The 3rd Light Division (sometimes described as ''Light Mechanized'' or ''Light Panzer'' to distinguish it from the later ''Light'' infantry divisions) was raised in November 1938. In 1939 it fought in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. On 4 September 1939, soldiers from the division entered the region of

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

where they met resistance from the local Polish population. In retribution 80 Polish

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

were gathered in Kosciuszko Square by German soldiers and executed. Due to shortcomings that the campaign revealed in the organization of the Light divisions it was reorganized as the

8th Panzer Division The 8th Panzer Division was a formation of the ''Wehrmacht'' German Army (Wehrmacht), ''Heer''. The division was formed by reorganising the 3rd Light Division (Wehrmacht), 3rd Light Division in October 1939. It was transferred to the west and fo ...

in October 1939.

References

Bibliography

* * {{German Armoured Divisions of World War II 0*03 0*03 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939