Formed in the autumn of 1942, Kosaken-Regiment 6 was restructured in December 1942 as two separate battalions: Kosaken-Bataillone 622 and 623. On 19 April 1944, (Kosaken) Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment 360 was formed from Ost-Regiments-Stab z.b.V. 750 and Kosaken-Bataillone 622 (I.) and 623 (II.) and assigned to the 708. Infanterie-Division. It was released from the division in October 1944 and allocated as Heeerestruppe to the LXIV Armeekorps / 19. Armee.

Insignia

A facsimile of a German Panzerkampwagen III in white metal with a large golden letter “F” upon it was given by Oberstleutnant Ewert von Renteln to men of his Kosaken-Regiment 6 in recognition of their bravery in action against Red Army tanks. The unofficial badge was worn on the upper left sleeve above the regimental arm badge, a red shield with white outline. Photographic evidence suggests the badge continued to be worn throughout the evolution of the unit, from Kosaken-Regiment 6 to Kosaken-Bataillone 622 and 623 and ultimately by members of (Kosaken) Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment 360.

Soldiers of (Kosaken) Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment 360 in France 1944, note the unique sleeve insignia
inf-div-708-kosak-insignia1 inf-div-708-kosak-insignia2
(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Sources used

Research by Shawn Bohannon
David Littlejohn - Foreign Legions of the Third Reich, Volume 4: Poland, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Free India, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Russia
Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -