History 9th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

1 history

1.1 campaigns
1.2 operation barbarossa
1.3 western front
1.4 destruction

history

following anschluss annexation of austria in 1938, 4th light division formed in vienna after converting mobile division of bundesheer (the austrian army) in april of year. consisted of 33rd panzer battalion, 102nd motorized artillery regiment, , 10th , 11th motorized cavalry regiments. in 1939 fought in invasion of poland, on right flank of army group south, attacking out of slovakia, pushing on san river on 10 september , capturing krakowiec on 12 september. moved establish bridgehead on bug river @ krylow on 14 september. division turned west, blocking escape of several units of polish army. in process division took tens of thousands of prisoners. on 24 october, division departed salzberg, returning vienna train. winter converted 9th panzer division , formally redesignated 3 january 1940. consisted of 9th rifle brigade, 33rd panzer battalion, 102nd panzer artillery regiment, , several other divisional units.

early campaigns

following further reorganization increasing strength 2 tank battalions , 3 motorised infantry regiments, division sent western front participate in battle of netherlands starting on 10 may 1940. part of 18th army defeated netherlands in grueling 5 days, 9th panzer division played essential role in german strategy. division german mechanized force allocated 18th army , intended link airborne forces landed near rotterdam , hague. on 12 may, division launched in south of netherlands exploit breakthrough german infantry divisions, advancing moerdijk bridges, had been captured student s paratroopers. before that, near breda, division split up, sending 1 battalion north on moerdijk bridges try , enter dutch national redoubt, fortress holland. on 13 may, however, during first actual fighting of campaign, battalion suffered considerable losses in failed assault on centre of dordrecht. on 14 may, battalion stood ready assault rotterdam, dutch surrendered same day after carpet bombing of city s civilian centre luftwaffe. other part of division went south, after retreating french 7th army , belgian army, towards antwerp , dunkirk. following evacuation of dunkirk, 9th panzer division assigned panzer group guderian , participated in battle of france. during stage under command of xxxix motorized corps. pushed through weygand line towards paris, crossing oise river, aisne river, marne river , loire river, taking thousands of prisoners in process. time of french surrender, 9th panzer division in lyon. during western campaign, division credited covering more ground other german division.

the division returned vienna in july 1940. there, continued reorganize , grow, adopting organization kept of war 1 tank regiment, 2 panzergrenadier regiments , 1 artillery regiment. in september sent poland xl panzer corps.

in spring of 1941, 9th panzer division participated in balkans campaign. shipped romania , made armored spearhead of 12th army. managed blitzkrieg tactics through balkans, separating greek army royal yugoslav army, attacking yugoslavia itself. part of 12th army, 9th panzer division pushed main british army, greek , australian army forces once these armies in retreat, division sent romania in preparation operation barbarossa, invasion of soviet union.

operation barbarossa

once operation barbarossa launched, 9th panzer division, part of xiv panzer corps (germany) of army group south, pushed through ukraine on 28 june, heading kiev. division broke through stalin line on 7 july, took part in encirclement of uman, , captured krivoy rog , nikopol on 17 august. 9th panzer division captured dnieper river dam @ zaporizhia on 25 august. there, made spearhead of panzer group kleist, driving kiev south while panzer group guderian drove behind city north. 2 groups linked on 15 september, encircling 5 field armies of soviet army. division part of force captured 667,000 soviet prisoners , 900 tanks in city.

following capture of kiev, 9th panzer division made part of panzer group guderian advance on moscow. division took part in encirclement of bryansk and, despite delays due terrain, weather , red army resistance, captured kursk on 2 november. halted near kursk oblast settlement of tim. there division held sector near shchigry on southern sector, facing soviet winter offensives of 1941 , 1942. division remained on sector until soviet attacks abated in march 1942.

during lull in hostilities in 1943, division again reorganized , reequipped, sent orel , transferred army group center, participated in operation citadel , battle of kursk in summer of year part of xlvii panzer corps, 9th army. fighting alongside 2nd, 4th , 20th panzer divisions , 6th infantry division, tried unsuccessfully break through soviet defensive belt. division fought on front extended period of time, suffering heavy casualties. in 1 engagement, division lost 70 tanks soviet ilyushin il-2 aircraft in 20 minutes. after advance of 15 km , suffering heavy casualties, abandoned attempt reach kursk.

following german defeat @ kursk, 9th panzer division heavily engaged in german retreat mius-front, line of german fortifications along mius river. covered retreat of 2nd panzer army , 9th army, north of orel , kirov, fought in series of battles east of bryansk @ end of august. division participated in fights @ stalino, zaporozhye, odessa, , dnieper. during these fights suffered mounting losses, , january 1944 reduced 13 tanks , substantially under-strength infantry , artillery formations. continued slow retreat across ingulez , ingul, until pulled out of fighting in april.

western front

the division subsequently sent nimes, france rebuild, many divisions mauled on eastern front were. on 1 may 1944 absorbed men , tanks of 155th reserve panzer division return full strength. during absorption received 31 panzer iiis, 74 panzer ivs, 20 assault guns, 15 panther tanks , 200 other vehicles. division conducted training exercises until june of year. reassigned area on rhone river time. in better shape many of other divisions in area, refitting, forming, or lacked transportation move effectively.

following d-day landings conducted allies, division rushed northern france participate in battle of normandy. @ time, strength 150 tanks , assault guns , 12,768 men. division sent avignon, before being sent support collapsing 7th army in normandy. division arrived army encircled american, french, british, , canadian forces @ falaise. in subsequent furious battle, division destroyed escaping falaise pocket. late august strength @ around 1,500 organized in 1 infantry battalion, 1 artillery battalion, , 5 tanks. however, continued cover escape of army group g normandy.

following near-destruction @ falaise, division remained in german siegfried line fought several engagements, notably battle of aachen. on next month lost on 1,000 men, two-thirds of combat strength. @ end of september 1944, 9th panzer division sent army group b s reserve , rehabilitated. given 11,000 more replacements , 178 armored vehicles, including 50 panther tanks. reinforce german units countering operation market garden, time arrived @ arnhem, allied forces had been pushed back. 9th panzer division returned line around geilenkirchen , aachen, launched spoiling attack against forces in peel marshes in november, succeeded in losing 30 tanks in process. reassembled west of rur river strength of 10,000 men, 28 panther tanks , 14 panzer iv tanks. along elements of 15th panzer grenadier division, 9th panzer fought bitter six-day battle u.s. 2nd armored division in puffendorf-immendorf sector, knocking out 76 tanks , inflicting 1,300 casualties while suffering 1,100 men , 86 tanks lost. following this, division sent okw reserve. continued fighting slow progress of u.s. first army pushing west, destroying 2,325th enemy tank near geilenkirchen.

in december 1944, 9th panzer assigned xlvii panzer corps again part of 5th panzer army, army group b , 1 of units participating in battle of bulge. @ time spzabt 301 (equipped tiger tanks) attached division. corps part of central attack, pushing u.s. ninth army. division advanced quickly, once tide of campaign turned in allies favor, division took extreme losses once again adolf hitler refused allow german forces in campaign retreat in timely manner. pulled german lines.

in 1945, division engaged allied in fighting around eifel mountain range. participated in fighting around erft river in february, armored force reduced 29 tanks , 16 assault guns. late in month, launched attack on allied remagen bridgehead on rhine river failed reach remagen bridge. end of fight, division consisted of 600 men , 15 tanks.

destruction

the 9th panzer division s final combat assignment came in battle near cologne on 6 march, part of battered lxxxi corps, alongside 363rd volksgrenadier division , 3rd panzergrenadier division in equally poor shape, , entire corps barely strength of 1 division. facing them 3rd armored division. division attempted defend town attack, unable make progress against american forces.

after unsuccessful attack, shattered 9th panzer division counterattacked strong allied forces. division engaged americans in city center of cologne, pushed back, , divisional commander killed. remnants of division attempted flee across rhine river. in fighting followed, weak formation collapsed. of remains of division forced ruhr pocket, continuing suffer staggering losses while holding lines on south flank of army group b until surrendered american forces in april 1945. time, demoralized soldiers of division entirely out of ammunition , gasoline, , remaining troops surrendering without fight. division continued exist briefly afterward; major halle, division s adjutant, escaped ruhr encirclement small battle group, , joined 11th army in harz mountains. there, on 26 april 1945, german commanders of ob west disbanded 9th panzer division, absorbing survivors other units.