German 1st Light Division
Encyclopedia
1.leichte-Brigade
1.leichte-Division
6.Panzer-Division
The German 1st Light Brigade was a mechanized unit established in October 1937 in imitation of the French Division Légère Mécanique, intended to take on the roles of army-level reconnaissance
and security that had traditionally been the responsibility of cavalry
. It included mechanized recon units, motorized infantry, and a battalion of tanks. In 1938 it was enlarged to become the 1st Light Division (sometimes described as Light Mechanized or Light Panzer to distinguish it from the later Light infantry divisions). In 1939 the division fought in the Invasion of Poland
. Due to shortcomings that the campaign revealed in the organization of the Light divisions, it was reorganized as the 6th Panzer Division afterward in October 1939.
As the 6th Panzer Division, it participated in the 1940 Battle of France
and then transferred east for the rest of the year. In June 1941 it joined Operation Barbarossa
, fighting at first under Army Group North
but soon transferring to Army Group Center, where it fought in the Battle of Moscow
and the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient
. By May 1942, it had suffered such losses that it was withdrawn to France for rehabilitation. It returned to the Russian Front at the end of the year and participated in the failed attempt to relieve the Sixth Army
at Battle of Stalingrad
. Thereafter it fought in the battles of Kharkov
and Kursk
and the defensive battles back across the Ukraine and White Russia afterward. In early 1945 it was used in the attempts to relieve Budapest
and then driven back into Austria, where it surrendered to the Soviets at the end of the war.
1.leichte-Division
6.Panzer-Division
The German 1st Light Brigade was a mechanized unit established in October 1937 in imitation of the French Division Légère Mécanique, intended to take on the roles of army-level reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and security that had traditionally been the responsibility of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. It included mechanized recon units, motorized infantry, and a battalion of tanks. In 1938 it was enlarged to become the 1st Light Division (sometimes described as Light Mechanized or Light Panzer to distinguish it from the later Light infantry divisions). In 1939 the division fought in the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. Due to shortcomings that the campaign revealed in the organization of the Light divisions, it was reorganized as the 6th Panzer Division afterward in October 1939.
As the 6th Panzer Division, it participated in the 1940 Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and then transferred east for the rest of the year. In June 1941 it joined Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, fighting at first under Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
but soon transferring to Army Group Center, where it fought in the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
and the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient
Battles of Rzhev
Rzhev Battles is a general term for a series of World War II offensives launched during January 8, 1942—March 31, 1943 by the Soviet Red Army in the general directions of Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow, known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" for...
. By May 1942, it had suffered such losses that it was withdrawn to France for rehabilitation. It returned to the Russian Front at the end of the year and participated in the failed attempt to relieve the Sixth Army
German Sixth Army
The 6th Army was a designation for German field armies which saw action in World War I and World War II. The 6th Army is best known for fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad, during which it became the first entire German field army to be completely destroyed...
at Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. Thereafter it fought in the battles of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
and Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
and the defensive battles back across the Ukraine and White Russia afterward. In early 1945 it was used in the attempts to relieve Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and then driven back into Austria, where it surrendered to the Soviets at the end of the war.
Commanders
- Generalleutnant Erich HoepnerErich HoepnerErich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
(10 November 1938 - 23 November 1938) - Generalmajor Friedrich-Wilhelm von LoeperFriedrich-Wilhelm von LoeperFriedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
(24 November 1938 - 12 October 1939) - General der Panzertruppen Werner KempfWerner KempfGeneral Werner Kempf was a Panzer General in the German army during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ....
(18 October 1939 - 6 January 1941) - Generalleutnant Franz Landgraf (6 January 1941 - June 1941)
- General der Panzertruppen Wilhelm Ritter von ThomaWilhelm Ritter von ThomaWilhelm Josef Ritter von Thoma was a German officer who served in World War I, in the Spanish Civil War, and as a General der Panzertruppe in World War II.-Early life:...
(June 1941 - 15 September 1941) - Generalleutnant Franz Landgraf (15 September 1941 - 1 April 1942)
- Generaloberst Erhard RausErhard RausErhard Raus was a Austrian Colonel General during World War II. He commanded the 6th Panzer Division during the early years of the war on the Eastern Front before taking Army and Army Group commands....
(1 April 1942 - 7 February 1943) - Generalleutnant Walther von HünersdorffWalther von HünersdorffWalther von Hünersdorff was a German Generalleutnant serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(7 February 1943 - 16 July 1943) - Generalmajor Wilhelm CrisolliWilhelm CrisolliWilhelm Crisolli was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful...
(16 July 1943 - 21 August 1943) - Generalleutnant Rudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von Waldenfels was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 6. Panzer-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(21 August 1943 - 8 February 1944) - Generalleutnant Werner MarcksWerner MarcksWerner Marcks was a German general who commanded several panzer divisions during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(8 February 1944 - 21 February 1944) - Generalleutnant Rudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von Waldenfels was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 6. Panzer-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(21 February - 13 March 1944) - Generalleutnant Walter DenkertWalter DenkertWalter Denkert was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
i.V. (13 March 1944 - 28 March 1944) - Generalleutnant Rudolf Freiherr von Waldenfels (28 March 1944 - 23 November 1944)
- Oberst Friedrich-Wilhelm Jürgens (23 November 1944 - 20 January 1945)
- Generalleutnant Rudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von WaldenfelsRudolf Freiherr von Waldenfels was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 6. Panzer-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(20 January 1945 - 8 May 1945)
See also
- Erich HoepnerErich HoepnerErich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
- Claus Schenk Graf von StauffenbergClaus Schenk Graf von StauffenbergClaus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
- Erhard RausErhard RausErhard Raus was a Austrian Colonel General during World War II. He commanded the 6th Panzer Division during the early years of the war on the Eastern Front before taking Army and Army Group commands....
- Panzertruppe, PanzerPanzerA Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
, Panzer divisionPanzer DivisionA panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II.... - Division (military)Division (military)A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
, Military unit - HeerGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, List of German divisions in WWII