18th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

German 18th Panzer Division

Unit insignia
Active 1940–43
Country  Germany
Allegiance Wehrmacht
Branch Heer
Type Panzer
Role Armoured warfare
Size Division
Garrison/HQ Chemnitz
Engagements

World War II

Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Walther Nehring

The 18th Panzer Division (German: 18. Panzer-Division) was a German World War II armoured division that fought on the Eastern Front from 1941 until its disbandment in 1943.

Formation

The 18th Panzer Division was formed on 26 October 1940 at Chemnitz from parts of the 4th Infantry Division, 14th Infantry Division, and four battalions of submersible tanks. They had originally been intended for Operation Sea Lion (Seelöwe), the planned German invasion of United Kingdom. Of these four tank battalions, two formed the 18th Panzer Regiment and the other two the 28th Panzer Regiment of the 18th Panzer Division. In March 1941 the 18th Panzer Division was reorganized, the 28th Panzer Regiment was disbanded, one of its battalions became the third battalion of the 18th Panzer Regiment, the other battalion was transferred to the 3rd Panzer Division.[1][2]

Organization 18th Panzer Division:

Engagements

The 18th Panzer Division first saw action during the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, on 22 June 1941. The 18th Panzer Division fought as part of XLVII Panzer Corps, and over the next six months was involved in seizing Smolensk, Bryansk and the assault on Tula. The division suffered heavy losses in the first month of the war, losing half its tanks and a third of its manpower in June and July. With the start of the Soviet counter offensive in Decmeber 1941 the 18th Panzer Division was driven back to Oryol with heavy losses.[3]

In the summer of 1942, the 18th Panzer Division took part in the initial drive on Stalingrad, but was soon transferred to the central section of the front. The 18th Panzer Division took part in anti-partisan operations in the spring of 1943. In the summer of 1943 the division fought in the Battle of Kursk, and suffered heavy losses. After Kursk the 18th Panzer-Division suffered from poor morale and frequent desertions and was disbanded, with the division's personnel being used to build the 18th Artillery Division.[1][4]

Commanding officers

The commander of the division:[5]

War crimes

According to the historian Omer Bartov the 18th Panzer Division was heavily engaged in the looting of food from Soviet civilians, to the point were the latter were forced to starve to death, which lead to great resentment towards the German Army from the side of the Soviet civilians. At the beginning of the invasion orders were given to execute wounded Soviet soldiers as these were seen as an unnecessary burden. As a consequence soldiers of the division found that Soviet troops were reluctant to surrender to the division and preferred to fight to the end rather than face captivity. In anti-partisan operations the division command gave out orders to shoot anybody suspected of supporting partisans. Within the division harsh measures were employed against any soldier found found guilty of dissent or reluctant to fight, leading to a number of executions.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Organizational History of the German Armored Formation 1939-1945" (PDF). cgsc.edu. United States Army Command and General Staff College. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Mitcham, p. 143
  3. ↑ Mitcham, p. 144
  4. ↑ Mitcham, p. 145
  5. ↑ Mitcham, p. 146–148
  6. ↑ Omer Bartov, Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis, and War in the Third Reich, Oxford Paperbacks, 1992

Bibliography

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