The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

formation 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 ...

, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942.

3rd Panzer Group

The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November 1940. It was a constituent part of

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 ...

and participated in

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 fought in 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 ...

in late 1941 and early 1942. Later it served 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 ...

, where it was placed under operational control of the Ninth Army. ''Panzergruppe 3'' was retitled the 3rd Panzer Army on 1 January 1942.

Orders of battle

At the start of

the Group consisted of the XXXIX and LVII Army Corps (mot.). Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-244-2321-34, Ostfront-Süd, Panzer V (Panther)

2 October 1941

Part of Army Group Centre. * Commander:

Colonel General Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

Hermann Hoth Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a German army commander, war criminal, and author. He served as a high-ranking panzer commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II, playing a prominent role in the Battle of France and on t ...

* Chief of Staff:

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Walther von Hünersdorff __NOTOC__ Walther von Hünersdorff (28 November 1898 – 17 July 1943) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 6th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht), 6th Panzer Division. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross wit ...

* XLI Motorized Corps under General of Panzer Troops

Georg-Hans Reinhardt Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1 March 1887 – 23 November 1963) was a German general and war criminal during World War II. He commanded the 3rd Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre in 1944 and 1945, reaching the rank of colonel general ...

** 1.Panzer-Division under

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Friedrich Kirchner Friedrich Kirchner (26 March 1885 – 6 April 1960) was a German general during World War II who commanded 1st Panzer Division and the LVII Panzer Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Car ...

** 36.Infanterie-Division (Mot.) under Lieutenant General

Otto-Ernst Ottenbacher __NOTOC__ Otto-Ernst Ottenbacher (18 November 1888 – 7 January 1975) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Ottenbacher was wounded durin ...

* LVI Motorized Corps under General of Panzer Troops

Ferdinand Schaal Ferdinand Friedrich Schaal (7 February 1889 – 9 October 1962) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 10th Panzer Division in the 1939 Invasion of Poland and directed the successful Siege of Calais in 1940. Schaal was i ...

** 6.Panzer-Division under

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Franz Landgraf __NOTOC__ Franz Landgraf (16 July 1888 – 19 April 1944) 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. During the invasion of the Sovjet Union he led the 6th Pan ...

** 7.Panzer-Division under Major General Hans Freiherr von Funck ** 14.Infanterie-Division (Mot.) under Major General Friedrich Fürst *

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

under General of Engineers

Otto-Wilhelm Förster __NOTOC__ Otto-Wilhelm Förster (16 March 1885 – 24 June 1966) was a general in the German Army during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Förster retired from active duty in J ...

** 6.Infanterie-Division under Lieutenant General

Helge Auleb __NOTOC__ Helge Arthur Auleb (24 March 1887 – 14 March 1964) was a general in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was born in Gehren. Auleb commanded the 6th Infantry Division as part of VI Army Corps during Operati ...

** 26.Infanterie-Division under Major General

Walter Weiß __NOTOC__ General Walter-Otto Weiß, also spelt Weiss (5 September 1890 – 21 December 1967), was a German general during World War II. In 1945 he became commander in chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Kni ...

** 110.Infanterie-Division under Lieutenant General

Ernst Seifert Ernst Seifert (9 May 1855 – 27 April 1928) was a German organ builder and founder of a company named after him. In 1885 he founded his company in Cologne-Mannsfeld.Karl-Heinz Göttert, Eckhard Isenberg, ''Orgeln in Köln: ein Rundgang zu 70 ...

3rd Panzer Army was formed by redesignating 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. In March 1944, the 3rd Panzer Army took part in the forced assembly and deportation of Russian civilians in the

Borisov Borisov or Borisova may refer to: Places * Barysaw, or Borisov, Belarus ** Borisov Arena, a football stadium ** Battle of Borisov, 1812 * Borisov, Volgograd Oblast, Russia * Borišov, a mountain in Slovakia * Borisova, Perm Krai, Russia * Bor ...

area. The civilians were deported to Germany for use as forced labor. During

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

in July 1944, 3rd Panzer Army became part of the encirclement at Tekino, the Duna and Vitebsk, where it was largely destroyed. Surviving units retreated through

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 ...

before reforming a line near

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. ...

, fighting and being defeated during the

Battle of Memel The Battle of Memel or the siege of Memel (german: Erste Kurlandschlacht) was a battle which took place on the Eastern Front during World War II. The battle began when the Red Army launched its ''Memel offensive operation'' (russian: Мемел ...

in late 1944. In February 1945 the 3rd Panzer Army was one of the armies that made up the new Army Group Vistula. On 10 March 1945, General

Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel Freiherr Hasso Eccard von Manteuffel (14 January 1897 – 24 September 1978) was a German baron born to the Prussian noble von Manteuffel family and was a general during World War II who commanded the 5th Panzer Army. He was a recipient of the ...

was made the commander of the 3rd Panzer Army, which was assigned to defend the banks of the

Oder River The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

, north of the

Seelow Heights The Seelow Heights are situated around the town of Seelow, about east of Berlin, and overlook the Oderbruch, the western flood plain of the River Oder, which is a further to the east. They are sometimes known as the "Gates to Berlin", because th ...

, thus hampering Soviet access to

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. They then faced an overwhelming Soviet attack launched by General Rokossovsky's

2nd Belorussian Front The 2nd Belorussian Front (Russian: Второй Белорусский фронт, alternative spellings are 2nd Byelorussian Front) was a military formation, of Army group size, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Soviet army g ...

during the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

. On 25 April the Soviets broke through 3rd Panzer Army's line around the bridgehead south of Stettin and crossed the

Randow Randow ( Polish ''Rędowa''Lech Leciejewicz: Słowianie zachodni : z dziejów tworzenia się średniowiecznej Europy. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1989, p. 58. ) is a river in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern ...

Swamp. Following the defeat at Stettin, 3rd Panzer Army was forced to retreat into the region of

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

– the headquarters of 3rd Panzer Army. Manteuffel made negotiations with British generals including Field Marshall

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

Hagenow Hagenow () is a German town in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, 30 kilometers south of Schwerin. Its population is approximately 11,300 inhabitants (2013). Hagenow is part of the Hamburg Met ...

on 3 May 1945 so that he with 300,000 German soldiers would surrender to the British rather than Soviet forces.

Commanders

Notes

References

* Wilhelm Tieke, ''Das Ende zwischen Oder und Elbe'', Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag, 1995 * D. F. Ustinow et al. ''Geschichte des Zweiten Welt Krieges 1939–1945'', Berlin: Militärverlag der DDR, 1982

External links

12th Army Group situation maps
{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II P3 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945