373. Croatian infantry division

373. Croatian infantry division -373. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division -"Tigar"

author: Krešimir Musić

373. Croatian infantry division  or “373. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division”  nicknamed Tigar divison, was Croatian legionary divsion in Wehrmacht durinag WWII.

It was formed on 06.01.1943 in military camp Dölersheim with German C.O and N.C.O and Croatian soldiers. Core of Croatians came from VII.mountain brigade  of Domobranstvo  which was in training in town Bruck an der Leith. Brigade was disbanded and men transfered to 373.division.
Data about size of division is unreliable and varies from 12-14,000. Unit  was continuously refilled with recruits from Croatia and German soldiers. The size of German contingent got bigger as the war progressed as the total size of division got smaller due to increase of desertion of Croats towards the end of war. One source states that size of the division on 31.12.1944 was 6562 men.

The division was made up from Command, 383 and 384 infantry regiments , 373 Artillery regiment and other divisional units who had number 373. in front of their name.

When Second Croatian legion was transferred and disbanded in Stockerau after Italian capitulation its members were dispersed among many units. One source states that many soldiers were incorporated in 373. division.

I found on the internet  note that at the end of 1944,   2.hunting brigade(2.lovački zdrug) of Domobranstvo was added to the division as 385 regiment. This is not true , as 2.hunting regiment becomes at that time part of 10.Croatian division (10.divizija HOS-a) .

In 5.1943 after completion of training division is transfered to Croatia. Due to a guerrilla warfare in Croatia unit was not used as a whole , but its regiments and battalions are used separately often as parts of ad hoc formed fighting groups. During 1943 division guards bauxite mines in western Herzegovina , in Bosnia it  secures communication to the north , and later in  the same year it is in western Bosnia  in Sana and Una river valleys. In  early 1944 division participate  in defence of  Banja Luka, later in fights in regions of Lika, Banovina(Banija) Kordun and Bosanska krajina.
A large part of division participates in operation Rösselsprung(Knights move) in  5.1944
In 11.1944 after heavy fighting around Knin unit retreats to regions of Lika , Una river valley and Cazinska krajina area.
Yugoslav army started full offensive on the positions of division in 3.1945 . In 5.1945 division retreats from Kostajnica over Sunja towards Zagreb . After leaving Kostajnica last Croats were dismissed from division , around 2-3,000 of them. Division surrendered on 10.05.1945 near Krško ,Slovenia.


Feldpost 

Feldpost in relatively rare ,most of letters sent to Croatia were mailed from training in Austria
Mail to Croatia bearing marks of  VII mountain brigade can be treated as forerunner of Tiger division feldpost. This mail can be traced  up to the end of 1942 , regularly it carries marks of Brigade and civil postmark Bruck an der Leith with date in it. In the beginning of 1943 brigade was split to make up regiments 383 and 384 with 2 battalions each, the use of Brigade marks stops then and Feldpost numbers start to be used. Letters in the beginning  carry mark of  Dollersheim command, later marks with Feldpost numbers came to use.
I havee seen letters mailed in late 1942 by soldiers from VII.mountain.brigade, and in early 1943 these same soldiers write letters with Tiger division Feldpost numbers.

Mail written in Croatian and sent inside  Croatia are rare , more common are letters in German sent to Raich , but they are also uncommon.

Feldpost cancels of different dimension and shapes can be found, round ones and straight one, some mail has no postmarks with Feldpost numbers.

All mail sent to Croatia carries marks of OKW censorship , unlike mail sent to Raich which often has no signs of censorship.

Official mail is very rare, sa are recommend letters from unit.
Divisons Fedlpost used Kenn number 349 ,which was assigned to divisions postal service, Feldpostamt 373 /FpNr 07103/

Organisation  of  division by Feldpost numbers 

Div-Stab
01001 Kommando 373. Infant - Division (Kroat . ) und Feldzeitung des Stabes 373. Kroat . Division

Inf.-Rgt. 383: Batl: I, II, III , 13.IG ¸14.IG
04735  (17.07.1942 ) Regimentsstab   Infanterie/ Grenadier-Regiment 383 (Kroat.)
06694 (15.7.1942) Stab I u. 1.-4. Kompanie Infanterie/ Grenadier -Regiment 3 83 (Kroatien)
09113 (15.7.1942) Stab II u. 5.-8. Kompanie Infanterie/Grenadier  Regiment 383 (Kroatien)
11439 (15.7.1942) Stab III u. 9.-12. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 383 (Kroat.),
05729 (15.7.1942) 13. Kompanie Infanterie/ Grenadier -Regiment 383 (Kroat.)
10738 (15.7.1942) 14. Kompanie Infanterie/GrenadierRegiment 383 (Kroatien)

Pionere Batl.373
08018 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Stab, 1.-3. Kompanie u. Kolonne Pionier-Bataillon 373 (Kroat.).

Inf.-Rgt.384   Batl: I,II,III , 13,kp, 14kp 15kp.
07277 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Regimentsstab Infanterie/ Grenadier -Regiment 384 (Kroat.)
12152 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Stab I u. 1.-4. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 384 (Kroat.)
02371   Stab II u. 5.-8. Kompanie Infanterie /Grenadier Regiment 384 (Kroatien)
08193 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Stab III u. 9.-12. Kompanie Infanterie/ Grenad Regiment 384 (Kroat.)
12447 (15.7.1942) 13. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 384 (Kroat.),
07433 15.7.1942-24.1.1943) 14. Kompanie Infanterie/ Grenadier Regiment 384 (Kroat.)

Art.-Rgt.373
13150(15.7.1942) Regimentsstab u. Stabsbatterie Artillerie-Regiment 373 (Kroat.).
15299 A-D - Stab I mit Stabsbatterie u. 1.-3. Batterie Artillerie-Regiment 373 (Kroat.).
04585 A-D  ( 15.7.1942) Stab II m. Stabsbatterie u.4.-6.Batterie Artill.-Regi 373 (Kroat.)
14111 A-C-  Stab III mit Einheit Artillerie-Regiment 373 (Kroat.).

Aufkl-Abt.373 :  (1.und2.Schwadronauf Fahrrädern,3.und 4.Schwadron mot.als  Panzerjägerkompanien )
34608 (12.3.1943-7.9.1943) Stab, 1.-2. u. schwere Schwadron Radfahr-Abteilung 373/Aufklärungs
03007 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Stab, 1.-2. Schwadron u. 3.-4. Panzerjäger-Kompanie Aufklarungs-Abteilung 373 (Kroatien)

Nachr.-Abt.  373
13906 (15.7.1942) Stab, 1.-2. Komp.u.Kolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abt. 373 (Kroat.).

Feldersatz-Batl .373 (5komp).
39915 (12.3.1943-7.9.1943) Stab, 1.-3. Kompanie, 4. MG-Kompanie u. 5.gemischte Kompanie

Feldersatz-Bataillon 373 der 373. (Kroat.) Division,
08788 (1.8.1943 ) 1- 5 Kompanie Feldersatz-Bataillon 373 (Kroatien)

Sanitätskompanie 373:
11883 (15.7.1942) Sanitäts-Kompanie 373 (Kroat.)
13244 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) 1. Kranken-Kraftwagen-Zug 373 (Kroat.),
09956 (15.7.1942) 2. Kranken-Kraftwagen-Zug/Kraftwagen 373 (Kroatisch)

Veterinärdienste 373 (kroat)
03744   (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Veterinär-Kompanie 373 (Kroat.)

Kommandeur der Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubtruppen 373(kroat)
01728 Kommandeur der Infanterie-Division Nachschubtruppe 373 (kroatisch),
14813  (15.7.1942) Nachschub-Kompanie 373(Kroat.)/07.11.44 -1.u.2.Nachschub-Zug 373 (Kroat.)
11486 (15.7.1942) 1. kleine Kraftwagenkolonne Infanterie-Div-Kolonne 373 ,gestrichen.
16096 (15.7.1942 ) 1. kleine Kraftwagenkolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Kolonne 373 (Kroat. )
05367 (15.7.1942) 2. Fahrkolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Kolonne  373 (Kroat.)/ Nachsub
14429 (15.7.1942) 3. Fahrkolonne Infanterie-Div-Kolonne 373 (Kroat.),   22.12.1943 gestrichen
18667 (15.7.1942) 3. Fahrkolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Kolonne 373
16875 (15.7.1942) 4. Fahrkolonne Inf-Divis-Kolonne 373 (Kroat.)/3. Fahrschwadron/Nachschub
08788 (15.7.1942 ) 5. Fahrkolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Kolonne  373 (Kroatien)
16534 (15.7.1942) 6. Fahrkolonne Infanterie-Divisions-Kolonne 373 (Kroat.) 9.2.1944 gestrichen,
15507 (15.7.1942) 7. Fahrkolonne Inf-Div-Kolonne 373 (Kroat.)/ Halbschwadron Nachschub. 373

15507(7.11.1944-Kriegsende) 1  1. Fahrschwadron DivisionVersorgungs-Regiment 373 (Kroat.).

Verwaltungsdienste 373 (kroat)
02988 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Kraftwagen-Werkstatt-Kompanie 373 (Kroatien)
06869 (15.7.1942) Schlacht. Kompanie 373 (Kroat.)
09423 (15.7.1942) Feldgendarmerie-Trupp373 (Kroatien).
17037 (15.7.1942) Bäckerei-Kompanie 373 Kroat/ (7.11.1944-Kriegsende)Feldzeug-Kompanie 373
12828 (15.7.1942) Verpflegungsamt 373 (Kroat.)-24.03.1944 Verwaltungs-Kompanie 373 (Kroat.).

47579 (12.3.1943-7.9.1943) Feldzeitung des Stabes 373. (Kroat.) Division, dann (23.4.1944 ) Panzer-Propaganda-Kompanie 693 Kommando Agram ,publisher of magazine Der Kampfer-Borac (the Fighter in German and Croatian) magazine for legionary soldiers.

Feldpostamt 373
07103 (15.7.1942-24.1.1943) Feldpostamt 373 (Kroat.). Kenn 349.