The Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark, sometimes also referred to as Panzer Division Kurmark, was a

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 of 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 raised in January 1945 as part of the preparation for 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– ...

. It was named after the

Kurmark The German term ''Kurmark'' (archaic ''Churmark'', "Electoral March") referred to the Imperial State held by the margraves of Brandenburg, who had been awarded the electoral (''Kur'') dignity by the Golden Bull of 1356. In early modern times, ''K ...

region of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

. The

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

was formed at

Frankfurt on the Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

in January 1945 from elements of the

Grossdeutschland Panzer Grenadier Ersatz Brigade Pan-Germanism (german: Pangermanismus or '), also occasionally known as Pan-Germanicism, is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify all the German-speaking people – and possibly also Germanic-speaking ...

. It was an understrength unit. The unit did not receive enough motorized transport, so one of its Panzergrenadier battalions used bicycles and rode horses. During its short history, the division was commanded by Generalmajor

Willy Langkeit Willy Langkeit (2 June 1907 – 27 October 1969) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. After the war, Langkeit joined the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Bo ...

.Mitcham, p. 240 The division was part of the German 9th Army (

Army Group Vistula Army Group Vistula () was an Army Group of the ''Wehrmacht'', formed on 24 January 1945. It lasted for 105 days, having been put together from elements of Army Group A (shattered in the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive), Army Group Centre (similarl ...

) and was deployed around Frankfurt on the Oder. It was surrounded alongside other Wehrmacht and SS formations of the 9th Army south-east of Berlin. They abandoned and blew up their last three

King Tiger The Tiger II is a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf''. B,'' Panzerkampfwagen'' – abbr: ''Pz.'' or ''Pz.Kfw.'' (English: "armoured fighting vehicle"), ''Ausf.' ...

tanks on 30 April 1945 after they had run out of fuel.Beevor, Antony (2002). ''Berlin: The Downfall 1945'' p. 362. Remnants of the Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark broke out of the pocket and reached

Jerichow Jerichow () is a town on the east side of the river Elbe, in the District of Jerichower Land, of the state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. With about , the municipality of Jerichow is one of the largest municipalities in area size in Germany. Geog ...

on the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

where they surrendered to the U.S. Army in May 1945.

Order of Battle, April 1945

The division order of battle:Mitcham, p. 239 * Panzer-Regiment ''Kurmark'' * Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment ''Kurmark'' * Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment ''Kurmark'' (former Grenadier-Regiment 1235) * Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment ''Kurmark'' * Panzer- Aufklärungs-Abteilung ''Kurmark'' * Panzer-

Pionier PIONIER is the Polish national research and education network created to provide high-speed Internet access and to conduct network-based research. Most of the government founded higher education organisations and all of metropolitan area networks ...

-Battalion ''Kurmark'' * Panzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung ''Kurmark'' * Versorgungstruppen Panzergrenadier-Division Kurmark

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control 20th century in Brandenburg Military units and formations established in 1945

1945 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945