1st Panzer Army
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1. Panzerarmee (1st Panzer Army) Panzergruppe Kleist (Panzer Group Kleist) Panzergruppe 1 |
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Insignia of the German First Panzer Army
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| Active | 1 March 1940 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
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| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer army |
| Size | Field army |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Field Marshal Ewald von Kleist |
The 1st Panzer Army (German: 1. Panzerarmee) was a German tank army which was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II.
When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (Panzergruppe Kleist) with Colonel General Ewald von Kleist in command.
Panzer Group Kleist was the first operational formation of several Panzer corps in the Wehrmacht. Created for the Battle of France on 1 March 1940; it was named after its commander Ewald von Kleist. After the successful invasion it was deployed in occupied France, being renamed into Panzer Group 1 in November. In April 1941, Panzer Group 1 took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia as part of Field Marshal Maximilian von Weichs's Second Army.
In May 1941, Panzer Group Kleist became Panzer Group 1 (Panzergruppe 1), which was attached to Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Panzer Group 1 included the III, XIV and XLVIII Army Corps (mot.) with five panzer divisions and four motorized divisions (two of them SS) equipped with 799 tanks. Panzer Group 1 served on the southern sector of the Eastern Front against the Red Army and was involved the Battle of Brody which involved as many as 1,000 Red Army tanks. On October 6, 1941, Panzer Group 1 was enlarged to the 1st Panzer Army following the fall of Kiev, with Kleist still in command. The army captured Rostov, but was forced to retreat eight days later.
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