The 101st Panzer Brigade was a Panzer Brigade that fought in World War II.

History

The first 101st Panzer Brigade was formed on 5 July 1941 in France with captured tanks. On 21 September 1941, it was used to form the staff of the

23rd Panzer Division The 23rd Panzer Division ( en, 23rd Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II. Formed in France in late 1941, the division spent its entire combat history on the Eastern Front. History The 23rd Panzer Divisio ...

. Colonel Botho Elster was briefly in command of the brigade in 1941 before being transferred to OB West. The second 101st Panzer Brigade was ordered to be formed on 11 July 1944 but was not formed until 15 August 1944. Like most Panzer Brigades, it had a battalion of Panther tanks and a battalion of panzergrenadiers in

Sd.Kfz. 251 The Sd.Kfz. 251 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251'') half-track was a World War II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the ''Panz ...

half tracks. It was a part of the ad hoc ''Panzerverband Strachwitz'' under

Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz (also known as Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz) (30 July 1893 – 25 April 1968) was a German officer of aristocratic descent in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Kn ...

. The 101st, along with the SS Panzer Brigade Gross, participated in Operation Doppelkopf to restore connection between Army Group North and Army Group Center. It was then deployed to the frontline on Estonia. In October 1944, the brigade was reformed near Bobruisk, then it was merged with the remains of the destroyed

20th Panzer Division The 20th Panzer Division ( en, 20th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II. It was created from parts of the 19th Infantry Division. The division fought exclusively on the Eastern Front, taking part in th ...

. The brigade staff formed the Staff/21st Panzer Regiment, the panzer battalion became the 2/21st Panzer Regiment, while the panzergrenadier Battalion became a Jagd-Kommando in the 20th Panzer Division.

Order of battle

1941

* 203rd Panzer Regiment * 204th Panzer Regiment

1944

* 2101st Panzer Battalion (3 Panther tank companies, 1 Jagdpanzer IV company) * 2101st Panzergrenadier Battalion (3 companies) * 2101st Brigade Support Units

Commanders

* Oberst Botho Elster - 1941 * Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert - July - August 1944 * Oberst Richard Schmidthagen - August 1944 * Oberstleutnant Guido von Wartenburg - August - September 1944 *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Eberhard Zahn Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar. People First name * Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire *Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian * Eberhard I, ...

- September - October 1944Major Friedrich-Wilhelm Breidenbach also served as acting commander, date of command is unknown.

Notes

Citations

References

;Books * * * ;Websites * {{refend Armoured brigades of the German Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941