The 342. Infanterie-Division was formed in November 1940 at Koblenz from parts of 79. Infanterie-Division and 72. Infanterie-Division as part of the 14th welle (wave).
It was reformed into a Type 44 division in March 1944 and absorbed 330. Infanterie-Division. It was destroyed in January 1945 on the Vistula and reformed in March.

This unit took part in anti-partisan operations in Croatia.

Known war crimes

Soldiers from the division shot 130 hostages in Valjevo in present day Serbia in reprisal of a sabotage against the rail lines. This incident was confirmed by the ULTRA decrypt from 10 November 1941 (1).

Commanders

Generalleutnant Dr. Walter Hinghofer (2 July 1941 - 1 Nov 1941)
Generalmajor Paul Hoffmann (1 Nov 1941 - 10 May 1942)
Generalleutnant Albrecht Baron Digeon von Monteton (10 May 1942 - 9 July 1942)
Generalmajor Paul Hoffmann (9 July 1942 - 1 Aug 1942)
Generalleutnant Albrecht Baier (1 Aug 1942 - 25 Sep 1943)
Generalleutnant Heinrich Nickel (25 Sep 1943 - 8 May 1945)

Area of operations

Germany (Nov 1940 - July 1941)
France (June 1941 - Oct 1941)
Yugoslavia (Oct 1941 - Feb 1942)
Eastern front, central sector (Feb 1942 - Oct 1944)
Eastern Germany (Oct 1944 - May 1945)

Nicknames

Rhein-Mosel-Division

Holders of high awards

Holders of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold (3)
- Loeber, Johannes, 07.04.1945, Obergefreiter, Melder i. d. 4./Gren.Rgt. 698
- Schneck, Ernst, 01.03.1945, Hauptmann, Kdr. II./Gren.Rgt. 698
- Wagner, Hans, 07.04.1945, Feldwebel, sMG-Zugführer 4./Gren.Rgt. 698
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (2)
- Nickolmann, Heinz, 27.09.1944 (4057), Oberleutnant, Btl.Adj. I./Gren.Rgt. 697
- Weiskopf, Wilhelm, 27.05.1944 (3372), Hauptmann, Btl.Fhr. II./Gren.Rgt. 697
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (1)
- Resch, Walter, 11.02.1943 (322), Oberzahlmeister, Veterinär-Kp. 342
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (45)
Holders of the German Cross in Silver (3)
- Littan, Dr. Emil, 30.04.1945, Oberfeldarzt, Div.Arzt. 342. Inf.Div.
- Milde, Rudolf, 29.04.1945, Oberleutnant d.R., 342. Inf.Div.
- Schäfer, Dr. Herman, 19.12.1944, Stabsarzt, San.Kp. 1/342
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (22)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (20) (19 RK + 1 EL)

Order of battle (1940)

Infanterie-Regiment 697
Infanterie-Regiment 698
Infanterie-Regiment 699
Artillerie-Regiment 342
Divisionseinheiten 342

Order of battle (1944)

Grenadier-Regiment 697
Grenadier-Regiment 698
Divisionsgruppe 330
Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 342
Artillerie-Regiment 342
Divisionseinheiten 342

Footnotes

1. The National Archives, Kew, File Number HW5/37, CX/MSS/422

Sources used

The National Archives, Kew, File Number HW5/37, CX/MSS/422
Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945

Reference material on this unit

Werner Schulze - 72. Infanterie-Division - 342. Infanterie-Division: Dokumentation