2nd Panzer Army
| 2nd Panzer Army (2.Panzerarmee) | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the 2nd Panzer Group / 2nd Panzer Army |
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| Active | October 5, 1941 - May 8, 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Type | Tank Army |
| Engagements | Eastern Front and the Balkans, World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Generaloberst Heinz Guderian |
The 2nd Panzer Army (German: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on 5 October 1941. 2nd Panzer Group was orignally designated as Panzer Group Guderian.
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[edit] Panzer Group Guderian
Panzer Group Guderian (German: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Guderian, creator of the German Panzerwaffe.
In early June 1940, after reaching the English Channel following the breakthrough in the Ardennes, the Panzergruppe Guderian was formed from the XIX Armeekorps, and thrust deep into France, cutting off the Maginot Line. From then on, every unit that served in the Panzergruppe Guderian wore a large 'G' on every tank, truck or motorcycle. It was reformed later the same month. In November 1940, it was upgraded into Panzergruppe 2.
[edit] Order of battle
Organization of Panzer Group Guderian on 28 May 1940[1]
| Group | Corps | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Panzer Group Guderian General der Panzertruppe Heinz Guderian |
XXXIX Army Corps (mot.) Generaloberst Rudolf Schmidt |
1st Panzer Division Generalleutnant Friedrich Kirchner |
| 2nd Panzer Division Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel |
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| 29th Infantry Division (mot.) Generalmajor Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp |
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| XLI Army Corps Generalleutnant Georg-Hans Reinhardt |
6th Panzer Division Generalmajor Werner Kempf |
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| 8th Panzer Division Generalleutnant Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen |
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| 20th Infantry Division (mot.) Generalleutnant Mauritz von Wiktorin |
[edit] 2nd Panzer Group
The 2nd Panzer Group (German: Panzergruppe 2) was formed in November 1940 from Panzer Group Guderian. In October 1941 it was renamed the 2nd Panzer Army. Panzer Group 2 played a significant role in the early stages of the German invasion of the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa in 1941 when it was a constituent part of Army Group Centre.
[edit] Orders of battle
[edit] (June 22, 1941)
[edit] (July 27, 1941)
[edit] (Sep 30, 1941)
[edit] 2nd Panzer Army
The army was renamed as the 2nd Panzer Army on 5 October 1941, attached to Army Group Centre and fought in the Battle of Moscow, where it was dealt a defeat at the hands of the Soviet 49th and 50th Armies, which were supplemented with newly deployed Siberian troops and later in the defensive battles of the Eastern Front central sector.
2nd Panzer Army took part in war crimes in September 1942 while conducting anti-guerrilla operations in Russia. These operations killed at least a thousand people, razed entire villages, and deported over 18,500. During these operations, Jews and suspected members of guerrilla bands were murdered by being forced to drag earth-turning implements through minefields.[2]
In September 1943, the army's headquarters was subordinated to Army Group F and transferred to the Balkans for anti-partisan operations. The army became primarily an infantry formation at this point and would not command another panzer division until April 1945.
The army was subsequently transferred to Hungary as part of Army Group South in January 1945. 2nd Panzer Army took part in the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills in March 1945 prior to surrendering in Austria at the end of the war.
[edit] Commanders
- Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (October 5, 1941 - December 25, 1941)
- Generaloberst Rudolf Schmidt (December 25, 1941 - April 10, 1943)
- General der Infanterie Heinrich Clößner (April 11, 1943 - August 6, 1943)
- Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model (August 6, 1943 - August 14, 1943)
- Generaloberst Dr Lothar Rendulic (August 14, 1943 - June 24, 1944)
- General der Infanterie Franz Böhme (June 24, 1944 - July 17, 1944)
- General der Artillerie Maximilian de Angelis (July 18, 1944 - May 8, 1945)
[edit] Notes
- ^ Axis History Accessed: 16 February 2012
- ^ www.verbrechen-der-wehrmacht.de p. 22
[edit] References
- Wendel, Marcus (2004). "Panzergruppe Guderian". Retrieved May 5, 2006.
- Wendel, Marcus (2004). "Panzergruppe 2". Retrieved May 5, 2006.
- Wendel, Marcus (2004). 2.Panzer-Armee. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
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