22. Luftlande Infanterie-Division was formed in Bremen on 15 Oct 1935. It was mobilized Aug 1939 as part of the 1. Welle (wave). Trained as a Luftlande (air landing) unit in Oct 1939, the division, in conjunction with the Fallschirmjäger troops of the 7. Flieger-Division, took part in the combined airborne/air landing attack on Rotterdam and Den Haag, Netherlands in May 1940. It took part in the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, fighting on the southern sector under the 11. Armee. After taking part in Crimean campaign and the capture of Sevastopol, the division was restored to Luftlande status on 29 July 1942 with the additional designation of “mot.trop.” (motorized-tropical). Transferred to Greece in Aug 1942, it later moved to Crete where it served on occupation, security and coastal defense duties. Its restoration to Luftlande status was cancelled on 1 Oct 1942. The division participated in the recapture of the Aegean islands of Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Samos from British and Italian forces in 1943. Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, the division commander, directed the operations. Of note, Major Sylvester von Saldern-Brallentin, commander of II./Grenadier-Regiment 65, led a Kampfgruppe in the amphibious operations against Kos and Leros.

On 26 Apr 1944 the commander of the division, Generalmajor Heinrich Kreipe, was kidnapped by a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) team led by Major Patrick Leigh-Fermor. His car was stopped on the way from the divisional headquarters at Ano Arkhanais to his quarters at Knossos and he was taken on a trek over the mountains to the south coast where they were picked up by a British vessel near Rodakino 14 May.
The division remained on Crete until Sep 1944 when it was evacuated to the mainland during the German withdrawal from Greece. It was redesignated 22. Volksgrenadier-Division in March 1945.

See also The Infanterie-Regiment 47 airborne operation on Valkenburg 1940.

Combat rating
On 30 March 1942, it was rated "Zur Abwehr voll geeignet" (fully suited for defensive missions). It had 9 batallions with up to 50% of their establishent combat strength (Kampfstärke), with almost complete divisional artillery. Was considered to require refilling before being capable of offensive missions.

Nicknames and Honor titles

Kornblumen-Division

Infanterie-Regiment 16 was given the title Infanterie-Regiment Oldenburg 1 Oct 1934 but was redesignated 15 Oct 1935.

Holders of high awards
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (13)
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (1)
  Giesecke, Heinz, 16.05.1942 (141), Gefreiter, 10./Inf.Rgt. 65
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (46)
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (6)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (21)
Holders of the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class (Orden “Michael der Tapfere” III. Klasse)  (4)
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army  (2)
  I./Infanterie-Regiment 16
    Date/Place of Action: 13.06.1942 bei Sewastopol
    Award Date: 15.07.1942 / Vorschlagsbuch (1079)
  III./Infanterie-Regiment 16
    Date/Place of Action: 13.06.1942 bei Sewastopol
    Award Date: 15.07.1942 / Vorschlagsbuch (1081)
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (4)
  7./Artillerie-Regiment 22
    Date/Place of Downing: 13.11.1943 bei Ajil Deka
    Award Date: 01.02.1944 (455)
  7./Artillerie-Regiment 22
    Date/Place of Downing: 23.07.1943 bei Ajil Deka
    Award Date: 01.02.1944 (456)
  8./Artillerie-Regiment 22
    Date/Place of Downing: 23.07.1943 bei Siwwa
    Award Date: 01.02.1944 (457)
  Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22
    Date/Place of Downing: 09.11.1943 bei Pesa
    Award Date: 01.05.1944 (480)

Order of battle (1939)
Infanterie-Regiment 16
Infanterie-Regiment 47
Infanterie-Regiment 65
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22
Artillerie-Regiment 22
  I. Abteilung
  II. Abteilung
  III. Abteilung
  I./Artillerie-Regiment 58
Beobachtungs-Abteilung 22 (1)
Pionier-Bataillon 22
Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 22
Nachrichten-Abteilung 22
Feldersatz-Bataillon 22
Versorgungseinheiten 22

Order of battle (1942)
Grenadier-Regiment 16
Grenadier-Regiment 47 (2)
Grenadier-Regiment 65
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22 (3)
Artillerie-Regiment 22
  I. Abteilung
  II. Abteilung
  III. Abteilung
  I./Artillerie-Regiment 58 (4)
Pionier-Bataillon 22
Flak-Bataillon (mot) 22
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22
Nachrichten-Abteilung 22
Feldersatz-Bataillon 22
Versorgungseinheiten 22

Order of battle (1943-1945)
Grenadier-Regiment 16
Grenadier-Regiment 47
Grenadier-Regiment 65
Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 122
Artillerie-Regiment 22
  I. Abteilung
  II. Abteilung
  III. Abteilung
  IV. Abteilung
Pionier-Bataillon 22
Flak-Bataillon (mot) 22
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22
Nachrichten-Abteilung 22
Feldersatz-Bataillon 22
Versorgungseinheiten 22

Notable members
Hans Graf von Sponeck (Arrested 1942 for disobeying Hitler's "No retreat" order and executed 23 July 1944 for suspeceted involvement in the resistance against Hitler, the Bundeswehr barracks General-Hans-Graf-Sponeck-Kaserne in Germersheim was named in his honour 1966)

Footnotes
1. Released from the division in Dec 1939 and designated Heerestruppe.
2. Grenadier-Regiment 47 was transferred to North Africa in Oct 1942 and assigned to Kampfgruppe Buhse, which was subordinated directly to the 5. Panzerarmee. It was redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 47 on 26 Feb 1943 and assigned to the 21. Panzer-Division. Destroyed in May 1943 in Tunisia, it was reformed as Grenadier-Regiment 47 in Feb 1944 on Crete through Feldersatz-Bataillon 22 and reassigned to the 22. Infanterie-Division.
3. Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22 was reorganized/reformed as Kradschützen-Bataillon 13 on 6 Aug 1942. It returned to its original designation of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 22 on 2 Oct 1942 before being redesignated Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 122 on 1 Apr 1943.
4. Transferred to Artillerie-Regiment 229 of the 197. Infanterie-Division in July 1942.

Sources used
BA-MA RH2/429

Anthony Rogers - Churchill’s Folly: Leros and the Aegean—The Last Great British Defeat of World War II

Reference material on this unit

Bruns - Grenadierregiment 16 1939-1945

Rudolf Buhse - Aus der Geschichte der Grenadier-Regiments 47

Friedrich August von Metzsch - Die Geschichte der 22. Infanterie Division 1939-1945

Bruce Quarrie - German Airborne Divisions: Blitzkrieg 1940-41