The Infanterie-Division Schlageter (Reichsarbeitdienst-Division 1) was formed on 31 March 1945 in East Prussia from surviving elements of 299. Infanterie-Division and 7500 men from the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD). The RAD was to supply up to 1500 lower ranks, 2500 auxiliary trainers and 3500 recruits for each of the three RAD divisions that were ordered to be formed at this time. The auxiliary trainers were former RAD recruits who had remained in the RAD for an additional six or twelve months to train new recruits.
It was captured by US forces at the end of the war.

Commanders

Generalleutnant Wilhelm Heun (5 Apr 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Operations Officers (Ia)

Major Hellmut Schreiber (Apr 1945-3 May 1945)

Area of operations

Germany (Apr 1945 - May 1945)

Honor title

This unit was named after Albert Leo Schlageter. He was a WW1 veteran and Freikorps member, he was arrested 5 Apr 1923 by the French troops in the occupied Ruhr for taking part in sabotage operations. He was sentenced to death by a French military tribunal and executed by firing squad 26 May 1923. Within 24 hours the Schlageter-Gedächtnis-Bund was formed and plans were made for a memorial (a large cross erected in 1931), Schlageter was becoming a martyr of the right-wing groups, among them the NSDAP as he had been a member of the NSDAP and SA as well as other fringe groups.

His name was also given as a honour title to among others two SA-Standarten: SA-Standarte 39 Schlageter at Düsseldorf and SA-Standarte 142 Albert Leo Schlageter at Lörrach and Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter.

Order of battle

Grenadier-Regiment Schlageter 1
Grenadier-Regiment Schlageter 2
Grenadier-Regiment Schlageter 3
Füsilier-Bataillon Schlageter
Panzerjäger-Abteilung Schlageter
Artillerie-Regiment Schlageter
Pionier-Bataillon Schlageter
Nachrichten-Abteilung Schlageter

Sources used

Hartmut Heyck - The Reich labour service in peace and war: A survey of the Reichsarbeitsdienst and its predecessors 1920-1945
Andris J. Kursietis - The Wehrmacht at War 1939-1945
George F. Nafziger - The German Order of Battle: Infantry in World War II
Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -