16. Luftwaffe

16. Luftwaffe is an Axis Infantry division in Steel Division and one of four new divisions released with the Second Wave DLC, the other being the British 1st Special Service brigade, the German 9. Panzer, and the American 4th Armored. 16. Luftwaffe-Felddivision was made up of supernumerary Luftwaffe ground personnel pressed into combat units. With low morale and often outdated equipment, they were far from the usual hard-fighting German Grenadiers. Supported by a motley assortment of captured French vehicles and StuGs, they can at least rely on well-equipped and trained multi-purpose Flak guns.

A traditional WW1 infantry commander, Sievers is more at ease in a defensive role, deploying his men behind a strong defensive screen to wait for the enemy. A WW1 veteran as well, Sievers was an infantry lieutenant-colonel when WW2 broke in 1939. After taking part in the campaigns in the Netherlands & France, he served from 1940 to late 1943 in occupation duties in France and as commander of the War School in Metz, with two tours on the Eastern front during that period. On November 1943, Hitler handed the Luftwaffe-Felddivisionen to the Heer (Army), which replaced several Air Force divisional commanders with Army ones. Sievers was one of the latter, being appointed as commander of the 16. Luftwaffe-Felddivision with the task of bringing it to Army standards. With 75% of his men killed in a single bombardment near Caen in Normandy on July 3, Sievers was reported as nearly demented with grief. Although being given another division later in the war, Sievers was held by many as responsible for the fall of Caen.

Tactics
The Sparrowhawk: With its disheartened infantry and few modern tanks, the 16. LWFD is best suited for defense. Yet, it fields an impressive number of fire support vehicles and heavy Hotchkiss machine-gun to bolster its infantry firepower, and can rely on its skilled and numerous anti-aircraft units to repel enemies both on the ground and in the air. Well-covered against airplanes from the ground, 16. Luftwaffe's air support focuses mostly on ground attack aircrafts, including aerial artillery observers.

Real World Composition

 * Luftwaffe-Jägerregiment 31
 * Luftwaffe-Jägerregiment 32
 * Luftwaffe-Jägerregiment 46
 * Luftwaffe-Pionier-Bataillon 16
 * Luftwaffe-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 16
 * Luftwaffe-Artillerie-Regiment 16
 * Luftwaffe-Füsilier-Battalion 16