1st Infantry Division ( Wehrmacht ) The German 1st Infantry Division , ( designated " 1 . Infanterie - Division " in German ) , was one of the original infantry division s of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht and served throughout World War II . History . Originally formed as the beginning of Germany ' s first wave of rearmament , the division was first given the title of " Artillerieführer I " and only later called " Wehrgauleitung Königsberg " . These names were an effort to cover Germany ' s expansion of infantry divisions from seven to twenty - one . The division ' s infantry regiments were built up from the " 1 . ( Preussisches ) Infanterie - Regiment " of the " 1 . Division " of the Reichswehr and originally consisted of recruits from East Prussia . The unit ' s Prussian heritage is represented by the Hohenzollern coat of arms that served as the divisional insignia . Upon the official revelation of the Wehrmacht in October 1935 , the unit received its title of " 1 . Infanterie - Division " . In February 1936 , the headquarters of the division was moved from Insterburg to Königsberg . With the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 , the 1st Infantry Division advanced toward Warsaw as a component of the XXVI Army Corps in von Küchler ' s 3rd Army . It engaged Polish forces near the heavily - defended town of Mława ( see Battle of Mława ) for several days , then crossed over the Bug and Narew Rivers . It fought again near Węgrów and Garwolin and ended the campaign east of Warsaw . Playing a minor role in the invasion of France , the division returned to East Prussia in the autumn of 1940 . With the launch of Operation Barbarossa , the 1st Infantry Division entered the Soviet Union as part of the 18th Army with Army Group North , advancing on Leningrad . It remained and fought in the area of Leningrad and Lake Ladoga through December 1943 . ( See Siege of Leningrad . ) Transferred to the 1st Panzer Army , the division fought at Krivoy Rog and broke out of encirclement in March 1944 . The 1st Infantry Division returned to its native East Prussia for the last time in the summer of 1944 . Except for participating in the urgent and temporary link - up with the now - isolated Army Group North in Lithuania ( Operation Doppelkopf ) , the unit remained to defend the easternmost German province from the advancing Red Army . Alternating between 3rd Panzer and 4th Armies , the division was trapped in the Königsberg / Samland area after it was cut off from the rest of Germany by the end of January , 1945 . At 0400 hours on February 19 , 1945 , elements of the 1st Infantry , led by a captured Soviet T - 34 tank , spearheaded a westward offensive from Königsberg intended to link with General Hans Gollnick ' s XXVIII Corps , which held parts of the Samland peninsula , including the vital port of Pillau . Capturing the town of Metgethen , the unit opened the way for the 5th Panzer Division to join with Gollnick ' s forces near the town of Gross Heydekrug the next day . This action re - opened the land route from Königsberg to Pillau , allowing for the evacuation of civilian refugees via the port and solidifying the German defense of the area until April . With the capitulation of Königsberg on April 9 , 1945 , the surviving elements of the division retreated to Pillau , where this East Prussian unit clung to the last ground of its home province until surrendering to the Soviets . Organization . The 1st Infantry Division was a " Wave 1 " division , meaning it existed prior to the outbreak of the war . It was equipped and organized along standard lines for a German infantry division . Its original form in 1934 consisted of two infantry regiments , an artillery regiment , a pioneer battalion , and a signals unit . The division invaded Poland with the following units under command : Commanders . The following officers commanded the 1st Infantry Division : Personnel . A total of 31 personnel of the division were awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross .