11th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
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The 11th Panzer Division ( en, 11th 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 ...
, established in 1940. The division saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during the
Second World War 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 ...
. The 11th Panzer Division did not participate in the war until the
invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
. It fought in the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944 and, in the last year of the war, in southern France and Germany. The formation's emblem was a
ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
.


History

The 11th Panzer Division was formed on 1 August 1940 from the 11th ''Schützen-Brigade'' and the ''Panzer Regiment 15'' removed from the 5th Panzer Division and elements of the 231st Infantry Division, 311th Infantry Division and 209th Infantry Division. Most of its members were from
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 ...
(
Wehrkreis VIII The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military distr ...
).Mitcham (2000), p. 104. The 11th Panzer Division saw action for the first time in the
invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
in April 1941. Passing through
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, it arrived in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and assisted in the capture of that city. The division was then sent to the Eastern Front where it was part of the Army Group South. It participated in the Battle of Kiev and later took part 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 ...
. At the Battle of Moscow Soviet propaganda made a fictional claim about the 11th Panzer Division in the fabricated encounter with
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 ...
. The division was engaged in retreat and defensive operations after the Soviet counter offensive in December 1941. The 11th Panzer Division's advance finally came to a halt due to the strong resistance of the
8th Guards Motor Rifle Division The 8th Guards Motor Rifle Panfilov Division (russian: 8-я гвардейская Панфиловская дивизия; ) originally the 316th Rifle Division, is a motorized infantry division of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. Formed ...
and the
78th Rifle Division The 78th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in 1932, in Novosibirsk, in the Siberian Military District. After being used to provide cadres for new divisions, in September 1939 the division was reformed for the secon ...
. Harsh weather conditions were also a factor. The 11th Panzer Division was part of Case Blue from June 1942 onward, participating 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 ...
and the drive towards
Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
. It avoided being entrapped with the 6th Army in the city but suffered substantial losses during the winter of 1942-43.Mitcham (2000), p. 105. It was engaged in the failed relief attempt on Stalingrad and then participated in the defence of Rostov, which allowed the German troops retreating from the Caucasus to escape. During operations on the Eastern Front around the Chir River. The 11th Panzer Division acted as a fire brigade going wherever there was a breakthrough by Soviet Forces. During December the 11th Panzer conducted a series of counter attacks against Soviet forces around the Chir River. On 9 December 1942 the 11th Panzer Division destroyed 53 tanks of the 1st Soviet Tank Corps in a counter attack to relieve the German 336th Infantry Division. On 19 December 1942 the 11th Panzer Division destroyed 42 Russian tanks without losing any of its own tanks just south of Oblivskaya. The division engaged a second Soviet attack destroying 65 more Soviet tanks without suffering any losses. By the end of the day the 11th Panzer Division had destroyed an entire Soviet Mechanized Corps. On 21 December 1942 the 11th Panzer Division destroyed much of the Soviet 5th Tank Army during a counter attack along the Chir. The division suffered heavy losses in the process. In July 1943, it participated in 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. ...
and the defensive operations and retreat that followed the German failure. It was entrapped in the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket in February 1944 and almost completely destroyed in the break-out from the pocket. The division was withdrawn from the front and sent to
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
,
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 ...
after receiving personnel drawn from the 273rd Reserve Panzer Division. After being stationed in the
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
area, the division was moved to a section of the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
in July 1944. When the Allies invaded southern France in August 1944 it retreated via the Rhône corridor, reaching Besançon. Later entering combat in
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, it helped in the defence of the
Belfort Gap The Belfort Gap ( ) or Burgundian Gate ( ) is the area of relatively flat terrain in Eastern France between the Vosges Mountains to the north and the Jura Mountains to the south. It marks the watershed between the drainage basins of the River Rhin ...
and was defeated in the
Battle of Arracourt The Battle of Arracourt took place between U.S. and German armoured forces near the town of Arracourt, Lorraine, France between 18 and 29 September 1944, during the Lorraine Campaign of World War II. As part of a counteroffensive against rec ...
before going back to the
Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name *Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist *Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), Est ...
. In December 1944, the division fought as part of the Army Group G. At the beginning of 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 ...
, which it did not participated in, the division had 3,500 personnel, including 800 infantry. Following the failure of the German offensive, the 11th Panzer Division entered combat in
Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
and
Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
and fought at Remagen with 4,000 soldiers, 25 tanks and 18 guns that still remained, but was expelled from the region by the advancing US forces. It was then shifted to the southern sector of the front, with its forces stationed in and encircled in the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
. The 11th Panzer Division retreated south east, eventually surrendering to US forces in the area around
Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...
on 2 May 1945.


Commanders

The commanders of the division:Mitcham (2000), pp. 106–108. * ''
General der Panzertruppe General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps. Rank and ran ...
'' Ludwig Crüwell (1 August 1940 – 15 August 1941) * '' Generalleutnant''
Günther Angern Günther Angern (5 March 1893 – 2 February 1943) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 16th Panzer Division during the Battle of Stalingrad. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of ...
(15 August 1941 – 24 August 1941) * ''
General der Panzertruppe General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps. Rank and ran ...
'' Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (24 August 1941 – 20 October 1941) * ''Generalleutnant''
Walter Scheller Walter Scheller (27 January 1892 – 21 July 1944) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II, who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Scheller was killed at Brest-Litovs ...
(20 October 1941 – 16 May 1942) * ''General der Panzertruppe''
Hermann Balck Georg Otto Hermann Balck (7 December 1893 – 29 November 1982) was a highly decorated officer of the German Army who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. Early career Balck was born in ...
(16 May 1942 – 4 March 1943) * '' General der Infanterie''
Dietrich von Choltitz Dietrich Hugo Hermann von Choltitz (; 9 November 1894 – 5 November 1966) was a German general. Sometimes referred to as the Saviour of Paris, he served in the Wehrmacht (armed forces) of Nazi Germany during World War II, as well as serving in ...
(4 March 1943 – 15 May 1943) * ''Generalmajor'' Johann Mickl (15 May 1943 – 10 August 1943) * ''Generalleutnant'' Wend von Wietersheim (10 August 1943 – 10 April 1945) * ''
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 ...
'' Horst Freiherr Treusch und Buttlar-Brandenfels (10 April 1945)


Orders of Battle

The organisation of the division:


June 1941

* ''Divisionstab'' * ''33. Panzer-Regiment'' * ''11. Schützen-Brigade'' * ''61. Kradschützen-Battalion'' * ''61. Panzerjäger-Abteilung'' * ''231. Aufklärungs-Abteilung'' * ''119. Artillerie Regiment'' * ''85. Nachrichten-Battalion'' * ''86. Pionier-Battalion'' * ''71. Flak-Battalion'' (attached) * ''2 / 21.Panzer Luftwaffe'' Observation ''Staffel'' (attached)


July 1943

* ''Divisionstab'' * ''15. Panzer-Regiment'' * ''110. Panzergrenadier-Regiment'' * ''111. Panzergrenadier-Regiment'' * ''61. Panzerjäger-Abteilung'' * ''11. Aufklärungs-Abteilung'' * ''119. Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment'' * ''277. Heeres-Flak-Battalion'' * ''209. Panzer-Pioneer-Battalion'' * ''89. Panzer-Nachrichten-Battalion'' * ''61. Feldersatz-Battalion''


See also

*
Organisation of a SS Panzer Division The SS Panzer Division (german: SS-Panzerdivision, short: SS-PzDiv) was an SS formation during World War II. The table below shows the order of battle to which an SS Panzer division aspired.Willamson, Gordon (1994). ''The SS Hitler´s Instrument ...
*
Panzer division A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffe ...


References


Bibliography

* * {{Authority control 1*11 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II