DW16017 Feldwebel 352nd Volksgrenadier Division

Das Werk DW16017

Feldwebel 352 Volksgrenadier Division

The 352nd was placed under the command of Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss. Once up to strength and trained, the 352nd was expected to transfer to the Eastern Front, however there was no clear timetable or confirmation of that deployment and by March 1944, with the threat of an Allied invasion in the West, the 352nd received orders to prepare for the defence of the Atlantic Wall, in the Normandy area. The 352nd, when formed, was a mix of experienced soldiers drawn from worn-out or disbanded divisions that had served on the Eastern front, young German conscripts and a significant number of Ost volunteers, the latter mainly employed in divisional support roles. Throughout the training period there were shortages of men, equipment, and fuel and by early 1944 the division, though reasonably equipped, was far from properly prepared for front-line infantry combat.