| Panzer Division Tatra | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
Panzer Division Tatra (Panzer Training Division Tatra) was an armored division of theGerman Heer formed inMoravia in August 1944.[1] The division was hastily formed during theSlovak National Uprising of 1944 when the Germans feared that Slovakia might break away from theAxis powers[1] and open the way for the advancing Red Army. After a briefpunitive expedition against the Slovaks, the division was converted into a training formation. In March 1945, it was reorganized into the232nd Panzer Division and was lost fighting in westernHungary.
The division was formed as an emergency battle group (German:Alarmkampfgruppe) around a core of1st Panzer Division veterans, the units from the 178th Panzer Division, and the staff of theKleine Karpaten training facility inMalacky. Other personnel, according toSamuel Mitcham, "came from all over the map".[1] The division's only tank battalion had 28 obsoletePanzer III andPanzer IV tanks and threeTiger Is.[1] The division began by suppressing resistance in southern Moravia, and on 29 August 1944, moved toŽilina in north-western Slovakia.
The improvised division performed well against the Slovak uprising.[1] It crushed the Slovaks, who were being aided by Soviet advisers, and recapturedBratislava (German: Pressburg). After this initial success, the division was reorganized into a training division (German:Panzer-Feldausbildungs-Division Tatra).[1] The division incorporated the XVII Panzer Corps command and itsmechanized infantry and units of inlandmilitary districts; the men of the 1st Panzer eventually left Tatra. The division remained in Slovakia until the end of 1944. In March 1945 (or, according to different sources, on 21 February 1945), the division was reorganized into the 232nd Reserve Panzer Division.[1]
After the reorganization, former training regiments of Tatra (82nd and 85th Training Regiments) were also reorganized and renamed the 101st and 102nd Panzer Grenadiers. Auxiliary units (flak, etc.) retained their original Tatra numbers. The unit was hurriedly sent to join the reserves ofArmy Group South and was almost immediately thrown into defensive action with the8th Army.
On 26 March, the division was stationed nearMarcaltő inHungary.[2] The fighting continued for three more days. Divisional commanderGeneralmajorHans-Ulrich Back was wounded on 29 March and escaped captivity. The division ceased to exist by 1 April 1945.