General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps.

Rank and rank insignia

The rank was equivalent to the long established ''

General der Kavallerie General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers o ...

'', ''

General der Artillerie General der Artillerie ( en: General of the artillery) may mean: 1. A rank of three-star general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württembe ...

'' and '' General der Infanterie''. The Wehrmacht also introduced ''

General der Gebirgstruppe General der Gebirgstruppe (Literally: General of the Mountain Troops) was a category of German Army three-star, a new example of the traditional German 'General der' rank introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940, comparable to the NATO grade OF- ...

'' (mountain troops), ''

General der Pioniere ''General der Pioniere'' (en: ''General of the engineers'') was a General of the branch rank of the German Army in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), equi ...

'' (engineers), '' General der Fallschirmtruppe'' (parachute troops), '' General der Flieger'' (aviators), ''

General der Nachrichtentruppe General der Nachrichtentruppe (Literally: General of the Communications Troops) was a General of the branch OF8-rank of German Army, introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940. The rank was equivalent to the long established ''General der Kavalle ...

'' (communications troops) and '' General der Luftnachrichtentruppe'' (air communications troops).

Position

In the present-day German Army, there is a ''General der Panzertruppen'', which is not a ''rank'' but a ''position'', who is usually a brigadier general ('' Brigadegeneral''). The General der Panzertruppen commands the Armoured Corps Training Centre. In the Nazi-era Army, the equivalent position was called ''Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppe''.

List

The following officers were ''General der Panzertruppe'': * Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (1889–1962) (promoted Generaloberst 4/12/1942) * Hermann Balck (1893–1982) * Erich Brandenberger (1882–1955) * Hermann Breith (1892–1964) * Hans Cramer (1896–1968) * Ludwig Crüwell (1892–1958) *

Karl Decker Karl Decker (30 November 1897 – 21 April 1945) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who committed suicide in the Ruhr Pocket on 21 April 1945. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak ...

(1897–1945) (committed suicide) *

Heinrich Eberbach Heinrich Eberbach (24 November 1895 – 13 July 1992) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 5th Panzer Army during the Allied invasion of Normandy. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves o ...

(1895–1992) * Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Edelsheim (1897–1994) * Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (1892–1955) *

Gustav Fehn __NOTOC__ Gustav Fehn (21 February 1892 – 5 June 1945) was a German general during World War II. Fehn served in the Afrika Korps from November 1942 to January 1943, LXXVI Panzer Corps from July–August 1943, the XXI Army Corps from October 19 ...

(1892–1945) (executed by partisans) *

Ernst Feßmann Ernst Feßmann (6 January 1881 – 25 October 1962) was a German general of the ''Heer'' (German Army) who led the 267th Infantry Division in the early stages of World War II. Prior to the war, he was also notable for commanding one of the firs ...

(1881–1962) * Wolfgang Fischer (1888–1943) *

Walter Fries __NOTOC__ Walter Fries (22 April 1894 – 6 August 1982) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Awards * Iron Cross (1914) ...

(1894–1982) *

Hans Freiherr von Funck Hans von Funck (23 December 1891 – 14 February 1979) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II, who commanded the 7th Panzer Division and the XXXXVII Panzer Corps. Career Hans von Funck joined the German army in August 1914 ...

(1891–1979) * Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg (1886–1974) * Fritz-Hubert Graeser (1888–1960) * Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (1888–1954) (promoted Generaloberst 1941) * Josef Harpe (1887–1968) (promoted Generaloberst 20/5/1944) *

Sigfrid Henrici __NOTOC__ General Sigfrid Henrici (10 May 1889 – 8 November 1964) was a German general during World War II. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, Henrici was the commander of the 16th Infantry Division (motorised). He commanded XXXX ...

(1889–1964) * Traugott Herr (1890–1976) * Alfred Ritter von Hubicki (1887–1971) * Hans-Valentin Hube (1890–1944) (promoted Generaloberst 20/4/1944, killed in plane crash 21/04/1944) * Georg Jauer (1896–1971) * Werner Kempf (1886–1964) *

Mortimer von Kessel __NOTOC__ Mortimer von Kessel (25 May 1893 – 8 January 1981) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Biography Kessel ...

(1893–1981) * Friedrich Kirchner (1885–1960) *

Ulrich Kleemann Ulrich Kleemann (23 March 1892 – 1 January 1963) was a German general during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He commanded the 90th Light Africa Division in North Africa from 10 April 194 ...

(1892–1963) * Otto von Knobelsdorff (1886–1966) * Walter Krüger (1892–1973) *

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 ...

(1889–1944) (killed in bombing raid) *

Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen __NOTOC__ General Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen (26 July 1889 – 10 July 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LXXXI Army-Corps under Erwin Rommel in Normandy in 1944. He saw service in World War I, a ...

(1889–1964) * Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp (1890–1942) * Joachim Lemelsen (1888–1954) * Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (1896–1969) *

Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz Smilo Walther Hinko Oskar Constantin Wilhelm Freiherr von Lüttwitz (23 December 1895 – 19 May 1975) was a German general during World War II and son of Walther von Lüttwitz. After World War II he joined the Bundeswehr on 1 June 1957 and ret ...

(1895–1975) * Oswald Lutz (1876–1944) * Hasso von Manteuffel (1897–1978) *

Karl Mauss Karl Mauss (17 May 1898 – 9 February 1959) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 7th Panzer Division and was one of only 27 German military men to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and ...

(1898–1959) *

Walter Model Otto Moritz Walter Model (; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German field marshal during World War II. Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of def ...

(1891–1945) (promoted Generaloberst 28/2/1942, Generalfeldmarschall 1/3/1944) *

Walther Nehring Walther Nehring (15 August 1892 – 20 April 1983) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the Afrika Korps. Early life Nehring was born on 15 August 1892 in Stretzin, West Prussia. Nehring was the descendant of ...

(1892–1983) *

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ende ...

(1890–1957) (promoted Generaloberst 30/11/1942, Generalfeldmarschall 30/1/1943) * Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1887–1963) (promoted Generaloberst 1/1/1942) * Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) (promoted Generaloberst 24/1/1942, Generalfeldmarschall 2/6/1942, committed suicide 14/10/1944) * Hans Röttiger (1896–1960) * Dietrich von Saucken (1892–1980) * Ferdinand Schaal (1889–1962) *

Rudolf Schmidt Rudolf Schmidt (12 May 1886 – 7 April 1957) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 2nd Panzer Army on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leav ...

(1886–1957) (promoted Generaloberst 1/1/1942) * Gerhard von Schwerin (1899–1980) *

Frido von Senger und Etterlin Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin (4 September 1891 – 9 January 1963) was a general in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Biography Fridolin Rudolph von Senger und Etterlin was born on 4 September 1891, in Waldshut near the Swiss b ...

(1891–1963) *

Georg Stumme Georg Stumme (29 July 1886 – 24 October 1942) was a general in the of Nazi Germany during the Second World War who briefly commanded the Axis forces at the beginning of the Second Battle of El Alamein, and died during the Defence of Outpost Sn ...

(1886–1942) * Horst Stumpff (1887–1958) *

Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma Wilhelm Josef Ritter von Thoma (11 September 1891 – 30 April 1948) was a German army officer who served in World War I, in the Spanish Civil War, and as a general in World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. ...

(1891–1948) *

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 ...

(1894–1975) * Rudolf Veiel (1883–1956) * Heinrich von Vietinghoff (1887–1952) (promoted Generaloberst 1/9/1943) * Nikolaus von Vormann (1895–1959) * Walther Wenck (1900–1982)

Gallery

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1979-035-19, Hasso von Manteuffel.jpg, General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel in 1944 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-209-0086-12, Russland-Nord, Erich von Manstein, Brandenberger.jpg, General der Panzertruppe Erich Brandenberger (left) with Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein in 1941 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B17409, Nordafrika, Ludwig Crüwell, Fritz Bayerlein.jpg, General der Panzertruppe Ludwig Crüwell (left) in North Africa in 1942

References

Literature