25th Panzergrenadier Division
Encyclopedia
The 25th Panzergrenadier Division fought in the central sector of the Eastern front
from June 1943 to July 1944. It was destroyed in the encirclement east of Minsk and reformed in October 1944. It then fought in France
between October 1944 and January 1945 and in eastern Germany January to May 1945. Most of the survivors of the division surrendered to the western Allies
.
. In late 1940, it was reorganized as a motorized infantry division and took part in Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
, in June 1941. It was attached to Army Group Center and fought in the Soviet Union for two years before being reorganized as the 25th Panzergrenadier Division in June, 1943. After another year of heavy fighting, the division was almost destroyed near Minsk
during the Soviet Minsk Offensive; the survivors were reorganized at the training area at Mielau (in modern-day Poland) as the Panzer Brigade 107. In November 1944, the brigade was upgraded to divisional status at the Baumholder
training area and re-christened the 25th Panzergrenadier Division.
The new division moved to France in the area of the German / Luxembourg
/ French border at Sierck-les-Bains
, where it fought a delaying action against the US Third Army, until December. It was then moved to Bitche
. There it fought on the Maginot line
fortifications at Forts Ouvrage Simserhof
and Ouvrage Schiesseck
, under the command of the XIII SS Corps and Obergruppenführer
Max Simon
.
After the US Seventh Army's offensive operations were halted in December as a result of the German Ardennes Offensive
, the 25th was pulled out of the line and re-organized near Zweibrücken
. It then took part in Operation Nordwind
, along with the 21st Panzer Division. Together, these divisions were to exploit the penetrations made by either the XIII SS Corps in the west, or the LXXXIX and XC Corps in the east, with the intention of cutting the US Seventh Army off from the 1st French Army. It was then sent back to the eastern front to defend against the Soviet attack on the Oder
north of Berlin
, most of the survivors managed to escape to the west and surrendered to the British or Americans.
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
from June 1943 to July 1944. It was destroyed in the encirclement east of Minsk and reformed in October 1944. It then fought in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between October 1944 and January 1945 and in eastern Germany January to May 1945. Most of the survivors of the division surrendered to the western Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
.
History
The 25th started as an infantry division formed from Swabians and Bavarians. It participated in the Polish Campaign and the Battle of FranceBattle 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...
. In late 1940, it was reorganized as a motorized infantry division and took part in 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...
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, in June 1941. It was attached to Army Group Center and fought in the Soviet Union for two years before being reorganized as the 25th Panzergrenadier Division in June, 1943. After another year of heavy fighting, the division was almost destroyed near Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
during the Soviet Minsk Offensive; the survivors were reorganized at the training area at Mielau (in modern-day Poland) as the Panzer Brigade 107. In November 1944, the brigade was upgraded to divisional status at the Baumholder
Baumholder
Baumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France...
training area and re-christened the 25th Panzergrenadier Division.
The new division moved to France in the area of the German / Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
/ French border at Sierck-les-Bains
Sierck-les-Bains
Sierck-les-Bains is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Moselle department...
, where it fought a delaying action against the US Third Army, until December. It was then moved to Bitche
Bitche
Bitche is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is known for its large citadel. The surrounding territory is known as le Pays de Bitche in French and Bitscherland in German.-Geography:...
. There it fought on the Maginot line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
fortifications at Forts Ouvrage Simserhof
Ouvrage Simserhof
Ouvrage Simserhof is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near the community of Sierstal in the French département of Moselle. Simserhof is adjoined by petit ouvrage Rohrbach and gros ouvrage Schiesseck, and faces the German frontier. Located 4 km to the west of Bitche, the ouvrage...
and Ouvrage Schiesseck
Ouvrage Schiesseck
Ouvrage Schiesseck is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Schiesseck is adjoined by gros ouvrage Simserhof and petit ouvrage Otterbiel, all part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, and faces the German frontier...
, under the command of the XIII SS Corps and Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Max Simon
Max Simon
Max Simon was a German SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS during World War II, who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves. Simon was a private in the Prussian Army during World War I and was one of the first members of the SS in the early 1930s...
.
After the US Seventh Army's offensive operations were halted in December as a result of the German Ardennes Offensive
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, the 25th was pulled out of the line and re-organized near Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...
. It then took part in Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind
Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
, along with the 21st Panzer Division. Together, these divisions were to exploit the penetrations made by either the XIII SS Corps in the west, or the LXXXIX and XC Corps in the east, with the intention of cutting the US Seventh Army off from the 1st French Army. It was then sent back to the eastern front to defend against the Soviet attack on the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
north of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, most of the survivors managed to escape to the west and surrendered to the British or Americans.
Commanders
- General der InfanterieGeneral der InfanterieGeneral of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer and refers to:* General of the Infantry * General of the Infantry...
, Anton GraßerAnton GrasserAnton Grasser was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(23 June 1943 - 5 November 1943) - Generalleutnant Dr. Fritz Benicke (5 November 1943 - 4 Mar 1944)
- Generalleutnant Paul Schürmann (4 Mar 1944 - July 1944)
- Generalleutnant Paul Schürmann (October 1944 - 10 February 1945)
- Generalleutnant Arnold BurmeisterArnold BurmeisterArnold Hans Albert Burmeister was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 25. Panzergrenadier Division. 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...
(10 February 1945 - 8 May 1945)
Order of battle
- Division Staff
- 25. Mapping Detachment (mot)
- 35. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff Company
- PanzerjägerPanzerjägerPanzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
Platoon - Motorcycle Platoon
- Signals Platoon
- Pioneer Platoon
- Panzerjäger
- 3 x Battalions
- Battalion Staff
- 3 x Companies (mot)
- Machine Gun Company (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company
- 119. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff Company
- Panzerjäger Platoon
- Motorcycle Platoon
- Signals Platoon
- Pioneer Platoon
- 3 x Battalions
- Battalion Staff
- 3 x Companys (mot)
- Machine Gun Company (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company
- 25. Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
- Battalion Staff
- Light Armored Car Company
- 3 x Motorcycle Companies
- Heavy Company (mot)
- Pioneer Platoon
- 2 x Panzerjäger Platoons
- Light Infantry Gun Section
- 125. Panzerjäger Battalion
- 3 x Panzerjäger Companies (self-propelled)
- Flak Company (self-propelled)
- 8. Panzer Battalion
- Staff Company
- Flak Platoon
- 3 x SturmgeschützSturmgeschützSturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
Batteries - Panzer Maintenance Platoon
- 25. Artillery Regiment
- Staff Battery
- 3 x Battalions
- Staff Battery (mot)
- 3 x Batteries (mot)
- 25. Pioneer Battalion
- Battalion Staff
- 3 x Companies (mot)
- Light Pioneer Column (mot)
- 25. Signals Battalion
- Battalion Staff
- Telephone Company (mot)
- Radio Company (mot)
- Signals Column (mot)
- Supply and Support Units
Further reading
- Erwin Bodhm - Geschichte der 25. Division (in German)
- Wilhelm Schrode - Geschichte der 25. Division: Die Wiederaufstellung der 25. Pz.Gren.Div.(in German)