The 6th Panzergrenadier Division (''6. Panzergrenadierdivision'') was a

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

. It was part of the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

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 ...

during peacetime, but fell under

Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) was a Principal Subordinate Command (PSC) of the NATO Military Command Structure, with responsibility for the Baltic Sea area. It was in existence from 1962 to 2002 and consisted of the Danish Armed Forces, ...

Command in case of war.Keegan, ''World Armies'', p. 248 In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the 6th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994, although a military readiness command incorporated the division's name until 1997. The then-named 6th Grenadier Division was constituted in November 1958 as part of the I Corps of the Bundeswehr. Initially, the division was organized with two brigade-sized battle-groups, "A6" and "B6". In 1959, these units were renamed and a third brigade was added, with the brigades being the 16 and 17th Panzergrenadier Brigades and the 18th Panzer Brigade. At this time, the division was retitled the 6th Panzergrenadier Division. Division headquarters was located at

Neumünster Neumünster () is a city in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With more than 79,000 registered inhabitants, it is the fourth-largest municipality in Schleswig-Holstein (behind Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg). History The city was fi ...

. The division provided assistance to civilians during floods in 1962 and 1976, and also fought forest and moor fires in 1959. The division was given the strategic mission of defending

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

had a Soviet attack against Germany taken place during the

. In such an event, the division would have been subordinated to NATO's AFNORTH command. With the end of the Cold War, the German Army restructured and the 6th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994.

Commanders

References

* John Keegan, ''World Armies'', New York: Facts on File, 1979, .

External links

Panzergrenadierbrigade 16 HERZOGTUM LAUENBURGPanzergrenadierbrigade 17 HAMBURG
{{Bundeswehr divisions Military units and formations disestablished in 1997 Mechanized divisions of the German Army Military units and formations established in 1958 1958 establishments in West Germany