Many of the units transferred into the 155th Field Training Division. On November 8, 1944, the order was given to disband the division. Soon after that the division was ordered to the X Army at the Adriatic coast where its 39th and 40th Jager Regiments were assigned to the 26 Panzer Division and the supporting units divided among the 29 & 90th Panzer Grenadier Divisions. Colonel Kasper Volcker assumed command but 2 months later he was captured. On 12th of September, commander Major-General Wilhelm Crisolli was killed by partisans. By July it was providing coastal defense and anti-partisan force at Lucca with the bulk of the forces between Viareggio and La Spezia. The 20th LFD arrived in Italy in May 1944. Much of the division was ordered back to Denmark where it was absorbed into the 19th Volksgrenadier Division. The 19th Luftwaffe Field Division was ordered to disband late in July 1944. By July 19th, the German line had retreated north of Livorno. The remnants of the 19 LFD withdrew to Livorno under pursuit by the US 133rd & 135th Regiments. They held off the Americans for a week with several fierce counter-attacks, but they were outflanked by the US 135th Infantry Regiment. The 19 LFD fought holding actions as it fell back to the coastal town of Rosignano-Solvay. On July 3rd, the American 6th Corps launched a ferocious attack. The German front consisted of the 19 LFD next to the coast, then the 26 Panzer Division and next to it the 20 LFD. The US 34th Division was strengthened by the US 1st Armored Division, as General Senger moved the 26th Panzer Division in to support the 19th LFD. The 19 LFD escaped from Piombino area and set-up a defensive position behind the Cecina River at the town of Cecina that featured a massive stone castle. On June 25th, the US 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division replaced the 36th ID and continued to advance 15 miles to Highway 68. The 19 LFD escaped along the coastal Highway 1. The US 36th “Texas” Infantry Division launched an attack on 24 June that crossed the Ombrone River and advanced to Montepescali. The 19th LFD fought fierce rear-guard battles near Castagneto and Monteverdi. The 19th & 20th LFD were placed in the FRIEDA Line on the right flank of the XIV Army near Piombino. In June 1944, the 19th LFD was ordered to move to Italy, where it entered defense duty at Livorno(Leghorn) under the XIV Panzer Corps. Just before their transfer the Luftwaffe field divisions were renamed as Luftwaffe-Strum Divisionen or Airforce Assault Divisions, probably to deceive the Allies and give the units more prestige. The flak and artillery battalions were armed with Soviet and Polish guns after having to give up their assault guns to units at the Russian front. Since trucks were not available, the division formed into bicycle (“radfahr”) regiments and the artillery regiments were fully mobilized. The Army transferred some Cavalry officers and NCOs into this unit. Instead, he designated the 20 LFD as a mobile formation. In November, the General Staff had begun to make plans to absorb the Luftwaffe Field Divisions into the Army but Hitler blocked this change. In June 1943, the 19th LFD was moved to Holland and the 20th LFD to Denmark to act as occupation forces. As they were forming, some units were transferred over to the 44th Infantry Division and 24th Panzer Division. Flieger-Regiment 23 was a training unit for pilots and ground personnel in Russia and it was absorbed into the 20 LFD. Recruits and officers came from the XIII FliegerKorps. I understand this as I occasionally get a bit of a soft spot for units that consistently get away with heroic successes (just escaping on 1 Str and 0 ammo after holding off an entire army).The 19th and 20th Luftwaffe Field Divisions (LFD) were part of the 3rd wave of infantry divisions formed from air force personnel in France in March 1943. A few months back there was a thread about someone who kept reforming his West 42/43 conscripts and using them in every scenario. The third use is to preserve units with a history - maybe one of your original starting units, or a captured or reward unit you can't replace.
The special units with multi-atribute heroes are also worth reforming (eg Rudel, Oleh Dir). I won't usually reform a unit with +1 A or D hero, but infantry with +1 move or spotting, artillery with +1 range or +1 movement, or any unit with +2 or +3 Attack or defence or better are usually worth keeping, even if they lose their experience. I was lucky and got an SE tank about two games later.
I usually reform SE units - the only time I haven't was when I had a lot of good normal infantry units and had four SE Panzer Grenadiers. I mostly use it for the two practical reasons, but not exclusively. Tarrak has captured the two practical uses of Reform Units, but it can also be done for colour or personal reasons.
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