The 15th Panzer Division (german: 15. Panzer-Division) was an

armoured division A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Histo ...

in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

, the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, established in 1940. The division, formed from the 33rd Infantry Division, fought exclusively in North Africa from 1941 to 1943, eventually ceasing to exist after surrendering in Tunisia in May 1943.

History

The 33rd Infantry Division, forerunner of the 15th Panzer Division, was formed in April 1936 and part of the German defences in the

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...

during the early month of the war. It participated in the invasion of France and remained there after the French surrender as an occupation force. It returned to Germany in September 1940 to be converted to a tank division. 2 Battle of El Alamein 005

The division was transported to

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

in April 1941, joining General

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

's ''

Deutsches Afrikakorps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

'' (DAK) as one of two German tank divisions in North Africa at the time, the other having been the

21st Panzer Division The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorp ...

. However, the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

intercepted and sank the ships carrying the division's Signal Reserve Battalion. The division took part in all major German operations in North Africa except the first, for which it arrived too late. It was part of the successful German defence against British attempts to relieve Tobruk,

Operation Brevity Operation Brevity was a limited offensive conducted in mid-May 1941, during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Conceived by the commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Command, General Archibald Wavell, Brevity was inte ...

and

Operation Battleaxe Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significa ...

. On 18 November British forces began

Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (Ge ...

with the objective of relieving the besieged forces at

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

. The 15th Panzer Division was situated to the east of Tobruk, suffered severe losses and was forced to retreat west.Mitcham, p. 125 The 15th Panzer Division was part of the German offensive in January 1942 that retook Benghazi. It participated in the

battle of Gazala The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German an ...

, the capture of Tobruk and the German invasion of Egypt which came to a stand-still at

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

. The division suffered severe loses at the

Second battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

in November 1942 and was forced to retreat along with the rest of the Afrikakorps. After the retreat of the Axis forces to Tunisia the 15th Panzer Division was part of the battle of Kasserine Pass against inexperienced US forces in February 1943. The division eventually surrendered alongside other Axis forces in Tunisia in May 1943 and was not reestablished. Survivors of the division who escaped the North African surrender by being in hospitals in Europe became part of the new

15th Panzergrenadier Division 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious nu ...

Commanding officers

The commanders of the division:Mitcham, p. 126–128 * Generalleutnant

Friedrich Kühn General Friedrich Kühn (7 August 1889 – 15 February 1944) was a General der Panzertruppe in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. World War II At the start of World War ...

(November 1940 – 21 March 1941) * Generalleutnant

Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron (4 September 1889 – 10 April 1941) was a general officer in the ''Heer (army), Heer'' (Army) branch of the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was commander of the 14th Panzer Division (Wehrm ...

(22 March 1940 – 10 April 1941) * Oberst

Maximilian von Herff Maximilian Karl Otto von Herff (17 April 1893 – 6 September 1945) was a German senior SS commander during the Nazi era. He served as head of the SS Personnel Main Office from 1942 to 1945. Early life Maximilian von Herff was born in Hanov ...

(10 April 1941 – 13 April 1941) * General der Panzertruppe

Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (10 July 1892 – 5 January 1955) was a German general who commanded the 15th Panzer Division in the Afrika Korps. Esebeck had knowledge of and was sympathetic to the anti-Hitler conspiracy in the military. He was a ...

(13 April 1941 – 13 May 1941 ) * Oberst Maximilian von Herff (13 April 1941 – 16 June 1941) *

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-s ...

Walter Neumann-Silkow (16 June 1941 – 6 December 1941) * Oberst

Erwin Menny Erwin Menny (18 August 1893 – 6 December 1949) was a German general (Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer ran ...

(6 December 1941 – 8 December 1941 ) * Generalmajor

Gustav von Vaerst __NOTOC__ Gustav von Vaerst (19 April 1894 – 10 October 1975) was a German general during World War II. He was the last commander of the 5th Panzer Army, which was trapped in Northern Tunisia, between 28 February and 9 May 1943. He surrender ...

(9 December 1941 – 28 May 1942) * Oberst

Eduard Crasemann Eduard Crasemann (5 March 1891 – 29 April 1950) was a German ''General der Artillerie'' in the Wehrmacht and convicted war criminal who commanded several Panzer divisions during World War II. Crasemann fought as an artillery officer during W ...

(28 May 1942 – 15 July 1942) * Generalmajor

Heinz von Randow Heinz Friedrich von Randow (15 November 1890 – 21 December 1942) was a German army general. Life Randow was born in Grammow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He became an ensign in 1910, then attended the military academy and became lieutenant on 2 ...

(15 July 1942 – 25 August 1942) * Generalleutnant Gustav von Vaerst (25 August 1942 – 11 November 1942 ) * Generalleutnant Willibald Borowitz (11 November 1942 – 13 May 1943 )

Organisation

The organisation of the division in March 1941:George F. Nafziger, The German Order of Battle: Panzers and Artillery in World War II, p 97-112 * 8 Panzer Regiment (I & II Battalions) * 15th Infantry Brigade ** 104 Motorized Rifle Regiment (I & II Battalions) ** 115 Motorized Rifle Regiment (I & II Battalions) ** 15 Motorcycle Battalion * 33 Reconnaissance Battalion * 33 Motorized Artillery Regiment (I, II & III Battalions) * 33 Combat Engineer Battalion * 33 Antitank Battalion * 33 Divisional services

References

Bibliography

* * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 1*15 German units in Africa Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943