German 9th Panzer Division
Encyclopedia
The 9th Panzer Division was a panzer division
of the Wehrmacht
Heer
. The division was only active during World War II, and came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. During its existence, the division was headquartered in Vienna
, in the German military district
Wehrkreis XVII.
Originally raised from Austrian forces annexed into Germany during the war, the 9th Panzer Division was part of most of the German Army's early Blitzkrieg
attacks into western Europe. Sweeping east, the division was then a component of Operation Barbarossa
, the German attack on the Soviet Union
, where it was badly mauled at the Battle of Kursk
.
Returning to France to rebuild in 1944, the division was rushed to counter Operation Overlord
. It was destroyed several successive times by British and American forces as the German Army was pushed back across Europe. The division suffered massive casualties in armor and personnel until it finally collapsed in March 1945. The division's few survivors were pushed into the Ruhr Pocket
where they surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war.
s, or mechanized infantry
. These were the 10th Panzer Grenadier Regiment and the 11th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Also assigned to the division were the 102nd Panzer Artillery Regiment, the 9th Motorcycle Battalion, the 9th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, the 50th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 86th Panzer Engineer Battalion, the 81st Panzer Signal Battalion, the 287th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion, and the 60th Panzer Divisional Supply Troops.
annexation of Austria
in 1938, the 4th Light Division was formed in Vienna
after converting a mobile division of the Austrian army in April of that year. It initially consisted of the 33rd Panzer Battalion, the 102nd Motorized Artillery Regiment, and the 10th and 11th Motorized Cavalry Regiments. In 1939 it fought in the Invasion of Poland
, on the right flank of Army Group South
, attacking out of Slovakia
, pushing over the San River
on 10 September and capturing Krakowiec on 12 September. It then moved to establish a bridgehead
over the Bug River
at Krylow
on 14 September. The division then turned west, blocking the escape of several units of the Polish Army. In the process the division took tens of thousands of prisoners. On October 24, the division departed Salzberg
, returning to Vienna by train. That winter it was converted to the 9th Panzer Division and formally redesignated 3 January 1940. It consisted of the 9th Rifle Brigade, the 33rd Panzer Battalion, the 102nd Panzer Artillery Regiment, and several other divisional units.
to participate in the Battle of the Netherlands
, playing a major role in conquering the northern Netherlands
in only six days, pushing back the Dutch forces with the 18th Army to Holland. In the battle, the Germans inflicted 3,000 killed and 7,000 wounded, easily defeating the Dutch with assistance from the Luftwaffe
despite the fact that the division was equipped with Czech
tanks. The division was the only German mechanized force used in Holland, and was designed primarily to spearhead a swift advance to The Hague
. At this time, it was under the command of XXXIX Motorized Corps. The division then pushed on to battles around Antwerp, Brussels
, Arras, and Dunkirk, pushing Allied forces from the cities.
Following the evacuation of Dunkirk, the 9th Panzer Division was assigned to Panzer Group Guderian and participated in the Battle of France
. It pushed through the Weygand Line towards Paris, crossing the Oise River
, Aisne River
, Marne River
and Loire River and taking thousands of prisoners in the process. By the time of the French surrender, the 9th Panzer Division was in Lyon
. During the Western campaign, the division is credited with covering more ground than any other German division.
The division returned to Vienna in July, 1940. There, it continued to reorganize and grow, adopting the organization that it kept for most of the war with one tank regiment, two panzergrenadier regiments and one artillery regiment. In September it was sent to Poland with the XL Panzer Corps
.
In the spring of 1941, the 9th Panzer Division participated in the Balkans Campaign. It was shipped to Romania
, and was made the armored spearhead of the 12th Army. It and employed the blitzkrieg strategy through the Balkans
, pushing through Greece
and separating the Greek Army from the Royal Yugoslav Army
, then attacking into Yugoslavia
itself. As part of the 12th Army, the 9th Panzer Division pushed back the main British Army
, Greek and Australian Army
forces. Once these armies were in full retreat, the division was sent to Romania in preparation for Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
.
on June 28, heading to Kiev
. The division broke through the Stalin Line
on July 7, took part in the encirclement of Uman
, and captured Krivoy Rog and Nikopol on August 17. The 9th Panzer Division then captured the Dnieper River Dam at Dnepropetrosk on August 25. From there, it was made the spearhead of Panzer Group von Kleist, driving to Kiev from the south while Panzer Group Guderian drove behind the city from the north. The two groups linked up on September 15, encircling five field armies of the Soviet Army
. The division was part of the force that captured 667,000 Soviet prisoners and 900 tanks in the city.
Following the capture of Kiev, the 9th Panzer Division was made a part of Panzer Group Guderian for the advance on Moscow. The division then took part in the encirclement of Bryansk
and, despite delays due to adverse terrain and weather, captured Kursk
on November 2. It was halted near the Kursk Oblast
settlement of Tim. From there the division held a sector near Schtschigry on the southern sector, facing the Soviet winter offensives of 1941 and 1942. The division remained on this sector until Russian attacks abated in March 1942.
During a lull in hostilities in early 1943, the division was again reorganized and reequipped, sent to Orel
and transferred to Army Group Center, where it participated in Operation Citadel and the Battle of Kursk in the summer of that year as a part of XLVII Panzer Corps, 9th Army
. Fighting alongside the 2nd
, 4th
and 20th
Panzer divisions and the 6th Infantry Division
, it tried unsuccessfully to break through the Soviet defensive belt. The division fought on the front for an extended period of time, suffering heavy casualties. In one engagement, the division lost 70 Panzer tanks to Russian Ilyushin Il-2
aircraft in just 20 minutes. After an advance of only 15 km and suffering heavy casualties, it abandoned its attempt to reach Kursk.
Following the German defeat at Kursk
, the 9th Panzer Division was sent to the southern sector once again, where it was heavily engaged in the German retreat to the Mius-Front
, a line of German fortifications along the Mius River
. It covered the retreat of the 2nd Panzer Army and the 9th Army, north of Orel and Kirov, then fought in a series of battles east of Bryansk at the end of August. The division participated in fights at Stalino, Zaporozhye, Odessa
, and Dnieper. During these fights it suffered mounting losses, and by January 1944 it was reduced to 13 tanks and far understrength infantry and artillery formations. It continued a slow retreat across the Ingulez and the Ingul, until it was pulled out of the fighting in April.
s, 74 Panzer IV
s, 20 assault guns, 15 Panther tank
s and 200 other vehicles. The division then conducted training exercises up until June of that year. It was reassigned to an area on the Rhone River
for a time. It was in better shape than many of the other divisions in the area, which were refitting, forming, or lacked transportation to move effectively.
Following the D-Day landings
conducted by the Allies, the division was rushed to northern France to participate in the Battle of Normandy
. At this time, its strength was up to 150 tanks and assault guns as well as 12,768 men. The division was sent to Avignon
, before being sent to support the collapsing 7th Army in Normandy. The division arrived just as the army was encircled by American, British
, and Canadian forces at Falaise
. In the subsequent furious battle, the division was almost completely destroyed escaping the Falaise Pocket
. By late August its strength was at around 1,500 organized in one infantry battalion, one artillery battalion, and 5 tanks. However, it continued to cover the escape of Army Group G
from Normandy.
Following its near-destruction at Falaise, the division remained in the German Siegfried Line
where it fought several engagements, most notably the Battle of Aachen
. Over the next month it lost over 1,000 men, two-thirds of its combat strength. At the end of September 1944, the 9th Panzer Division was sent into Army Group B
's reserve and rehabilitated. It was given 11,000 more replacements and 178 armored vehicles, including at least 22 Tiger I tanks and 50 Panther tanks. It was to reinforce German units countering Operation Market Garden
, but by the time it arrived at Arnhem
, the allied forces had been pushed back. The 9th Panzer Division was returned to the line around Geilenkirchen
and Aachen, where it launched a spoiling attack against US forces in the Peel Marshes in November, but only succeeded in losing 30 tanks in the process. It then reassembled west of the Ruhr River with a strength of 10,000 men, 28 Panther tanks and 14 Panzer IV tanks. It, along with elements of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division, fought a bitter six-day battle with the US 2nd Armored Division in the Puffendorf-Immendorf sector, knocking out 76 tanks and inflicting 1,300 casualties while suffering 1,100 men and 86 tanks lost. Following this, the division was sent into the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
's reserve. It continued fighting to slow the progress of the First United States Army pushing from the west, destroying its 2,325th enemy tank near Geilenkirchen.
In December 1944, the 9th Panzer Division was assigned to XLVII Panzer Corps again as part of the Fifth Panzer Army, Army Group B and was one of the units participating in the Battle of the Bulge
. The Corps was part of the central attack route during the offensives, attacking the Third United States Army and pushing it back. The division initially advanced quickly, but once the tide of the campaign turned in the allies' favor, the division took extreme losses once again as Adolf Hitler
refused to allow the German forces in the campaign to retreat in a timely manner. It was eventually pulled back to the German lines.
In early 1945, the division once again engaged the Allied in fighting around the Eifel
mountain range. It also participated in fighting around the Erft River
in February, where its armored force was reduced to 29 tanks and 16 assault guns. Late in the month, it launched an attack on the allied Remagen Bridgehead over the Rhine River. The attack was a good showing for the German force, which fought tenaciously, but unsuccessfully to push to the Remagen Bridge. By the end of this fight, the division consisted of only 600 men and 15 tanks.
on March 6, as a part of the battered LXXXI Corps, alongside the 363rd Volksgrenadier Division and the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division which were in equally poor shape, and the entire corps was barely the strength of one division. Facing them was the US 3rd Armored Division. The division attempted to defend the town from attack, but was unable to make progress against American forces.
After its unsuccessful attack, the shattered 9th Panzer Division was counterattack
ed by strong Allied forces. The division engaged the Americans in the city center of Cologne, but were quickly pushed back, and the divisional commander was killed. Remnants of the division attempted to flee across the Rhine River. In the fighting that followed, the weak formation finally collapsed. Most of the remains of the division were forced into the Ruhr Pocket
, continuing to suffer staggering losses while holding lines on the south flank of Army Group B until they surrendered to American forces in April 1945. By this time, the demoralized soldiers of the division were entirely out of ammunition and gasoline, and remaining troops surrendering without a fight. The division continued to exist briefly afterward; Major Halle, the division's adjutant
, escaped the Ruhr encirclement with a small battle group, and joined the 11th Army
in the Harz Mountains. There, on April 26, 1945, German commanders of OB West
disbanded the 9th Panzer Division, absorbing its survivors into other units.
had been wounded in an Allied air attack.
Panzer Division
A 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....
of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The 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:...
Heer
Heer (1935-1945)
The Heer was the Army land forces component of the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945, the latter also included the Navy and the Air Force...
. The division was only active during World War II, and came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. During its existence, the division was headquartered in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, in the German military district
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
Wehrkreis XVII.
Originally raised from Austrian forces annexed into Germany during the war, the 9th Panzer Division was part of most of the German Army's early Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
attacks into western Europe. Sweeping east, the division was then a component of 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 German attack on 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....
, where it was badly mauled at the Battle of 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,...
.
Returning to France to rebuild in 1944, the division was rushed to counter Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. It was destroyed several successive times by British and American forces as the German Army was pushed back across Europe. The division suffered massive casualties in armor and personnel until it finally collapsed in March 1945. The division's few survivors were pushed into the Ruhr Pocket
Ruhr Pocket
The Ruhr Pocket was a battle of encirclement that took place in late March and early April 1945, near the end of World War II, in the Ruhr Area of Germany. For all intents and purposes, it marked the end of major organized resistance on Nazi Germany's Western Front, as more than 300,000 troops were...
where they surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war.
Organization
In 1942, the division was organized around three regiments. Its Panzer tanks were organized into the 33rd Panzer Regiment, which was supported by two regiments of panzergrenadierPanzergrenadier
is a German term for motorised or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile, Germany and Switzerland.-Forerunners:...
s, or mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
. These were the 10th Panzer Grenadier Regiment and the 11th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Also assigned to the division were the 102nd Panzer Artillery Regiment, the 9th Motorcycle Battalion, the 9th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, the 50th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 86th Panzer Engineer Battalion, the 81st Panzer Signal Battalion, the 287th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion, and the 60th Panzer Divisional Supply Troops.
History
Following the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1938, the 4th Light Division was formed in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
after converting a mobile division of the Austrian army in April of that year. It initially consisted of the 33rd Panzer Battalion, the 102nd Motorized Artillery Regiment, and the 10th and 11th Motorized Cavalry Regiments. In 1939 it 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...
, on the right flank of Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
, attacking out of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, pushing over the San River
San River
The San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...
on 10 September and capturing Krakowiec on 12 September. It then moved to establish a bridgehead
Bridgehead
A bridgehead is a High Middle Ages military term, which antedating the invention of cannons was in the original meaning expressly a referent term to the military fortification that protects the end of a bridge...
over the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
at Krylow
Krylów
Kryłów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Mircze, within Hrubieszów County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. It lies approximately, south-east of Hrubieszów, and south-east of the regional capital Lublin.-Turist:Castle on an island on the...
on 14 September. The division then turned west, blocking the escape of several units of the Polish Army. In the process the division took tens of thousands of prisoners. On October 24, the division departed Salzberg
Salzberg
Salzberg can refer to a number of places in Europe. The name means "salt mountain" in German:* the name of Bochnia, Poland in German.* a formerly independent municipality in Bavaria's Berchtesgaden Valley, now part of Berchtesgaden....
, returning to Vienna by train. That winter it was converted to the 9th Panzer Division and formally redesignated 3 January 1940. It consisted of the 9th Rifle Brigade, the 33rd Panzer Battalion, the 102nd Panzer Artillery Regiment, and several other divisional units.
Early campaigns
Following its reorganization, the division was sent to the Western FrontWestern Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
to participate in the Battle of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
, playing a major role in conquering the northern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in only six days, pushing back the Dutch forces with the 18th Army to Holland. In the battle, the Germans inflicted 3,000 killed and 7,000 wounded, easily defeating the Dutch with assistance from the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
despite the fact that the division was equipped with Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
tanks. The division was the only German mechanized force used in Holland, and was designed primarily to spearhead a swift advance to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. At this time, it was under the command of XXXIX Motorized Corps. The division then pushed on to battles around Antwerp, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Arras, and Dunkirk, pushing Allied forces from the cities.
Following the evacuation of Dunkirk, the 9th Panzer Division was assigned to Panzer Group Guderian and participated in the 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...
. It pushed through the Weygand Line towards Paris, crossing the Oise River
Oise River
The River Oise is a right tributary of the River Seine, flowing for 302 km in Belgium and France. Its source is in the Belgian province Hainaut, south of the town Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about 20 km. It flows into the Seine in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris...
, Aisne River
Aisne River
The Aisne is a river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Oise. It gave its name to the French département Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as the Axona....
, Marne River
Marne River
The Marne is a river in France, a right tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is long. The river gave its name to the départements of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne....
and Loire River and taking thousands of prisoners in the process. By the time of the French surrender, the 9th Panzer Division was in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. During the Western campaign, the division is credited with covering more ground than any other German division.
The division returned to Vienna in July, 1940. There, it continued to reorganize and grow, adopting the organization that it kept for most of the war with one tank regiment, two panzergrenadier regiments and one artillery regiment. In September it was sent to Poland with the XL Panzer Corps
XL Panzer Corps
XL Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.The XL Panzer Corps fought at Kharkov, the advance to the Don River, and to the Terek in the Caucasus. The corps later withdrew toward Rostov and later into Romania....
.
In the spring of 1941, the 9th Panzer Division participated in the Balkans Campaign. It was shipped to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, and was made the armored spearhead of the 12th Army. It and employed the blitzkrieg strategy through the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, pushing through Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and separating the Greek Army from the Royal Yugoslav Army
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Royal Yugoslav Army was the armed force of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from the state's formation until the force's surrender to the Axis powers on April 17, 1941...
, then attacking into Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
itself. As part of the 12th Army, the 9th Panzer Division pushed back the main British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Greek and Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
forces. Once these armies were in full retreat, the division was sent to Romania in preparation for 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....
.
Operation Barbarossa
Once Operation Barbarossa was launched, the 9th Panzer Division, part of XIV Panzer Corps (Germany) of the Army Group South, pushed through UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
on June 28, heading to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. The division broke through the Stalin Line
Stalin Line
The Stalin Line was a line of fortifications along the western border of the Soviet Union. Work began on the system in the 1920s to protect the USSR against attacks from the West. The line was made up of concrete bunkers and gun emplacements, somewhat similar but less elaborate than the Maginot...
on July 7, took part in the encirclement of Uman
Uman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
, and captured Krivoy Rog and Nikopol on August 17. The 9th Panzer Division then captured the Dnieper River Dam at Dnepropetrosk on August 25. From there, it was made the spearhead of Panzer Group von Kleist, driving to Kiev from the south while Panzer Group Guderian drove behind the city from the north. The two groups linked up on September 15, encircling five field armies of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. The division was part of the force that captured 667,000 Soviet prisoners and 900 tanks in the city.
Following the capture of Kiev, the 9th Panzer Division was made a part of Panzer Group Guderian for the advance on Moscow. The division then took part in the encirclement of Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
and, despite delays due to adverse terrain and weather, captured Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
on November 2. It was halted near the Kursk Oblast
Kursk Oblast
Kursk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kursk.-Geography:The oblast occupies the southern slopes of the middle-Russian plateau, and its average elevation is from 177 to 225 meters . The surface is hilly, and intersected by ravines...
settlement of Tim. From there the division held a sector near Schtschigry on the southern sector, facing the Soviet winter offensives of 1941 and 1942. The division remained on this sector until Russian attacks abated in March 1942.
During a lull in hostilities in early 1943, the division was again reorganized and reequipped, sent to Orel
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
and transferred to Army Group Center, where it participated in Operation Citadel and the Battle of Kursk in the summer of that year as a part of XLVII Panzer Corps, 9th Army
German Ninth Army
The 9th Army was a World War II field army.The 9th Army was activated on May 15, 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command.-1940:The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line when it was involved in the invasion of France...
. Fighting alongside the 2nd
German 2nd Panzer Division
The 2nd Panzer Division was created in 1935, and stationed in Austria after the Anschluss. It participated in the campaigns in Poland and France , and then returned to Poland for occupation duties . It took part in the Balkans campaign and then transferred to the Russian Front in September 1941...
, 4th
German 4th Panzer Division
The German 4th Panzer Division was established in 1938. It participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasion of France, and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. It remained on the Eastern Front, mainly under Army Group Centre, until it was trapped on the coast at Courland in the...
and 20th
German 20th Panzer Division
The 20th Panzer Division was formed on 15 October, 1940 in Erfurt, Germany. As part of Adolf Hitler's plans to double the number of Panzer Divisions, the 19th Infantry Division and a number of other units were cannibalized for men and material, and then restructured into the 20th Panzer Division....
Panzer divisions and the 6th Infantry Division
German 6th Infantry Division
The 6th Infantry Division was a unit of the German Army during World War II. Formed in October 1934 from Infanterieführer V in Bielefeld, the division was mobilized on 26 August 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland...
, it tried unsuccessfully to break through the Soviet defensive belt. The division fought on the front for an extended period of time, suffering heavy casualties. In one engagement, the division lost 70 Panzer tanks to Russian Ilyushin Il-2
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
aircraft in just 20 minutes. After an advance of only 15 km and suffering heavy casualties, it abandoned its attempt to reach Kursk.
Following the German defeat at Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
, the 9th Panzer Division was sent to the southern sector once again, where it was heavily engaged in the German retreat to the Mius-Front
Mius-Front
Mius-Front was a heavily fortified defensive line created by the Germans in October 1941 under direction of General Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist along the Mius River during World War II. By summer 1943 the Mius-Front consisted of three defense lines with total depth of the Mius defense range of...
, a line of German fortifications along the Mius River
Mius River
Mius is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It starts in the Donets Range of Donetsk Oblast and flows through Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine and Rostov Oblast, Russia into the Mius Firth of the Sea of Azov, west of Taganrog...
. It covered the retreat of the 2nd Panzer Army and the 9th Army, north of Orel and Kirov, then fought in a series of battles east of Bryansk at the end of August. The division participated in fights at Stalino, Zaporozhye, Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, and Dnieper. During these fights it suffered mounting losses, and by January 1944 it was reduced to 13 tanks and far understrength infantry and artillery formations. It continued a slow retreat across the Ingulez and the Ingul, until it was pulled out of the fighting in April.
Western Front
The division was subsequently sent to Nimes, France to rebuild, as many divisions mauled on the eastern front were. On May 1, 1944 it absorbed men and tanks of the 155th Reserve Panzer Division to return to its full strength. During this absorption it received 31 Panzer IIIPanzer III
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...
s, 74 Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
s, 20 assault guns, 15 Panther tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
s and 200 other vehicles. The division then conducted training exercises up until June of that year. It was reassigned to an area on the Rhone River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
for a time. It was in better shape than many of the other divisions in the area, which were refitting, forming, or lacked transportation to move effectively.
Following the D-Day landings
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
conducted by the Allies, the division was rushed to northern France to participate in the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. At this time, its strength was up to 150 tanks and assault guns as well as 12,768 men. The division was sent to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, before being sent to support the collapsing 7th Army in Normandy. The division arrived just as the army was encircled by American, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Canadian forces at Falaise
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
. In the subsequent furious battle, the division was almost completely destroyed escaping the Falaise Pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
. By late August its strength was at around 1,500 organized in one infantry battalion, one artillery battalion, and 5 tanks. However, it continued to cover the escape of Army Group G
Army Group G
The German Army Group G fought on the Western Front of World War II and was a component of OB West.When the Allied invasion of Southern France took place, Army Group G had eleven divisions with which to hold France south of the Loire...
from Normandy.
Following its near-destruction at Falaise, the division remained in the German Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
where it fought several engagements, most notably the Battle of Aachen
Battle of Aachen
The Battle of Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, which occurred between 2–21 October 1944. By September 1944, the Wehrmacht had been pushed into Germany proper, after being defeated in France by the Western Allies...
. Over the next month it lost over 1,000 men, two-thirds of its combat strength. At the end of September 1944, the 9th Panzer Division was sent into Army Group B
Army Group B
Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.-Battle for France:The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam...
's reserve and rehabilitated. It was given 11,000 more replacements and 178 armored vehicles, including at least 22 Tiger I tanks and 50 Panther tanks. It was to reinforce German units countering Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, but by the time it arrived at Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, the allied forces had been pushed back. The 9th Panzer Division was returned to the line around Geilenkirchen
Geilenkirchen
Geilenkirchen is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km north-east of Heerlen and 20 km north of Aachen....
and Aachen, where it launched a spoiling attack against US forces in the Peel Marshes in November, but only succeeded in losing 30 tanks in the process. It then reassembled west of the Ruhr River with a strength of 10,000 men, 28 Panther tanks and 14 Panzer IV tanks. It, along with elements of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division, fought a bitter six-day battle with the US 2nd Armored Division in the Puffendorf-Immendorf sector, knocking out 76 tanks and inflicting 1,300 casualties while suffering 1,100 men and 86 tanks lost. Following this, the division was sent into the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
's reserve. It continued fighting to slow the progress of the First United States Army pushing from the west, destroying its 2,325th enemy tank near Geilenkirchen.
In December 1944, the 9th Panzer Division was assigned to XLVII Panzer Corps again as part of the Fifth Panzer Army, Army Group B and was one of the units participating in the Battle of the Bulge
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 Corps was part of the central attack route during the offensives, attacking the Third United States Army and pushing it back. The division initially advanced quickly, but once the tide of the campaign turned in the allies' favor, the division took extreme losses once again as Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
refused to allow the German forces in the campaign to retreat in a timely manner. It was eventually pulled back to the German lines.
In early 1945, the division once again engaged the Allied in fighting around the Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
mountain range. It also participated in fighting around the Erft River
Erft
The Erft is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine . Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef-Cardinal-Frings-bridge. The river is 103 km long, which is significantly...
in February, where its armored force was reduced to 29 tanks and 16 assault guns. Late in the month, it launched an attack on the allied Remagen Bridgehead over the Rhine River. The attack was a good showing for the German force, which fought tenaciously, but unsuccessfully to push to the Remagen Bridge. By the end of this fight, the division consisted of only 600 men and 15 tanks.
Destruction
The 9th Panzer Division's final combat assignment came in a battle near CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
on March 6, as a part of the battered LXXXI Corps, alongside the 363rd Volksgrenadier Division and the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division which were in equally poor shape, and the entire corps was barely the strength of one division. Facing them was the US 3rd Armored Division. The division attempted to defend the town from attack, but was unable to make progress against American forces.
After its unsuccessful attack, the shattered 9th Panzer Division was counterattack
Counterattack
A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
ed by strong Allied forces. The division engaged the Americans in the city center of Cologne, but were quickly pushed back, and the divisional commander was killed. Remnants of the division attempted to flee across the Rhine River. In the fighting that followed, the weak formation finally collapsed. Most of the remains of the division were forced into the Ruhr Pocket
Ruhr Pocket
The Ruhr Pocket was a battle of encirclement that took place in late March and early April 1945, near the end of World War II, in the Ruhr Area of Germany. For all intents and purposes, it marked the end of major organized resistance on Nazi Germany's Western Front, as more than 300,000 troops were...
, continuing to suffer staggering losses while holding lines on the south flank of Army Group B until they surrendered to American forces in April 1945. By this time, the demoralized soldiers of the division were entirely out of ammunition and gasoline, and remaining troops surrendering without a fight. The division continued to exist briefly afterward; Major Halle, the division's adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, escaped the Ruhr encirclement with a small battle group, and joined the 11th Army
11th Army (Germany)
The 11th Army was a World War I and a World War II field army.-World War I:The 11th Army was formed in early 1915. It briefly fought on the Western Front during the Battle of Ypres, holding the line against the allied attack...
in the Harz Mountains. There, on April 26, 1945, German commanders of OB West
OB West
The German Army Command in the West The German Army Command in the West The German Army Command in the West (Oberbefehlshaber West (German: initials OB West) was the overall command of the Westheer, the German Armed Forces on the Western Front during World War II. It was directly subordinate to...
disbanded the 9th Panzer Division, absorbing its survivors into other units.
Commanding officers
The division was commanded by 11 people during its total history. This included General Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin, who was acting division commander from December 1944 to February 1945 because General Harald Freiherr von ElverfeldtHarald Freiherr von Elverfeldt
Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 9 Panzer Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
had been wounded in an Allied air attack.
| Commander | Dates |
|---|---|
| Generalleutnant Alfred Ritter von Hubicki Alfred Ritter von Hubicki Alfred Eduard Franz Ritter von Hubicki was a Hungarian born Austrian army officer who was a Panzer General in the German army during World War II.-World War I:... |
3 January 1940 – 14 April 1942 |
| Generalleutnant Johannes Baeßler | 15 April 1942 – 26 July 1942 |
| Generalmajor Heinrich-Hermann von Hülsen | 27 July 1942 – 3 August 1942 |
| Generalleutnant Walter Scheller Walter Scheller Walter Scheller 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... |
4 August 1942 – 21 July 1943 |
| Generalleutnant Erwin Jollasse Erwin Jollasse Erwin Jollasse 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... |
22 July 1943 – 20 October 1943 |
| Generalmajor Dr. Johannes Schulz Johannes Schulz Dr. phil. Johannes Schulz was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 9. Panzer-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 battlefield bravery or... |
20 October 1943 – 27 November 1943 |
| Oberst Oberst Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti... Max Sperling Max Sperling Max Sperling was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II and an Oberst in the Bundeswehr. 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... |
27 November 1943 – 28 November 1943 |
| Generalleutnant Erwin Jollasse | 28 November 1943 – 10 August 1944 |
| Oberst Max Sperling | 10 August 1944 – 2 September 1944 |
| Generalmajor Gerhard Müller | 3 September 1944 – 16 September 1944 |
| Generalleutnant Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 9 Panzer Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves... |
16 September 1944 – 28 December 1944 |
| Generalmajor Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin Friedrich von Mellenthin Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin was a Generalmajor in the German Army during World War II. A participant in most of the major campaigns of the war, he became well-known afterwards for his memoirs Panzer Battles, first published in 1956 and regularly reprinted since then.- Early life :Mellenthin... |
28 December 1944 – February 1945 |
| Generalleutnant Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt | February 1945 – 6 March 1945 |
| Oberst Helmut Zollenkopf | 6 March 1945 – 18 April 1945 |
External links
- Wendel, Marcus (2004). "4. Leichte-Division". Retrieved April 11, 2005.
- "4. leichte Division". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved April 11, 2005.