32nd Infantry Division ( Wehrmacht ) The 32nd Infantry Division of the German Army was mobilized on 1 August 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland . At that time , it consisted of the usual German infantry division elements : three infantry regiments of three battalions each , one three - battalion regiment of light artillery , one battalion of heavy artillery ( from a separate artillery regiment , but attached to the particular division ) , a Panzerjäger ( anti - tank ) Battalion , a reconnaissance ( Aufklärungs ) Battalion , a Signals Battalion , a Pioneer ( Engineer ) Battalion , and divisional supply , medical , and administrative units . History . The 32nd Infantry Division was formed on 1 October 1936 in Köslin , in the II Military District under the command of " Generalleutnant " Nikolaus von Falkenhorst . The division was already mobilize on 1 August 1939 and transferred to the Polish border in the area of Preußisch Friedland . At the outbreak of World War II , the division crossed the Polish border on 1 September 1939 and reached the Vistula at Kulm on the third day of operations . On 6 September the division crossed the Drewenz at Gollup and continued its advance to the Modlin Fortress via Sierpc . The division encircled the fortress from the southeast and then marched to Warsaw - Praga . In December 1939 the division was moved to the Eifel . Here the Feldersatz - Bataillon 32 ( 32nd Field Replacement Battalion ) was transferred to the 162nd Infantry Division in January 1940 . In February 1940 , the II . / Infanterie - Regiment 94 ( 2nd Battalion of the 94th Infantry Regiment ) was handed over to the 292nd Infantry Division . At the beginning of the Battle of France ( " Fall Gelb " — Case Yellow ) , the German invasion of France and the Low Countries , the division stationed southwest of Prüm in the Eifel and penetrated the Belgian border defenses and crossed the river Meuse at Givet . The division then marched through Ohain to Cambrai , and from here south of Douai to La Bassée and Lille . During the second phase campaign , " Fall Rot " ( Case Red ) , the division crossed the river Somme at Bray - sur - Somme and the river Seine near Rouen . Afterwards the division pursued the defeated French opponents to the river Loire near Nantes . Here the division remained until August 1940 . It then relocated to the Cotentin peninsula , in preparation for Operation Sea Lion ( " Unternehmen Seelöwe " ) , the planned invasion of the United Kingdom which was never carried out . In October 1940 the division was transferred to East Prussia . At the same time , the staff of Infanterie - Regiment 4 ( 4th Infantry Regiment ) and every 3rd battalion of every infantry regiment were handed off to the 122nd Infantry Division . The hand - offs were replaced . In the winter of 1941 the Division was trapped in the Demyansk Pocket along with the 12th , 30th , 123rd and 290th infantry divisions , and the SS - Division " Totenkopf " , as well as RAD , Police , Todt organization and other auxiliary units , for a total of about 90 , 000 German troops and around 10 , 000 auxiliaries . Their commander was " General der Infanterie " Walter Graf von Brockdorff - Ahlefeldt , commander of the II . Armeekorps ( 2nd Army Corps ) .