716.

Infanterie Division
The division had been raised in May 1941. It was subordinated to 15. Army until June 1942, when it was sent to 7. Army and the Caen area. It remained there until he Allied invasion. The division had no combat experience before D-Day.1 The organization on 1 May 1944 was2:

The ration strength on 1 May 1944 was 7 771.3 Among the divisions in Normandy, few were as weak as the 716. As it was organized on 1 May, the Panzerjger Abteilung had 10 heavy AT guns on tracked chassis.4 No deliveries of Marders have been found in the documents covering the period from May 1943 until D-Day.5 Either the SP AT guns were delivered before May 1943 or they are some kind of locally made conversion, possibly using captured French vehicles. The Panzerjger Abteilung also had eleven heavy AT guns (not motorized). The third company was supposed to have 2 cm Flak guns, but none were present.6 Of the AT guns that were not on tracked chassis, probably two were 8,8 cm Pak 43/41 and nine were 7,5 cm Pak 40.7 The AT guns on tracked chassis were 7,5 cm Pak 40.8 The Artillery Regiment had the following equipment9: 1. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 2. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 3. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 4. Batterie 4 French 15,5 cm howitzers 5. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 6. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 7. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 8. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 9. Batterie 4 Czechoslovakian 10 cm howitzers 10. Batterie 4 French 15,5 cm howitzers The Infantry battalions had the following equipment10: I./726: 48 MG, six 5 cm mortars, nine 8 cm mortars; 1. company bicycle mounted. II./726: 48 MG, nine 5 cm mortars, six 8 cm mortars III./726: 48 MG, three 5 cm mortars, nine 8 cm mortars; 9. company bicycle mounted. 439. Ost: 41 MG, 15 mortars, 1 Russian 4,5 cm AT gun I./736: 48 MG, five 5 cm mortars, seven 8 cm mortars; 3. company bicycle mounted. II./736: 48 MG, six 5 cm mortars, six 8 cm mortars; 8. company bicycle mounted. III./736: 48 MG, four 5 cm mortars, seven 8 cm mortars; 11. company bicycle mounted.

439. Ost: 45 MG, 9 mortars 441. Ost: 28 MG, 5 mortars Each infantry regiment had a company with nine light and medium AT guns. These lacked towing vehicles.11 The division had no field replacement battalion. The 642. and 439. Ost.Btle. constitued the fourth battalion of the respective regiments, while the 441. was included in the division, but not as an organic part of any regiment. It seems to have been subordinated to 726. Regiment for tactical purposes. Originally the 716. Division had to cover the entire sector from Carentan to the Orne estuary. When the 352. Division was inserted east of Carentan, the two divisions became slightly mixed up. The 439. Ost battalion remained in the Isigny area and III./726 was located in the Grandcamp area, while I./726 was north-east of Bayeux.12 These three battalions were tactically subordinated to 352. Division.13 As it was, on 6 June elements of 716. Division were involved in the fighting on Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches. On the latter three beaches, the 716. Division alone provided the defence until units from 21. Panzer Division entered combat. The division, weak already before D-Day, was soon depleted. Already on 15 June, it was decided to withdraw the division and send it to 1. Army in southern France.14 On 23 June, elements had been moved to an area 35 km north west of Le Mans.15 However, on 29 June the following units were still involved in combat16: With 711. Division: 1./736, 3./736, 1./AR 1716, 3./AR 1716; 5 officers, 39 NCO and 239 men With 346. Division: Remnants of 642. Ost.Btl and 716. Pi.Btl.; 8 officers, 35 NCO and 180 men With 21. Pz.Div.: Kgr Koch, Kgr Roth, Parts of III./736; 21 officers, 151 NCO and 586 men With 352. Divisions: Parts of 439. Ost.Btl., 726. Rgt., III./AR 1716; 16 officers, 72 NCO and 316 men On 1 July the first of the trains transporting the division departed.17 Eventually the transfer dragged out until 20 July, when the last of the fourteen trains had departed.18 As it was the division did not transfer to 1. Army, but to the 19. on the French riviera. On 11 August the division reported a strength of 7 382 men.19 The division suffered extensive losses in Normandy. Until 11 July, the division recorded 6 261 casualties.20 Since the division began withdrawing from combat at the end of June, this is probably the complete tally of losses sustained during its comittment in Normandy.
Notes: G. Tessin, Verbnde und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrck 1966-1975). Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, BA-MA RH 19 IX/2. Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. Lieferungen der Pz.Fahrzeuge Bd. ab Mai 1943, BA-MA RH 10/349. Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. Taktische Reserven panzerbrechende Waffen innerhalb der Divisionen, Stand vom 1.5.44, T312, R1568, F000718. ibid. Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. 11 Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. 12 Lagekarte AOK 7, 5.6.1944, BA-MA RH 20-7/138K. 13 Gliederung der 716. I.D., Stand 1.5.44, T312, R1566, F000215. 14 OB West Ia Nr. 384/44 g.Kdos Ch., 15.6.44, T311, R25, F7029588. 15 OB West Ia Nr. 4879/44 g.Kdos. 23.6.44, T311, R25, F7029779.

16 KTB AOK 7 Ia Anlagen, 29.6.44, T312, R1565, F001434. 17 OB West Ia Nr. 5185/44 g.Kdos, 1.7.44, T311, R28, F7034124. 18 OB West Ia Nr. 5862/44 g.Kdos vom 20.7.44, T311, R28, F7034667. 19 AOK 19 IIb Nr. 562/44 geh., 11.8.44, BA-MA RH 20-19/76. 20 KTB OB West Ia, entry 12.7.44, T311, R16, F7016788.