272nd Infantry Division ( Wehrmacht ) The 272nd Infantry Division was a Type 1944 infantry division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II , that was originally formed in December 1943 . The division fought in many of the major battles throughout Operation Overlord , culminating in the Retreat from Northern France and the Low Countries in late August / early September 1944 . Unit Origins . The 272nd Infantry Division was formed in Belgium beginning on 12 December 1943 from the remnants of the 216th Infantry Division , which had been decimated on the Eastern Front and disbanded the month before . The entire staff of the 216th , its signal battalion , divisional support units , and most of its artillery regiment were simply re - designated with the new divisional number . Grenadier Regiments 396 and 398 were disbanded , except the 2nd Battalion , Grenadier Regiment 396 , which was re - designated as Füsilier Battalion 272 . Its commander , Generalleutnant Friedrich August Schack , was carried over from his previous command of the 216th . Only Grenadier Regiment 348 , under the command of Oberstleutnant Burian , was withdrawn from Russia in its entirety , to be re - designated as Grenadier Regiment 980 . Both Grenadier Regiments 981 and 982 were created from reserve and training battalions of the 182nd Reserve Division , consisting almost entirely of native German personnel or Reichsdeutsche . The combat engineer and antitank battalions were formed from scratch using elements forwarded from the Replacement Army . The 272nd Infantry Division trained in the Bevern area in Belgium while under the command and control of the Fifteenth Army . In April 1944 it was sent to the French Mediterranean Coast to continue its training plan and to conduct security duties near the Franco - Spanish border while under the control of the Nineteenth Army . By 19 June , it reported that its present for duty strength was 11 , 211 men and 1 , 514 Russian auxiliaries or Hiwis , for a total of 12 , 725 men , close to its authorized strength . For information about its commitment to the defensive front in Normandy and its main engagements , refer to the section shown below . After surviving the retreat from Normandy , on 17 September 1944 it was redesignated as the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division . Divisional Organization . Upon its formation in December 1943 , the 272nd Infantry Division was composed of the following regiments & formations . Division Commanders . Generalleutnant Friedrich August Schack ( 15 Dec . 1943 to 3 Sep . 1944 ) Ia ( Operations Officer ) : Oberstleutnant i . G . Hubert Werner The 272nd Infantry Division during the Battle of Caen , July - August 1944 . The Division ’ s outstanding performance in the fighting near Caen was recognized in the Wehrmachtbericht of 24 July 1944 , which announced to the German people " In the Caen area , the 272nd Infantry Division , under the inspirational leadership of Generalleutnant Schack , has especially distinguished itself through its tough defense and magnificent counterattacks . " On July 25 , 1944 , after a preliminary barrage lasting upwards of five hours , forces of the II Canadian Corps initiated a massive offensive across a seven - kilometer front , stretching from the Orne River to Bourguebus Ridge , along the entire northern slope of Verrières Ridge . Although initial successes were made by Canadian forces , strong adherence to defensive doctrine by German forces across the ridge prevented major gains . The ridge ' s defenders , including the 272nd Division , inflicted particularly heavy casualties on the Black Watch ( Royal Highland Regiment ) of Canada with 315 out of the 325 men who left the Canadian start line killed , wounded , or captured . Counterattacks were carried out throughout the 25th and 26 July by Heer and Waffen SS troops and tanks , so that by the evening of 26 July , the tip of the Anglo - Canadian spearhead had been broken off and the front line pushed back between two and three kilometers . The next evening , the exhausted survivors of the 272nd were pulled out of line and sent to a quiet area on the front line near the town of Troarn to rest , reconstitute and take in replacements . It continued to reorganize until 3 August , absorbing the bulk of the disbanded 16th " Luftwaffe " Field Division . This brought the 272nd back up to 50 – 60 % of its authorized strength . By being transferred to the Troarn area , the division avoided being trapped in the Falaise Pocket . Though it had fought hard during the effort to stop Operation Goodwood , much more lay ahead – fighting at Troan , retreat across the Dives , the tank battle at Lisieux , and the retreat across the Seine and the low countries . The Grenadiers of the 272nd had acquitted themselves well against British tanks , using Panzerfaust , hand grenade bundles and antitank guns to make numerous tank kills in ten days of combat while undergoing some of the fiercest bombardments of the Normandy Campaign . This feat was recognized in a second Wehrmachtbericht of 4 August 1944 , which stated " The 272nd Infantry Division . . . forced to rely alone on the tough resistance of its brave Grenadiers . . . is to be thanked that the enemy breakthrough attempt south of Caen was prevented by timely counterattck by its assembled forces " .