The 352nd Infantry Division (352. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Army during World War II. Deployed on the Western Front, the division defended Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. History Formation and strengths The 352nd Infantry Division was formed in occupied France in early November 1943; this followed the German High Command order issued in September that year to raise ten new infantry divisions to replace losses on the Eastern Front. These new divisions were to be combat ready by May 1944. The 352nd was placed under the command of Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss. Once up to strength and trained, the 352nd was expected to transfer to the Eastern Front, however there was no clear timetable or confirmation of that deployment and by March 1944, with the threat of an Allied invasion in the West, the 352nd received orders to prepare for the defence of the Atlantic Wall, in the Normandy area. The 352nd, when formed, was a mix of experienced soldiers drawn from worn-out or disbanded divisions that had served on the Eastern front, young German, conscripts and a significant number of Ost volunteers, the latter mainly employed in divisional support roles. Throughout the training period there were shortages of men, equipment, and fuel and by early 1944 the division, though reasonably equipped, was far from properly prepared for front-line infantry combat. With the Normandy coastal area extending 100 km, Field Marshal Rommel made the decision to split the area in half, by providing the static 716th Division with a shortened 47 km long 'Caen zone', (supported by the 21st Panzer Division) and deploying the 352nd Infantry Division to defend the 53 km long 'Bayeux zone' (bringing the 352nd in between the 709th Division and the 716th Division). Even with the benefit of all the fortifications under construction, this frontage was still far beyond what was considered prudent in German tactical doctrine. This led to a number of disagreements between Rommel, Dietrich Kraiss and the Corps Commander on how best to deploy the Grenadier Regiments of the 352nd. In the end it was decided that two infantry regiments would be stationed forward, and one infantry regiment would be left in reserve. However, the Regimental Commands were disrupted as some battalions were operating independently. On the divisional right flank just south of Bayeux, Grenadier Regiment 915, (with 2 battalions) were positioned as a counterattack reserve, along with