The 14th Panzer Division (german: 14. Panzer-Division) was an armoured division in the
German Army during
World War II
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 opposin ...
. It was created in 1940 by the conversion of the
4th Infantry Division.
The division took part in the invasion of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, eventually being destroyed in the
Battle of Stalingrad. Reformed, the 14th Panzer Division soon returned to the
Eastern Front and eventually surrendered to Soviet forces in
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
in May 1945.
World War II
The 14th ''Panzer'' Division was formed in August 1940 from units of the
4th Infantry Division and
4th ''Panzer'' Division. The 4th Infantry Division provided both divisional staff and the infantry components, while the 4th ''Panzer'' Division provided the tank element by transferring 36th ''Panzer'' Regiment to the new division.
[Mitcham, p. 119]
In April 1941, the 14th ''Panzer'' Division took part in the
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 p ...
, reaching
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
on 15 April. Soon after, it returned to Germany in preparation for
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
. In June 1941, as part of
Army Group South
Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...
, the division took part in the invasion of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. It was involved almost continuously in the fighting throughout 1941, including the first winter on the
Eastern Front. In early 1942, the division took part in the German summer offensives as Army Group South advanced through the
Kharkov
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. and
Don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
regions. It was transferred to
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ende ...
'
VI Army, which was encircled at
Stalingrad soon after. By February 1943, the division had been destroyed in the fighting at the
Battle of Stalingrad.
[Mitcham, p. 120]
The division was reformed in
Brittany, France. By November 1943, it was combat ready, transferring back to Army Group South on the Eastern Front. It now had an additional battalion of StuG
assault guns, the III/36 ''Panzer'' Regiment. The division was part of Army Group South up to June 1944. In August, after being refitted, it was transferred to
Army Group North
Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...
to the
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
area (now
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
). The refit included delivery of
Panther tank
The Panther tank, officially ''Panzerkampfwagen V Panther'' (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation: ''Sd.Kfz.'' 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to ...
s.
In January 1945, the Red Army launched a number of major offensives across the Eastern Front. Much of Army Group North - including the 14th ''Panzer'' Division - was bypassed and became trapped in the
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...
, and remained there until Germany's surrender in May 1945. The division was disbanded during the last weeks of the war, with its personnel being formed into two ''panzer'' brigades. Parts of the division were evacuated to Germany in the last week of the war and surrendered to the Western Allies while those units remaining surrendered to Soviet forces on 10 May 1945.
Organization
Organization of the Division:
* Headquarters
* 36th Panzer Regiment ''(from the
4th Panzer Division)''
* 103rd Panzergrenadier Regiment
* 108th Panzergrenadier Regiment
* 4th Panzer Artillery Regiment
* 64th Motorcycle Battalion
* 40th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
* 4th Tank Destroyer Battalion
* 13th Panzer Engineer Battalion
* 13th Panzer Signal Battalion
* 276th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion ''(later added in 1942)''
* 4th Panzer Divisional Supply Group
Commanding officers
The commanders of the division:
[Mitcham, p. 121–123]
*Generalleutnant
Erick-Oskar Hansen __NOTOC__
Erick-Oskar Hansen (27 May 1889 – 18 March 1967) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Biography
Born in Hamburg, Hansen entered the army ...
, 15 August 1940
*Generalleutnant
Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron
Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron (4 September 1889 – 10 April 1941) was a general officer in the ''Heer (army), Heer'' (Army) branch of the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was commander of the 14th Panzer Division (Wehrm ...
, 1 October 1940
*General der Panzertruppe
Friedrich Kühn, 22 March 1941
*Generalleutnant
Ferdinand Heim
Ferdinand Heim (27 February 1895 – 14 November 1977) was a World War II German general.
War service
Heim served during World War I and the post-war German army. He reached the rank of Oberst in August 1939, just before the start of the Second ...
, 1 July 1942
*Generalleutnant
Hans Freiherr von Falkenstein
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjab ...
, 1 November 1942
*Generalleutnant
Johannes Bäßler, 16 November 1942
*Generalmajor Martin Lattmann, 26 November 1942
*Generalleutnant Friedrich Sieberg, 1 April 1943
*Generalleutnant
Martin Unrein
__NOTOC__
Martin Unrein (1 January 1901 – 22 January 1972) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions.
Career
Unrein enlisted the German army in the final stages of World War I and then joined the re-established Re ...
, 29 October 1943
*Generalmajor
Oskar Munzel
__NOTOC__
Oskar Munzel (13 March 1899 – 1 January 1992) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II and in the Bundeswehr of West Germany who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Ir ...
, 5 September 1944
*Generalleutnant
Martin Unrein
__NOTOC__
Martin Unrein (1 January 1901 – 22 January 1972) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions.
Career
Unrein enlisted the German army in the final stages of World War I and then joined the re-established Re ...
, 1 December 1944
*
Oberst
''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...
Friedrich-Wilhelm Jürgen, 10 February 1945
*Oberst Karl Gräßel, 15 March 1945
See also
*
Organisation of a SS Panzer Division
The SS Panzer Division (german: SS-Panzerdivision, short: SS-PzDiv) was an SS formation during World War II. The table below shows the order of battle to which an SS Panzer division aspired.Willamson, Gordon (1994). ''The SS Hitler´s Instrument ...
*
Panzer division
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1*14
Military units and formations established in 1940
German units at the Battle of Stalingrad
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II