2nd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht): Difference between revisions

German 2nd Panzer Division
German 2nd Panzer Division
Active	15 October 1935 – 8 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Heer
Type	Division
Role	Panzer
Engagements	World War II
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Heinz Guderian; Rudolf Veiel; Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck ; Arno von Lenski; Vollrath Lübbe; Heinrich von Lüttwitz; Franz Westhoven; Adolf von Nostitz-Wallwitz; Henning Schönfeld; Meinrad von Lauchert; Oskar Munzel; Carl Stollbrock
Insignia
1939–1940
1940–1945 (variant)
1940–1944
1944–1945

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Revision as of 01:31, 5 June 2011

The 2nd Panzer Division (2. Panzer-Division) was created in 1935, and stationed in Austria after the Anschluss. It participated in the campaigns in Poland (1939) and France (1940),^[1] and then returned to Poland for occupation duties (1940–1941). It took part in the Balkans campaign (1941) and then transferred to the Russian Front in September 1941. It fought with Army Group Center in the battles of Moscow (1941) and Kursk (1943). After heavy losses on the Russian Front it was sent to France for rehabilitation (1944). It fought in Normandy and was almost completely destroyed in the Falaise Pocket (1944). It was rebuilt once more and fought in the Battle of the Bulge (1944) and in the defense of the Rhine (1945), surrendering to the Americans at war's end.

Military History

Construction

The 2nd Panzer Division was created by the Wehrmacht in the city of Würzburg on the 15th October 1935 from two armoured regiments, the 3rd Panzer Regiment and the 4th Panzer Regiment under the control of Oberst Heinz Guderian.

During the Anschluss of Austria by the Third Reich, assited by Nazi elements within Austria, the division was sent to form a part of the garrison in the Austrian capital of Vienna. At the outbreak of the Second World War the division was bolstered by a contingent of local Austrians, up to the point where the division was nicknamed the Vienna Division.

Invasion of Poland

In early September 1939, at the beginning of the war, the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the invasion of poland as a part of the XII Panzer Corps, of the 14th Army (Germany), Army Group South. Based in newly formed Slovakia, the objectives of the division initially were the taking of the city of Krakow, where it came against the 10th Mechanized Division (Poland) and the 10th Armoured Brigade (Poland). Troughout the campaign it suffered heavy losses, particularly on the 18th September in a bitter tank battle.

On the other hand, during the campaign, soldiers of the 2nd Panzer Division commited atrocities against prisoners of the Polish Army. On the 5th September, some Polish soldiers who were apprehended near Toporzysko-Bystra were removed from their unit and executed under the assumption that they were attempting to flee.

Battle of France (Fall Gelb and Fall Rot)

In January of 1940, the 2nd Division was reassigned to the Western front, around the area of Eifel. When May came of that same year, the unit took part in the Battle of France, as a part of the XIX Army Corps (Germany) under the command of Heinz Guderian, their former commander. The kampfgruppe of which the division formed a part was under the command of Ewald von Kleist. The division helped the push through the Ardennes and was involved in fighting in Belgium and the Mosel River valley. On the 17th May, along with the 1st Panzer Division they managed to hold the banks of the River Oise, spearheaded an attack Moy, and took the town of Peronne in the Somme on the 19th of May; arriving in the town of Abbeville on the 20th. Later they would form the armoured element which flanked the British Expeditionary Army and forced their extraction from the European Continent in Dunkirk, while engagin the French 2nd Armoured Division led by General Charles de Gaulle who would carry on to lead the Free French forces. The invasion was typical of newly developed Blitzkrieg tactics used by the German army which utilised armoured elements under the support of the Luftwaffe.

After a rest of a week to conduct repairs and to regroup the unit, the 2nd Panzer division advanced along the River Aisne into the interior of France. At the end of the campaign in the last months of 1940, the Division lost its 4th Panzer Regiment which was used as the basis for the soon to be formed 13th Panzer Division.

Romanian Garrison and Operation Marita

In April of 1941 the 2nd Panzer division was send to Romania, with the mission of protecting the country, and perhaps more importantly the resources from Ploesti, keeping it from Soviet influence and sidestepping the Romanian authorities, all the time positioning for a possible invasion by Germany into the Soviet Union. Meanwhile an alliance was formed with Bulgaria and this assured southern protection for Romania.

The division was reassigned to the XVIII Mountain Corps (Germany) of the 12th Army (Germany) on the 6th April 1940 to play a role in Operation Marita, which was the invasion of Greece. The German army pushed through the south of Yugoslavia, taking the important city of Strumica and then carrying on southward towards the Grecian border, where they made contact with the 19th Motorised Infantry (Greece) in the area of Lake Dojran and on the 9th April the Division took the city of Salonika. Eventualy on the same day they forced the surrender of the 2nd Greek Army which was on the east of the River Vardar.

The Division, together with the 5th Mountain Division, the 6th Mountain Division and the 72nd Infantary Division formed an attack group with the mission of securing the advance into the south of Greece. After the 6th Division had taken Verroia and formed a Spearhead, on the other side of the River Haliacmon, the 2nd Panzer Division crossed the river, taking Katerini on the 14th April. During the attack on the 15th April the area around Mount Olympus was taken, and on the 16th New Zealand Troops acting as a part of the Anzac force were attacked in the Platamon Valley. Finally, after strong resistance, they broke through British troops sent to the assistance of Greece, taking Larissa on the 19th April, and secured a significant British Supply Dump, which the 2nd Panzer Division used to push the attack without waiting for resupply.

After the final resistance was beaten in the Valley of Thermopalyae, the 2nd Panzer Division entered Athens together with the 6th Mountain Division. In September of 1941 the Division lost some of its comprising units, and was reassigned the 22nd Panzer Division.

Russian Front (Operation Barbarossa)

Before the campaign, the Division had to recover from losses suffered from wear, as well as their heavy weapons, which had been sunk in the Mediterranean by Allied submarines; it was shipped by sea to Italy, to be redirected from there by heavy railway to the east. After they had recovered, in October 1941, 2nd Panzer Division was sent to the Eastern Front, reinforcing Army Group Centre in their progress towards Moscow. They became an active component of the XL Panzer Corps of the 4th Panzer Army. During the Battle of Moscow , vanguard elements of the Division reached the outskirts of the city reaching 9 km from the centre of Moscow; some of its units even claimed to have sighted the domes of the Kremlin in the distance.

After being on the defensive, the Division was forced to withdraw following a counterattack of the Red Army in the winter of 1941, taking part in various battles defensive as a component in the 9th German Army during the first months of 1942 .

In 1943 the 2nd Panzer Division took part in Operation Citadel, fitted in the XLVII Panzer Corps of the 9th German Army of Army Group Centre. The German offensive was stopped as it was discovered that the Western Allies had began landing for operations in North Africa ( Operation Torch ). They began a fighting retreat where they suffered heavy losses.

France and the Battle of Normandy

As a result of combat fatigue and wear, the Division was sent in late 1943 to France, specifically to Amiens in the Somme, for its restructuring and reorganization. It remained in the area to deal with a hypothetical invasion of France by Allies.

However, when there was the invasion of Normandy by the Allies on June 6th of 1944, the 2nd Panzer Division was not sent immediately to Normandy but remained in the Somme due to the erroneous assumption that there was to be a second Allied landing in the region of Calais; an idea fostered by the British through their use of double agents for exactly this purpose. Due to this, to damage and delays caused by the action of groups of partisans and allied air raids, the Division did not reach the front in Normandy until July. When it arrived, it clashed with British troops of the 50th Infantry Division and the 7th Armoured Division. Having participated in various battles and confrontations, it took part with its last 25 tanks in the failed counterattack of Mortain. It was later enclosed in the Falaise pocket, but managed to escape at a high cost in material and human casualties. However, the defense of the position was crucial in not allowing the Allies to close the pocket until a high number of German soldiers had escaped.

Germany

Completely dismantled, the Division was sent to Bitburg in Germany to be reorganized again, absorbing the few remnants of the 352. Infantry Division. Due to the shortage in material resources which afflicted the Third Reich , was significantly reduced its complement of tanks, some of their companies with only assault guns. Postive news was that they received a battalion of Panzer V Panther tanks.

Battle of the Bulge

After the rest period the Division was sent again to the Western Front, being attached to the 5th Panzer Army which was preparing an offensive in the area of the Ardennes, Belgium. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 , the vanguard of the armoured column came to reach within 4km the Meuse River, but were forced to retreat by the counterattack of the United States Army and the lack of gasoline for the tanks of the German Divisions. The Division had lost precious time in trying to kill American troops encircled at Bastogne and all this despite the mistake made on the December 18, when the Division was diverted to the Meuse, in accordance with the original plan, when the road was virtually free. This could have allowed the easy the taking of Bastogne.

Finally, most of the 2nd Panzer Division was surrounded by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division's close support aircraft on December 25, with very few tanks of the Division able to return to the German lines.

Battle of the Rhine

Now operating at an extremely reduced effectivness, the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the Spring of 1945 in the Battle of the Rhine. In this, the Wehrmacht tried to halt the passage of the Allies accross the River Rhine, and the Division assisted as a component of the XIII Army Corps, of the 7th German Army, Heeresgruppe B.

The final fate of the unit was to defend the city of Fulda in April 1945, along with the rest of the XII Army Corps of the same 7th Army, and surrendered to the American forces on the 7th May.

Commanders

Oberst Heinz Guderian (Creation - 31 January 1938)
Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel (1 February 1938 - 17 February 1942)
Generalleutnant Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (17 February 1942 - 31 May 1942) (Vacation)
Generalmajor Arno von Lenski (1 June 1942 - 30 June 1942)
Generalleutnant Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (1 July 1942 - 10 August 1942) (Wounded)
Oberst Karl Fabiunke (5 September 1942 - 30 September 1942)
Generalleutnant Vollrath Lübbe (1 October 1942 - 31 January 1944)
Generalleutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (1 February 1944 - 4 May 1944) (Vacation)
Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven (5 May 1944 - 26 May 1944)
Generalleutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (27 May 1944 - 31 August 1944)
Oberst Eberhard von Nostitz (1 September 1944 - 4 September 1944)
Generalmajor Henning Schönfeld (5 September 1944 - 14 December 1944)
Generalmajor Meinrad von Lauchert (15 December 1944 - 19 March 1945)
Generalmajor Oskar Munzel (20 March 1945 - 3 April 1945)
Major i.G. Waldemar von Gazen (3 April 1945 - 4 April 1945)
Oberst Karl Stollbrock (4 April 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Notes

^ During the French campaign, this division was the first German division to reach the English channel on May 20, 1940. See "The History of World War II", edited by Peter Young, Orbis Publication,1983, vol. 2, p.156.

References

Pipes, Jason. "2.Panzer-Division". Retrieved April 2, 2005.
Wendel, Marcus (2004). "2. Panzer-Division". Retrieved April 2, 2005.
"2. Panzer-Division". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de, with photos. Retrieved April 2, 2005.
"Unteroffizer Franz Eschner". English language autobiographical notes from a veteran of 2nd Panzer Division, with photos. Retrieved April 2, 2005.
Szymon Datner (1974). Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu (Crimes of the Wehrmacht)

Template:Link GA

[1] During the French campaign, this division was the first German division to reach the English channel on May 20, 1940. See "The History of World War II", edited by Peter Young, Orbis Publication,1983, vol. 2, p.156.

[1]

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 === Battle of France (Fall Gelb and Fall Rot) ===
+[[File:10May-16May1940-Fall Gelb.jpg|left|thumb|German armoured advance through the Ardennes, including 2. Panzer Division, between 10 and 16 May of 1940, as a part of the Battle of France.]]
 In January of [[1940]], the 2nd Division was reassigned to the Western front, around the area of [[Eifel]]. When May came of that same year, the unit took part in the [[Battle of France]], as a part of the [[XIX Army Corps (Germany)]] under the command of Heinz Guderian, their former commander. The [[kampfgruppe]] of which the division formed a part was under the command of [[Ewald von Kleist]]. The division helped the push through the [[Ardennes]] and was involved in fighting in [[Belgium]] and the [[Mosel River]] valley. On the [[17th May]], along with the [[1st Panzer Division]] they managed to hold the banks of the [[River Oise]], spearheaded an attack Moy, and took the town of [[Peronne]] in the [[Somme]] on the 19th of May; arriving in the town of [[Abbeville]] on the 20th. Later they would form the armoured element which flanked the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Army]] and [[Dunkirk evacuation|forced their extraction]] from the European Continent in [[Dunkirk]], while engagin the French 2nd Armoured Division led by [[General]] [[Charles de Gaulle]] who would carry on to lead the [[Free French]] forces. The invasion was typical of newly developed [[Blitzkrieg]] tactics used by the German army which utilised armoured elements under the support of the [[Luftwaffe]].
 After a rest of a week to conduct repairs and to regroup the unit, the 2nd Panzer division advanced along the [[River Aisne]] into the interior of France. At the end of the campaign in the last months of 1940, the Division lost its [[4th Panzer Regiment]] which was used as the basis for the soon to be formed [[13th Panzer Division]].
 === Romanian Garrison and Operation Marita ===