71st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
division
The 71st Infantry Division Kleeblatt ("Cloverleaf Division", "Lucky One") (German: 71. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Army, raised on 26 August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, as a division of the 2nd wave of deployment by Infantry Commander 19 (Infanterie-Kommandeur 19) in Hildesheim. It fought in Verdun, Stalingrad and Monte Cassino, among others.
The division's symbol was the four-leaf clover and after congratulations on the victory in Verdun in June 1940, the division was henceforth called the "lucky one". The same action also earning Generalleutnant Karl Weisenberger the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 June 1940 by Generalfeldmarschall Ernst Busch.
Divisional history
In the divisional history of the 71st Infantry Division, a distinction is made between the line-up and personnel composition up to the Battle of Stalingrad as a caesura on the one hand, and the complete new line-up after the annihilation in 1943 on the other. Divisional strength was 15,000 men.
Deployment
Siegfried Line (September 1939 – May 1940)
France (May 1940 – June 1941)
Eastern Front (June – October 1941)
France (October 1941 – April 1942)
Eastern Front (April – August 1942)
Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 – January 1943)
Denmark (March – August 1943)
Slovenia (August – September 1943)
Italy (September 1943 – December 1944)
Hungary and Austria (December 1944 – May 1945)
Mobilization in 1939
In August 1939, the 71st Infantry Division was set up in Military District XI (Wehrkreis XI) and was mainly recruited from soldiers from what is now Lower Saxony: Hanover, Hildesheim, Braunschweig and the western Harz. Mainly those born between 1910 and 1920 were drafted, with a divisional strength of 15,000 men. Mobilization took place on 25/26 August 1939 by Infantry Commander 19 (Infanterie-Kommandeur 19) in Hildesheim under the code word "Sigurd 9757".
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