2nd Panzer Grenadier Division (Bundeswehr)

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2nd Panzer Grenadier Division
- 2nd PzGrenDiv -

XX

Association badge of the 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division

Association badge
active July 1, 1956 to March 31, 1994
Country GermanyGermany Germany
Armed forces armed forces
Armed forces army army
Insinuation Coat of arms III. corps III. Corps (Bundeswehr)
last seat of the staff kassel
Nickname Hessian Division , Die Zwote
commander
last commander Major General Wolfgang Estorf

The 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division was a division of the Army of the German Armed Forces with its headquarters last in Kassel . The division was the III. Corps and was decommissioned in 1994. Units of the division were mainly stationed in Hesse and Lower Saxony .

history

Army structure I + II

The division was established in 1956 ( Army Structure I ) as the 2nd Grenadier Division in Kassel from former members of the Border Guard Command Center of the Federal Border Guard and subordinated to Army Staff II (later name: II Corps ). Division under stood in brigade level at the beginning of the battle group A 2 with the grenadier battalions 2 and 22, the battle group B 2 with the grenadier battalions 12 and 32 and the field artillery regiment 2. As Division troops were assigned

  • Telecommunications Battalion 2,
  • Panzerbataillon 2,
  • Engineer Battalion 2 ,
  • Anti-aircraft battalion 2,
  • Panzerjäger Battalion 2,
  • Quartermaster company 2 and that
  • Music Corps IV.

In 1957 the divisional command moved to Giessen . In the same year the newly established 42nd Grenadier Battalion was placed under the division. In addition, the division changed from II. Corps to the newly established III. Corps in Koblenz , and the large formation was integrated into the NATO structures. In 1958 the newly established engineer battalion 5 was placed under the division and the third combat group (C 2) with the armored infantry battalions 41, 42 and 43 was established.

In 1959, in the course of Army Structure 2, the name was finally changed to the 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division , the combat groups A 2, B 2 and C 2 were renamed to Panzer Brigade 6 , Panzer Grenadier Brigade 5 and Panzer Grenadier Brigade 4 . The division's staff moved to Marburg .

Army structure III

In the course of Army Structure 3, the division became the 2nd Jägerdivision on October 1, 1970 , analogously the Panzergrenadierbrigade 4 to a Jägerbrigade, the grenadier battalions to Jägerbataallonen. In 1974 the divisional command moved back to Kassel (Liège barracks). In the trials of Army Model 4, the newly established Panzer Brigade 34 was placed under the division in 1975. In 1976, the 6th Panzer Brigade left the division and was placed under the 5th Panzer Division . The Hessian Division , as the Zwote was also called, was the army's strongest division at that time with more than 22,000 active soldiers and, for example, had more soldiers under arms than the NATO member Norway .

Army structure IV

In 1980, Army Structure 4 was renamed the 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division . Similarly, Jägerbrigade 4 was named Panzergrenadierbrigade 4. In 1981, Panzerbrigade 34 was incorporated / reclassified into the new Panzerbrigade 6 . The division was thus subordinate to the following associations and units:

After the end of the Cold War , the 2nd PzGrenDiv was decommissioned in 1994.

Association badge

The association badge showed the Hessian lion in red and silver on a silver-red background, as can be found in the Hessian state coat of arms in a similar color scheme. As usual for a division badge, the badge was framed with a silver (white) cord with black coats of arms woven into it. It was only through this border that it differed from the association badge of the subordinate brigades.

After the division is dissolved, the association badge will continue to be used as the association badge of the Army Music Corps Kassel .

Further article

Complete structure of the division in all army structures, see article Former Army Associations of the Bundeswehr .

Division commanders

No. Surname Beginning of the appointment End of appointment
15th Wolfgang Estorf 1991 1994
14th Hans Grillmeier 1987 1991
13 Carl-Helmuth Lichel 1984 1987
12 Manfred Fanslau 1981 1984
11 Werner Schäfer 1979 1981
10 Fritz von Westerman 1976 1979
9 Carl-Gero von Ilsemann 1971 1976
8th Rolf Juergens 1970 1971
7th Ernst Ferber 1967 1969
6th Werner Drews 1964 1967
5 Klaus Müller 1961 1964
4th Ottomar Hansen 1960 1961
3 Alfred Zerbel 1958 1960
2 Friedrich Foertsch 1957 1958
1 Otto Schaefer 1956 1957

literature

  • Memory book 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division, publisher: 2nd Panzer Grenadier Division (Major i. G. Dr. phil. Gert-Detlef Feddern), published by the Moritz Diesterweg publishing house, Frankfurt am Main, 1962
  • 2. Panzergrenadierdivision / Die "Zwote" / A chronicle of the history of the "Hessian Division" , 1st edition 1994, publisher: Kameradschaft 2. Panzergrenadierdivision e. V.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ reasons for those transfers ARMY / MILITARY REFORM Light Infantry Der Spiegel June 16, 1969

Coordinates: 51 ° 18 '24 "  N , 9 ° 26' 48"  E