, later also ( German for " Armoured Force", "Armoured Arm" or "Tank Force". : ombat"arm") refers to a command within the of the German , responsible for the affairs of

panzer {{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no Words and phrases Germanic words and phrases Words and phrases by language la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...

(tank) and motorized forces shortly before and during the

Second World War 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 ...

History

It was originally known as ("Fast Troops"); a motorized command established in the following the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, redesignated as in 1936 by

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 ...

The men of the , are referred to as ( Armoured Troops), were distinguishable by their close fitting black uniforms, known as Panzer wraps. The corps colour of the German was

pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

. In addition to practical considerations, the uniform was inspired by the traditional uniform of the Brunswick Hussars. After 1943, the , like most other German branches of service, had relaxed the uniform rules and many wore a variety of clothing, including

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

and winter items. Two training schools existed for panzer crews throughout the war, and II. The mainstay of the was the

Panzer division A Panzer division was one of the Division (military)#Armored division, armored (tank) divisions in the German Army (1935–1945), army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the Blitzkrieg, ...

. These consisted of a panzer

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

(two tank regiments) and two motorized or mechanized infantry regiments. All forces of a Panzer division were mobile. Support elements included self-propelled artillery, self-propelled anti-tank, and armored reconnaissance cars. After the campaigns in Poland and France, the Panzer divisions were reduced in size, with only one per Division. This move was taken to allow the creation of several new divisions with the available tanks.

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 ...

were an early formation, and consisted of infantry transported by trucks. Early in the war, there were a number of light divisions, each a semi-motorized

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

force created out of compromise with the 's cavalry command. These were judged inadequate following 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 ...

and converted to fully motorized units. During World War II they converted again to armoured reconnaissance divisions by the name of divisions consisting of motorized infantry (or armored infantry for some of the battalions, when sufficient (18 vehicles) half-tracked armored carriers were available), with self-propelled artillery (three battalions, each one with 14 self-propelled guns)EDDY BAUER, La guerre des blindés, volume two, page nine, Greek Army General Staff, Athens, 1964 and , and in some cases a significant panzer component.

Organization

A ''

panzer corps A panzer corps () was an armoured corps type in Nazi Germany's ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. The name was introduced in 1941, when the motorised corps (''Armeekorps (mot)'' or ''AK(mot)'') were renamed to panzer corps. Panzer corps were cre ...

'' consisted of two to three divisions and auxiliary attachments. ("Panzer Groups") were commands larger than a corps, approximately the size of an army, and named after their commander (e.g. ). These were later recognized as ("Panzer Armies"), an army-level command of two to three corps. These higher-level organizations almost always mixed ordinary infantry units with the . Significant numbers of panzer and motorized formations were of 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 ...

. These did not fall under the administratively, although operationally they were organized and fought as part of army formations and under army command.

References

* {{Heinz Guderian Armoured units and formations of Germany Military administrative corps of Germany Nationstate armoured warfare branches Heinz Guderian

History

Organization

See also

References