The 71st Infantry Division Kleeblatt ("Cloverleaf Division", "Lucky One") () 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". In spring 1939, under Colonel Wolf, Infantarie-Regiment 211 (IR 211) was already prepared for combat operations as Training Infantry Regiment 1 (Übungs-Infanterie-Regiment 1) at the Bergen military training area and was assigned a section on the Siegfried Line. The training in the army's rear area consisted mainly of weapon operation, combat field training, silent approach, movement in the dark and shooting. The first division commander was Generalmajor Wolfgang Ziegler in Hildesheim, former commander of the 19th Infantry Division. The positions of regimental commanders were filled with experienced officers from the First World War. Shortly after the general mobilization, the remainder of the 71st Infantry Division was moved to Pirmasens in night marches to secure the border, in order to move into their deployment zone for the Western campaign in France.

Western Front 1940 After the 71. ID had marched southwest through Luxembourg and southern Belgium, they crossed the Chiers River and followed into the Maginot Line. The fighting accumulated in the attack on the tactically significant Height 311. This made the 71st Infantry Division one of the first units to surmount the Siegfried Line. On May 18, 1940, the division continued its advance in cooperation with engineers and tank hunters (panzerjäger) by taking the village of Villy, the 505 tank factory and other fortifications in the La Ferté area (Maginot Line).

Together with the IR 188 subordinated to the 71st Infantry Division, Olizy and the Height 342 were captured. The period between May 21 and June 10, 1940, was characterized by defensive battles on the Maginot Line, which was further expanded to protection against counter-attacks. By May 22, 1940, seven officers and 170 NCOs and rankers had been reported dead. At the beginning of June 1940, in the Bois d'Inor forest, also known as the “Green Hell” (Grüne Hölle), numerous counter-attacks by Moroccan Tirailleurs and Foreign Legionnaires had to be fought off before the division could move east of the Meuse into the Verdun area. On June 15, 1940, the 71st Infantry Division was ordered to take Fort Vaux and Fort Douaumont, with IR 211 bearing the brunt of the attack. The attack succeeded under the leadership of the battalion commander Hauptmann Corduan, who fought in Verdun during the First World War. The fall of the two fortresses opened the way to the Verdun citadel, which fell after Fort Froide Terre was taken.

In the course of June 1940 the 71st Infantry Division pursued the retreating enemy across the Moselle to Nancy. The mission on the Western Front ended with the bestowal of numerous awards: the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to Generalleutnant Karl Weisenberger, Oberst Hans-Karl von Scheele (commander of Infanterie-Regiment 191), Oberleutnant Germer and Unteroffizier Pape.

Between 1940 and 1941 the 71st Infantry Division served as a training division (Lehr-Division) at the Königsbrück military training area.

Eastern Front 1941–42

From June 1941 the 71st Infantry Division took part in the attack on the Soviet Union and surprisingly broke into the Soviet border fortifications near Niemstow on June 22, 1941. On June 24, 1941, a defensive battle against 50 Soviet tanks developed near Niemirow, with them firing from hidden positions against the German infantrymen. Further positions of the Red Army on the Wiszenka military training area were cleared up and defeated. At the end of June 1941 the breakthrough on the northern positions of Lemberg was achieved. For almost the entire month of July 1941, the division managed a lengthy period of marching through Ukraine within the framework of the army reserve (Armeereserve), which was made difficult by bad weather and unfavorable terrain.

Battle of Kiev 1941 As part of the 6th Army, the 71st Infantry Division was to form the focal point (Schwerpunkt) of the offensive on Kiev, which expanded into the Battle of Kiev. Long periods of rain made the roads impassable and thus delayed the advance. The battle for Kiev was initiated by taking the towns of Ksawerowka (IR 211), Marjarowka (IR 194) and Gelenowka (IR 191). Between the divisional borders of the 99th Light Division and the 95th Infantry Division, the 71st Infantry Division stormed the southern sector off Kiev. The attack was delayed by a line of bunkers along the river Weta, which were penetrated in stubborn fighting in early August 1941 and the XXIX Army Corps opened access to Kiev. Between August 10 and 24, 1941, the Red Army carried out major counter-attacks against the lost Vasa position, but they all failed.

Here the 71st Infantry Division was replaced by the 296th Infantry Division and received a new 60-kilometer-wide combat section in the western sector of the heavily fortified city of Kiev on the banks of the Irpen River. On September 16, 1941, the XXIX Army Corps launched a major attack on Kiev, which ended three days later with the encirclement of the Red Army and the capture of the city. The 71st Infantry Division itself was not involved in the capture and was transported to its new operational area.

Battle of Kharkov 1942 On April 5, 1942, the Order No. 55616/42 of the OKW/WFSt opened the summer offensive on the Eastern Front. To this end, the 71st Infantry Division, which was relocated from France back to the Eastern Front in April 1942, received the order in conjunction with the 6th Army to push in the Soviet frontline south of Kharkov and to relocate the main battle line to the Donets area in order to create a new starting position for Army Group South.

While IR 211 supported the 294th Infantry Division in defensive tasks in Ternowaja, the other two regiments moved into their starting lines. Meanwhile, the Red Army broke through with a massive infantry and tank deployment as well as numerically superior deployment of personnel and materials near Peremoga east and southeast of Kharkov and tied up large parts of the German units. Units of the 71st Infantry Division defended the area north of Izium on the Donets. The German formations succeeded, inter alia, to encircle the 6th and 57th Soviet Armies. The resulting spring battle of Kharkov from May 17 to 24, 1942 ended with the defeat of the Red Army.

This was followed by taking up the defensive positions on the babka. Then the division advanced through Nikolayevka into the Oskol sector. The unit took part in pursuit battles via Belovodsk, Morozovskaya, the Tschir to the Don at the Generalow sector. Further defensive battles developed to the west of Kalatsch. From August 1942 the infantrymen of the 71. ID crossed the Don, took Karpovka and Rossoschka until they finally reached Stalingrad.

Advance on Stalingrad 1942 On September 3, 1942, General Friedrich Paulus had the following armed forces available for the conquest of Stalingrad: 30,000 soldiers of the LI. Army Corps (389th, 295th and 71st Infantry Divisions) and 50,000 soldiers of the 4th Panzer Army, XXXXVIII. Panzer Corps and IV Army Corps (24th Panzer Division, 14th PD, 29th Motorized Infantry Division, 94th Infantry Division and the Romanian 20th Infantry Division); a total of 80,000 soldiers. The LI. Army Corps with the 71st Infantry Division under Major General Alexander von Hartmann was to fight its way through the western and northwestern suburbs to Stalingrad. This route was the shortest and easiest from the outer to the inner defensive ring of Stalingrad. On the evening of September 3, 1942, the 71st and 295th Infantry Division moved east, capturing Gumrak station in the fight against the Soviet 2nd Tank Corps (Major General Andrey Kravchenko) and the Soviet 112th Rifle Division (Colonel Ivan Yermolkin). They drove the 23rd Tank Corps under Major General A. F. Popov and the 399th Rifle Division under Colonel Nikolai Grigoryevich Travnikov to the east towards Konnaia station. The aim was to concentrate the main forces for the attack on the Gorodishche and Mamayev Hills. Infantry Regiments 211 and 194 broke through the defensive lines of the Soviet 112th RD, while on the right wing IR 191 overran the trenches of the 196th RD under Colonel Polikarpov and captured Talowoi and the Opytnaia and Eschowka stations.

This led to great losses on the part of the Red Army, which responded to the German advance with a counterattack at the Stalingrad hospital. The impact wedge of the 71st Infantry Division fought its way deep into the lines of the 62nd Army south of Gunmrak and "literally wiped the 87th and 196th RD out of the battle line of the Soviet troops". In the region around Gumrak there were then a number of other defensive battles against the remnants of the 112th RD, 196th RD and 87th RD.

On September 4, 1942, Major General Anton Lopatin ordered a counterattack to prevent the 71st Infantry Division from gaining a foothold on the eastern bank of the Tsaritza. The Soviet 244th RD encountered Infantry Regiment 191, which had occupied the surrounding heights and had approached the city center along the Tsaritza for 4 km. Lopatin falsely reported that Afanasiev's troops had destroyed a large part of the IR 191. On September 8, 1942, 295 ID and 71 ID continued their advance from Gorodishche and Razgulaewka on the main road from Gumrak to Stalingrad and pushed back hundreds of Red Army soldiers of the 87th RD, 42nd RB and a regiment of the 244th RD to the vicinity of the hospital and the motor tractor station north of the Tsaritza; heavy fighting developed around Razgulaewka. As a result, the 87th Rifle Division soon had only 140 soldiers. Hartmann's 71st Infantry Division recorded only minor terrain gains between the hospital and the Tsaritza. In the meantime the three infantry regiments of the division had to muster all their strength to cover the trenches of the 42nd RB and 244th RD, ready for the assault.