The 2nd Panzer Division ( en, 2nd 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 ...
, the Heer, 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 ...
.
Created as one of the original three German tank divisions in 1935, it was stationed in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
after the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
and then participated in the campaigns in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
(1939) and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(1940) before it returned to Poland for occupation duties (1940–1941). It took part in the
Balkans campaign (1941) and then transferred to the
Eastern Front in September 1941.
The division fought with
Army Group Centre
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 ...
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 ...
(1941) 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 ...
(1943). After heavy losses on the Eastern Front it was sent to France for rehabilitation (1944). It fought in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and was almost completely destroyed in the
Falaise Pocket (1944). It was rebuilt once more and fought in the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
(1944) and in the defence of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
(1945), surrendering to US forces at war's end.
History
Formation
The 2nd Panzer Division was formed on 15 October 1935 and was headquartered in
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. It was one of three tank divisions created at the time, the other two having been the
1st and
3rd Panzer Division.
Germany had renounced the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
earlier in the year which had forbidden the country, among other things, from having tank forces, a treaty Germany had violated almost from the start by secretly developing tanks and operating a covert
tank school in the Soviet Union.
Under the command of
Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...
the division participated in the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
of Austria in 1938, covering in 48 hours but in the process losing 30 percent of its tanks to accidents and mechanical failures. It formed part of the garrison in Vienna, Austria's capital with most of its personnel now recruited from former Austria.
[Mitcham, p. 46.]
Invasion of Poland
![Poland1939 GermanPlanMap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Poland1939_GermanPlanMap.jpg)
In early September 1939, the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
, crossing the Polish-Slowak border and advancing towards
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. The division suffered heavy losses while fighting in central Poland.
[Stoves, p. 19.]
Battle of France
![10May-16May1940-Fall Gelb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/10May-16May1940-Fall_Gelb.svg)
In May 1940, the unit took part in the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
as a part of the
XIX Army Corps
The XIX Army Corps ( German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an armored corps of the German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergruppe 2'') and later 2nd Panzer Army (German: ''2. P ...
under the command of Guderian. The division was involved in fighting in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and the
Mosel River valley. It arrived in the town of
Abbeville
Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
on the 20th.
The division advanced on
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
and was involved in a battle with the under-equipped French 48th Regiment on 22 May. Having overcome the defenders, the 2nd Panzers made a direct attack on the port itself which was in complete chaos. Later, the division formed the armoured element which flanked the
British Expeditionary Force and forced their
evacuation from Dunkirk. The 2nd Panzer Division then advanced along the
River Aisne
The Aisne ( , , ) is a river in northeastern France. It is a left tributary of the Oise. It gave its name to the French department of Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as Axona.
The river rises in the forest of Argonne, at Remberco ...
into the interior of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. At the end of the campaign in the last months of 1940, the division lost its 4th Panzer Regiment which was used as the basis for the soon-to-be-formed
13th Panzer Division.
[Mitcham, p. 47.]
Invasion of Greece
The division was reassigned to the
XVIII Mountain Corps
XVIII. ''Armeekorps'' was formed in Salzburg, Austria, on 1 April 1938, following the Anschluss of Austria into the German Reich. During the life of the XVIII. Armeekorps, they took part in the Polish campaign, Fall Weiss, and the campaign in t ...
of the
12th Army on 6 April 1941 to play a role in
Operation Marita
The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...
, the invasion of Greece. The German army pushed through the south of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, reaching the Greek border, where they made contact with the
19th Greek Mechanized Division in the area of
Lake Dojran
Doiran Lake (, ''Dojransko Ezero''; , ''Límni Dhoïráni''), also spelled Dojran Lake is a lake with an area of shared between North Macedonia () and Greece ().
To the west is the city of Nov Dojran (Нов Дојран), to the east the v ...
. On 9 April the division took the city of
Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
and forced the surrender of the Greek Eastern Macedonia Army Section.
The division, together with the
5th Mountain Division, the
6th Mountain Division and the
72nd Infantry Division, formed an attack group with the mission of advancing into the south of Greece. After the 6th Division had taken
Verroia and formed a river crossing beachhead on the other side of the
River Haliacmon, the 2nd Panzer Division crossed, taking
Katerini
Katerini ( el, Κατερίνη, ''Kateríni'', ) is a city and municipality in northern Greece, the capital city of Pieria regional unit in Central Macedonia, Greece. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mt. Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, ...
on 14 April. After the
Battle of Thermopylae
The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label=Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting o ...
, the 2nd Panzer Division entered Athens together with the 6th Mountain Division.
At the end of the campaign the 2nd Panzer Division returned to Vienna for refitting, with parts of the division transported by sea and suffering heavy losses when the transport ships ''Marburg'' and ''Kybfels'' hits mines (laid by
HMS ''Abdiel'') and sank.
Invasion of the Soviet Union
In October 1941, the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to the
Eastern Front, reinforcing
Army Group Centre
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 ...
in their push towards Moscow,
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 ...
. It was attached to the
XL Panzer Corps
XXXX Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.
History
The XXXX. Armeekorps was formed on 26 January 1940 in Lubeck in the Wehrkreis X.
It took part in the invasions of France and Greece before being sent to the Easte ...
(later to the
V Army Corps of the
4th Panzer Army
The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...
during the
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
). On November 16, the units of the division attacked the soviet positions where "
Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen
The Panfilov Division's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen (russian: Двадцать восемь гвардейцев дивизии Панфилова), commonly referred to simply as Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen, Panfilov's Men (russian: Панф ...
" were supposed to be.
The division retreated following a counterattack of 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 ...
in the winter of 1941, taking part in various battles as a component in the
9th German Army during the first months of 1942. In 1943 the 2nd Panzer Division took part in
Operation Citadel
Operation Citadel (german: Unternehmen Zitadelle) was a German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein during the Second World War on ...
, as part of the
XLVII Panzer Corps
XLVII Panzer Corps (also: 47th Panzer Corps or XXXXVII. ''Panzerkorps'' or XXXXVII Panzer Corps) was a panzer corps of the German Army in World War II that was formerly designated as XLVII Corps. Various formations of the corps fought in the Fren ...
of the 9th German Army of Army Group Centre. Following the operation's failure, the Red Army launched
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was the first of the two counteroffensives launched by the Red Army as part of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation. It commenced on 12 July 1943, in the Central Russian Upland, against Army Group Center of the German '' He ...
in Army Group's Center's sector. The division retreated, suffering heavy losses, having also lost two of its three tank battalions earlier in 1942 when they were send to the southern sector of the front to assist with the German push towards the Volga and Caucasus.
[Stoves, p. 20.]
Battle of Normandy
In late 1943 the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to France for refitting after the heavy losses it suffered on the Eastern Front. The division was equipped with
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. Following the
invasion of Normandy
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
, the division was moved to Normandy in June 1944; it engaged British troops of the
50th Infantry Division and the
7th Armoured Division. From June 6 until mid July the division stood in the Caumont area engaged in daily skirmishes with British units. During
Operation Epsom
Operation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a British offensive in the Second World War between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the German-occupied city ...
a group of six Panther tanks of the Pz.Rg.3 was used for a counterattack to take
Cheux
Cheux () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas r ...
but that attack failed and five of their tanks were lost. Although the 2nd Panzer Division was very experienced the German doctrine overall was flawed and could not be exploited in Normandy. All German Panzer divisions in Normandy suffered severe defeats when counterattacking. The division was relieved at Caumont by the
326th Infantry Division and sent to the
Verrières ridge Verrières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:
* Verrières, Ardennes
* Verrières, Aube
* Verrières, Aveyron
* Verrières, Charente
* Verrières, Marne
* Verrières, Orne
* Verrières, Puy-de-Dôme
* Verrières, ...
southwest of
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[Operation Spring
Operation Spring (July 25–27, 1944) was an offensive operation of the Second World War conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign in 1944. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British ...]
a Kampfgruppe from the division (Kampfgruppe Sterz) was sent to reinforce the
272nd Infantry division at St. Andre sur Orne and St. Martin. The Kampfgruppe took St. Martin, destroying
The Black Watch in the process and got involved in street fighting in St. Andre sur Orne. Kampfgruppe Zollhöfer of the
9th SS Panzer Division
The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" (german: 9. SS-Panzerdivision "Hohenstaufen") was a Waffen-SS armoured division of Nazi Germany during World War II. It participated in battles on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. The division was ...
took over and struck towards Point 67. After Operation Spring 2nd Panzer was sent to the US sector to help in halting
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an Offensive (military), offensive launched by the United States First United States Army, First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Invasion of Norman ...
. They could stop the drive of the
US 2nd Armored for a moment but were too weak to cover the whole front. The division retreated and with its last 25 tanks it took part in
Operation Luttich, the failed German counterattack at Mortain. It was later encircled in the
Falaise pocket, but broke out with heavy losses in materiel and troops. At Falaise it was responsible for taking and holding
St-Lambert-sur-Dive but was only able to take one part of the village. Nevertheless due to the efforts of the 2nd Panzer Division other German units, notably the
10th and the
12th SS, were able to cross the bridge over the Dives and escape eastwards. The division was reorganised in Germany, absorbing the depleted
352nd Infantry Division. Due to the shortage in materiel, the division's complement of tanks was significantly reduced. Some tank companies only had
assault guns, although one battalion received Panther tanks.
[Mitcham, p. 48.]
Battle of the Bulge
The division was sent to the Western Front and attached to XLVII Panzer Corps,
5th Panzer Army
5th Panzer Army (german: 5. Panzerarmee) was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The a ...
which was preparing for the German offensive in the Ardennes region of Belgium (the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
in December 1944). On the eve of battle, 2nd Panzer was about full strength, with 27
Panzer IV
The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panze ...
s, 58
Panthers
Panther may refer to:
Large cats
*Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis''
**''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards.
***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...
, and 48
StuG III assault guns in the division tank parks. During the attack, 2nd Panzer drove towards the crucial road junction of
Bastogne
Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, ...
. However, Bastogne was quickly reinforced by the veteran
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
. Attacks against the town failed. On 18 December, in accordance with the original plan, 2nd Panzer was directed toward the Meuse River, but was unable to reach the Meuse, as American reinforcements threatened its flanks and supply line. Its vanguard got to 4 km from the Meuse, where on 24 December they were stopped by the
U.S. 2nd Armored Division and the British
3rd Royal Tank Regiment. 2nd Panzer was forced to retreat by fierce American counterattacks and lack of petrol.
Battle of the Rhine
Now operating at an extremely reduced effectiveness, in the spring of 1945 the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the
Battle of the Rhineland. In this, the Wehrmacht tried to halt the passage of the Allies across the River Rhine, and the division assisted as a component of the XIII Army Corps, of the 7th German Army, Heeresgruppe B.
The final engagement of the unit was at the city of
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
History ...
in April 1945. The division surrendered in
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
and north-western Czechoslovakia to the US forces on 7 May 1945.
Commanders
The commanders of the division:
[Mitcham, p. 48–52.]
*Oberst
Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...
(Creation - 31 January 1938)
*Generalleutnant
Rudolf Veiel
Rudolf Veiel (10 December 1883 – 19 March 1956) was a German general (General der Panzertruppe) during World War II.
Career
Veiel joined the army 1904, and was commissioned as an officer in 1905, serving in the Württemberg cavalry during ...
(1 February 1938 - 17 February 1942)
*Generalleutnant
Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck
Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (10 July 1892 – 5 January 1955) was a German general who commanded the 15th Panzer Division in the Afrika Korps.
Esebeck had knowledge of and was sympathetic to the anti-Hitler conspiracy in the military. He was ...
(17 February 1942 - 31 May 1942)
*Generalmajor
Arno von Lenski
Arno Ernst Max von Lenski (20 July 1893 – 4 October 1986) was a German military officer and general who served in the Imperial German army, the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, and after the war in the National People's Army of the German Democra ...
(1 June 1942 - 30 June 1942)
*Generalleutnant
Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck
Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (10 July 1892 – 5 January 1955) was a German general who commanded the 15th Panzer Division in the Afrika Korps.
Esebeck had knowledge of and was sympathetic to the anti-Hitler conspiracy in the military. He was ...
(1 July 1942 - 10 August 1942) (Wounded)
*Oberst (5 September 1942 - 30 September 1942)
*Generalleutnant
Vollrath Lübbe
Vollrath Lübbe (4 March 1894 – 4 April 1969) was a German general in the Wehrmacht. A veteran of World War I, he rose to command several divisions during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded by Nazi ...
(1 October 1942 - 31 January 1944)
*Generalleutnant
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 a ...
(1 February 1944 - 4 May 1944)
*Generalleutnant
Franz Westhoven __NOTOC__
Franz Westhoven (7 December 1894 – 9 October 1983) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several panzer divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Westhove ...
(5 May 1944 - 26 May 1944)
*Generalleutnant
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 a ...
(27 May 1944 - 31 August 1944)
*Oberst (1 September 1944 - 4 September 1944)
*Generalmajor
Henning Schönfeld __NOTOC__
Henning Schönfeld (19 May 1894 – 11 March 1958) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 2nd Panzer Division. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Awards and decoration ...
(5 September 1944 - 14 December 1944)
*Generalmajor
Meinrad von Lauchert
__NOTOC__
Meinrad von Lauchert (29 August 1905 – 4 December 1987) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
On the eve of the Battle o ...
(15 December 1944 - 19 March 1945)
*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 ...
(20 March 1945 - 3 April 1945)
*Major i.G.
Waldemar von Gazen
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awar ...
(3 April 1945 - 4 April 1945)
*Oberst
Karl Stollbrock Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
(4 April 1945 - 8 May 1945)
Organisation
The organisation of the division:
References
Bibliography
;Books
*
*
*
*
*
;Websites
*
{{Subject bar
, portal1=Military of Germany
, portal2=Tanks
, portal3=World War II
, commons=y
, commons-search=2nd Panzer Division (Germany)
0*02
German units in Normandy
Military units and formations established in 1935
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945