27th Panzer Division
| German 27th Panzer Division | |
|---|---|
 Unit insignia | |
| Active | October 1942 – March 1943 |
| Country |  Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
The27th Panzer Divisionwas an incompletearmoured(Panzer) division of the GermanWehrmachtduringWorld War II.It began forming in the southern sector of theEastern Frontin late 1942, but was never completed due to the loss of its assets during theSovietcounteroffensives in theBattle of Stalingrad,and no further attempts were made to reconstitute the division.
Operational history
[edit]During summer-autumn 1942, part of the division was formed in France, including the division's artillery regiment. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Front, the Brigade Michalik (led by Colonel Helmut Michalik) was formed around the 140th Panzer Grenadier Regiment (which was previously part of22nd Panzer Division).[1]
In autumn 1942, the two echelons joined inVoronezh,situated then in the rear area of theGerman 2nd Army,and the division was formally activated on 1 October 1942. With about 3,000 men its strength was well under that required for aPanzer Division;however the situation required that it had to be scattered in several groups to support different sectors of the Eastern Front: Don, south ofKharkov,Hungarian 2nd Army,Italian 8th Army.Twenty tanks were incorporated into the German 2nd Army Headquarters. The 127th Pz.Eng.Batt. never joined the rest of the division, as it was one of the unitsencircledatStalingrad,where it was destroyed.[2]
By 1 January 1943, the unit was depleted: it had only half of its mechanised infantry and 11 tanks left. The estimated total strength was less than 1,600 men by 8 February. Once the Soviet winter offensive,Operation Little Saturn,was stopped, the 27th Panzer was disbanded around 3 March 1943. The personnel of the 127th Panzer and 127th Panzer Signals Battalions were assigned to the24th Panzer Divisionin France, while the remaining men and materiel were incorporated into the7th Panzer Divisionin Russia.[3]
Commanding officers
[edit]- OberstHelmut Michalik(Creation - 29 November 1942)
- OberstHans Tröger(30 November 1942 - 26 January 1943)
- OberstJoachim von Kronhelm(26 January 1943 - Disbanded)
Order of battle
[edit]
As of 20 September 1942, the following units were assigned to the division:[4]
- Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 140
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 127
- Panzer-Abteilung 127
- Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 127
- Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 127
- Panzer-Nachrichten-Kompanie 127
By 1943, it also included:[4]
- Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 27
- Versorgungstruppen 127
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Mitcham, Samuel W.(2007). German Order of Battle Vol.3, p.71
- ^Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). German Order of Battle Vol.3, pp. 71–72
- ^Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). German Order of Battle Vol.3, p.72
- ^abhttp:// lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Panzerdivisionen/27PD-R.htm27. Panzer-Division, Lexicon der Wehrmacht. (in German;accessed 2018-02-17)
Bibliography
[edit]- Mitcham, Samuel W.German Order of Battle Volume Three: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS Divisions in WWII,Stackpole Military History Series, 2007.ISBN0811734382
Further reading
[edit]- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2006).Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and Their Commanders.Stackpole Military History Series.ISBN978-0811733533
- Stoves, Rolf (1985).Die 22. Panzer-Division, 25. Panzer-Division, 27. Panzer-Division und die 233. Reserve-Panzer-Division: Aufstellung, Gliederung, Einsatz(in German). Podzun-Pallas-Verlag.ISBN9783790902525.
- Scherzer, Veit (2010).Deutsche Truppen im Zweiten Weltkrieg / Band 6, Die Divisionen - Divisionen und Brigaden mit den Nummern 21 bis 28: Gliederung - Kommandeure - Einsatz - Inhaber höchster Auszeichnungen(in German). Verlag Veit Scherzer.ISBN978-3938845240.
- "Organizational History of the German Armored Forces 1939–1945"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 December 2011.Retrieved13 April2014.
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