3rd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
| 3rd Panzer Division | |
|---|---|
| 3. Panzer-Division | |
Unit insignia
|
|
| Active | 15 October 1935 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Wehrkreis III: Berlin |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| During Operation Citadel | .JPG) |
| summer 1943 |  |
The 3rd Panzer Division (English: 3rd Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II.
The division was one of the original three tank divisions established by Germany in 1935. The division participated in the Invasions of Poland, Belgium, France and the Soviet Union. From 1941 to 1945 it continuously fought on the Eastern Front.
The 3rd Panzer Division was formed on 15 October 1935 from elements of the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Division as well as a variety of other Military and police units, and was headquartered in the German capital Berlin. It was one of three tank divisions created at the time, the other two being the 1st and 2nd Panzer Division. Germany had renounced the Treaty of Versailles earlier in the year which had forbidden the country, among other things, from having tank forces, a treaty Germany had violated almost from the start by secretly developing tanks and operating a covert tank school in the Soviet Union.
Members of the divisions tank regiment participated in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side as part of the German Legion Condor. The division also took part in the annexation of Austria, the so-called Anschluss.
The 3rd Panzer Division participated in the1939 invasion of Poland, where it was engaged in the northern sector, operating from Pommerania, and advancing via Toruń to Brest-Litovsk. In May 1940 it was part of the German forces invading Belgium, advancing via the Albert Canal to Brussels and into France. Like the other German tank divisions the 3rd lost one of its two tank regiments in late 1940 to allow for the creation of further tank divisions, and gained a rifle regiment instead.
...
Wikipedia