4th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
| 4th Panzer Division | |
|---|---|
| 4. Panzer-Division | |
Unit insignia
|
|
| Active | 10 November 1938 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |
 Germany
|
| Allegiance |
 Wehrmacht
|
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Wehrkreis XIII: Würzburg |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Insignia | |
| 1939 | |
| 1940 and 1943–1945 (variant) |  |
| 1942 |  |
| at Battle of Kursk |  |
The 4th Panzer Division (English: 4th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1938.
It participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasion of France, and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. It remained on the Eastern Front, mainly under Army Group Centre, until it was trapped on the coast at Courland in the summer of 1944. It was evacuated by sea and returned to the main front in West Prussia in January 1945. It surrendered to the Soviets there at the end of the war.
During the Polish campaign, the division engaged in a series of massacres against the civilian population and POW's.
The 4th Panzer Division was formed in Würzburg, Bavaria, on 10 November 1938 as the first of a second wave of new armoured divisions in Germany following the creation of the original three tank divisions in 1935. Alongside the 4th Panzer Division the 5th was formed at Oppeln, now Opole in Poland, five days later.
Würzburg had previously been the garrison town for the 2nd Panzer Division which had moved its headquarters to Vienna after the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938.
At the beginning of the Invasion of Poland (1939), the division was one of the first to cross the border in the operational area of Army Group South. Equipped with roughly 341 tanks, including 183 Panzer I, 130 Panzer II, 12 Panzer IV and 16 PzBef. The division lacked some infantry and anti-tank units..
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