5th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
| 5th Panzer Division | |
|---|---|
| 5. Panzer-Division | |
Unit insignia
|
|
| Active | 15 November 1938 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Wehrkreis VIII: Oppeln |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | 3 references in the Wehrmachtbericht |
| Insignia | |
| 1940 | |
| 1941–1945 |  |
| at Kursk |  |
The 5th Panzer Division (English: 5th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1938.
The division fought in Poland, France, the Balkans and in the Soviet Union; first as part of Army Group Centre (1941–44) and then Army Group North. The division surrendered to Soviet and Western Allied forces in April and May 1945.
The 5th Panzer Division was formed in Oppeln, now Opole in Poland, on 15 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 5th Panzer Division the 4th had been formed in Würzburg five days earlier. The personnel of the division was mainly made up of Silesians and Sudeten Germans, the Sudetenland having been annexed by Germany shortly before.
The division took part in the invasion of Poland in 1939 but played no major role in it, being part of the southern trust of the German advance towards Lwów and taking part in the battle for the city. The 5th Panzer Dvision played a much greater role in the German invasion of France and Belgium. It took part in the battle of Belgium, advanced towards Lille and participated in the battle of Dunkirk. It continued its advance south, took Brest on 19 June and continued on towards the French-Spanish border. The division remained in France until January 1941. During this time, in September 1940, it lost one of its two tank regiments to the newly created 11th Panzer Division in an effort to increase the number of German tank divisions that, in turn, slightly weakened the existing ones.
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