The 12th Panzer Division (German:'' 12. Panzerdivision'') was a

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. It was part of the III Corps 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 ...

, which also incorporated in 1985 the 5th Panzer Division and 2nd Panzergrenadier Division.Isby and Kamps, Armies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's Publishing Company, 1985, p.196 III Corps was part of NATO's

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(CENTAG), along with the Bundeswehr's II Corps and the American V and VII Corps. In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the Cold War, the 12th Panzer Division was disbanded in 1994. The division was constituted as the 12th Panzergrenadier Division in

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on January 1, 1961, as part of the II Corps of the Bundeswehr. At that time, it commanded the 35th Panzergrenadier Brigade, and in 1963 the 36th Panzer Brigade was also subordinated to the division. Subsequently, the 12th was re-designated a panzer (armoured) division. In 1970, the division was relieved from assignment to the II Corps and assigned to the III Corps. A third active brigade was not authorized for the division until 1975 during the "Heeresstruktur III" reforms. By 1977, the division's main components were the 14th Panzer, the 35th Panzergrenadier, and the 36th Panzer Brigades. In 1981, the 14th Panzer Brigade became the 34th Panzer Brigade. Following the end of the Cold War, the 12th Panzer Division was disbanded in 1994.

Commanders

References

{{Coord, 49.825719, N, 9.901128, E, dim:500_region:DE-BW_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Military units and formations established in 1961 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994 Armoured divisions of the Bundeswehr