The unit then took part in the invasion of Crete, codenamed Operation Merkur. Here the unit was used in an air-landing role where it fought against British forces which had retreated from Greece. The units role in securing the islands was significant, and in November 1941, the unit returned to Germany for refitting.[2]
Following its year on the Eastern Front the unit was redeployed to the Gustav Line in December 1943, arriving near Cassino. The unit fought out the remainder of the war in Italy and the Western Alps before surrendering to American forces near Turin in May 1945.[4]
War crimes
The division was implicated in the Grugliasco massacre, Piedmont, alongside the 34th Infantry Division, where, on 30 April 1945, 67 civilians were executed.[5][6] Shortly after the division was also implicated in another massacre in the town of Santhià, on the way to Milan, resulting in 48 deaths.[7]
Tessin, Georg (1965). "Die Landstreitkräfte 1—5". Die Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939—1945 (in German). Frankfurt/Main: E.S. Mittler. p. 290.
