Panzer Dvisions 2

Panzer Divisions
Panzer Divisions Profiles

Created by Christopher Richards
"Knights of the black cross", Bryan Perrett. &
"Panzer a Revolution in Warfare, 1939-1945", Roger Edwards.
Army Group Centre
Army Group East
Army Group West
Waffen SS
1st Panzer Division
14th Panzer Division
2nd Panzer Division
1st SS Pz Div Leibstandarte
4th Panzer Division
24th Panzer Division
9th Panzer Division
2nd SS Pz Div Das Reich
17th Panzer Division
25th Panzer Division
21st Panzer Division
3rd SS Pz Div Totenkopf
19th Panzer Division
26th Panzer Division
116th Panzer Division
Hermann Goring
Grossdeutshland
Panzer Lehr Division

Army Group Centre
1st Panzer Division
1935 : October raised at Weimar from 3rd Cavalry Division.
1939 : September Poland.
1940 : May France, September Eastern Front: Prussia, Soviet border.
1941 : June Eastern Front: Dunaburg, Leningrad, October to December Moscow.
1942 : March to December Rshev.
1943 : January to June refitted in France, July to October Greece, November Eastern Front: N. Ukraine, Zhitomir.
1944 : February Cherkassy relief, March Brody, Hube pocket, September Carpathians, October Hungary: Debrecen, Nyiregyhaza.
1945 : January Budapest relief, May surrendered to the US at Enns. (Back)
4th Panzer Division
1938 : November raised at Wurzburg.
1939 : Poland.
1940 : May to June Belgium, France, July to November preparing for operation Sea-Lion, December Germany.
1941 : February W. France, April Balkans reserve, June Eastern Front: Gomel, Kiev, Tula.
1942 : Orel.
1943 : January to June Orel, Kursk, July N. Kursk
1944 : Army Group Centre: Bobruisk, Kowel, Summer Latvia, Courland.
1945 : January to May refitted Danzig after evacuated from Courland, E and W Prussia, surrendered to the Russians at Frisches Nehrung. (Back)
17th Panzer Division
1940 : November raised at Augsburg by reorganisation of 27th Infantry Division.
1941 : Eastern Front: Smolensk, Kiev, October to December Tula, Kashira.
1942 : January to November Orel, then transferred south, December Stalingrad relief.
1943 : January to March Donets, Kharkov, April to September Issyum, October Cherson, Winnitza.
1944 : February Cherkassy relief, March Hube pocket, April to August E. Poland, September Baranov, December Kielce, reorganised with 16th Panzer Division into XXIV Panzer Corps Nehring.
1945 : January Baranov, Kielce, February Oder, Glogau, remnant surrendered to the Russians in Moravia. (Back)
19th Panzer Division
1940 : October to November raised at Hanover by reorganisation of 19th Infantry Division.
1941 : Eastern Front : Minsk, Smolensk, Veliki Luki, Velish. October to December Moscow, Naro-Forminsk.
1942 : Juchnow, Orel, Beliya, December transferred south to Kupjansk.
1943 : January Starobjelsk, Millerovo, February to March Donets, Kharkov, July S. Kursk, late summer escaped encirclement Graivoron before joining Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland in action at Achtyryka, Kiev, Kanev, Bukrin Bridgehead, September Zhitomir, Kaments-Podolsk.
1944 : March Hube pocket, June refitted Holland, July Poland: Grodno, Bialystok, August Warsaw region SE and SW Warka, Magnuschev bridgehead.
1945 : January Radom, February to March Silesia: Breslau, April upper Oder: Rogau, May Slovakia, SW Olmutz, Olomouc, surrendered to the Russians in Bohemia. (Back)
Fallschirm Panzer Division " Hermann Goering "
1933 : February raised in Berlin as a motorised police detachment (Wecke) from Prussian police volunteers, July made responsible to Hermann Goering.
1935 : included into Goering's Luftwaffe and renamed and expanded into Regiment General Goering.
1936 to 1938 : reorganised at Reinickendorf into three flak battalions and a guard battalion for Luftwaffe and Fuhrer HQ protection, March 1938 Austria.
1939 : Bohemia, September Berlin protection.
1940 : May to June Belgium, France.
1941 : Added jaeger battalion, Balkans, June Eastern Front: Dubno, Zhitomir, July Uman, August Nikopol, November Orel.
1942 : May Brittany, reorganised as Brigade Hermann Goering, July Bordeaux, and reforms as Hermann Goering Motorised Infantry Division, November Tunisia in N Africa.
1943 : Practically destroyed in Tunisia, July Sicily as Panzer Division Hermann Goering with replacement personnel. reformed in S. France and Naples, September Salerno, October to November rearguard action Volturno, Garigliano, November refitted Frosinone to exceptional establishment including a panzer regiment with two battalions, assault gun battalion, two panzergrenadier regiments with four battalions, reconnaissance and support units, guard regiment in Berlin, replacement regiment in Holland, battle group in action: Monte Maggiore, Monte Troccio.
1944 : January renamed Fallschirm Panzer Division Hermann Goering, Anzio, March refitted Lucca, Pisa, May Valmonte (US Anzio breakout), June to July Chiusi, Arno, redeployed to Warsaw, August Volomin, Magnuschev, September Bugmunde, October Modlin, reorganised as Hermann Goering 1 (two panzer battalions, five panzergrenadier battalions) and Hermann Goering 2 panzergrenadier division and corps troops, (panzerjaeger battalion, sturmgeschutze battalion, engineer battalion, flak regiment) called Fallschirm Panzer Corps Hermann Goering.
1945 : January E. Prussian defending Konigsburg at Nemmersdorf, Hermann Goering 1 redeployed, Lodz-Petrikau with elements of Panzer Corps Grossdeutschland to relive encircled Panzer Corps Nehring, rearguard action Oder, Neisse, Muskau, March upper Silesia, Neisse, Gorlitz, April Bautzen, N. Dresden. In action with Fallschirm Panzer Corps survivors (Hermann Goering 2), evacuated Heiligenbeil by Baltic after abortive defence of E. Prussia, May most of remnant surrendered to the Russians, others to the US. (Back)
Army Group East
14th Panzer Division
1940 : August raised at Koningsbruck, Milowitz by reorganisation of 4th Infantry Division.
1941 : Germany, March Hungary, April Balkans, Yugoslavia, June Germany, July Eastern Front.
1942 : Eastern Front : Don, Rostov, Mius, Stalingrad.
1943 : February destroyed at Stalingrad, March reformed in France, November Krivoi Rog, December Kirovograd pocket.
1944 : January to February SW Cherkassy, May to April Bug, Dniester, May to June Moldavia: Jassy, July refitted, August Lithuania: Tilsit, Schaulen, September Latvia: E. of Riga, Baldone, October Courland (Lithuania) 1st-3rd battles.
1945 : January to May Courland, 4th and 5th battles, evacuated from Courland in the final days of the war and surrendered to the Russians at Libau. (Back)
24th Panzer Division
1941 : November raised at Stablack E. Prussia by reorganisation of 1st Cavalry Division.
1942 : Eastern Front, Kursk June Voronezh, September Don corridor to Stalingrad, October Stalingrad.
1943 : February destroyed at Stalingrad, March to August reformed France, then August to September N. Italy, October Eastern Front: Ingulez, Dnieper: Nikopol, Krivoi Rog.
1944 : March airlifted to Kishinev, April to July Jassy, August to September Poland: Dukla Pass, October Hungary : Debrecen, December Slovakia.
1945 : February to April E. Prussia: Allenstein, Heiligenbeil Balga, reduced to weak battle group and transported by sea to Schleswig Holstein, May surrendered to the British at Eckenford. (Back)
25th Panzer Division
1942 : February raised in Norway, as Motorised Kampfgruppe Group Oslo, March to October additional troops till full strength.
1943 : August France training at Mailly-le-Camp November Eastern Front: Fastov, December Zhitomir, N. Ukraine Hube Pocket.
1944 : April practically destroyed, May reformed in Denmark including Panzer Division 'Norwegen', September Warsaw, Radom, November Included 104 Panzer Brigade..
1945 : February Oder, April lower Danube, May destroyed in Austria and surrendered to the US at Passau. (Back)
26th Panzer division
1942 : September raised at Amiens by reorganisation of 23rd Infantry Division.
1943 & 1944 : January to July 1943 occupied France, July 1943 transferred to Italy : Calabria, Salerno, Anzio, Cassino, Rimini, Bologna.
1945 : April surrendered at Imola. (Back)
Panzergrenadier Division " Grossdeutschland"
1939 : October raised at Grafenwohr by expanding and reorganised Wacht (Guard) regiment, a panzergrenadier division in name only, Grossdeutschland developed as the army's premier armoured formation unrivalled in stature among other army formations and comparable to 1st SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, and Hermann Goering Divisions. Progressively expanded from regiment to division and finally corps. Associated formations raised with help of cadres from Grossdeutschland were, Brandenburg Division, Fuhrer Begleit (escort) Panzer Division, Fuhrer Panzergrenadier Division, Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark, (these were all entitled to ware Grossdeutschland cuffbands).
1940 : France, Sedan.
1941 : April Balkans, June Eastern Front: Minsk Smolensk, Jelnya, Konotop, Romny, (Kiev), Oct Bryansk, Orel, Tula.
1942 : January Oka, April expand to infantry division (motorised), May Orel, June to July Voronezh, Don corridor, August to December Rshev.
1943 : January Bjelgorod, March Kharkov, recaptured Bjelgorod, June renamed Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland, July S. Kursk August transferred to Army Group South, Achtyrka, September Kremenchug bridgehead, October Krivoi Rog, Kirovograd.
1944 : January to April in retreat S. Ukraine to Carpathians, Jassy, Targul Frumos, July refitted, August E. Prussia: Gumbinnen for counter-offensive, to restore contact between Army Group Centre and Army Group North, failed at Doblen, October Schaulen, Memel bridgehead, November evacuated, December Rastenburg reorganised with Brandenburg Division into Panzer Corps Grossdeutschland.
1945 : January to April practically destroyed with Hermann Goering 2 defending Konigsburg, evacuated to Pillau, remnant transported by Baltic to Schleswig-Holstein, May surrendered to the British. (Back)
Army Group West
2nd Panzer Division
1935 : October raised at Wurzburg.
1938 : Vienna.
1939 : September Poland.
1940 : France, July to August Germany.
1941 : January Poland, March Romania, April Greece, June Germany, August to September France, October Eastern Front: Vyasma, November Klin, Krasnaya, Polyana.
1942 : Rshev.
1943 : April Smolensk, July N. Kursk, October Kiev, November Gomel.
1944 : January France, (Amiens), June Normandy, August practically destroyed in the Falaise pocket, September refitted Bitburg, December Ardennes.
1945 : Mosel, Hunsruck, Rhine, April Karlsbad-Pilsen, surrendered to the US at Kotzing. (Back)
9th Panzer Division
1940 : January raised at Vienna and lower Austria from 4th Light Division, May to June Holland, France, July refitted at Vienna, December Poland.
1941 : January to February Romania, March Bulgaria, April Yugoslavia, Greece, May Germany, July Eastern Front: Uman, Kiev.
1942 : May Bryansk, Kursk, June Voronezh, December Rshev.
1943 : March Orel, April refitted, July N. Kursk, late summer Dnieper, Stalino, November Krivoi Rog.
1944 : January Nikopol, April S. France (Nimes) and reformed with 155th Reserve Panzer Division, August Normandy, Alencon, practically destroyed in the Falaise pocket, Metz, September Aachen, Geilenkirchen, November refitted Zanten including 105 Panzer Brigade, December Ardennes.
1945 : January Eifel, March Cologne, Remagen, April encircled in Ruhr pocket with remnant in Harz, surrendered to the US. (Back)
21st Panzer Division
Rasied August 1941 in N. Africa by reorganising and renaming 5th Light Africa Division November in retreat and 'Crusader' counter-action between Sollum and El Agheila.
1942 : January renewed offensive 'Theseus', May Gazala, Tobruk, to El Alamein, November in retreat west to Tunisia.
1943 : February Kasserine, March reorganised contributed Panzer Kampfgruppe 5 to Panzer Fuhrer Afrika, May destroyed at Tunis serving Fifth Panzer Army, July France reformed at Rennes from Schnelle Brigade 931 and other units including Panzer Regiment 100 and French equipment.
1944 : June Normandy, August practically destroyed in the Falaise pocket, September Lothringa, refitted including 112 Panzer Brigade, Saarpfalz.
1945 : January N. Strasbourg, February Oder, Lauban, April Gorlitz, Halbe, surrendered to the Russians at Cottbus. (Back)
116th Panzer Division
1944 : March raised in NW France by Fifteenth Army from reorganising 179th Reserve Panzer Division including remnant of 16th Panzergrenadier Division, July Normandy, released to Fifth Panzer Army (Caen) August Mortaine, and in action with 9th Panzer Division to halt US drive on Alencon, practically destroyed in the Falaise pocket, September Aachen, October refitted including 108 Panzer Brigade, December Ardennes.
1945 : January Ardennes, February to March lower Rhine, Kleve, Wesel, April encircled in the Ruhr pocket serving Fifth Panzer Army, with elements in the Harz, surrendered to the US. (Back)
Panzer Lehr Division
1943 : Winter raised at Bergen, Germany from demonstration units of Panzer Schools 1 (Bergen) and 2 (Krampnitz) an exceptionally well-equipped formation, with both panzergrenadier regiments in SPW's and a tiger battalion.
1944 : February France, March Hungary, June Normandy, August practically destroyed in the US breakout 'Cobra', September Germany refitted, December Ardennes.
1945 : January Eifel, February Wesel, March Remagen, Siegen, April Ruhr pocket serving Fifth Army, surrendered to the US. (Back)
Waffen SS Divisions
1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler"
1923 - 1933: March raised in Berlin as "Stabswache" (Fuhrer motorised escort) under the command of Hitler's chauffeur Julius Schreck, designated Sosstruppe Adolf Hitler later that year, and took part in the failed Munich beer hall putsch. The organisation was banned until Hitlers released from Landsberg prison and contiued to grow steadly. By 1933 and the 10th anniversary of the putsch now under the command of Joseph "Sepp" Dietrich the newly designated Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler took part in the Night of the long knives.
1938 : Expanded into motorised regiment, March Austria, October Sudetenland.
1939 : Poland, Lodz Warsaw, Modlin, attached to Army Group South. Brief occupation duty Czechoslovakia.
1940 : May Holland, France, Dunkirk, August to December expanded into brigade.
1941 : March Balkans, April Greece, June expanded into infantry division (motorised). Barrbarossa southen Russia Kiev, Uman, Perekop, Crimea, Rostov, Mius.
1942 : August to December France, reorganised as panzergrenadier division (motorised), Toulon occupation.
1943 : January Ukraine, February Donets, Kharkov as part of Paul Haussers new SS Panzer Korps, April refitted, Byelgorod, July S. Kursk (Operation Citadel) August N. Italy October Milan occupation and reorganised as a panzer division, November Zhitomir (Brusilov).
1944 : February Cherkassy relief, March Hube pocket, Tarnopol, April Belgium refitted, June Normandy (Overlord), Caen, Aachen, August Mortain, practically destroyed in the Falaise pocket, September refitted Siegburg, December Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) as part of 6th SS Panzer Army, retreated to Bonn area
1945 : February Hungary: Gran (Estergom) bridgehead, withdrawn to Austria April St Polten. May It is rumoured that the leaders sent their medals back to the fuhrer in a stool bucket with a note saying "This is all the thanks we get" when asked to sacrifice what was left of the division in another hopeless attack and surrendered to the US at Linz, 1,500 survivors with 16 tanks out of the June 1944 strenght of 19,700 men. It is estimated that over the course of it's life over 60,000 men had served in the Leibstandarte. (Back)
2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"
1939 : Raised in October as a SS motorized division at Pilsen from SS infantry regiments Deutschland, Germania and Der Fuhrer, initially called SS Verfugungsdivision.
1940 : May Holland, Belgium Flanders. June Soissons, Orleans, Bordeaux (SW France to Spanish border). July to December Holland, name changed to "Das Reich".
1941 : March Balkands, Belgrade. May refit in Austria. June Russia central sector Smolensk, Priluki, Brest-Litovsk. September Romny. October Borodino November and December Istra (Moscow Area), Rusa, Rzhev.
1942 : July to December rest and refit in Germany then occupation duty NW France. November upgraded to panzer grenadier division.
1943 : Febuary Donets (Kharkov). June refit. July S Kursk, Byelgorod, Prokhorvka, Mius (West of Kharkov), Dnieper, Kiev. October reoganised into panzer division. November Fastov (Zhitomir).
1944 : January Shepetovka. Febuary France refit, (except for a Kampfgruppe in Hube pocket). June Normandy. Coutances, St.Lo, Percy, August Mortain, St.Vith practically detstroyed in Falaise pocket,November refit. December Ardennes.
1945 : Febuary Hungary SE Komorn, March Stuhleissenburg, Raab Austria. April Vienna, Czechoslovakia St Polten. May surviours surrended to the US at Pilsen. (Back)
3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf"
1939 : November raised at Dachau, as partly motorized division mostly from Totenkoptwachsturmbanne (Death's head security units).
1940 : May La Cateaum Cambrai, Arras, Dunkirk, Seine. June Loire, Lyon, Charente, Le Paradis. July onward occupation duty SW France, and made fully motorized division.
1941 : May Germany. June Russia on Lithuanian front Kaunus, Dauaburg, Vilna. August Luga (Leningrad), Cholm.
1942 : January Iimen. Febuary Denmjansk. October France for refit. November SW France occupation upgraded to panzer grenadier division..
1943 : Febuary Donets (Kharkov). July S Kursk, Byelgorod. September Mius. October reorganised into panzer division. Isjum, Kharkov, Krivoi Rog(Dnieper).
1944 : January to April retreat to Rumanian border. June Poland August Grodno Warsaw, Narev bridgehead. December Modlin (West Hungry).
1945 : January Budapest relief attempt. Febuary Stuhlweissenburg, then to Austria April Vienna. May surrendered to the US at Linz with less than 1,000 men and 6 tanks from an original strength of 19,000 they were handed over to the Russian by the US. (Back)