3rd Panzer Army (Germany)
| 3. Panzerarmee 3rd Panzer Army |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1942 - 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Engagements | World War II |
Pz Corps
12th Army
Tank Corps
Cav Corps
Red - Soviet forces, Orange - British forces, Green - U.S. forces, Grey - German forces
Sources: Tieke - p. 447, Allied Situation Map, Ustinow - Map 158
(1) - U.S. 84th Infantry Division, Bold units are 3rd Panzer Army
The 3rd Panzer Army (German: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German army that saw action during World War II. It was formed from Panzergruppe 3, which had been formed on November 16, 1940.
The 3rd Panzer Army was a constituent part of Army Group Centre and fought in the Battle of Moscow in late 1941 (as Panzergruppe 3) and early 1942. Panzergruppe 3 was retitled the 3rd Panzer Army on January 1, 1942. During the Soviet counter-offensive, the 3rd Panzer Army fought its way out of an encirclement and later fought at Tekino, the Duna and Vitebsk. In March 1944, the 3rd Panzer Army took part in the forced assembly and deportation of Russian civilians in the Borisov area. The civilians were deported to Germany for use as forced labor.[1] The army later retreated through Lithuania and Courland, fighting in the Battle of Memel in late 1944.
In February 1945 the 3rd Panzer Army was one of the armies that made up the new Army Group Vistula. On March 10, 1945, General Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel was made the commander of the 3rd Panzer Army, which was assigned to defend the banks of the Oder River, north of the Seelow Heights, thus hampering Soviet access to Western Pomerania and Berlin. They then faced an overwhelming Soviet attack launched by General Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front during the Battle of Berlin. On April 25 the Soviets broke through 3rd Panzer Army's line around the bridgehead south of Stettin[2] and crossed the Randow Swamp.
Following the defeat at Stettin, 3rd Panzer Army was forced to retreat into the region of Mecklenburg where the headquarters of 3rd Panzer Army, including Manteuffel, surrendered to the U.S. 8th Infantry Division at Hagenow[3] on May 3, 1945.
[edit] Commanders
- Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt (5 October 1941 - 15 August 1944)
- Generaloberst Erhard Raus (16 August 1944 - 10 March 1945)[4]
- General Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel (11 March 1945 - surrender on 3 May 1945)
[edit] References
- Wilhelm Tieke, Das Ende zwischen Oder und Elbe, Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag, 1995
- D. F. Ustinow et al. Geschichte des Zweiten Welt Krieges 1939-1945, Berlin: Militärverlag der DDR, 1982
- Marcus Wendel. Axis history 3. Panzer-Armee
- 12th Army Group situation maps
- ^ Hamburger Institut für Sozial Forschung, Verbrechen der Wehrmacht, p. 18
- ^ Richard Lakowski, Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Vol. 10/1, pp. 653-654, München: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 2008
- ^ Marc F. Griesbach, Combat History of the Eighth Infantry Division in World War II, p. 96, Nashville: Battery Press, 1988, ISBN 0898391210
- ^ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 353
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