Panzer, panzer grenadier, and waffen ss divisions in world war ii. Panzerdivision was ordered formed by the oberkommando des heeres from the 5. The rise of the panzer division the national wwii museum new. Panzerdivision were used in the formation of the 16. It was transferred to the southern sector of the eastern front in march 1942. Generalfeldmarschall erwin rommel inspects the 21st panzer division in may 1944. The 21st panzer division gained greatest fame in north africa, but also served in normandy and on the russian front. Pd was seemingly issued or acquired quite a lot of the long, openfronted luftaffe camo smocks. Oktober 1944 wurde beim stab zusatzlich eine begleitkompanie eingetragen.
At long last, werner kortenhaus history of the 21st panzer division has been published in english, containing key facts that are missing elsewhere for years, one of the most essential sources for study of the normandy invasion was known only to a select few and nearly unobtainable even to those who knew of its existence. At long last, werner kortenhaus history of the 21st panzer division has been published in english, containing key facts that are missing elsewhere for years, one of the most essential sources for study of the normandy invasion was known only to a select few. The panzer ii remained important throughout 1941, but in 1942 the numbers available began to fall off, and only 14 were still on the books on 15. Felddivision l, which operated in close proximity and occasionally alongside elements of 21.
Right along the north west coast of europe hitlers fortress europe was preparing for war behind the atlantic wall. A panzer division in world war ii consisted of a tank brigade with four battalions, a motorized. The 14th panzer division was an armoured division in the german army during world war ii. Panzerdivision adopted combinedarms battlegroups immediately following the allied invasion of 6th june. The bulk of this force is composed of heer grenadier squads mounted in regular sd. A panzer division in world war ii consisted of a tank brigade with four battalions, a motorized infantry brigade with four rifle battalions, an artillery regiment. Fortifications and gun emplacements had been built all the way from norway down to the the french border with spain. Only the men of one unit on either side fought in them all the 116th panzer division. It was one of three tank divisions created at the time, the other two being the 2nd and 3rd panzer division.
The combat history of the 21st panzer division 194345 name author. Media in category 21st panzer division germany the following 9 files are in this category, out of 9 total. Jul 15, 2014 revised edition of a rare account of a german armored division in combat at the epic battle of stalingrad. As the german turret number system became known to the allies, it was found that command tanks were targeted by antitank guns fire. It was one of three tank divisions created at the time, the other two having been the 1st and 3rd panzer division. Earlier in the year, germany had renounced the treaty of versailles, which had forbidden the country, among other things, from having tank forces, a treaty. Each spearhead title includes an evaluation of the units combat effectiveness as seen by the unit, its opponents and subsequent researchers, and a research section including a bibliography and a listing of museums, websites, re. Media in category 1st panzer division germany the following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. The 22nd was the last panzer division to be issued with the czechbuilt panzer 38t, which was considered undergunned, underarmoured and obsolete by 1942. Apr 19, 2011 the books are based around tables i made for myself to bring together all the information spread over the excellent books already listed in this thread. In germanspeaking countries, panzerdivision is not immediately associated with the wehrmacht. The 1st panzer division was formed on 15 october 1935 from the 3rd cavalry division, and was headquartered in weimar. Voted one of the top ten wwii books of 2001 stone and stone world war ii. Reformed, the 14th panzer division soon returned to the eastern front and surrendered to soviet forces in courland in.
The 21st panzer division, published in 2001, is the first in the series. The 7th panzer division started operation barbarossa with 400 officers and 14,000 men. How a jewish driver, an american heiress, and a legendary car beat hitlers best, by neal bascomb. Our goal is to educate the public to the importance of preserving artifacts of the era, to sponsor the growth, development, and understanding of reenacting as a highly rewarding, enriching and educational interest. By january 1942, six months from the start of the offensive, the division had suffered 2,055 killed, 5,737 wounded, with 3 missing and another 1,089 sick with frostbite and louse bound diseases.
The 21st panzer was the only fully operational panzer division to find itself within immediate striking distance of the beaches on the 6 june, 1944. Panzer division, german panzerdivision, armoured division, a selfcontained combinedarms military unit of the german army, built around and deriving its mission largely from the capabilities of armoured fighting vehicles. Combat in the ardennes and sedan during fall gelb as part of panzergruppe kleist 10 june 1940. Ii reenactors and we portray a german panzer division. Many of these units were transferred from the 20th motorized division, the 29th motorized division, and the 3rd light division.
The book is about the 21st pzd, the heart of the dak but since the division took part in most of the. It was constantly thrown from crisis location to crisis location as the german front lines retreated, taking part in battles at kiev, zhitomir and cherkassy. With plenty of old french cavalry tanks at its disposal, it is very strong in phase a. The division also had access to the dreaded 88s, towed by french laffly tractors. The 2nd panzer division then advanced along the river aisne into the interior of france. From the moment of its creation, it was a famous division, fame that grew from combat. Illustrated with hundreds of detailed artworks of tanks and their markings, german panzer divisions of world war ii is a comprehensive study of the equipment and organization of germanys armored divisions from 1939 to 1945. So in terms of the currency of the information it is as up to date as possible plus it has some new info gleaned from my own photo collection that is used to populate the books. For being handicapped by having only 96 pages, i thought mr ellis did a good job though its obvious that he had to skimp at times to fit what he wanted in those 96 pages. Panzer divisions 19351939 panzer divisions 19401945 waffen ss panzer divisions 19431945 wehrmacht panzer division mid1942 wehrmacht panzer division 1944. Pzdiv, still used in the modern german army of the bundeswehr for example the 1. Abteilung 1st battalion, which was equipped with panthers, had not arrived at the division, leaving only ii. The tsg is not a militia, military, or political organization. Panzer division is a member of the tactical studies group tsg, a nonpolitical organization intended solely for the purpose of public education, and personal recreation.
For years, one of the most essential sources for study of the normandy invasion was known. The 21st panzer division reenactment group requires three things of our members. Germany had renounced the treaty of versailles earlier in the year which had forbidden the country, among other things, from having tank forces, a treaty germany. Generalleutnant feuchtinger shows off one of the division s selfpropelled 105s from sturmgeschutz abt 200 to rommel as he inspects the unit before dday.
At the end of the campaign in the last months of 1940, the division lost its 4th panzer regiment which was used as the basis for the soontobeformed th panzer division. In 1943, a nazi propaganda book was published about the divisions actions in france 1940, titled uber somme, seine, loire english. A guide to the german army tank divisions of world war ii and their commanders. Panzer army campaigns of 193941 in german war diaries rudolf steiger hardcover, 182 pages berg pub ltd 1992 isbn. The 1st ss panzer division herbert walther hardcover schiffer publishing, ltd. Feb 05, 2012 for the best answers, search on this site divisional strengths changed during the course of the war. Daybyday story of the 24th panzer divisions savage fighting in the streets of stalingrad in 1942 eyewitness accounts from participants reveal the brutality of this battle photos from official archives, private collections, and veteransmost of them never seen before used. In 1943, the 2th panzer division, as part of army group center, participated in the large battle at kursk. Panzerdivision ordered the turret number system changed on 8 november 1943 when the order was given, i.
Panzer division definition is a german armored division. Many photos of 21 panzer division in normandy actually show soldiers of 16. At long last, werner kortenhaus history of the 21st panzer division has been published in english. Organized in france in march, 1944 from elements of the 16th panzergrenadier division and the 179th reserve panzer division, the 116th panzer division was one of the relatively rare german armoured formations that fought exclusively on the western front. In february 1941, the german high command decided to dispatch an expedi. The panzer lehr divison certainly deserves to be at the top of the list. Location of 2nd panzer division in normandy combat. The 11th gespenster panzer division and the german armored force in. Panzerdivision had just returned from the balkans and were pretty well used up apparently most of. Berlinbrandenburg 19351945 and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Bundesarchiv bild 146198107015, frankreich, panzer iv. Panzerdivision was sent to romania for use as a training unit for the romanian armed forces, being code named.
Recent examples on the web in short order, panzer divisions barreled deep into foreign territory. Includes bibliographical references the 7th panzer division in the french campaign, may 1940 the 7th panzer division in the soviet union, junejuly 1941 observations on the combat performance of the 7th panzer division and suggested actions for the improvement of marine corps operational capabilities. This is a more restricted meaning than the germanlanguage equivalent panzerdivision short. The book covers the first two years of existence and combat activities of the german 11th panzer division pz. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. Panzer division, armoured division, a selfcontained combinedarms military unit of the german army, built around and deriving its mission largely from the capabilities of armoured fighting vehicles. Rob citino, samuel zemurray stone senior historian of the museum, lists his favorite books on dday. Panzer division advancing to stalingrad via lvov, pervomaisk, zaporozhe, taganrog, makeevka and artemorsk.
Panzer division definition of panzer division by merriam. The date of formation listed by various sources is conflicting, and this seems due to the fact that although the unit was ordered formed on august 1st, it most likely did not come together until late in 1941. The 21st panzer division was a german armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the north african campaign from 19411943 during world war ii when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the deutsches afrikakorps dak. Panzerdivision had just returned from the balkans and were pretty well used up apparently most of the tanks were returned to the factories for overhaul. European theater of operations in cooperation with richard anderson. The three battlegroups were formed using the panzer and panzergrenadier regiments as the nuclei. Second world war content, second world war content. Generalleutnant feuchtinger shows off one of the divisions selfpropelled 105s from sturmgeschutz abt 200 to rommel as he inspects the unit before dday. May 20, 2002 the uscaptured division level strength records for 19th pz end at 21. Panzerdivision was formed in august of 1940 from portions of the 16. The 1st panzer division was engaged in the southern sector of the eastern front to serve alternately within the 1st and 4th panzer army as an emergency force. Kortenhauss account of the division s subsequent commitment, in the lorraine saar region alsace area provides intriguing detail on this little known sector as the southern wing of pattons 3rd army strove for the upper rhine area of germany. Sep 04, 2015 the 10th panzer division was first formed on 1 april 1939 in prague, as a composite unit made up of previously established units throughout germany. May 29, 2016 a summary of 2 panzer division in normandy in niklas zetterlings normandy 1944 german military organisation, combat power and organisational effectiveness pages 3315 refer is as follows.
Panzer, panzer grenadier and waffen ss divisions in world war ii. Originally stationed in the amiens area at the time of the landings before being ordered to normandy two days after the invasion. The 22nd panzer division was a german panzer division in world war ii. During the fighting against the soviet uniont the 16. The german 10th ss panzer division from the eastern front to normandy. German order of battle 21st armored division 6 june 1944. By the end of the year, the division was completely used up and was. The dday overlord campaign book theatre selectors include a 21st panzer division panzergrenadier reinforced platoon dday page 171. Thus it was the cornerstone of the german response capability during the critical first hours of the allied landing. Illustrated with hundreds of detailed artworks of tanks an. Location of 2nd panzer division in normandy combat mission. The combat history of the 21st panzer division, 194345. Panzer division was held in reserve during the balkan campaign, but took part in the invasion of the soviet union in june, 1941, being used in the southern sector of the front.
See more ideas about world war two, german army and wwii. The title of this book is a little misleading, as it does more than just what the blurb says. A panzer division is one of the armored tank divisions in the wehrmacht of nazi germany during world war ii. Organized in france in march, 1944 from elements of the 16th panzer grenadier division and the 179th reserve panzer division, the 116th panzer division was one of the relatively rare german armoured formations that fought exclusively on the western front. The 1st panzer division deserved a better account and it would be wise to avoid spending money on this volume. Bundesarchiv bild 101i300186504, frankreich, rommel bei 21. It was an elite division formed in 1943 and equipped with the best equipment, tanks, men, etc. The book was a disappointment because the 500 or so black and white photographs were of a very small size usually four in a page, placed like in a checkerboard style and of poor quality.
It was created in 1940 by the conversion of the 4th infantry division. Panzer division with the turret number i06, and the strength report from 1 december lists 41 panthers with the division, so the battalion must have begun arriving shortly after. Our organization is a non political historical reenactment group that portrays the soldiers of 2. The book is divided into two volumes, detailing every wehrmacht and ss panzer division in numbered order. A photographs from 21 november 1943 shows a panther from 1. Panzer division was ordered formed by the oberkommando des heeres from the 5. In february 1941, early in the german intervention in the desert, the 5th light division the precursor of the 21st panzer division had 25 panzer is, 45 panzer iis, 75 panzer iiis and 20 panzer ivs.