5th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)

Following months of inactivity in Germany, the unit was designated to take part in Operation Marita, the invasion of Greece, in 1941 as part of the Balkans Campaign.

The unit then took part in the invasion of Crete, codenamed Operation Merkur. Here the unit was used in an air-landing role where it fought against British forces which had retreated from Greece. The units role in securing the islands was significant, and in November 1941, the unit returned to Germany for refitting.[1]

In March 1942 it was deployed to the Eastern Front, where it joined Army Group North on the Volkhov Front, and took part in operations against the city of Leningrad. The unit remained on the Eastern Front until November 1943, during which time it was used primarily for firefighting for the 18th Armee in operations near Mga, Shlisselburg, and Kolpino.[2]

Following its year on the Eastern Front the unit was redeployed to the Gustav Line in December 1943, arriving near Cassino. The unit fought out the remainder of the war in Italy and the Western Alps before surrendering to American forces near Turin in May 1945.[3]

The division was implicated in the Grugliasco massacre, Piedmont, alongside the 34th Infantry Division, where, on 30 April 1945, 67 civilians were executed.[4][5] Shortly after the division was also implicated in another massacre in the town of Santhià, on the way to Milan, resulting in 48 deaths.[6]

• Julius Ringel (1 November 1940 – 10 February 1944)
• Max-Günther Schrank (10 February 1944 – 18 January 1945)
• Hans Steets (18 January 1945 – 2 May 1945)

• Tessin, Georg (1965). "Die Landstreitkräfte 1—5". Die Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939—1945 (in German). Frankfurt/Main: E.S. Mittler. p. 290.