| Panzer-Abteilung 211 | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 1941 - 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Panzer |
| Size | battalion |
| Equipment | 90Somua S35, 82Hotchkiss H38 total |
| Engagements | Operation Silver Fox |
Panzer-Abteilung 211 was a tank battalion of theGerman army duringWorld War II. The battalion fought duringOperation Silver Fox which was a combined German and Finnish offensive attempting to capture the Soviet port ofMurmansk. The unit was disbanded after this operation due to their outdated equipment.
After the fall of France in June 1940 the Germans captured a large amount of French vehicles. Among those were 297 (varying according to sources)Somua S35 which was considered by many to be the premiermedium tank at the beginning of the war. In addition to the Somua S35s there were around 550Hotchkiss H35 and H38 tanks captured as well. The Germans used these captured vehicles to equip several smaller units which were then combined into Panzer-Abteilung 211 on 22 March 1941.
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The Soviet port ofMurmansk was a high-value target for German command in 1941. On 27 June 1941 they beganOperation Silver Fox to capture the key port, Panzer-Abteilung 211 was tasked with supporting the combined German and Finnish force along withPanzer-Abteilung 40 which was equipped withPanzer I andPanzer II tanks. This force would participate in a sub-operation ofOperation Silver Fox code-namedOperation Arctic Fox which was a campaign against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The offensive launched on 1 July 1941 ended on 17 November in a stalemate with German and Finnish forces advancing but not being able to capture Murmansk nor the railway atKandalaksha.
The Abteilung remained in the area around Alakurtti without much action until September 1944.
In the autumn of 1944, the 1st company was still under the command of theXXXVI Mountain Corps. On 8 September, she lost 11 tanks to SovietT-34s. The 2nd company was withKampfgruppe West, which had the task of securing the rear guard of the retreatingXVIII Mountain Corps. Between 21 and 28 September, the Abteilung belonged to theDivisions-Gruppe Kräutler. When the so-calledLapland War between the Finns and the Germans broke out at the end of September 1944, large parts of the Abteilung were in the vicinity ofRovaniemi, but after the Finnish landing atTornio, 2nd Company was sent back toKemi on 1 October and subordinated toKampfgruppe Tornio for the attack in the direction of Tornio. The attacks of the Germans failed and that cost the company several tanks. The Abteilung came under the XVIII Mountain Corps from 10 October. In mid-October, the Abteilung was withKampfgruppe Esch until it was moved to Norway, where it arrived on October 28, 1944. The Abteilung remained inNarvik for the rest of the war.
The Abteilung capitulated on 8 May 1945 together with all German troops in Norway.
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