The 20th Panzer Division ( en, 20th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

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 from parts of the 19th Infantry Division. The division fought exclusively on the Eastern Front, taking part in the battles of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

. It eventually surrendered to US and Soviet forces in Czechoslovakia in May 1945.

History

The 20th Panzer Division was formed on 15 October 1940 after the decision had been made to weaken the existing German tank divisions to create new ones. The new division drew units from various active and reserve units, among them the 19th Infantry Division which had been converted to a tank division itself, having become the 19th Panzer Division. Dvina crossing

Attached to

Army Group Center Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...

, the division participated in the opening stages of

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 ...

and remained in the front echelon of attack during the series of advances on

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

and took part in

Operation Typhoon The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive e ...

, the failed attack on Moscow. It remained on the central front during the winter of 1941–42, engaged in defensive operations and retreat. In March 1942 it was withdrawn to

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...

for refitting and a rest after heavy casualties during the winter that lead to disbanding of a number of its units.Mitcham, p. 152 The 20th Panzer Division, consisting of just one of the nominal three tank battalions, remained in the central sector of the Eastern Front, taking part in the capture of

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...

in mid-1942 but otherwise engaged in defensive operations. It took part in the defence of Orel in the winter of 1942–43 and, in July 1943, was part of the northern spearhead during the

battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

. The rest of 1943 was spent in a long retreat between Orel,

Gomel Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census). Etymology There are at least six narratives of the ori ...

Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...

, and

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

. The 20th Panzer Division spent the winter of 1944 fighting in the

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Distr ...

, Vitebsk,

Bobruisk Babruysk, Babrujsk or Bobruisk ( be, Бабруйск , Łacinka: , rus, Бобруйск, Bobrujsk, bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k, yi, באָברויסק ) is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina River. , its population was 2 ...

and Cholm areas. Having suffered heavy losses during the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп� ...

, the division was sent to Romania for refitting in August 1944. In October, the division was sent to East Prussia, and then sent to Hungary on 6 January, 1945, to partake in the Garam (S:

Hron The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the DanubeBreslau,

Schweinitz Schweinitz is a village and a former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous coun ...

and

Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.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 ...

(now part of Poland). The division was transferred to

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, :de:Ostlausitzer Mundart, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and ...

(east of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

on the post-1945 German frontier with Poland). On 19 April 1945, the division was involved in a counteroffensive west of Görlitz in the direction of

Niesky Niesky ( Sorbian and pl, Niska, cz, Nízké) is a small town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 9,200 (2020) and is part of the district of Görlitz. Historically considered part of Upper Lusatia, it was ...

, but disengaged three days later and retreated west. It counterattacked again in the

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

area, succeeding in relieving the local garrison at heavy cost to Soviet forces. By 26 April 1945, the division was situated northwest of Dresden; by 6 May it retreated south across the Czechoslovakian border. Some divisional elements surrendered to the Red Army near

Teplice-Sanov Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The hist ...

(northwest of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

), whilst the rest, including elements of ''Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20.'' surrendered to the U.S. Army at

Rokycany Rokycany (; german: Rokitzan) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Rokycany is made up o ...

, (between Prague and

Plzeň Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...

); they were handed over to the Soviet forces.

Organization

The organisation of the division:

1941

* ''Schützen-Brigade 20'' ** ''Schützen-Regiment 59'' *** ''Schützen-Battalion I'' *** ''Schützen-Battalion II'' ** ''Schützen-Regiment 112'' *** ''Schützen-Battalion I'' *** ''Schützen-Battalion II'' ** ''Kradschützen-Battalion 20'' * ''Panzer-Regiment 21'' ** ''Panzer-Abteilung I'' ** ''Panzer-Abteilung II'' ** ''Panzer-Abteilung III'' * ''Artillerie-Regiment 92'' ** ''Artillerie-Abteilung I'' ** ''Artillerie-Abteilung II'' ** ''Artillerie-Abteilung III'' * ''Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20'' * ''Panzerjäger-Abteilung 92'' * Pionier-Battalion 92 * Nachrichten-Abteilung 92

1942

* ''Panzergrenadier-Regiment 59'' ** ''Panzergrenadier-Battalion I'' ** ''Panzergrenadier-Battalion II'' * ''Panzergrenadier-Regiment 112'' ** ''Panzergrenadier-Battalion I'' ** ''Panzergrenadier-Battalion II'' * ''Panzer-Regiment 21'' ** ''Panzer-Abteilung I'' ** ''Panzer-Abteilung II'' * ''Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 92'' ** ''Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung I'' ** ''Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung II'' ** ''Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung III'' * ''Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20'' * ''Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 295'' * ''Panzerjäger-Abteilung 92'' * ''Panzer-Pionier-Battalion 92'' * ''Panzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung 92''

Commanding officers

The commanders of the division:Mitcham, p. 155–156 *''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

Horst Stumpff __NOTOC__ Horst Stumpff (20 November 1887 – 25 November 1958) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 1 January 1938 Stumpff was given command of the 3rd Panzer B ...

, 13 November 1940 – 10 September 1941 *''

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 ...

Georg von Bismarck __NOTOC__ Georg von Bismarck (15 February 1891 – 31 August 1942) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Bismarck joined the army i ...

, 10 September 1941 – 13 October 1941 (acting) *''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma Wilhelm Josef Ritter von Thoma (11 September 1891 – 30 April 1948) was a German army officer who served in World War I, in the Spanish Civil War, and as a general in World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Th ...

, 14 October 1941 – 30 June 1942 *''Generalmajor''

Walter Düvert Walter Düvert (2 October 1893 – 4 February 1972) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Düvert retired from active duty on 30 November 1944. Awards and ...

, 1 July 1942 – 10 October 1942 *''Oberst''

Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz Diepold Georg Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (6 December 1896 – 9 October 1969) was a Prussian Junker, Olympic equestrian, and German officer who served in both World Wars, retiring as a ''General der Panzertruppe''. Lüttwitz's team competed at ...

, 10 October 1942 – 30 November 1942 (acting) *''Generalmajor'' Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 1 December 1942 – 11 May 1943 *''Generalleutnant''

Mortimer von Kessel __NOTOC__ Mortimer von Kessel (25 May 1893 – 8 January 1981) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Biography Kessel j ...

, 12 May 1943 – 1 January 1944 *''Oberst''

Werner Marcks Werner Marcks (17 July 1896 – 28 July 1967) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several armoured divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Awards and decorations ...

, 1 January 1944 – 1 February 1944 (acting) *''Generalleutnant'' Mortimer von Kessel, 2 February 1944 – 5 November 1944 *''Oberst''

Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski __NOTOC__ Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski (2 January 1899 – 19 September 1966) was an Olympic equestrian, winning a gold medal in the team dressage at the 1936 Olympics. He later served as a panzer general during World War II. As a lieuten ...

, 6 November 1944 – 31 December 1944 (acting) *''Generalmajor'' Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski, 1 January 1945 – 8 May 1945

References

Bibliography

* * * *Windrow, Martin. "The Panzer Divisions", Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1982, *Cornish, Nik. "Images of Kursk", Brassey's, 2002,

External links

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 2*20 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945