The 295. Infanterie-Division was formed in Febrary 1940 as part of the 8th welle (wave) and surrendered at Stalingrad in January 1943.
Soldiers from the division at the order of Oberstleutnant Helmuth Groscurth put an end to the massacres of Jews at Zloczow (Zolochiv) by soldiers of 5. SS-Panzer-Division Wiking together with Ukrainian militia during the first days of July 1941. (1)

It was reformed in April 1943 and served as an occupation unit in Norway until 1945.

Commanders

Generalleutnant Herbert Geitner (6 Feb 1940 - 8 Dec 1941)
Generalleutnant Karl Gümbel (8 Dec 1941 - 1 May 1942)
General der Artillerie Rolf Wuthmann (2 May 1942 - 16 Nov 1942)
Generalmajor Dr. Otto Korfes (16 Nov 1942 - 31 Jan 1943)
Generalleutnant Rudolf Dinter (1 Apr 1943 - 27 July 1944)
Generalleutnant Karl-Ludwig Rhein (27 July 1944 - 26 Jan 1945)
Generalleutnant Sigfrid Macholz (26 Jan 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Operations Officers (Ia)

Oberstleutnant Hans-Georg Schaewen (8 Feb 1940-10 Jul 1940)
Oberstleutnant Horst von Zitewitz (10 Jul 1940-Apr 1941)
Oberstleutnant Helmuth Groscurth (Apr 1941-Nov 1941)
Major Franz Engerisser (25 Nov 1941-1 May 1942)
Oberstleutnant Gerhard Dissel (?-31 Jan 1943) (POW)
Oberst Karl Zipper (Apr 1943-25 Feb 1945)
Major Ernst-Günther Steuer (25 Feb 1945-1945)

Area of operations

Germany (Feb 1940 - May 1940)
Belgium & France (May 1940 - June 1941)
Eastern front, southern sector (June 1941 - Oct 1942)
Stalingrad (Oct 1942 - Jan 1943)
Norway (Mar 1943 - May 1945)

Holders of high awards

Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (3)
- Hundertmark, Erich, 19.11.1942 (1366), Oberleutnant, 7./Art.Rgt. 295
- Knobelsdorff von, [first name not listed], 08.02.1942 (663), Major, Kdr. IV./Art.Rgt. 295
- Tacke, Fritz, 15.07.1942 (1104), Oberleutnant, Ord.Offz. Pi.Btl. 295
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (1)
- Geschke, [first name not listed], 01.11.1941 (16), Oberfeldwebel, 3./Inf.Rgt. 517
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (49)
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (9)
- Begrich, Gerhard, 19.11.1942, Hauptmann, II./Inf.Rgt. 518
- Bertram, [no first name listed], 22.07.1941, Leutnant, 4./Art.Rgt. 295
- Gröpler, Fritz, 22.07.1941, Oberleutnant, 4./Art.Rgt. 295
- Herb, Wilhelm, 18.03.1942, Oberleutnant, Inf.Rgt. 517
- Hermes, Wilhelm, 01.03.1942, Unteroffizier, 10./Inf.Rgt. 516
- Jacob, Hans-Heinrich, 08.03.1942, Leutnant (nachtr.), 11./Inf.Rgt. 518
- Plettenberg Graf von, Josef, 18.03.1942, Oberleutnant, I./Inf.Rgt. 516
- Warnecke, Fritz, 08.02.1943, Major, III./Gren.Rgt. 517
- Werner, Ernst, 28.11.1941, Oberleutnant, III./Inf.Rgt. 516
Holders of the Knight's Cross (14)
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (1)
- 7./Infanterie-Regiment 518
- Date/Place of Action: 08.-22.12.1941 bei Jama
- Award Date: 08.03.1942 / Vorschlagsbuch (813)
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (4)
- 7./Infanterie-Regiment 518
-- Date/Place of Downing: 30.11.1941 bei Rodinowka
-- Award Date: 16.05.1942 (71)
- 3./Panzerjäger-Abteilung 295
-- Date/Place of Downing: 09.02.1942 bei Bondarnoje
-- Award Date: 19.07.1942 (180)
- 5. Fahrkolonne/Kommandeur der Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubtruppen 295
-- Date/Place of Downing: 24.11.1942 bei Jablotschnij
-- Award Date: 16.08.1943 (332)
- II./Grenadier-Regiment 517
-- Date/Place of Downing: 27.10.1942 bei Stalingrad
-- Award Date: 01.02.1944 (452)

Nicknames

Doppelkopf-Division (Double Head Division)
Pferdekopf (Horse Head)

Order of battle (1940)

Infanterie-Regiment 516
Infanterie-Regiment 517
Infanterie-Regiment 518
Artillerie-Regiment 295
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 295
Pionier-Bataillon 295
Nachrichten-Abteilung 295
Nachschubführer 295

Order of battle (1944)

Grenadier-Regiment 516
Grenadier-Regiment 517
Artillerie-Regiment 295
Pionier-Bataillon 295
Panzerjäger-Bataillon 295
Nachrichten-Abteilung 295
Nachschubtruppen 295

Notable members

Helmuth Groscurth (Active in the resistance against Hitler, he also ordered soldiers from the division to put an end to the massacre of Jews at Zloczow in July 1941)
Otto Korfes (Knight's Cross and German Cross in Gold holder and post-war a general in the Nationale Volksarmee of the German Democratic Republic)

Footnotes

1. "Zloczow, Juli 1941: Die Wehrmacht und der Beginn des Holocaust in Galizien" by Bernd Boll.

Sources used

Bernd Boll - Zloczow, Juli 1941: Die Wehrmacht und der Beginn des Holocaust in Galizien
Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke - Die Generale und Admirale der NVA: Ein biographisches handbuch
Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945

Reference material on this unit

Wolfgang Kirstein - Rekonstruktion eines Tages-Buches: Die 295. Infanterie-Division von 1940 bis 1945