The Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle, was a semi-

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

formation of 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 ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

The Panzergrenadier Division "

Feldherrnhalle The Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshals' Hall) is a monumental loggia on the Odeonsplatz in Munich, Germany. Modelled after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, it was commissioned in 1841 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to honour the tradition of the ...

" was created on 20 June 1943 in the south of France by the renaming and reorganization of the 60th Infantry Division which had been destroyed at Stalingrad. Most of the recruits had previously been members of the SA or had undergone a training course in one of the twelve "Sturm Banners" scattered throughout the Reich. The name "Feldherrnhalle" was used by the original infantry regiment 271 or its 3rd Battalion. During the division's formation, it was stationed in the Nimes - Montpellier area. At the beginning of September 1943, the division took part in the disarmament of the 8th Italian Army as part of

Operation Achse Operation Achse (german: Fall Achse, lit=Case Axis), originally called Operation Alaric (), was the codename for the German operation to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces after Italy's armistice with the Allies on 3 September 1943. ...

. At the end of October 1943, the division moved to northern France to the Arras-Doullens area and at the beginning of December 1943 to the Eastern Front. Here it took up defensive positions as part of the

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November ...

in the area of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

. In February it was sent to the North to fight in the Battle of Narva. In May 1944, it returned to

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...

and fought against the Soviet Mogilev Offensive in June. The division was destroyed during the Soviet Minsk Offensive in July 1944, as part of

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп� ...

Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle (1)

The Division was recreated on 1 September 1944 in

Warthelager Biedrusko is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Suchy Las, within Poznań County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies on the Warta river, approximately north of the regional capital Poznań. In 2006 the vi ...

and then in Hungary in the Debreczen area.
On 27 November 1944, the division was renamed Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle and again destroyed during the

Battle of Budapest The Siege of Budapest or Battle of Budapest was the 50-day-long encirclement by Soviet and Romanian forces of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, near the end of World War II. Part of the broader Budapest Offensive, the siege began when Budap ...

in February 1945. The division was recreated again as Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 1. The remnants of the division surrendered to the Soviets in May 1945 at Deutsch-Brod.

Commanders

Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle

Panzer Division Feldherrnhalle (1)

Composition Panzergrenadier-Division ''Feldherrnhalle'', June 1943

* Division Stab * Füsilier-Regiment ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Grenadier-Regiment ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Panzer-Abteilung ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Artillerie Regiment ''Feldherrnhalle'' * FlaK-Bataillon ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Pionier-Bataillon ''Feldherrnhalle'' * Nachrichten-Kompanie ''Feldherrnhalle''

Sources

* * * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Military units and formations established in 1943

1943 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945