9th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)


The 9th Infantry Division was a formation of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht.

History

The division was formed on 1 October 1934 in Gießen as Infanterieführer V. With the uncovering of German rearmament on 15 October 1935 the division was renamed 9. Infanterie-Division.
During the rout of the French Army in June 1940, the division massacred Black soldiers of the 4th Colonial Division they had captured near Erquivillers. A German officer is cited in French reports as explaining "an inferior race does not deserve to do battle with a civilized race such as the Germans."
In August 1944 the division was destroyed in southern Ukraine and formally dissolved on 9 October 1944. The remnants of the division together with the shadow division Dennewitz, originally earmarked for the 584th Volksgrenadier Division, formed in the 9th Volksgrenadier Division. The 9th VGD fought in the Eifel where it surrendered to U.S. forces.

Commanders