11th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
The 11th Panzer Division ( en, 11th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army (1935–1945), German Army during World War II, established in 1940. The division saw action on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern and Western Front (WWII), Western Fronts during the Second World War. The 11th Panzer Division did not participate in the war until the invasion of Yugoslavia. It fought in the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944 and, in the last year of the war, in southern France and Germany. The formation's emblem was a ghost. History The 11th Panzer Division was formed on 1 August 1940 from the 11th ''Schützen-Brigade'' and the ''Panzer Regiment 15'' removed from the 5th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht), 5th Panzer Division and elements of the 231st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 231st Infantry Division, 311th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 311th Infantry Division and 209th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 209th Infantry Division. Most of its members were from Silesia (Wehr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Division (Military)
A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Historically, the division has been the default combined arms unit capable of independent Military tactics, operations. Smaller combined arms units, such as the American regimental combat team (RCT) during World War II, were used when conditions favored them. In recent times, modern Western militaries have begun adopting the smaller brigade combat team (similar to the RCT) as the default combined arms unit, with the division they belong to being less important. While the focus of this article is on army divisions, in naval usage "division (naval), division" has a completely different meaning, referring to either an administrative/functional sub-unit of a department (e.g., fire control division of the weapons department) aboar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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11th Panzer Division Logo 2
11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested in Bede's late 9th-century ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''. It has cognates in every Germanic language (for example, German ), whose Proto-Germanic ancestor has been reconstructed as , from the prefix (adjectival "one") and suffix , of uncertain meaning. It is sometimes compared with the Lithuanian ', though ' is used as the suffix for all numbers from 11 to 19 (analogously to "-teen"). The Old English form has closer cognates in Old Frisian, Saxon, and Norse, whose ancestor has been reconstructed as . This was formerly thought to be derived from Proto-Germanic ("ten"); it is now sometimes connected with or ("left; remaining"), with the implicit meaning that "one is left" after counting to ten.''Oxford English Diction ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split into two main subregions, Lower Silesia in the west and Upper Silesia in the east. Silesia has a diverse culture, including architecture, costumes, cuisine, traditions, and the Silesian language (minority in Upper Silesia). Silesia is along the Oder River, with the Sudeten Mountains extending across the southern border. The region contains many historical landmarks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. The largest city and Lower Silesia's capital is Wrocław; the historic capital of Upper Silesia is Opole. The biggest metropolitan area is the Upper Silesian metropolitan area, the centre of which is Katowice. Parts of the Czech city of Ostrav ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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209th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 209th Infantry Division (german: 209. Infanterie-Division) was a German infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. Operational history The 209th Infantry Division was one of the divisions deployed in the immediate leadup to the Invasion of Poland as part of the third '' Aufstellungswelle''. It was first formed on 26 August 1939 in Komotau in Wehrkreis IV. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 304, 394, and 414, as well as Artillery Regiment 209. The division was deployed in the reserves of 1st Army (Erwin von Witzleben) under Army Group C (Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb), which was tasked with the defense of Germany's western border with France. By November, it was moved to XXXII Army Corps and was transferred into occupied Poland. The division came to the eastern border with the Soviet Union while the army's main forces focussed on the Battle of France. Following an order from 24 July 1940, the division was dissolved on 24 August 1940. The Infantry Regi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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311th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 311th Infantry Division was an army formation in Nazi Germany, established on 1 November 1939 in East Prussia during the Second World War from the ''Genesenen'' group Brand and the Lötzen Brigade, which were used by the 3rd Army. After its deployment, the division remained at the Arys military training area in East Prussia. On 8 March 1940 the division was completely reclassified. At the beginning of the Battle of France, the second phase of the western campaign, the division was moved to the Grafenwoehr Training Area Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA) is a United States Army training base located near Grafenwöhr, Bavaria, Germany. At 232 km2, it is the largest US training facility in Europe. The base is operated by 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Comm ... on 9 June 1940. The IV (field recruit) battalions of the infantry regiments formed in January 1940 were handed over here. The IV Infantry Regiment 247 became field replacement battalion 311. As a result of the rap ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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231st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 231st Infantry Division (german: 231. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. Operational history The 231st Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 as part of the third '' Aufstellungswelle'' in Nuremberg in Wehrkreis XIII. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 302 ( Amberg), 319 ( Regensburg) and 342 ( Bayreuth), as well as the Artillery Regiment 231. The division's first and only commander was Hans Schönhärl. The division operated in the Saar region as part of the 1st Army reserves. After the German capture of Warsaw it was transferred to occupied Poland, where it served as a frontier guard in the south of the German-Soviet demarcation line to prevent Soviet attacks during the timespan in which the main German forces were pinned down in the west. On 8 June 1940, it was organizationally part of the ''Oberost'' group (''Grenzabschnittskommando Süd''), along with the 228th and 311th Infantry Divisions. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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5th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
The 5th Panzer Division ( en, 5th Tank Division) was an armoured division of the German Army during World War II, established in 1938. The division fought in Poland, France, the Balkans and in the Soviet Union; first as part of Army Group Centre (1941–44) and then Army Group North. The division surrendered to Soviet and Western Allied forces in April and May 1945. History The 5th Panzer Division was formed in Oppeln, now Opole in Poland, on 15 November 1938 as part of a second wave of new armoured divisions in Germany following the creation of the original three tank divisions in 1935. Alongside the 5th Panzer Division the 4th had been formed in Würzburg five days earlier. The personnel of the division was mainly made up of Silesians and Sudeten Germans, the Sudetenland having been annexed by Germany shortly before.Mitcham, p. 65. The division took part in the invasion of Poland in 1939 but played no major role in it, being part of the southern thrust of the German advance ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a ''séance''. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter or spectre, spirit, spook, wraith, demon, and ghoul. The belief in the existence of an afterlife, as well as manifestations of the spirits of the dead, is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary, human-like essences, though stories of ghostly armies and th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Invasion Of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Führer Directive No. 25", which Adolf Hitler issued on 27 March 1941, following a Yugoslav coup d'état that overthrew the pro-Axis government. The invasion commenced with an overwhelming air attack on Belgrade and facilities of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and attacks by German land forces from southwestern Bulgaria. These attacks were followed by German thrusts from Romania, Hungary and the Ostmark (modern-day Austria, then part of Germany). Italian forces were limited to air and artillery attacks until 11 April, when the Italian army attacked towards Ljubljana (in modern-day Slovenia) and through Istria and Lika and down the Dalmatian coast. On the same day, Hungarian force ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Second World War
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 opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Western Front (WWII)
The Western Front was a military theatre of World War II encompassing Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The Italian front is considered a separate but related theater. The Western Front's 1944-1945 phase was officially deemed the European Theater by the United States, whereas Italy fell under the Mediterranean Theater along with North Africa. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale combat operations. The first phase saw the capitulation of Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, and France during May and June 1940 after their defeat in the Low Countries and the northern half of France, and continued into an air war between Germany and Britain that climaxed with the Battle of Britain. The second phase consisted of large-scale ground combat (supported by a massive strategic air war considered to be an additional front), which began in June 1944 with the Allied landings in Normandy and continued until t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a Theater (warfare), theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Polish Armed Forces in the East, Poland and other Allies of World War II, Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltic states, Baltics), and Southeast Europe (Balkans) from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. It was known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union – and still is in some of its successor states, while almost everywhere else it has been called the ''Eastern Front''. In present-day German and Ukrainian historiography the name German-Soviet War is typically used. The battles on the Eastern Front of the Second World War constituted the largest military confrontation in history. They were characterised by unprecedented ferocity and brutality, wholesale destruction, mass deportations, and immense loss of life due to combat, starvation, expos ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |