116th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

116th Panzer Division
Unit insignia
Active	1944–45
Country	Germany
Branch	Heer
Type	Panzer
Role	Armoured warfare
Size	Division
Nickname(s)	Greyhound Division (Windhund-Division)
Motto(s)	Schnell wie ein Windhund, Zäh wie Leder, Hart wie Kruppstahl, Windhund Vor! "Fast as a greyhound, tough as leather, hard as Kruppsteel, Greyhound forward!"
Engagements	World War II Operation Overlord Operation Cobra Battle of Aachen Battle of Hürtgen Forest Battle of the Bulge
Commanders
Notable Commanders	Gerhard Graf von Schwerin

The 116th Panzer Division, also known as the "Windhund (Greyhound) Division", was a German armoured formation that saw combat during World War II.

Creation

The 116th Division was constituted in the Rhineland and Westphalia areas of western Germany in March 1944 from the remnants of the 16th Panzergrenadier Division, and the 179th Reserve Panzer Division. The 16th had suffered heavy casualties in combat on the Eastern Front near Stalingrad, and the 179th was a second-line formation that had been on occupation duty in France since 1943.

Campaign

In 1944, it participated in opposing the Normandy landings, the Battle of Normandy, and was later trapped in the Falaise Pocket following Operation Cobra.

German SdKfz 234/3 armored car at The Tank Museum, Bovington. This vehicle bears the insignia of the 116th Panzer Division.

Along with the 2nd SS Panzer Division, it was responsible for holding the pocket open to allow German troops to escape. It managed to escape, although with only 600 infantry and 12 tanks intact. In October, it fought against American forces in the Battle of Aachen, with the town falling to the Americans on 21 October. It was moved to Düsseldorf for refitting. On 8 November, the division repulsed an attack from the U.S. 28th Infantry Division in the Hürtgen Forest during the larger Battle of Hürtgen Forest, recapturing the town of Schmidt, thus providing the name to the 28th of the "Bloody Bucket Division".

The 116th then participated in the failed "Wacht am Rhein" Operation in the Ardennes. At the start of the offensive, it was fairly well refitted, with 47 Panzer IV and 92 Panther tanks, although it was still missing 60 percent of its organic transport.^[1] It participated in the middle spearhead and later held the Allies at bay for other units to retreat, before being withdrawn over the Rhine in March. It then opposed the U.S. Ninth Army's advance across the Rhine, thus stopping the planned Allied breakthrough as well as opposing Operation Varsity's airborne landings. With 2,800 men and 10 tanks against 50,000 Allied troops and supporting tanks, the division faced the U.S. 30th, the U.S. 35th, the U.S. 84th, the 4th Canadian and the U.S. 8th Armored Divisions. On 18 April 1945, the majority of the division was forced to surrender to the U.S. Ninth Army, having been trapped in the Ruhr Pocket. Remnants of the division continued to fight in the Harz mountains until 30 April, only surrendering after all of their resources had been exhausted.^[2]

Commanders

• Oberst Günther von Manteuffel, creation – 30 April 1944
• General der Panzertruppe Gerhard Graf von Schwerin, 1 May 1944 – 7 August 1944 and 24 August 1944 - 14 September 1944
• Generalmajor Siegfried von Waldenburg, 14 September 1944 – German surrender

See also

• The Essential Tank Identification Guide—Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions 1939– 1945 Authors: Jorge Rosado and Chris Bishop Published by Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 1-904687-46-6
• Panzer En Normandie : Histoire Des Équipages De Char De La 116. Panzerdivision (juillet-août 1944) Frédéric Deprun, YSEC Éditions, 2011 ISBN 978-2-84673-135-5
• Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge (Publication 7-8). Retrieved July 3, 2015.

References

1. Cole, Hugh M. (1965). The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. p. 195.
2. Axis History Factbook: 116. Panzer-Division "From Normandy to the Ruhr", by Heinz Gunther Guderian, History of the 116th Panzer Division