Tank (motorized, panzergrenadier) division of the Wehrmacht "Greater Germany" (Grossdeutschland)

Division of the German Army during World War II

Not to be confused with 1st Panzer Division (Bundeswehr).

1st Tank Division -

(abbr:
1. Pz.Div
German: 1. Panzer-Division, English: 1st Panzer Division) was a tank division in the German Army, Wehrmacht, during World War II.

The division was one of the three original tank divisions created by Germany in 1935. She took part in the pre-war occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia and the invasions of Poland in 1939 and Belgium and France in 1940. From 1941 to 1945 she fought. Eastern Front, except for a period in 1943 when it was sent to France and Greece for refitting. At the end of the war, the division surrendered to US forces in Bavaria.

thüringische Panzerdivision

1st Panzer Division

(1. Panzer-Division) of the Wehrmacht began its formation on October 15, 1935 in Weimar in the 9th Military District (Wehrkreis IX) from units of the 3rd Cavalry Division and the 2nd Automotive Training Command (Kraftfahr-Lehrkommando II). The 1st Tank Division consisted of the 1st Tank Brigade (3 tank regiments), the 1st Infantry Brigade, the 73rd Artillery Regiment, a reconnaissance battalion and support units. The division headquarters was located in Weimar, units and units of the division were located in Weimar, Erfurt, Eisenach, Sondershausen, Langensalza. The nominal name of the 1st Panzer Division is Thuringian (thüringische) or Thuringian-Hessian. The first commander of the division was Lieutenant General Maximilian von Weichs.

Commanders [edit]

Division commanders: [8]

• 10 January 1935 – 30 September 1937: General der Cavallery Maximilian von Weichs
• 10 January 1937 - 2 November 1939: Lieutenant General Rudolf Schmidt
• 2 November 1939 – 17 July 1941: Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner.
• July 17, 1941 - January 1, 1944: Lieutenant General Walter Krueger
• 1 January 1944 - 19 February 1944: Major General Richard Call
• 19 February 1944 - 25 September 1944: Major General Werner Marx
• 25 September 1944 - 8 May 1945: Lieutenant General Eberhard Thunert

Organization of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in August 1939 (1. Panzer-Division)

Division headquarters

(Stab 1. Panzer-Division)

1st Tank Brigade

(Panzer-Brigade 1)

1st Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 1) Tank Battalion I (two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks) Tank Battalion II (two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks)

2nd Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 2) Tank Battalion I (three light tank companies) Tank Battalion II (three light tank companies)

1st Rifle Brigade

(Schützen-Brigade 1)
1st Infantry Regiment
(Schützen-Regiment 1) Infantry Battalion I Infantry Battalion II 1st Motorcycle Infantry Battalion (Kradschützen-Bataillon 1)

73rd Artillery Regiment

(Artillerie-Regiment 73)

4th Reconnaissance Battalion (Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4) 37th Anti-Tank Battalion (Panzerjäger-Abteilung 37) 37th Engineer Battalion (Pionier-Bataillon 37) 37th Signal Battalion (Nachrichten-Abteilung 37) 81st Administrative and Economic Group (Verwaltungstruppen 81) 81st Supply Service (Nachschubdienste 81)

In October 1939, the 3rd Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 20th Motorized Infantry Division was added to the 1st Armored Division as the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. The rifle brigade was subordinate to one heavy weapons company of the 477th Infantry Regiment with six heavy 150-mm infantry guns.

Links[edit]

1. Mitcham, pp. 3–9
2. Mitcham, page 37
3. ^ a b Mitcham, page 38
4. ^ a b Mitcham, page 39
5. Mitcham, page 40
6. Mitcham, page 41
7. Mitcham, page 42
8. Mitcham, pp. 42–44
9. "Organizational history of the German armored formation 1939-1945" (PDF). cgsc.edu
   . United States Army Command and General Staff College. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

Organization of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in May 1940 (1. Panzer-Division)

Division headquarters

(Stab 1. Panzer-Division)

1st Tank Brigade

(Panzer-Brigade 1)

1st Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 1) Tank Battalion I (two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks) Tank Battalion II (two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks)

2nd Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 2) Tank Battalion I (three light tank companies) Tank Battalion II (three light tank companies)

1st Rifle Brigade

(Schützen-Brigade 1)
1st Infantry Regiment
(Schützen-Regiment 1) Infantry Battalion I Infantry Battalion II Infantry Battalion III 1st Motorcycle Infantry Battalion (Kradschützen-Bataillon 1) 702nd Heavy Infantry Gun Company of the Lieutenant Regiments. Wiedemann from the 477th Infantry Regiment (Schwere Infanterie Geschütz Kompanie 702, OLt. Wiedemann vom IR 477)

73rd Artillery Regiment

(Artillerie-Regiment 73) artillery division I artillery division II

4th Self-Propelled Reconnaissance Battalion (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4) 37th Anti-Tank Battalion (Panzerjäger-Abteilung 37) 37th Engineer Battalion (Pionier-Bataillon 37) 37th Signal Battalion (Nachrichten-Abteilung 37) 81st administrative and economic group (Verwaltungstruppen 81) 81st supply service (Nachschubdienste 81) 81st field post office (Feldpostamt 81) 81st field gendarmerie detachment (Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 81) 81st medical service (Sanitätsdienste 81)

Changes in the composition of the 1st Panzer Division

during the period - autumn 1940 - spring 1941. On October 20, 1940, the 2nd Tank Regiment was transferred to the 16th Tank Division, the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment was renamed the 1st Battalion of the 113th Infantry Regiment. In February 1941, the 2nd Battalion, 69th Motorized Rifle Regiment became the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment. In 1941, the 73rd Artillery Regiment received the 3rd Division, formed from the 2nd Division of the 56th Artillery Regiment.

Organization of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in the spring of 1941

Division headquarters

(Stab 1. Panzer-Division)

1st Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 1) tank battalion I (headquarters, two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks) tank battalion II (headquarters, two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks)

1st Infantry Regiment

(Schützen-Regiment 1) rifle battalion I rifle battalion II

113th Infantry Regiment

(Schützen-Regiment 113) rifle battalion I rifle battalion II

73rd Artillery Regiment

(Artillerie-Regiment 73) artillery division I artillery division II artillery division III

1st Motorcycle Rifle Battalion (Kradschützen-Bataillon 1) 4th Self-Propelled Reconnaissance Battalion (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4) 37th Anti-Tank Division (Panzerjäger-Abteilung 37) 37th Engineer Battalion (Pionier-Bataillon 37) 37- 1st Signal Battalion (Nachrichten-Abteilung 37) 81st Administrative and Economic Group (Verwaltungstruppen 81) 81st Supply Service (Nachschubdienste 81) 81st Field Post Office (Feldpostamt 81) 81st Field Gendarmerie Detachment (Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 81) 81st Medical Service (Sanitätsdienste 81)

On June 1, 1942, the 4th Self-Propelled Reconnaissance Battalion was disbanded after heavy losses suffered in winter fighting during the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow. On June 19, the 1st Tank Battalion was withdrawn from the division, renamed the 116th Tank Battalion and assigned to the 16th Motorized Division. On July 5, 1942, all rifle regiments were renamed panzergrenadier and received a new color of insignia - light green, while soldiers of the infantry divisions retained white.

Organization of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in July 1942

Division headquarters

(Stab 1. Panzer-Division)

1st Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 1) tank battalion II (headquarters, two light tank companies and a medium tank company)

1st Panzergrenadier Regiment

(Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1) Panzergrenadier battalion I (4 companies on half-track armored personnel carriers) Panzergrenadier battalion II (5 companies)

113th Panzergrenadier Regiment

(Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 113) Panzergrenadier battalion I (4 companies on half-track armored personnel carriers) Panzergrenadier battalion II (5 companies)

73rd Artillery Regiment

(Artillerie-Regiment 73) artillery division I artillery division II artillery division III

37th Anti-Tank Division (Panzerjäger-Abteilung 37) 37th Engineer Battalion (Pionier-Bataillon 37) 37th Signal Battalion (Nachrichten-Abteilung 37) 81st Administrative and Economic Group (Verwaltungstruppen 81) 81st Supply Service ( Nachschubdienste 81) 81st Field Post (Feldpostamt 81) 81st Field Gendarmerie Detachment (Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 81) 81st Medical Service (Sanitätsdienste 81)

On January 27, 1943, the 1st Battalion, 203rd Tank Regiment, 101st Tank Brigade, was assigned to the 1st Tank Division and renamed the 2nd Battalion. The 1st Battalion of the 1st Tank Regiment was increased to 4 companies. On March 15, the 299th Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 299) became part of the division. On April 15, 1943, the 1st self-propelled reconnaissance battalion Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1) was formed as part of the 1st Panzer Division. On November 1, 1943, the 1st Battalion was reclassified as the Panther Battalion (Panther-Abteilung).

Organization of the 1st Panzer Division in the fall of 1943

Division headquarters

(Stab 1. Panzer-Division)

1st Tank Regiment

(Panzer-Regiment 1) Panther battalion (Panther-Abteilung) tank battalion II (Panzer-Abteilung II)

1st Panzergrenadier Regiment

(Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1) Panzergrenadier battalion I (Panzer-Grenadier-Abteilung I) Panzergrenadier battalion II (Panzer-Grenadier-Abteilung II)

113th Panzergrenadier Regiment

(Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 113) Panzergrenadier battalion I (Panzer-Grenadier-Abteilung I) Panzergrenadier battalion II (Panzer-Grenadier-Abteilung II)

73rd self-propelled artillery regiment

(Artillerie-Regiment 73) self-propelled artillery division I (Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung I) self-propelled artillery division II (Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung II) self-propelled artillery division III (Panzer-Artillerie-Abteilung III) self-propelled artillery division IV (Panzer-Artillerie -Abteilung IV)

1st Self-Propelled Reconnaissance Battalion

(Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1) battalion headquarters with a communications platoon (Stab mit Nachrichtenzug) 1st reconnaissance company on wheeled armored personnel carriers - 1. Panzerspähkompanie (Rad) 2nd reconnaissance company on half-track armored personnel carriers - 2. Panzerspähkompanie (Halbkette) 3- I reconnaissance patrol company on light patrol vehicles - 3. Panzeraufklärungskompanie (leSPw) 4th reconnaissance patrol company on light patrol vehicles - 4. Panzeraufklärungskompanie (leSPw) 5th heavy company (5. schwere Kompanie).

37th Anti-Tank Division (Panzerjäger-Abteilung 37) 299th Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 299) 37th Engineer Battalion (Pionier-Bataillon 37) 37th Signal Battalion (Nachrichten-Abteilung 37) ) 81st Administrative and Economic Group (Verwaltungstruppen 81) 81st Supply Service (Nachschubdienste 81) 81st Field Post Office (Feldpostamt 81) 81st Field Gendarmerie Detachment (Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 81) 81st Medical Service (Sanitätsdienste 81) )

On September 28, 1944, the 1009th motorized grenadier battalion (Grenadier-Bataillon (motorisiert) 1009) from the Tatra tank division was included in the division.

Polish Campaign (Polenfeldzug)

From 21 to 26 August 1939, 1st Panzer Division

was redeployed to Silesia to take part in
the Polish Campaign
. It, together with the 4th Panzer Division and two infantry divisions, became part of the XVIth Motorized Corps [XVI. Armeekorps (mot.)] Cavalry General Erich Hoepner, part of the 10th Army under the command of Artillery General Walter von Reichenau of Army Group South (commander Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt).

The 1st Tank Division consisted of 2 tank regiments. The 1st tank regiment consisted of two battalions of two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks in each and was armed with 153 tanks (Pz IV - 28, Pz III - 20, Pz II - 60, Pz I - 39, PzBef - 6 ). The 2nd Tank Regiment consisted of two battalions of three light tank companies each and was armed with 156 tanks (Pz IV - 28, Pz III - 6, Pz II - 62, Pz I - 54, PzBef - 6). The 1st company of the 1st rifle regiment of the 1st tank division moved on half-track armored personnel carriers.

Disposition of German and Polish troops before the start of the Polish campaign on August 31, 1939

1 September 1st Panzer Division

crossed the Polish border and, together with the 4th Panzer Division, advanced in the vanguard of the corps to the northeast in the general direction of Warsaw. It passed through Nysa and Opole, 60 km southeast of Wroclaw, north of Częstochowa. On September 2, the division crossed the Warta River and created bridgeheads near the villages of Gidle and Plawno. On September 3, the bridgeheads were expanded. The division then advanced north and captured Kamieńsk.

On September 6, the 1st Panzer Division reached Tomaszów and continued moving in a northeast direction. On September 8, the forward detachments of the division reached the Vistula at Góra Kalwaria, 30 km south of Warsaw. By September 12, units of the division captured a number of small bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Vistula and defended them until September 15.

On September 16, the 1st Panzer Division moved northwest to the Bzura River to assist elements of the German 18th Infantry Division. On September 16-18, units of the division, together with other divisions of the XVI Corps, successfully repelled Polish counterattacks on the Bzura River southeast of Warsaw. After this, the Polish troops, surrounded by a double ring, surrendered. On September 18, the Polish campaign ended for the division. The 1st Panzer Division's losses in the Polish Campaign were 203 killed, 412 wounded and 38 missing.

For his skillful command of his division in the Polish campaign, Lieutenant General Schmidt was awarded the "1939" bar to the Iron Cross, which he received in the First World War.

After the end of the war, the division was located in Poland. On November 17, 1939, Major General Friedrich Kirchner was appointed commander of the 1st Panzer Division. At the end of November 1939, the division was redeployed to the Dortmund area.

Commander of the 1st Panzer Division, Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner

1940

In February-March, the 1st Panzer Division was redeployed to the Western Wall in the Moselle and South Eifel and began preparations for the Western (French) Campaign. On April 1, the commander of the 1st Panzer Division, Friedrich Kirchner, was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.

History[edit]

The 1st Panzer Division was formed on 15 October 1935 from the 3rd Cavalry Division and was located in Weimar. It was one of three tank divisions created at that time, the other two being the 2nd and 3rd Panzer Divisions. Earlier that year, Germany abandoned the Treaty of Versailles, which prohibited the country, among other things, from having armored forces—a treaty that Germany violated almost from the start by secretly developing tanks and running a secret tank school in the Soviet Union. Union. [1]

The division initially consisted of two tank regiments, organized into a brigade, a motorized rifle brigade, a reconnaissance battalion, a divisional artillery regiment and auxiliary formations. The division was equipped with the substandard light Panzer I and Panzer II, with the more powerful Panzer III arriving in late 1936. [ Citation needed

] Although the Pz I served in large numbers in Poland in 1939, the division was still using its Panzer II in 1941. [2]

In 1938, the division took part in the Anschluss of Austria and the occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938 and the subsequent invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. In September 1939, the 1st Panzer Division took part in the invasion of Poland, reaching the outskirts of Warsaw after eight days. After Warsaw, the division was transferred to support the 18th Infantry Division before returning to Germany in November 1939 following the surrender of Poland. [3]

Elements of the division crossing the Meuse near Sedan, May 1940.

In May 1940, the 1st Panzer Division took part in the invasion of France, Luxembourg and Belgium. He took part in the battles of Sedan and Dunkirk before turning south to take part in the attack on the Weygand Line. He advanced to the Swiss border and occupied Belfort before the French capitulation. During the Battle of France, the division suffered relatively low casualties, with just under 500 casualties. [3]

The 1st Panzer Division remained in France until September 1940, when it was transferred to East Prussia. He supplied significant numbers of units to the new 16th and 18th Panzer Divisions. From 22 June 1941, it participated in Operation Barbarossa, crossing the former German-Lithuanian border as part of Army Group North and the 4th Panzer Group. The division fought heavily and by mid-August, of the 155 tanks with which it had started less than two months earlier, only 44 remained in serviceable condition. It continued the advance on Leningrad until early October, when it was transferred to Army Group Center. participation in the attack on Moscow. The division advanced to 32 km from Moscow before being forced to retreat during a Soviet counterattack. [4]

The division participated in the defense of the Rzhev salient in early 1942, initially lacking tanks and fighting primarily as infantry until resupplied in the spring. [4] The 1st Panzer Division was tasked with defending the 9th Army's supply lines in the center of the Eastern Front. She suffered heavy losses during the defense against repeated Soviet attacks in the winter of 1942–1943, before eventually being transferred back to France in January 1943 for refitting. After several months in northern France, the division was sent to occupied Greece in June 1943 due to the perceived threat of Allied landings there. Instead, the landings took place in Sicily. The division was involved in the disarmament of Italian forces in Greece when the first defected from the Axis in September 1943. The 1st Armored Division was again at full strength in October when it received significant numbers of Panther tanks and returned to the east. Soon after this the front came again. [5]

The 1st Panzer Division was deployed in the southern sector of the Eastern Front and served alternately with the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies as emergency forces. He was constantly transferred from crisis point to crisis point as the German front lines retreated, taking part in the battles around Kiev, Zhitomir and Cherkassy. In the last battle, the division tried to break through to the cauldron, but failed. By March 1944, the division's strength had been reduced to 25% of its nominal strength. Retreating further to the west, the division entered the Kamenets-Podolsk pocket and from there participated in the defense of eastern Poland and Hungary. He conducted defensive operations in the area of ​​Lake Balaton. He took part in an unsuccessful attempt to break through to the siege of Budapest and again suffered heavy losses. [6]

During the last month of World War II, the division was engaged in the defense of Styria. From there he retreated west to surrender to US rather than Soviet forces, successfully crossing the demarcation line between the two. He surrendered on May 8, 1945, in southern Bavaria, and most of his soldiers were released from captivity shortly thereafter. [7]

Western Campaign (Westfeldzug) Operation Gelb

In May-June the 1st Panzer Division took part in the Western (French) Campaign

. In May, it was part of Panzer General Heinz Guderian's XIX (19th) Motorized Corps, along with the 2nd and 10th Panzer Divisions and the Großdeutschland motorized infantry regiment. The XIX Motorized Corps was part of the tank group of Colonel General von Kleist of Army Group A (Colonel General von Runstedt).

The 1st Tank Division had two tank regiments of two battalions. Each tank battalion had two light tank companies and a company of medium tanks. In total, the division is armed with 254 tanks, of which 96 are medium tanks.

1st Tank Regiment

(125 tanks)
2nd Tank Regiment
(129 tanks) Pz IV – 20 Pz IV – 20 Pz III – 26 Pz III – 30 Pz II – 49 Pz II – 49 Pz I – 26 Pz I – 26 Pz Bef – 4 Pz Bef – 4

May 10

The 1st Panzer Division passed through Luxembourg and crossed the border into Belgium. On May 11, the division passed Vitry and Bouillon in southern Belgium and crossed the Belgian-French border. The divisions of Guderian's corps quickly and almost unnoticed by the enemy crossed the wooded Ardennes and on the evening of May 12 approached the Maas River and occupied Sedan on the eastern bank of the river. The French evacuated their bridgehead at Sedan and blew up all the bridges over the Meuse.

may 13

The 1st, 2nd and 10th Panzer Divisions crossed the Meuse River near Sedan. The 1st Panzer Division, with the attached Grossdeutschland infantry regiment, attacked in the center. The 2nd Panzer Division advanced on the corps' right flank through Donchery west of Sedan. The 10th Panzer Division passed through the southern suburbs of Sedan.

The attacking assault sappers and infantrymen, supported by aviation, crossed the river in inflatable boats and cutters. In the first inflatable boats, along with the riflemen of the 1st Tank Division, sappers were also transported, who were supposed to undermine the wire barriers, making passages for the riflemen in them. The first breach in the fortifications of the Maginot Line (Ligne Maginot) in the Sedan area was made by the 2nd Infantry Battalion of Major von Jagow of the 1st Infantry Regiment.

Several units of the 1st Panzer Division entered the rear of the Maginot Line at Sedan. The fortification garrisons began to surrender. By evening, two bridgeheads were captured on both sides of Sedan, which were expanded during the night. By midnight, units of the 1st Panzer Division reached the Cheveuges hill.

On the morning of May 14

A pontoon bridge was built, across which tanks and armored personnel carriers of the 1st Panzer Division crossed to the western bank of the Meuse River.

Units of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division cross the Meuse River along a pontoon bridge near Sedan on May 14, 1940.

The commander of the 10th French Army Corps, General Grandsart, wanted to organize a counterattack with his reserves against the German bridgehead at Sedan. However, the commander of the 1st Panzer Division, Lieutenant General Kirchner, was warned by reconnaissance aircraft that a French counterattack was being prepared. He accelerated the crossing of his division across the Meuse and immediately struck south, towards Bulson (“Wettlauf nach Bulson” - “race to Bulson”).

On the evening of May 14, General Guderian, together with the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions, continued the offensive in a westerly direction, leaving the 10th Panzer Division and the Grossdeutschland Regiment south of Sedan to defend the bridgehead at Sedan. On May 15, the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions, during stubborn battles, broke the resistance of the main forces of the 9th French Army. On May 16, they entered operational space and continued their rapid advance towards the English Channel.

Position of the parties in northeast France May 16, 1940

Self-propelled anti-tank gun 4.7 cm PaK 36 (t) Panzerjäger I, accompanied by riflemen of the 1st Panzer Division, moves towards the English Channel in May 1940.

On 20 May, the 2nd Panzer Division reached Abbeville on the English Channel coast, thereby cutting off the Allied 1st Army Group. The 1st Panzer Division advanced to the north with a ledge back on the right, covering the right flank of the corps. Pressed to the sea in the area of ​​Calais - Dunkerque - Bruges were 10 British divisions (British Expeditionary Force), 18 French and 12 Belgian divisions, a total of more than 300 thousand people.

For the successful actions of the 1st Panzer Division, the division commander, Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross No. 29 on May 20.

On May 21, the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions turned northwest towards the ports of Boulogne and Calais. On May 23, the 2nd Panzer Division took Boulogne, and the 1st Panzer Division approached Calais from the south.

On May 22, in the battle of Desvres, the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment, Major von Jagow, was killed. Captain Dr. Ekkinger, the only Austrian officer in the regiment, took command of the II Battalion.

On 24 May the 1st Panzer Division, advancing along the coast east towards Dunkirk, captured Gravelines and crossed the L'Aa Canal. There were 25 kilometers left to Dunkirk itself, but the division, like all tank divisions, received Hitler's order to stop at the line of the L'Aa Canal (“Miracle at Dunkirk”). After this, the division received several days of respite.

Position of the parties in the Dunkirk area on May 24, 1940

On May 29-30, the 1st Panzer Division was withdrawn from the western sector of the encirclement at Dunkirk and, together with the 2nd Panzer Division, began a march in a southeast direction to the Aisne River line. From June 3 to June 7, the divisions were in the second echelon in the Fourmies area and were preparing to break through the last French defense.

The 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions, together with the 29th Motorized Division, became part of the XXXXIX (49th) Motorized Corps of Panzer General Ruldf Schmidt (former commander of the 1st Panzer Division) of Guderian's Panzergruppe Guderian Army Group "A". On June 3, for the successful battles of his corps in May in the Netherlands, Schmidt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

On June 9, the breakthrough of the “Weygand Line” (Ligne Weygand) began at Chateau Porcien. The 1st Panzer Division launched its offensive on June 10 and crossed the Aisne River. She then broke through the French defenses and withstood a counter battle with French tanks, in which both sides suffered heavy losses.

On June 12, Guderian's Panzer Group broke through the last positions of the French 4th Army at Châlons-sur-Marne and continued its rapid advance south. The 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions were advancing at the forefront of Guderian's tank group.

On June 13, at the forefront of the reinforced rifle brigade of the 1st Panzer Division, Oberleutnant Georg Feig's 8th Company of the 1st Infantry Regiment rushed at top speed in their armored personnel carriers and motorcycles. It was hot. Dust hung in the air. At the head of the column of the 1st Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Balck, the 2nd Battalion, under the command of Captain Dr. Eckinger, moved. Then came the 1st Battalion of Major von Studnitz. The third battalion of Major Richter brought up the rear of the column.

Having passed the town of Jussecourt, the vanguard approached the Rhein-Marne-Kanal in Etrepy, but was unable to take possession of the bridgehead. The bridge in Etrepi was prepared for explosion. The vanguard captured the bridge from boats, and sappers cleared it of mines. For the capture of the bridge at Etrepi, the commander of the 8th company of the 1st Infantry Regiment, Oberleutnant Georg Feig, was awarded a medal for valor on November 1, 1940.

Units of the division crossed the Rhine-Marne Canal via a bridge, entered the operational space and continued moving south along the Marne with the goal of reaching the rear of the Maginot Line. On June 14, the division passed through St. Dizier, Joinville, Chaumont and reached Langres.

Position of the parties in Central France June 14, 1940

On June 15 the division was in Grey-sur-Saone, and on June 16 it entered Besançon. On June 17, the 1st Panzer Division turned northeast and reached the Swiss border. On June 18, the division stormed the Belfort fortress, completing the encirclement of the French troops defending the Maginot Line.

Medium tank Pz.Kpfw IV of the 4th company of the 1st tank regiment near Servance on the morning of June 22, 1940.

After France surrendered on June 22, fighting gradually ceased. On this day, elements of the 1st Panzer Division were located near Servance north of Belfort. During the entire Western (French) campaign of 1940 (6 weeks), the 1st Panzer Division lost only 495 people killed.

On June 30, the commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Balck, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (No. 53).

After the end of the Western (French) Campaign, the 1st Panzer Division remained in France on training grounds in the Loire Valley for two and a half months. On September 5, the division was transferred to reorganize in East Prussia (Ostpreußen) in the Zinten - Sensburg - Allenstein area.

As part of the reorganization as part of the increase in Wehrmacht tank forces, on October 20, the 2nd Tank Regiment was withdrawn from the 1st Panzer Division to form the 16th Panzer Division. In exchange, the 1st Panzer Division received the 113th Infantry Regiment (Schützen-Regiment 113).

By 1941, the 1st Panzer Division was re-equipped with Pz.Kpfw III and Pz.Kpfw IV medium tanks, but still had Pz.Kpfw II light tanks. On the basis of the 1st Tank Division, personnel for future tank divisions were trained. As a result of the training of personnel, the 7th, 8th, 15th, 35th and 36th tank regiments were formed on the basis of the division.

1st Tank Division in battles on the territory of the Soviet Union in 1941-42.

1st Panzer Division in 1943 and combat operations in the winter of 1943-44

Combat operations of the 1st Panzer Division from March 1944 to May 1945

1st Panzer Division

The 1st Tank Division, formed on October 15, 1935, initially included the 1st Motorized Brigade (1st Motorized Regiment and 1st Motorcycle Battalion) and the 1st Tank Brigade (1st and 2nd Tank regiments), as well as the 73rd Artillery (later Tank Artillery) Regiment and various divisional units. Most of the division's personnel were natives of Thuringia. Also a significant part were Saxons and Prussians. Later, conscripts from other regions of Germany began to arrive with reinforcements. The division inherited the bulk of its personnel from the 3rd (Motorized) Cavalry Division, stationed in Weimar, and the II Motor Transport Training Command (Kraftfahr-Lehrkommando II) from Thuringia (IX Military District). Most of the staff officers were transferred from the training command, and the operations department was transferred from the 3rd Cavalry Division. The communications battalion was formed on the basis of the 6th (signal) company of the 16th cavalry regiment. The officers of the infantry brigade mainly came from the 1st Motorcycle Battalion in Langensalza, and many soldiers were transferred from the 1st Battalion, 16th Cavalry Regiment (Erfurt). The 1st Motorized Regiment was formed in Weimar from the 11th Cavalry Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 14th Infantry Regiment (Meiningen Infantry Regiment). The headquarters of the 1st Tank Brigade and 1st Tank Regiment were created on the basis of the 1st Battalion of the Ohrdruf Motor Transport Training Command, and their personnel came from the 5th and 6th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiments. The 2nd Panzer Regiment in Eisenach was formed from the former 7th Cavalry Regiment (Breslau) and part of the 2nd Battalion of the Ohrdruf Motor Transport Training Command. In the same summer, the 4th (Leipzig) motor transport battalion was reorganized into the 4th motorized reconnaissance battalion, and in Eisenach and Mühlhausen, based on the personnel of the 3rd company of the 5th motorized transport battalion (Kassel), the 37th anti-tank division was formed . The artillery regiment (originally consisting of only one battalion) was the renamed motorized artillery training division "Ohrdruf", and in the summer of 1936 the II division was re-formed. Both divisions were stationed in Weimar. The 37th motorized (later tank) engineer battalion was formed only in the summer of 1938, and even then in the form of a company, becoming a battalion only in 1939. The 37th communications battalion was formed in Weimar from the communications platoon of the 16th cavalry regiment . Until the spring of 1938, the division did not have its own logistics, medical and repair units. In the pre-war period, most of the division's reinforcements came from the IX Military District (Tübingen and Hesse).

At first, the 1st Panzer Division was equipped only with hastily produced and completely obsolete Pz. I, which did not have cannon weapons - only turret machine guns. In the spring of 1936, Pz tanks began to arrive. IVA, and in the winter of the same year and Pz. III - the workhorses of the German tank divisions of 1941–1942. But even after this, some battalions of the division used outdated Pz. II.

Beginning in 1936, all tank regiments of a division were required to supply two to four companies annually to form new tank regiments. On their basis, the 7th, 8th, 15th, 35th and 36th tank regiments were formed.

The 1st Panzer Division took part in the occupation of Austria (1938), the Sudetenland (1938) and Prague (1939). The division took its first battle during the Polish campaign (1939), crossing the Liswarta River and marching from the border to the suburbs of Warsaw in just eight days. It occupied and expanded the bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Vistula until September 15, when the division was transferred to the Bzura area, where it was ordered to support the 18th Infantry Division. After the surrender of Poland, the division returned to its permanent locations, and then, at the end of November, was sent to the Dortmund area in western Germany. In March the division was transferred to the southern part of the Eifel, and in May 1940 it struck through Luxembourg and southern Belgium. The division took part in the decisive Battle of Sedan, was part of the “tank wedge” that split France, and took part in the initial phase of the Battle of Dunkirk, after which, turning south, it helped finish off the doomed French Republic. Launching its offensive on 10 June, the 1st Panzer Division quickly broke through the Weygand Line, despite a desperate battle with French tanks in which both sides suffered heavy casualties. She quickly crossed the Aisne and Marne, reached the rear of the Maginot Line, occupied Besançon, reached the Swiss border on June 17, and took Belfort by storm the next day. During the entire Western campaign of 1940, the division lost only 495 people killed. After the surrender of France on June 25, the 1st Panzer Division remained in France (at training grounds in the Loire Valley) until September, when it was sent to reorganize in East Prussia, in the Zinten-Zensburg-Allenstein area. The 2nd Tank Regiment was transferred to the new 16th Tank Division. Three companies of the 1st Tank Regiment became the core of the 18th Tank Division. The headquarters of the 1st Tank Brigade was disbanded, and the newly formed 113th Motorized Regiment became part of the 1st Tank Division. At the same time, the 1st Tank Division absorbed the III Battalion of the 69th Motorized Regiment (which became the III Battalion of the 1st Motorized Regiment) and the II Division of the 56th Motorized Artillery Regiment (heavy artillery), which became the III Division of the 73rd Tank Artillery Regiment. In addition, the division included the 702nd separate motorized heavy howitzer battery, which was attached to a motorized brigade. Meanwhile, the tank units were mainly re-equipped with modern Pz-III tanks. In addition, the anti-tank division and reconnaissance battalion received the most modern weapons. By the end of the year, the division had 155 tanks, including 85 Pz. III and 30 Pz. IV.

The 1st Panzer Division remained in East Prussia until June 22, 1941, when the invasion of the Soviet Union began. In the Eastern Campaign of 1941, the division was part of the 4th Panzer Group (later Army) of Army Group North. It invaded Lithuania and took part in the June defeat of the well-equipped Soviet 3rd Mechanized Corps in the Dinaburg (Daugavpils) area. Having broken through the “Stalin Line” in the Ostrov area on July 5, nine days later the division occupied a bridgehead on the other side of the Luga in the Sabek area and held it, despite fierce counterattacks by Soviet troops. The 1st Panzer Division suffered heavy losses, and by August 16 it had only 44 combat-ready tanks. Nevertheless, she continued the offensive on the Leningrad defensive line, taking part in fierce battles on the Duderhof Heights. The division was then transferred to Army Group Center and on October 2, 1941, joined the units advancing on Moscow. She crossed the Dnieper and occupied Kalinin on October 13. Here she had to fight hard battles until November. At the end of the month, the division took part in the final push towards Moscow and approached the Soviet capital to a distance of about 30 km. The 1st Tank Division was forced to repel the winter offensive of the Red Army, during which the division's troops were partially surrounded and forced to break through to their own. During the Battle of Klin, which ended on December 14, the crews of the 1st Tank Division, left without vehicles, had to fight as infantry, armed with grenades.

In 1942, the division took part in several defensive battles in the central sector of the front, mainly on the Rzhev salient, which was attacked by Soviet troops from three directions. By February 1942, through the efforts of repairmen, the number of combat-ready tanks in the division was brought to one full company (18 Pz-III). The rest of the 1st Tank Regiment was temporarily used as makeshift ski companies. Over the next six months, the division fought defensive battles on the most important northern sector of the 9th Army's front in the Rzhev-Sychevka-Olenino triangle. By spring, she finally received new equipment. Among other things, the 37th Anti-Tank Division received 24 long-barreled 75 mm guns and a dozen 75 mm anti-tank self-propelled guns, and the tank regiment received new tanks. In July 1942, the division again received reinforcements, and it included a heavy artillery division (IV Division of the 73rd Tank Artillery Regiment), but at the same time the 1st Tank Regiment had to part with one battalion, transferred to the 16th Tank Division of the group armies "South". In March of the following year, the 1st Panzer Division also lost its motorcycle battalion.

Despite the weakening, the division was ordered, together with the 102nd Infantry Division, to provide cover for the main supply route of the 9th Army. In early July, in the Pushkarey area, the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions surrounded two Soviet cavalry corps, two infantry divisions, two mechanized brigades and several airborne battalions. Together with infantry, they suppressed resistance, destroying or capturing 218 tanks, 592 guns and 1,300 anti-tank guns. The following month, Soviet troops broke through the front, creating a 50-kilometer gap in the 9th Army's defenses. The 1st Panzer Division, together with the 5th Panzer Division, again played an important role in restoring the front line and eliminating the breakthrough. Until the end of the year, she continued to repel Soviet attacks and participate in local counterattacks. In twenty-one days, the division destroyed 65 Soviet heavy and super-heavy tanks KV-1 and KV-2. During the Soviet winter offensive of 1942/43, the 1st Tank Division defended Bely and, despite heavy fighting, did not allow the critical highway to Sychevka to be cut. In the battle for Bosino, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Motorized Regiment lost all its officers killed and wounded, but continued to hold the line and even counterattack. The battalion was reinforced by the 2nd company of the 1st tank regiment, which destroyed 35 KV-2s and T-34s, but at the same time lost its commander, as well as two out of three platoon commanders, killed and wounded. Non-commissioned officer Georg Schaeffer took command of the company, knocking out more than 25 Soviet T-34s in two days and disrupting the enemy’s offensive. Soon after, the XXXXI Panzer and XXX Army Corps restored the front line and cut off the advanced units of the Soviet troops, which were then destroyed.

In January 1943, the 1st Panzer Division, thinned out due to losses and the transfer of its units to other formations, was withdrawn to the rear for rest and reorganization. First, it was sent to Amiens (France), and then to Coequidan (Brittany), where it temporarily received captured Hotchkiss and Somois tanks. In June, the division was transferred to the northern Peloponnese (Greece), because Hitler and his command believed misinformation that the Allies were going to land there in July 1943. The real target of the landing was Sicily. When Italy attempted to break away from the Axis in September, the 1st Panzer Division played an important role in encircling the Italian 11th Army, which offered little resistance. Meanwhile, in May 1943, the 299th Army Motorized Anti-Aircraft Division was included in the division's staff, and in October the division already had enough Pz-V Tiger tanks to equip the battalion with them. In addition, she received about 100 Panthers (Pz-VI) and regained full combat capability. The following month, the division was sent back to the Eastern Front and fought on the southern front as part of the 1st Tank Army, with the exception of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Tank Regiment, which remained in Italy, north of Trieste, as a mobile reserve for the commander of the southwestern direction. This battalion joined the division only in October. Meanwhile, the remaining units of the 1st Panzer Division took part in the battles for Kyiv and Zhitomir, which was occupied on the night of November 17-18, the counteroffensive southwest of Kiev (November - December 1943) and the subsequent battles near Zhitomir and Berdichev (late 1943 - early 1944). The following year, the 1st Panzer Division served as the “fire brigade” of the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies, time after time finding itself in the most critical sectors of the German front, which was bursting at the seams. In February 1944, the 1st Panzer Division was at the forefront of the attack, which was supposed to relieve the XI and XXXII Corps, surrounded near Cherkassy. The division was unable to overcome the last 10 km that separated it from the encircled, but these efforts allowed approximately half of the German troops to escape from the “cauldron”. The following month, the 1st Armored Division rescued the 96th and 291st Infantry Divisions during the Soviet spring offensive. The division's losses by this time were enormous. As of March 14, 1944, its motorized battalions still had 25% of their staff strength. The situation was the same in the batteries of medium anti-aircraft artillery and in the 1st tank reconnaissance battalion. The artillery regiment was in better condition: its light batteries retained 50% of their strength, and their heavy batteries retained 85%. The strength of the 37th tank engineer battalion was 30% of the regular strength, and the 1st tank regiment had 50 - 60 combat-ready tanks.

The division was among the troops surrounded near Kamenets-Podolsky (“Hube’s pocket”) in April 1944, when the 1st Tank Army was surrounded and forced to fight its way to its own, fought in the bend of the Dnieper, in Northern Ukraine, in Eastern Carpathians, led the defense along the San and Vistula rivers and in Eastern Poland. In August - September 1944, the division fought heavy defensive battles on the Sandomierz bridgehead on the western bank of the Vistula, and then at the end of September it was transferred south to the Carpathians to defend the passes in the Dukla area (west of the Hungarian Nagy Varad). During the defense of Hungary, the 1st Panzer Division covered the retreat of the 8th Army and several times counterattacked the Soviet troops breaking through, earning gratitude for the counterattack inflicted on Soviet troops in the Debrecen area.

From December 1944 to the end of March 1945, the 1st Panzer Division occupied defenses south of Székesfehérvár (southeast of Lake Balaton), blocking the Soviet troops from reaching Graz and Vienna. Despite its small numbers, the 1st Panzer Division acted in the first echelon when German troops tried to relieve the IX SS Mountain Corps (more than 30 thousand people), surrounded in Budapest, and on January 28, 1945, it approached the besieged garrison at a distance of about 15 km. However, Hitler refused to give the surrounded troops the order to break out, and the opportunity to save them was missed. The division retreated to the Székesfehérvár area. Most of the 1st Panzer Division was destroyed between January and March 1945, when the entire 6th Army suffered heavy losses. The division itself was surrounded on March 20, 1945 near Jene (south of Székesfehérvár) and managed to fight its way out of the encirclement at the cost of heavy losses. However, despite the losses, the remnants of the 1st Panzer Division continued to fight in the defense of Graz, the retreat into Austria and the defense of Styria until the very end of the war. Even on April 26, 1945, she still managed to conduct counterattacks. The end of the war found the division in Hartberg (Styria, Austria), but it managed to break away from the Soviet troops and head west. The division crossed the demarcation line southeast of Linz and surrendered to the Americans in Mauerkirchen (Upper Bavaria) on May 8, 1945. On May 13, the Americans disbanded the division, and most of its soldiers were sent home by the end of July.

The division was part of the following formations:
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