325th Security Division (Wehrmacht)
| 325. Sicherungs-Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | May 1943 – August 1944 |
| Country |
.svg.png){kind=small} Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Wehrmacht |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Garrison |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Liberation of Paris |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hans von Boineburg-Lengsfeld |
The 325th Security Division (German: 325. Sicherungs-Division) was a German military formation that operated in German-occupied France during World War II.
It was established in May 1943 under Lieutenant General Hans Freiherr von Boineburg-Lengsfeld and was responsible for the defense of Paris and its surrounding area.[1]
Division commander von Boineburg-Lengsfeld, simultaneously Commandant of Greater Paris, supported military governor of France Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel in the anti-Hitler 20 July plot. On 20 July 1944, Stülpnagel was informed by Stauffenberg's cousin, who had received a telephone call from Stauffenberg, that Hitler was dead and that the coup was in progress. Stülpnagel then ordered the arrest of all 1,200 SS personnel in the city. The 325th's Security Regiment 1 carried out the task and imprisoned them in Fresnes Prison and Fort de l'Est. Higher SS and Police Leader in France Carl Oberg and other senior SS and Gestapo officers were detained in the Hotel Continental, pending their planned execution. The coup attempt began to unravel that night after it was known that Hitler was in fact alive, and the SS men were ordered released.[2]
The 325th Security Division was forced to surrender to Allied forces during the Liberation of Paris after sustaining around 3,200 men in losses, and was formally disbanded shortly thereafter. It was the only Security Division to serve in Western Europe.[1]
Organisation
The division included the following units.[1]
- Security Regiment 1
- Security Regiment 5
- Security Regiment 6
- Security Regiment 190
Notes
- 1 2 3 "325. Sicherungs-Division". www.axishistory.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ Mitcham 2006, pp. 58–62.
References
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2006). Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811733847.