556th Infantry Division

Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the Heer, the ground forces of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht.

The 556th Infantry Division was formed in Posen (West Prussia) as a garrison for the Upper Rhine area in Wehrkreis XII (roughly equivalent to the modern-day Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate) on the Franco-German border.

[2]: 350  Additionally, the division contained Artillery Regiment 556, which consisted of three artillery detachments (I./, II./, and III./ (from military districts XI, X and XII, respectively)), Observation Detachment 556 (from military district XX), and the supporting Division Units 556 (without Panzerjäger, reconnaissance and pioneer units).

[5]: 207  On the Franco-German border, it guarded the Westwall fortifications (Allied parlance: "Siegfried Line").

[6]: 290 It protected the German rear during the rapid advances by Wehrmacht troops during the Battle of France.