A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the ''

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

'' formed its own panzer divisions, and the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' fielded an elite panzer division: the Hermann Göring Division. A panzer division was a

combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects—for example, using infantry and armoured warfare, armour in an Urban warfare, urban environment in ...

formation, having both

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s (, , usually shortened to ""), mechanized and

motorized infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...

, along with

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

and other integrated support elements. At the start of the war, panzer divisions were more effective than the equivalent Allied armored divisions due to their combined arms doctrine, even though they had fewer and generally less technically advanced tanks. By mid-war, though German tanks had often become technically superior to Allied tanks, Allied

armored warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war. The premise of armored warfare rests on the abil ...

and combined arms doctrines generally caught up with the Germans, and shortages reduced the

combat readiness Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistent ...

of panzer divisions. The proportions of the components of panzer divisions changed over time. The World War II German equivalent of a

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...

division is ''Panzergrenadierdivision'' ('armored infantry division'). This is similar to a panzer division, but with a higher proportion of infantry and

assault gun An assault gun (from , , meaning "assault gun") is a type of armored infantry support vehicle and self-propelled artillery, mounting an infantry support gun on a protected self-propelled chassis, intended for providing infantry with heavy di ...

s and fewer tanks.

Pre-war development

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

first proposed the formation of panzer units larger than a regiment, but the inspector of motorized troops,

Otto von Stuelpnagel Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded ...

, rejected the proposal. After his replacement by

Oswald Lutz Oswald Lutz (6 November 1876 – 26 February 1944) was a German General who oversaw the motorization of the German Army in the late 1920s and early 1930s and was appointed as the commander of the Wehrmacht's Panzer Troops Command in 1935. ...

, Guderian's mentor, the idea gained more support in the ''Wehrmacht'', and after 1933 was also supported by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. The first three ''panzer divisions'' were formed on 15 October 1935. The 1st Panzerdivision was formed in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

and commanded by

Maximilian von Weichs Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von und zu Weichs an der Glonn (12 November 1881 – 27 September 1954) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field marshal) in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. B ...

, the 2nd Panzerdivision was formed in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

and commanded by Guderian, and the 3rd Panzerdivision was formed in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and commanded by Ernst Feßmann. Most other armies of the era organized their tanks into "tank brigades" that required additional infantry and artillery support. ''Panzer divisions'' had their own organic infantry and artillery support. This led to a change in operational doctrine: instead of the tanks supporting operations by other arms, the tanks led operations, with other arms supporting them. Since the ''panzer divisions'' had the supporting arms included, they could operate independently from other units.

World War II

These first ''panzer divisions'' (

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

through 5th) were composed of two tank regiments, one motorised infantry regiment of two battalions each, and supporting troops. After 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 ...

in 1939, the old divisions were partially reorganised (adding a third battalion to some infantry regiments or alternatively adding a second regiment of two battalions). Around this time, the newly organised divisions ( 6th through 10th) diverged in organisation, each on average with one tank regiment, one separate tank battalion, one or two infantry regiments (three to four battalions per division). By the start of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the German invasion of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1941, the 21 ''panzer divisions'' had undergone further reorganisation to now consist of one tank regiment (of two or three battalions) and two motorised regiments (of two battalions each). Until the winter of 1941/42, the organic component of these divisions consisted of a motorised artillery regiment (of one heavy and two light battalions) and the following battalions: reconnaissance, motorcycle, anti-tank, pioneer, field replacement, and communications. The number of tanks in the 1941-style divisions was relatively small, compared to their predecessors' composition. All other units in these formations were fully motorised (trucks,

half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. A half-track combines the soft-ground traction of a tank with the Car handl ...

s, specialized combat vehicles) to match the speed of the tanks. During the winter of 1941/42, the divisions underwent another reorganisation, with a tank regiment comprising from one to three battalions, depending on location (generally three for

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

, one for

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre () 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 during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...

, other commands usually two battalions). Throughout 1942, the reconnaissance battalions were merged into the motorcycle battalions. By the summer of 1943, the ''

'' and ''

'' also had ''panzer divisions''. A renewed standardization of the tank regiments was attempted. Each was now supposed to consist of two battalions, one with

Panzer IV The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panzer IV was the most numer ...

and one with Panther (Panzer V). In reality, the organization continued to vary from division to division. The first infantry battalion of the first infantry regiment of each panzer division was now supposed to be fully mechanised (mounted on armoured half-tracks (

Sd.Kfz. 251 The Sd.Kfz. 251 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251'') was a World War II German half-tracked armoured personnel carrier. Designed by the Hanomag company to transport the ''Panzergrenadier'' (German mechanized infantry) into battle, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was bas ...

). The first battalion of the artillery regiment replaced its former towed light howitzers with a mix of heavy and light self-propelled artillery (the Hummel with a

15 cm sFH 18 The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed ''Immergrün'' ("Evergreen"), was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer of 149mm during the Second World War, serving alongside the sma ...

/1 L/30 gun and the standard 105mm howitzer-equipped

Wespe The Sd.Kfz. 124 ''Wespe'' (German for "wasp"), also known as ''Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf.)'' ("Light field howitzer 18 on Panzer II chassis (self-propelled)"), is a German self-propelled gun developed and ...

). The anti-tank battalion now included assault guns, tank destroyers ('' Panzerjaeger''/'' Jadgpanzer''), and towed anti-tank guns. Generally, the mechanization of these divisions increased compared to their previous organization. Since the Heer and the SS used their own ordinal systems, there were duplicate numbers (i.e. there was both a 9th Panzerdivision and a 9th SS-Panzerdivision).

Heer

Numbered

* 1st Panzer Division *

2nd Panzer Division The 2nd Panzer Division (English: 2nd Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Heer, during World War II. Created as one of the original three German tank divisions in 1935, it was stationed in Austria after the Anschluss ...

* 3rd Panzer Division * 4th Panzer Division * 5th Panzer Division * 6th Panzer Division (previously 1st Light Division) * 7th Panzer Division (previously 2nd Light Division) *

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 ...

(previously 3rd Light Division) *

9th Panzer Division The 9th Panzer Division was a panzer division of the German Army during World War II. It came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. The division was headquartered in Vienna, in the German military district Weh ...

(previously 4th Light Division) * 10th Panzer Division * 11th Panzer Division * 12th Panzer Division * 13th Panzer Division (previously 13th Infantry Division, 13th Motorized Infantry Division; later Panzer Division ''Feldherrnhalle'' 2) *

14th Panzer Division The 14th Panzer Division () was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II. It was created in 1940 by the conversion of the 4th Infantry Division. The division took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, eve ...

(previously 4th Infantry Division) *

15th Panzer Division The 15th Panzer Division () was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1940. The division, formed from the 33rd Infantry Division, fought exclusively in North Africa from 1941 to 1943, event ...

(previously 33rd Infantry Division; later 15th Division) * 16th Panzer Division (previously 16th Infantry Division) * 17th Panzer Division (previously 27th Infantry Division) * 18th Panzer Division (later 18th Artillery Division) * 19th Panzer Division (previously 19th Infantry Division) * 20th Panzer Division * 21st Panzer Division (previously 5th Light Division) * 22nd Panzer Division * 23rd Panzer Division *

24th Panzer Division The 24th Panzer Division was formed in late 1941 from the 1st Cavalry Division (Wehrmacht), 1st Cavalry Division based at Königsberg. The division fought on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front from June 1942 to January 1943, when it ...

(previously 1st Cavalry Division) * 25th Panzer Division (previously armoured division "Norway". * 26th Panzer Division (formerly 23rd Infantry Division) * 27th Panzer Division * 116th Panzer Division ''Windhund'' (previously 16th Infantry Division, 16th Motorized Infantry Division, and 16th Division) * 155th Reserve Panzer Division (previously Division Nr. 155, Division Nr. 155 (motorized), Panzer Division Nr. 155) * Panzer Division Nr. 178 (previously Division Nr. 178) * 179th Reserve Panzer Division (previously Division Nr. 179, Division Nr. 179 (mot.), and Panzer Division Nr. 179) * 232nd Panzer Division (previously Panzer Division ''Tatra'', Panzer Training Division ''Tatra'') * 233rd Reserve Panzer Division (previously Division Nr. 233 (mot.), Division Nr. 233, and Panzer Division Nr. 233; later Panzer Division ''Clausewitz'') * 273rd Reserve Panzer Division

Named

* Panzer Division ''Clausewitz'' (previously Division Nr. 233 (motorized), Division Nr. 233, and Panzer Division Nr. 233, Reserve Panzer Division 233) ** ''Döberitz'', ''Schlesien'', and ''Holstein'' are approximately synonymous with ''Clausewitz''. * Panzer Division ''Feldherrnhalle 1'' (previously 60th Infantry Division, 60th Motorized Infantry Division, and Division ''Feldherrnhalle'') * Panzer Division ''Feldherrnhalle 2'' (previously 13th Infantry Division, 13th Motorized Infantry Division, and 13th Panzer Division) * Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring * Panzer Division ''Jüterbog'' * Panzer Division ''Kempf'' (part ''Heer'', part ''Waffen-SS'') * Panzer Division ''Kurmark'' *

Panzer Lehr Division The Panzer-Lehr-Division (tank teaching division) was an elite German armoured division during World War II. It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops (''Lehr'' = "teach") stationed in Germany, to provide additional a ...

(sometimes identified as 130th Panzer-Lehr-Division) * Panzer Division ''Müncheberg'' * Panzer Division ''Tatra'' (later Panzer Training Division ''Tatra'', 232nd Panzer Division)

Tank complement

The tank strength of the panzer divisions varied throughout the war. The actual equipment of each division is difficult to determine due to battle losses, the formation of new units, reinforcements and captured enemy equipment. The following table gives the tank strength of every division on two dates when this was known.

Flags

Panzer divisions used pink military flags.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Panzer Division * Tables of Organisation and Equipment