553rd Volksgrenadier Division

553rd Volksgrenadier Division 553rd Grenadier Division
553. Volksgrenadier-Division 553. Grenadier-Division
Active	1944–1945
Country	Germany
Branch	German Army
Type	Volksgrenadier
Size	Division
Engagements	World War II Siegfried Line campaign Operation Nordwind Western Allied invasion of Germany
Commanders
Notable commanders	Johannes Bruhn

The 553rd Volksgrenadier Division (German: 553. Volksgrenadier-Division) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during World War II that fought entirely on the Western Front.

Sent to stop the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine in September 1944, it was nearly encircled and destroyed twice in northeastern France: first at Nancy and then at the Saverne Gap. After being rebuilt, in January 1945 it participated in Operation Nordwind, the southern counterpart of the German offensive that became known as the Battle of the Bulge. It captured a bridgehead on the Rhine and elements of the 553rd took part in destroying two American battalions from the U.S. 12th Armored Division at the village of Herrlisheim, along with the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg. After the operation was called off in late January, the 553rd was withdrawn from the front and remained in the Army Group G reserve until the German surrender in May 1945.