1937-~).
WWII: Commander of the I. Battalion of the 107th Infantry-Regiment (~-16/12/1939); Commander of the 367th Infantry-Regiment (16/12/1939-05/09/1942); Führer-Reserve OKH (05/09/1942-10/09/1942); Commander of the 725th Fortress-Grenadier-Regiment (10/09/1942-16/01/1943); Commander of the 186th Grenadier-Regiment (16/01/1943-28/02/1943); Führer-Reserve OKH (27/05/1943-20/10/1943); Delegated with the Leadership of the 216th Infantry-Division (20/10/1943-01/12/1943); Delegated with the Leadership of the 7th Infantry-Division (01/12/1943-09/12/1943); Delegated with the Leadership of the 95th Infantry-Division (09/12/1943-27/02/1944); Delegated with the Temporary-Leadership of the 45th Infantry-Division (27/02/1944-09/04/1944); Delegated with the Temporary-Leadership of the 35th Infantry-Division (09/04/1944-11/05/1944); Delegated with the Temporary-Leadership of the 110th Infantry-Division (11/05/1944-15/05/1944); Commander of the 707th Infantry-Division (15/05/1944-27/06/1944); Captured near Bobruisk, USSR, in Soviet Captivity (27/06/1944-~).
Post WWII: In Soviet Captivity (~-11/10/1955); Released (11/10/1955).

[chalutzim]

hi

not found a site yet apart from feldgrau

The books I used were Hitler's Legions by S Mitchum ISBN 0 436 28200 3

and Nafziger' s 3 volume German Order of Battle published by Greenhill bboks.

There's more about the 707th within the text which I'll have to rummage through.

Here's info on it's last commander;

Thank you all!

I would be glad for more information, for sure. The history of this particular division is very interesting and quite peculiar when confronted with the rest of the Wehrmacht.