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Panzer division (Wehrmacht)

January 01, 1970

A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffen-SS formed its own panzer divisions, and the Luftwaffe fielded an elite panzer division: the Hermann Göring Division.

Panzer division (1939)
Panzerdivision (1939)
— PzDiv —

Active1939–1945
Country Germany
Branch German Army
TypePanzer
RoleArmoured warfare
Size11,792 personnel (1939)
  • 394 officers
  • 115 officials
  • 1,962 NCOs
  • 9,321 enlisted
Part of Wehrmacht
EngagementsWorld War II

A panzer division was a combined arms formation, having both tanks (German: Panzerkampfwagen, transl. armored fighting vehicle, usually shortened to "Panzer"), mechanized and motorized infantry, along with artillery, anti-aircraft and other integrated support elements. At the start of the war, panzer divisions were more effective than the equivalent Allied armored divisions due to their combined arms doctrine, even though they had fewer and generally less technically advanced tanks.[1] By mid-war, though German tanks had often become technically superior to Allied tanks, Allied armored warfare and combined arms doctrines generally caught up with the Germans, and shortages reduced the combat readiness of panzer divisions. The proportions of the components of panzer divisions changed over time.

The World War II German equivalent of a mechanized infantry division is Panzergrenadierdivision ('armored infantry division'). This is similar to a panzer division, but with a higher proportion of infantry and assault guns and fewer tanks.

Pre-war development edit

Heinz Guderian first proposed the formation of panzer units larger than a regiment, but the inspector of motorized troops, Otto von Stuelpnagel, rejected the proposal.[2] After his replacement by Oswald Lutz, Guderian's mentor, the idea gained more support in the Wehrmacht, and after 1933 was also supported by Adolf Hitler. The first three panzer divisions were formed on 15 October 1935.[3] The 1st Panzerdivision was formed in Weimar and commanded by Maximilian von Weichs, the 2nd Panzerdivision was formed in Würzburg and commanded by Guderian, and the 3rd Panzerdivision was formed in Berlin and commanded by Ernst Feßmann.

Most other armies of the era organized their tanks into "tank brigades" that required additional infantry and artillery support. Panzer divisions had their own organic infantry and artillery support. This led to a change in operational doctrine: instead of the tanks supporting operations by other arms, the tanks led operations, with other arms supporting them. Since the panzer divisions had the supporting arms included, they could operate independently from other units.

World War II edit

 
German Panzerdivision, 1939.

These first panzer divisions (1st through 5th) were composed of two tank regiments, one motorised infantry regiment of two battalions each, and supporting troops. After the invasion of Poland in 1939, the old divisions were partially reorganised (adding a third battalion to some infantry regiments or alternatively adding a second regiment of two battalions). Around this time, the newly organised divisions (6th through 10th) diverged in organisation, each on average with one tank regiment, one separate tank battalion, one or two infantry regiments (three to four battalions per division).

By the start of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the 21 panzer divisions had undergone further reorganisation to now consist of one tank regiment (of two or three battalions) and two motorised regiments (of two battalions each). Until the winter of 1941/42, the organic component of these divisions consisted of a motorised[4] artillery regiment (of one heavy and two light battalions) and the following battalions: reconnaissance, motorcycle, anti-tank, pioneer, field replacement, and communications. The number of tanks in the 1941-style divisions was relatively small, compared to their predecessors' composition. All other units in these formations were fully motorised (trucks, half-tracks, specialized combat vehicles) to match the speed of the tanks.

During the winter of 1941/42, the divisions underwent another reorganisation, with a tank regiment comprising from one to three battalions, depending on location (generally three for Army Group South, one for Army Group Centre, other commands usually two battalions). Throughout 1942, the reconnaissance battalions were merged into the motorcycle battalions.

By the summer of 1943, the Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS also had panzer divisions. A renewed standardization of the tank regiments was attempted. Each was now supposed to consist of two battalions, one with Panzer IV and one with Panther (Panzer V). In reality, the organization continued to vary from division to division. The first infantry battalion of the first infantry regiment of each panzer division was now supposed to be fully mechanised (mounted on armoured half-tracks (Sd.Kfz. 251). The first battalion of the artillery regiment replaced its former towed light howitzers with a mix of heavy and light self-propelled artillery (the Hummel with a 15 cm sFH 18/1 L/30 gun and the standard 105mm howitzer-equipped Wespe). The anti-tank battalion now included assault guns, tank destroyers (Panzerjaeger/Jadgpanzer), and towed anti-tank guns. Generally, the mechanization of these divisions increased compared to their previous organization.

Since the Heer and the SS used their own ordinal systems, there were duplicate numbers (i.e. there was both a 9th Panzerdivision and a 9th SS-Panzerdivision).

Heer edit

Numbered edit

Named edit

Tank complement edit

The tank strength of the panzer divisions varied throughout the war. The actual equipment of each division is difficult to determine due to battle losses, the formation of new units, reinforcements and captured enemy equipment. The following table gives the tank strength of every division on two dates when this was known.

Unit Tanks on
September 1, 1939[6]
(Invasion of Poland) 		Tanks on
June 22, 1941[7]
(Invasion of the USSR)
1st Panzer Division 309 145
2nd Panzer Division 322 N/Aa
3rd Panzer Division 391 215
4th Panzer Division 341 166
5th Panzer Division 335 N/Ab
10th Panzer Division 150 182
Panzer Division Kempf 164 N/Ae
1st Light Division / 6th Panzer Division 226 245d
2nd Light Division / 7th Panzer Division 85 265d
3rd Light Division / 8th Panzer Division 80 212d
4th Light Division / 9th Panzer Division 62 143d
Panzer Regiment 25 225 N/Ae
11th Panzer Division N/Ac 143
12th Panzer Division N/Ac 293
13th Panzer Division N/Ac 149
14th Panzer Division N/Ac 147
16th Panzer Division N/Ac 146
17th Panzer Division N/Ac 202
18th Panzer Division N/Ac 218
19th Panzer Division N/Ac 228
20th Panzer Division N/Ac 229
a Did not participate in Operation Barbarossa, transport ships sunk while carrying the Division (1941).[8]

b Arrived on the Eastern Front after Operation Barbarossa.
c Formed after the Polish Campaign.
d Renamed following the Polish Campaign.
e Merged into other Divisions following the Polish Campaign.

Flags edit

Panzer divisions used pink military flags.[9][10]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Healy, Mark; Strasheim, Rainer (2008). Prigent, John (ed.). Panzerwaffe: The Campaigns in the West 1940. London: Ian Allan. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7110-3239-2. OCLC 184963718.
  2. ^ Mitcham (2001), p. 7.
  3. ^ Mitcham (2001), p. 9.
  4. ^ Most German divisional artillery was horse-drawn.
  5. ^ Bauer, Eddy (1962) [1947]. La Guerre des Blindés, Tome II: L'écrasement du IIIe Reich [The Tank War, Volume II: The destruction of the Third Reich] (in French) (2nd ed.). Paris: Payot. p. 8.
  6. ^ Parada, George. . AchtungPanzer.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  7. ^ Parada, George. . AchtungPanzer.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. ^ Stoves, Rolf (1986). Die gepanzerten und motorisierten deutschen Grossverbände : Divisionen und selbständige Brigaden : 1935-1945 [The large German armored and motorized formations : Divisions and independent brigades : 1935-1945] (in German). Friedberg, Hesse: Podzun-Pallas-Verlag. p. 19. ISBN 3-7909-0279-9. OCLC 17981740.
  9. ^ Loeser, Peter. . Historical Flags of our Ancestors. Archived from the original on 2010-10-12. (See under Hermann Göring Panzer Division Flag.)
  10. ^ Davis, Brian L. (2000). Flags of the Third Reich. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-84176-171-8.

Sources edit

  • Davies, W. J. K. (1977) [1973]. German Army Handbook 1939–1945 (2nd U.S. ed.). New York: Arco Publishing. ISBN 0-668-04291-5.
  • Guderian, Heinz (2001) [1952]. Panzer Leader (Da Capo Press reissue ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81101-4.
  • Jentz, Thomas L. (1996). Panzertruppen - The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933-1942. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-915-8.
  • Niehorster, Leo (2016). "1st Panzer Division: in accordance with the 1939/40 Mobilization Plan". World War II Armed Forces: Orders of Battle and Organizations.
  • von Mellenthin, Major General F. W. (1956). Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War (1st Ballantine Books ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-24440-0.
  • Mitcham, Samuel (2001). The Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and Their Commanders. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-31640-1.
  • Parada, George (2004). . AchtungPanzer.com. Archived from the original on 2006-01-17.
  • Tessin, Georg (1979). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939–1945, Band 1 Die Waffengattungen-Gesammtübersicht [Units and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS 1939-1945, Volume 1: The Armed Branches - General Overview] (in German). Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 3-76481-170-6.

External links edit

  • Military History Visualized (8 February 2016). "German Tank Division (World War 2) - Organization & Structure - Visualization". YouTube.

January 01, 1970
panzer, division, wehrmacht, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, art. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Panzer division Wehrmacht news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2008 Learn how and when to remove this message Some of this article s listed sources may not be reliable Please help improve this article by looking for better more reliable sources Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed December 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message Learn how and when to remove this message A Panzer division was one of the armored tank divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II Later the Waffen SS formed its own panzer divisions and the Luftwaffe fielded an elite panzer division the Hermann Goring Division Panzer division 1939 Panzerdivision 1939 PzDiv US Army Map Symbol Panzer Division Active1939 1945Country GermanyBranch German ArmyTypePanzerRoleArmoured warfareSize11 792 personnel 1939 394 officers 115 officials 1 962 NCOs 9 321 enlistedPart ofWehrmachtEngagementsWorld War II A panzer division was a combined arms formation having both tanks German Panzerkampfwagen transl armored fighting vehicle usually shortened to Panzer mechanized and motorized infantry along with artillery anti aircraft and other integrated support elements At the start of the war panzer divisions were more effective than the equivalent Allied armored divisions due to their combined arms doctrine even though they had fewer and generally less technically advanced tanks 1 By mid war though German tanks had often become technically superior to Allied tanks Allied armored warfare and combined arms doctrines generally caught up with the Germans and shortages reduced the combat readiness of panzer divisions The proportions of the components of panzer divisions changed over time The World War II German equivalent of a mechanized infantry division is Panzergrenadierdivision armored infantry division This is similar to a panzer division but with a higher proportion of infantry and assault guns and fewer tanks Contents 1 Pre war development 2 World War II 2 1 Heer 2 1 1 Numbered 2 1 2 Named 3 Tank complement 4 Flags 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Sources 7 External linksPre war development editHeinz Guderian first proposed the formation of panzer units larger than a regiment but the inspector of motorized troops Otto von Stuelpnagel rejected the proposal 2 After his replacement by Oswald Lutz Guderian s mentor the idea gained more support in the Wehrmacht and after 1933 was also supported by Adolf Hitler The first three panzer divisions were formed on 15 October 1935 3 The 1st Panzerdivision was formed in Weimar and commanded by Maximilian von Weichs the 2nd Panzerdivision was formed in Wurzburg and commanded by Guderian and the 3rd Panzerdivision was formed in Berlin and commanded by Ernst Fessmann Most other armies of the era organized their tanks into tank brigades that required additional infantry and artillery support Panzer divisions had their own organic infantry and artillery support This led to a change in operational doctrine instead of the tanks supporting operations by other arms the tanks led operations with other arms supporting them Since the panzer divisions had the supporting arms included they could operate independently from other units World War II edit nbsp German Panzerdivision 1939 These first panzer divisions 1st through 5th were composed of two tank regiments one motorised infantry regiment of two battalions each and supporting troops After the invasion of Poland in 1939 the old divisions were partially reorganised adding a third battalion to some infantry regiments or alternatively adding a second regiment of two battalions Around this time the newly organised divisions 6th through 10th diverged in organisation each on average with one tank regiment one separate tank battalion one or two infantry regiments three to four battalions per division By the start of Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 the 21 panzer divisions had undergone further reorganisation to now consist of one tank regiment of two or three battalions and two motorised regiments of two battalions each Until the winter of 1941 42 the organic component of these divisions consisted of a motorised 4 artillery regiment of one heavy and two light battalions and the following battalions reconnaissance motorcycle anti tank pioneer field replacement and communications The number of tanks in the 1941 style divisions was relatively small compared to their predecessors composition All other units in these formations were fully motorised trucks half tracks specialized combat vehicles to match the speed of the tanks During the winter of 1941 42 the divisions underwent another reorganisation with a tank regiment comprising from one to three battalions depending on location generally three for Army Group South one for Army Group Centre other commands usually two battalions Throughout 1942 the reconnaissance battalions were merged into the motorcycle battalions By the summer of 1943 the Luftwaffe and Waffen SS also had panzer divisions A renewed standardization of the tank regiments was attempted Each was now supposed to consist of two battalions one with Panzer IV and one with Panther Panzer V In reality the organization continued to vary from division to division The first infantry battalion of the first infantry regiment of each panzer division was now supposed to be fully mechanised mounted on armoured half tracks Sd Kfz 251 The first battalion of the artillery regiment replaced its former towed light howitzers with a mix of heavy and light self propelled artillery the Hummel with a 15 cm sFH 18 1 L 30 gun and the standard 105mm howitzer equipped Wespe The anti tank battalion now included assault guns tank destroyers Panzerjaeger Jadgpanzer and towed anti tank guns Generally the mechanization of these divisions increased compared to their previous organization Since the Heer and the SS used their own ordinal systems there were duplicate numbers i e there was both a 9th Panzerdivision and a 9th SS Panzerdivision Heer edit Numbered edit 1st Panzer Division 2nd Panzer Division 3rd Panzer Division 4th Panzer Division 5th Panzer Division 6th Panzer Division previously 1st Light Division 7th Panzer Division previously 2nd Light Division 8th Panzer Division previously 3rd Light Division 9th Panzer Division previously 4th Light Division 10th Panzer Division 11th Panzer Division 12th Panzer Division 13th Panzer Division previously 13th Infantry Division 13th Motorized Infantry Division later Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 2 14th Panzer Division previously 4th Infantry Division 15th Panzer Division previously 33rd Infantry Division later 15th Panzergrenadier Division 16th Panzer Division previously 16th Infantry Division 17th Panzer Division previously 27th Infantry Division 18th Panzer Division later 18th Artillery Division 19th Panzer Division previously 19th Infantry Division 20th Panzer Division 21st Panzer Division previously 5th Light Division 22nd Panzer Division 23rd Panzer Division 24th Panzer Division previously 1st Cavalry Division 25th Panzer Division previously armoured division Norway 5 26th Panzer Division formerly 23rd Infantry Division 27th Panzer Division 116th Panzer Division Windhund previously 16th Infantry Division 16th Motorized Infantry Division and 16th Panzergrenadier Division 155th Reserve Panzer Division previously Division Nr 155 Division Nr 155 motorized Panzer Division Nr 155 Panzer Division Nr 178 previously Division Nr 178 179th Reserve Panzer Division previously Division Nr 179 Division Nr 179 mot and Panzer Division Nr 179 232nd Panzer Division previously Panzer Division Tatra Panzer Training Division Tatra 233rd Reserve Panzer Division previously Division Nr 233 mot Panzergrenadier Division Nr 233 and Panzer Division Nr 233 later Panzer Division Clausewitz 273rd Reserve Panzer Division Named edit Panzer Division Clausewitz previously Division Nr 233 motorized Panzergrenadier Division Nr 233 and Panzer Division Nr 233 Reserve Panzer Division 233 Doberitz Schlesien and Holstein are approximately synonymous with Clausewitz Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 1 previously 60th Infantry Division 60th Motorized Infantry Division and Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle 2 previously 13th Infantry Division 13th Motorized Infantry Division and 13th Panzer Division Fallschirm Panzer Division 1 Hermann Goring Panzer Division Juterbog Panzer Division Kempf part Heer part Waffen SS Panzer Division Kurmark Panzer Lehr Division sometimes identified as 130th Panzer Lehr Division Panzer Division Muncheberg Panzer Division Tatra later Panzer Training Division Tatra 232nd Panzer Division Tank complement editThe tank strength of the panzer divisions varied throughout the war The actual equipment of each division is difficult to determine due to battle losses the formation of new units reinforcements and captured enemy equipment The following table gives the tank strength of every division on two dates when this was known Unit Tanks on September 1 1939 6 Invasion of Poland Tanks on June 22 1941 7 Invasion of the USSR 1st Panzer Division 309 145 2nd Panzer Division 322 N Aa 3rd Panzer Division 391 215 4th Panzer Division 341 166 5th Panzer Division 335 N Ab 10th Panzer Division 150 182 Panzer Division Kempf 164 N Ae 1st Light Division 6th Panzer Division 226 245d 2nd Light Division 7th Panzer Division 85 265d 3rd Light Division 8th Panzer Division 80 212d 4th Light Division 9th Panzer Division 62 143d Panzer Regiment 25 225 N Ae 11th Panzer Division N Ac 143 12th Panzer Division N Ac 293 13th Panzer Division N Ac 149 14th Panzer Division N Ac 147 16th Panzer Division N Ac 146 17th Panzer Division N Ac 202 18th Panzer Division N Ac 218 19th Panzer Division N Ac 228 20th Panzer Division N Ac 229 a Did not participate in Operation Barbarossa transport ships sunk while carrying the Division 1941 8 b Arrived on the Eastern Front after Operation Barbarossa c Formed after the Polish Campaign d Renamed following the Polish Campaign e Merged into other Divisions following the Polish Campaign Flags editPanzer divisions used pink military flags 9 10 See also editBritish armoured formations of the Second World War Deep operation Maneuver warfare Mechanised corps Soviet Union SS Panzer Division order of battle US Armored DivisionsReferences edit Healy Mark Strasheim Rainer 2008 Prigent John ed Panzerwaffe The Campaigns in the West 1940 London Ian Allan p 23 ISBN 978 0 7110 3239 2 OCLC 184963718 Mitcham 2001 p 7 Mitcham 2001 p 9 Most German divisional artillery was horse drawn Bauer Eddy 1962 1947 La Guerre des Blindes Tome II L ecrasement du IIIe Reich The Tank War Volume II The destruction of the Third Reich in French 2nd ed Paris Payot p 8 Parada George Invasion of Poland Fall Weiss AchtungPanzer com Archived from the original on 30 June 2007 Retrieved 12 March 2020 Parada George Principal Tank Campaigns and Battles of World War II AchtungPanzer com Archived from the original on 19 January 2007 Retrieved 12 March 2020 Stoves Rolf 1986 Die gepanzerten und motorisierten deutschen Grossverbande Divisionen und selbstandige Brigaden 1935 1945 The large German armored and motorized formations Divisions and independent brigades 1935 1945 in German Friedberg Hesse Podzun Pallas Verlag p 19 ISBN 3 7909 0279 9 OCLC 17981740 Loeser Peter Flags of the Third Reich Historical Flags of our Ancestors Archived from the original on 2010 10 12 See under Hermann Goring Panzer Division Flag Davis Brian L 2000 Flags of the Third Reich Oxford UK Osprey Publishing p 31 ISBN 978 1 84176 171 8 Sources edit Davies W J K 1977 1973 German Army Handbook 1939 1945 2nd U S ed New York Arco Publishing ISBN 0 668 04291 5 Guderian Heinz 2001 1952 Panzer Leader Da Capo Press reissue ed New York Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 81101 4 Jentz Thomas L 1996 Panzertruppen The Complete Guide to the Creation amp Combat Employment of Germany s Tank Force 1933 1942 Atglen PA Schiffer Publishing ISBN 978 0 88740 915 8 Niehorster Leo 2016 1st Panzer Division in accordance with the 1939 40 Mobilization Plan World War II Armed Forces Orders of Battle and Organizations von Mellenthin Major General F W 1956 Panzer Battles A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War 1st Ballantine Books ed New York Ballantine Books ISBN 0 345 24440 0 Mitcham Samuel 2001 The Panzer Legions A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and Their Commanders Westport Greenwood Press ISBN 978 0 313 31640 1 Parada George 2004 Panzer Divisions 1940 1945 AchtungPanzer com Archived from the original on 2006 01 17 Tessin Georg 1979 Verbande und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS 1939 1945 Band 1 Die Waffengattungen Gesammtubersicht Units and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS 1939 1945 Volume 1 The Armed Branches General Overview in German Osnabruck Biblio Verlag ISBN 3 76481 170 6 External links editMilitary History Visualized 8 February 2016 German Tank Division World War 2 Organization amp Structure Visualization YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Panzer division Wehrmacht amp oldid 1193387387, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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