The 11th Panzergrenadier Division (''11. Panzergrenadierdivision'') was a

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

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

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

. It was part of the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

of the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

.Keegan, ''World Armies'', p. 248 I Corps was part of NATO's

Northern Army Group The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Army Group headquarters was established on ...

(NORTHAG), along with the I Belgian Corps, I British Corps, and the I Netherlands Corps. In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the 11th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994. The division was constituted in May 1959 as part of the I Corps of the Bundeswehr. At that time, it commanded the 32nd Panzergrenadier and 33rd Panzer Brigades. In 1961, the 31st Panzergrenadier Brigade was also subordinated to the division. Division headquarters was quartered at

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

. The division provided assistance to civilians during the

North Sea flood of 1962 The North Sea flood of 1962 was a natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of West Germany and in particular the city of Hamburg in the night from 16 February to 17 February 1962. In total, the homes of about 60,000 people were ...

and helped fight wildfires on the Luneberg Heath in summer 1975. In September 1990, elements of the division assisted with the removal of old U.S. chemical munitions during

Operation Steel Box Operation Steel Box, also known as Operation Golden Python (German name for the transport in Germany: Aktion Lindwurm), was a 1990 joint U.S.-West German operation which moved over 100,000 U.S. chemical weapons from Germany to Johnston Atoll. Ba ...

, including medics from Leer (Ostfriesland) who were at

Nordenham Nordenham () is a town in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located at the mouth (on the west bank) of the Weser river on the Butjadingen peninsula on the coast of the North Sea. The seaport city of Bremerhaven is located ...

for a few weeks. From November 1990 to July 1991, elements of the division provided security, maintenance, and transport in the ports of Emden and Nordenham for U.S. and British troops redeploying to the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. The 11th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994.

Commanders

References

* John Keegan, ''World Armies'', New York: Facts on File, 1979, .

External links

Geschichte der Division auf www.relikte.com

Information zu Division auf der Website Oldenburgs
{{Bundeswehr divisions Military units and formations established in 1959 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994 Mechanized divisions of the German Army