3rd Armoured Division (3. Panzerdivision) | |
---|---|
Active | 2 July 1956 – 30 September 1994 |
Country | Germany |
Allegiance | Bundeswehr |
Branch | German Army |
Type | Armoured division |
Garrison/HQ | Estetal Barracks, Buxtehude |
Commanders | |
Last Commander | Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof |
The 3rd Armoured Division (German : 3. Panzerdivision) was formed on 2 July 1956 in Hamburg and was one of the first major formations of the new German Army or Bundeswehr after the Second World War. The 3rd Armoured Division was stationed on the North German Plain between the rivers Elbe and Weser. Its last headquarters location was Buxtehude. It was part of the I Corps alongside the 1st Panzer, 7th Panzer, and 11th Panzergrenadier Divisions.
The 3rd Armoured Division was disbanded on 30 September 1994. Its last commander was Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof.
In the 1980s under Army Structures III and IV the division consisted of the 7th Panzergrenadier Brigade, 8th Panzer Brigade, and the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 (Armoured demonstration brigade). After the division's disbandment 9 PzL Bde eventually became part of 1st Armoured Division (Germany).
The Division provided support to numerous disasters, e. g. during serious floods in North Germany in 1962 and 1976 as well as the flooding of the Elbe Lateral Canal. In January 1979 elements of the Division were deployed during the emergency caused by heavy snowfall in North Germany.
In 1993 parts of the Division were deployed to Somalia as part of UNOSOM II.
No. | Name | Took over | Handed over |
---|---|---|---|
15 | Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof | 12 September 1991 | 30 September 1994 |
14 | Generalmajor Winfried Weick | 6 January 1989 | 11 September 1991 |
13 | Generalmajor Jörg Schönbohm | 11 March 1988 | 5 January 1989 |
12 | Generalmajor Harald Schulz | 1 April 1985 | 10 March 1988 |
11 | Brigadegeneral Klaus Nennecke | 7 December 1984 | 31 March 1985 |
10 | Generalmajor Wolfgang Tebbe | 1 April 1983 | 6 December 1984 |
9 | Generalmajor Franz-Joachim von Rodde | 1 April 1978 | 31 March 1983 |
8 | Generalmajor Eberhard Burandt | 1. October 1974 | 31 March 1978 |
7 | Generalmajor Horst Ohrloff | 1 October 1970 | 30 September 1974 |
6 | Generalmajor Walter Carganico | 1 October 1967 | 30 September 1970 |
5 | Generalmajor Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven | 1 April 1967 | 21 September 1967 |
4 | Generalmajor Hans-Georg von Tempelhoff | 1 October 1962 | 31 March 1967 |
3 | Generalmajor Hans-Ullrich Krantz | 1 October 1961 | 30 September 1962 |
2 | Generalmajor Christian Müller | 15 July 1958 | 20 September 1961 |
1 | Generalmajor Heinrich Hax | 3 September 1956 | 14 July 1958 |
The German 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 and the Luftwaffe. As of 2024, the German Army had a strength of 63,047 soldiers.
Panzergrenadier, abbreviated as PzG (WWII) or PzGren (modern), meaning "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier", is the German term for the military doctrine of mechanized infantry units in armoured forces who specialize in fighting from and in conjunction with infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) – that is, armoured troop carriers designed to carry a mechanized squad of six to eight soldiers into, during and out of combat while providing direct fire support for those troops.
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 Waffen-SS formed its own panzer divisions, and the Luftwaffe fielded an elite panzer division: the Hermann Göring Division.
The Franco-German Brigade is a special military brigade of the Eurocorps, founded in 1989, jointly consisting of units from both the French Army and the German Army.
The 1st Panzer Division(German: "1. Panzerdivision", short: "1. PzDiv") is an armoured division of the German Army. Its headquarter is based in Oldenburg. In the course of the last reorganisation of the Bundeswehr it became the backbone of Germany's newly formed intervention forces with a manpower of 35,000 soldiers. The division is equipped and trained for high intensity combat operations against militarily organized enemies as well as peacekeeping missions. The majority of all German troops assigned to EU-Battlegroups and Nato Response Forces will come from this division. It also represents Germany's permanent contribution to the binational I. German/Dutch Corps.
The Balkan Front was a military formation of the Bulgarian People's Army, intended for wartime use under the general direction of the Soviet General Staff. If a war was to have broken out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the bulk of the Bulgarian army would have been assigned to it.
Operation Perch was a British offensive of the Second World War which took place from 7 to 14 June 1944, during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy. The operation was intended to encircle and seize the German occupied city of Caen, which was a D-Day objective for the British 3rd Infantry Division in the early phases of Operation Overlord. Operation Perch was to begin immediately after the British beach landings with an advance to the south-east of Caen by XXX Corps. Three days after the invasion the city was still in German hands and the operation was amended. The operation was expanded to include I Corps for a pincer attack on Caen.
Canadian Forces Europe was the Canadian Forces military formation in Europe during the Cold War. The CF assisted other NATO allies in watching the military activities of Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union.
The 10th Panzer Division is an armoured division of the German Army, part of the Bundeswehr. Its staff is based at Veitshöchheim. The division is a unit of the German Army's stabilization forces and specializes in conflicts of low intensity.
This is the order of battle for Operation Epsom, a Second World War battle between British and German forces in Normandy, France between 26 June and 30 June 1944.
The 9th Panzerlehr Brigade is a formation of about 5,000 men strong within the German Armed Forces or Bundeswehr, which is subordinated to the 1st Panzer Division in Hanover. The bulk of the brigade is stationed in Munster. Two battalions are based in Neustadt am Rübenberge. The brigade has become the "showcase of the German Army" as a result of its German Army Combat Vehicle and Aircraft Demonstration Exercises which it has conducted for decades. These exercises demonstrate the capability of the Army's fighting vehicles and aircraft and how they operate jointly in various scenarios. The formation is classified as an armoured brigade within the Bundeswehr's intervention forces.
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, units of the West German Bundeswehr and allied wartime reinforcements.
The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising five Army Corps from five NATO member nations. During the Cold War NORTHAG was NATO's forward defence in the Northern half of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The Southern half of the Federal Republic of Germany was to be defended by the four Army Corps of NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG). During wartime NORTHAG would command four frontline corps and one reserve corps. Air support was provided by Second Allied Tactical Air Force.
The Central Army Group (CENTAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Army Corps from two NATO member nations comprising troops from Canada, West Germany and the United States. During the Cold War, CENTAG was NATO's forward defence in the southern half of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The northern half of the FRG was defended by the four Army Corps of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). During wartime, CENTAG would command four frontline corps. Air support was provided by Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force.
Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force was a NATO military formation under Allied Air Forces Central Europe tasked with providing air support to NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG) in the southern portion of West Germany. 4 ATAF commanded all flying units based within its sector and all reinforcements flying into its sector, as well as ground-based radar systems and stations, air defense units and the airfields in its sector.
The following lists German active and reserve units within the structure of the German Army. Reserve units do not possess any heavy equipment and their personnel is intended as replacements for losses sustained by regular units.
The 37th Panzergrenadier Brigade "Free State of Saxony" is a mechanized infantry brigade of the German Army. The brigade is headquartered at Frankenberg, Saxony.
The 1st Army was a field army of the Czechoslovak People's Army, active in 1958–1965 and 1969–1991. In its second formation its headquarters was in Příbram.
The 4th Army was a field army of the Czechoslovak People's Army, active from 1958 to 1965 and 1969–1991. In its second formation its headquarters was in Písek.
This article lists the structure of the Royal Danish Army in 1989 and in May 2020: