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Panzer division (Wehrmacht)

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APanzer division was one of thearmored (tank) divisions in thearmy ofNazi Germany duringWorld War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in theblitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later theWaffen-SS formed its own panzer divisions, and theLuftwaffe fielded an elite panzer division: theHermann 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 ofWehrmacht
EngagementsWorld War II

A panzer division was acombined arms formation, having bothtanks (German:Panzerkampfwagen,transl. armored fighting vehicle, usually shortened to "Panzer"), mechanized andmotorized infantry, along withartillery,anti-aircraft and other integrated support elements. At the start of the war, panzer divisions were more effective than the equivalentAllied 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, Alliedarmored warfare and combined arms doctrines generally caught up with the Germans, and shortages reduced thecombat readiness of panzer divisions. The proportions of the components of panzer divisions changed over time.

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

Pre-war development

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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 byOswald Lutz, Guderian's mentor, the idea gained more support in theWehrmacht, and after 1933 was also supported byAdolf Hitler. The first threepanzer divisions were formed on 15 October 1935.[3] The1st Panzerdivision was formed inWeimar and commanded byMaximilian von Weichs, the2nd Panzerdivision was formed inWürzburg and commanded by Guderian, and the3rd Panzerdivision was formed inBerlin and commanded byErnst 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 inoperational doctrine: instead of the tanks supporting operations by other arms, the tanks led operations, with other arms supporting them. Since thepanzer divisions had the supporting arms included, they could operate independently from other units.

World War II

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GermanPanzerdivision, 1939.

These firstpanzer divisions (1st through5th) were composed of two tank regiments, one motorised infantry regiment of two battalions each, and supporting troops. After theinvasion 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 through10th) 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 ofOperation Barbarossa, the German invasion of theSoviet Union in 1941, the 21panzer 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 forArmy Group South, one forArmy Group Centre, other commands usually two battalions). Throughout 1942, the reconnaissance battalions were merged into the motorcycle battalions.

By the summer of 1943, theLuftwaffe andWaffen-SS also hadpanzer divisions. A renewed standardization of the tank regiments was attempted. Each was now supposed to consist of two battalions, one withPanzer IV and one withPanther (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 (theHummel with a15 cm sFH 18/1 L/30 gun and the standard105mm howitzer-equippedWespe). 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 theHeer and the SS used their own ordinal systems, there were duplicate numbers (i.e. there was both a9th Panzerdivision and a9th SS-Panzerdivision).

Heer

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Numbered

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Named

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Tank complement

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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.

UnitTanks on
September 1, 1939[6]
(Invasion of Poland)		Tanks on
June 22, 1941[7]
(Invasion of the USSR)
1st Panzer Division309145
2nd Panzer Division322N/Aa
3rd Panzer Division391215
4th Panzer Division341166
5th Panzer Division335N/Ab
10th Panzer Division150182
Panzer Division Kempf164N/Ae
1st Light Division / 6th Panzer Division226245d
2nd Light Division / 7th Panzer Division85265d
3rd Light Division / 8th Panzer Division80212d
4th Light Division / 9th Panzer Division62143d
Panzer Regiment 25225N/Ae
11th Panzer DivisionN/Ac143
12th Panzer DivisionN/Ac293
13th Panzer DivisionN/Ac149
14th Panzer DivisionN/Ac147
16th Panzer DivisionN/Ac146
17th Panzer DivisionN/Ac202
18th Panzer DivisionN/Ac218
19th Panzer DivisionN/Ac228
20th Panzer DivisionN/Ac229
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

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Panzer divisions usedpink military flags.[9][10]

See also

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References

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  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."Invasion of Poland (Fall Weiss)".AchtungPanzer.com. Archived fromthe original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved12 March 2020.
  7. ^Parada, George."Principal Tank Campaigns and Battles of World War II".AchtungPanzer.com. Archived fromthe original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved12 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."Flags of the Third Reich".Historical Flags of our Ancestors. Archived fromthe 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

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External links

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