101st Panzer Brigade
| 101st Panzer Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 05 July – 21 September 1941 15 August - October 1944 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance |  Wehrmacht |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Brigade |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert |
The 101st Panzer Brigade is a Panzer Brigade that fought in World War II.
History
The first 101st Panzer Brigade is formed on 5 July 1941 in France with captured tanks.[1] On 21 September 1941, it was used to form the staff of the 23rd Panzer Division.[2] Colonel Botho Elster was briefly in command of the brigade in 1941 before being transferred to OB West.[3]
The second 101st Panzer Brigade is ordered to be formed on 11 July 1944 but was not formed until 15 August 1944.[2] Like most Panzer Brigades, it has a battalion of Panther tanks and a battalion of panzergrenadiers in SdKfz 251 half tracks. It was a part of the ad-hoc Panzerverband Strachwitz under Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz.[4] The 101st, along with the SS Panzer Brigade Gross, participated in Operation Doppelkopf to restore connection between Army Group North and Army Group Center.[4] It was then deployed to the frontline on Estonia.[5] On October 1944, the brigade was reformed near Bobruisk, then it was merged with the remains of the destroyed 20th Panzer Division.[2] The brigade staff formed the Staff/21st Panzer Regiment, the panzer battalion became the 2/21st Panzer Regiment, while the panzergrenadier Battalion became a Jagd-Kommando in the 20th Panzer Division.[2]
Order of Battle
1941
- 203rd Panzer Regiment
- 204th Panzer Regiment
1944
- 2101st Panzer Battalion (3 Panther tank companies, 1 Jagdpanzer IV company)
- 2101st Panzergrenadier Battalion (3 companies)
- 2101st Brigade Support Units [2]
Commanders
- Oberst Botho Elster - 1941
- Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert - July - August 1944
- Oberst Richard Schmidthagen - August 1944
- Oberstleutnant Guido von Wartenburg - August - September 1944
- Major Eberhard Zahn - September - October 1944[note 1]
Notes
- ^ Major Friedrich-Wilhelm Breidenbach also served as acting commander, date of command is unknown.
Citations
- ^ Nafziger 1999, p. 202.
- ^ a b c d e Nafziger, George. "Organization History of German Panzer Formations" (PDF). Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Mitcham 2000, p. 215.
- ^ a b Mitcham 2007, p. 140.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 141.
References
- Books
- Mitcham, Samuel (2000). Retreat to the Reich: the German Defeat in France, 1944. Westport: Praeger, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. ISBN 9780275968571.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3371-7.
- Nafziger, George F. (1999). The German Order of Battle: Panzers and Artillery in World War II. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 9781853673597.
- Websites
- Nafziger, George. "Organization History of German Panzer Formations" (PDF). Retrieved November 22, 2015.