Number of German divisions by front in World War II

by Ron Klages & John Mulholland

The following accounting of German divisions by month from September 1939 to May 1945 by front was compiled from the works of Georg Tessin in his epic accounting of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS titled: Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939-1945. In the 19 volumes that comprise this work each division has listed a monthly assignment showing higher attachments during the war. This summarized listing was obtained by compiling all of the divisional listing as reported in the Tessin work. I should also point out that each division might have a different report date for each month and this will mean that a division located on the Eastern front at the beginning of the month might not be located on that front at the end of the month. This list was prepared to provide a quick reference to determine the relative comparisons by front of the numbers of divisions assigned throughout the war. I should also note that the column titled ‘Germany’ actually means home and as such this could represent all non-combatant regions of the war such as that area known as the “General Government” or Denmark. Finally, divisions established in the latter months of the conflict are only included if Tessin showed a higher assignment existing for the division.

Note: The information shown in the above chart was gratefully supplied through research done by Ron Klages. Any errors or typos are those of this writer - John Mulholland.