268th Infantry Division ( Wehrmacht ) The 268th Infantry Division ( German : 268 . Infanterie - Division ) was a German Army division active and operating during the Second World War . Operational history . Initial preparations and Barbarossa . The division was raised in August 1939 as part of the fourth mobilisation wave , consisting of Bavarian soldiers from Wehkreis VII . It was placed under the command of " Major General " Erich Straube . Although formed during the preparation for the upcoming invasion of Poland , the 268th was initially stationed in the Saarland - the Franco - German border . During the Battle of France , the division was stationed with " Lieutenant General " Gotthard Heinrici ' s XII Corps , of the 1st Army . It was later moved to Poland in September 1940 . In January , 1940 , portions of the officer complements were moved to the newly activated 297th Infantry Division . In June of the same year , further significant potions of the 268th ' s officer complements were moved , this time to the 132nd Infantry Division . On June 1 , 1941 , its commanding officer , Straube , was promoted to " Lieutenant General " , as German forces prepared for Operation Barbarossa , which the division was to take part in . It was made a component of " General of the Artillery " Wilhelm Fahrmbacher ' s " VII Army Corps " , itself part of Army Group Centre ' s Second Army . The division took part in successful actions in the opening weeks , with the Brest Fortress being stormed and large portions of the Soviet Western Front being encircled at the Battle of Białystok – Minsk . Smolensk and beyond . The 268th was present on 23 July as German forces attacked the Smolensk Pocket . As Soviet Field Marshal Semyon Timoshenko began to assemble forces for a counter - offensive ; this put strain on both Heinz Guderian ' s 2nd and Hermann Hoth ' s 3rd Panzer Groups . As such , " Field Marshall " Fedor von Bock , commanding officer of Army Group Centre , had the division transferred under Guderian ' s command as part of XX Corps . The Corps ' duty was to take control of the El ' nia sector , which was to capture a bridgehead nearby . On July 26 , a number of 2nd Army Group divisions were moved northward to reinforce Hoth ' s 3rd Panzer Group as it prepared to seal Soviet troops in Smolensk within a pocket - the 106th and 268th divisions arrived by 3 August , with another three arriving over the next three days . Although the move was to keep the Soviet troops sealed within the city , Guderian was more concerned with Soviet movements towards Yelnya and Roslavl . The El ' nia bridgehead was captured by August 8 and defended by XX Army Corps , relieving the 10th Panzer and the 2nd - SS Panzer Divisions , as the Soviets attempted another attack . In the following week , more than 2500 men in the Corps were killed , many of whom being of the division ' s battalion - level line officers . Not finished with Smolensk , the 268th ' s participated in action near Yelnya at the end of August , leading to a ( though minor ) German withdrawal . Moscow and 1942 . As German forces attempted to attack Moscow with Operation Typhoon , the Red Army began to attack near Rzhev and Vyazma in November . In December it was assigned to " XXIV Corps " in the " 2nd Panzer Army " , and in January 1942 to " XIII Corps " in " Fourth Army " . In January 1942 , " Lieutenant General " Straube was replaced as commanding officer by " Major General " Heinrich Greiner . In February 1942 it was assigned to " XII Corps " , with which it served until August 1943 . 1943 , Kursk and disbanding . In January 1943 , Grainer was promoted to the rank of " Lieutenant General " . The division sustained heavy losses during the Battle of Kursk , pulling back at diminished size to Bryansk and later Mogilev . It was after this that the division , reduced to a regimental - strength , was formerly disbanded as a division , after having been renamed " Division Group 268 " and placed within the 36th Motorized Division . The divisional staff had alreadt been moved to the 362nd Infantry .