3rd Panzer Division (Bundeswehr)

3rd Panzer Division ; - 3rd Panzer Division PzDiv - ; XX
	; ; Association badge
active	July 2, 1956 to September 30, 1994
Country	Germany
Armed forces	armed forces
Armed forces	army
Type	Armored Division
last seat of the staff	Estetal barracks Buxtehude
commander
last commander	Major General Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof

The 3rd Panzer Division was set up in Hamburg on July 2, 1956 and was one of the first large units of the Army of the Bundeswehr . The 3rd Panzer Division was stationed in the North German Plain between the Elbe and Weser. The last headquarters were in Buxtehude . The 3rd Panzer Division was decommissioned on September 30, 1994. The last in command was Major General Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof .

Association badge

The badge of the 3rd Panzer Division showed two crossed white horse heads on a red background. The horse is the Sachsenross and in this crossed depiction is borrowed from the ornate gable decoration of the Lower German hall house ( Niedersachsenhaus ). The red background of the coat of arms followed the representation of the coat of arms of Lower Saxony . The coat of arms showed the connection with the stationing places in the Lower Saxony area. Like all divisional coats of arms of the army, this one is framed by a silver cord with black thread woven into it. The association badges of the originally subordinate brigades - with the exception of Panzerlehrbrigade 9, which followed a different heraldic form of representation - differed from the association badge of the 3rd Division only in terms of their differently colored border.

assignment

As part of the GDP88 (General Defense Plan. 1988), the 3rd Panzer Division had the task of defending a combat section in northern Lower Saxony , south of the Elbe , between Lüneburg and around Bad Bodenteich as part of the I. (GE) Corps I. (GE) Corps five divisions: for immediate defense the 1st Panzer Division (1st PzDiv), the 3rd Panzer Division and the 11th Panzer Grenadier Division (11th PzGrenDiv). The Westphalian 7th Panzer Division (7th PzDiv) served as the operational reserve of NORTHAG and the Holsteiner 6th Panzer Grenadier Division (6th PzGrenDiv) was to be subordinated to the German-Danish corps LANDJUT in the V case . The GDP88 planned to deploy the 3rd PzDiv without the PzLBrig 9 after a short preparation time in the combat strip of the I. (NL) Corps . The COMNORTHAG would have deployed the 11th PzGrenDiv in the left section and on the right in the center of gravity the 1st PzDiv to defend the VRV with the corps reserves, consisting of the PzLBrig 9 and the LLBrig 27 .

All of NATO's operational plans were dependent on the fastest possible preparation of combat readiness , especially the combat troops, in the worst case with an advance warning time of 48 hours, with only 36 hours remaining for the actual military preparation.

The individual orders to the 3rd PzDiv were:

Submission of a PzBrig (PzBrig 8 “Lüneburg”) and move into the disposal area (VfgR) Walsrode

Leadership (OpCon) of the delay battle in their 60 km wide battle section with SOC triggered by the I. (NL) Corps. With a possible attack focus in the south, there would have been little depth for a lasting delay.

In the phase of deployment and flow into the GDP position area, the 3rd PzDiv remains subordinate to the I. (GE) Corps

Implementation of the temporary battle (VzöGef / VzgGef) between the inner German border (IDG) and the VRV (Front Edge of Defense) until the I. (NL) Corps has established defense readiness at the VRV. The ESK, the Ilmenau , the Jeetzel , the Jeetzel Canal and the Neetze formed the delay lines . With rainy weather in spring or autumn, floods and larger contiguous forest areas such as the Göhrde would have been a major obstacle to the tank advances of the Warsaw Pact.

After the end of the VzgGef admission by NL forces on the Elbe Lateral Canal (ESK)

Preparation of the Elbe bridges at Lauenburg / Elbe and Geesthacht for demolition so that they do not fall into enemy hands

After being accepted by NL staff, the VfgR Walsrode moved into again

Continuation of the VzgGef with the help of PzLBrig 9 west of the ESK if NL main mass does not arrive at the VRV in time

The resulting division order of the 3rd PzDiv read:

Protection of the ESK on both sides with a PzBrig and holding the crossings over ESK and Ilmenau for further operations management until the arrival of the NL forces
Securing the deployment of the I. (NL) Corps to the IDG
Carrying out the delay battle for at least 24 hours, with PzGrenBrig in the middle and on the right with a reinforced NL-PzBrig with a focus between Jeetzel and ESK
Delay battle of the 3rd PzDiv is intended to create the conditions for the I. (NL) Corps in order to establish defensive readiness (in particular the pioneers' lock plan, WuMi locks, etc.)
Purchase of VfgR Walsrode with all parts
Preparation of the VzgGef also west of the ESK, together with PzLBrig 9, if NL main forces should not arrive at the ESK on time

NORTHAG assumed a large-scale attack by the 2nd Soviet Guard Army from the “Salzwedeler Bogen” area. Of the three divisions in the 1st Squadron, two would have been in the combat section of the 3rd PzDiv. The 16th Guard Panzer Division “Neustrelitz” and the 21st MotSchützendivision “Perleberg” with crossing the ESK and pushing towards both sides of Uelzen . In the 2nd tactical season the 94th Guards MotSchützendivision “Schwerin” and possibly two independent tank regiments from the Ludwigslust area would have been followed. The COMNORTHAG counted on tactical air landings of the Warsaw Pact to important transitions at ESK immediately before or at the beginning of the fighting, and with Spetsnaz commandos in group size for the guidance of the undercover struggle for reconnaissance, sabotage and disorganization. In addition, several hundred combat missions by enemy fighter-bombers , ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters ( Mil Mi-24 ) per day were expected in their area of responsibility . The 3rd PzDiv had various corps troops (artillery and rocket artillery), as well as two combat helicopters PAH swarms available for anti-tank defense to lead the combined arms battle . In addition, the 41st (NL) PzBrig and the 103rd (NL) Pz AufklBtl were subordinate to her for the implementation of the delay battle. Should the deployment of own delay forces not be fully completed by the start of the attack, the GDP88 provided for air force operations with target areas in the deployment area of the Warsaw Pact in the course of the Elbe, IDG and “Salzwedeler Bogen”.

history

Army structure I

The 3rd Panzer Division was set up on July 2, 1956 ( Army Structure I ) in Hamburg-Rahlstedt and parts in Flensburg from former soldiers and volunteers and placed under the I Corps in Münster . In 1958 the division was incorporated into the command structure of NATO . The staff moved from Hamburg in 1958 to Buxtehude in the Estetal barracks . Initially, the division was under:

the Panzerkampfgruppe A 3
the Panzerkampfgruppe B 3
as well as division troops
- the Panzer Grenadier Battalion 3
- the Panzer Grenadier Battalion 13
- the 3rd tank battalion
- the tank battalion 13
- the armored reconnaissance battalion 3
- the Panzerjäger Battalion 3
- the 3rd tank artillery regiment
- the anti-tank artillery battalion 3
- the Panzer Pioneer Battalion 3
- the tank telecommunications battalion 3
- the medical battalion 3 (from 1957 renaming to medical battalion 1 and subordinate to the 1st grenadier division )
- the Quartermaster Battalion 3
- the light vehicle repair company 3
- the Feldjägerkompanie 3
- the music corps IB and II B.

For a short time, Combat Group C3 and Combat Group A6 were also subordinate to the division, but switched to the 7th Panzer Division and the 6th Panzer Grenadier Division as early as 1959 .

Army structure II

The division was reclassified to Army Structure 2 until 1960. The division's combat groups were renamed Panzergrenadierbrigade 7 and Panzerbrigade 8 . In addition, the division was now subordinate to the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 (formerly Panzerlehrkampfgruppe), which brought together the training battalions of the troop schools of the tank hunters, the tank troops, the tank grenadiers and the tank reconnaissance in Munster , Bremen- Gröpelingen and Bremen-Grohn. As early as 1958, the armored troop schools, armored infantry and reconnaissance units were combined to form the common armored troop school in Munster. In peacetime the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 was subordinate to the armored troop school. Furthermore, these division troops were subordinate to the division in Army Structure 2:

Internal association
badge staff / St.Kp. 3rd PzDiv

Headquarters and headquarters company
the 3rd artillery regiment
the field artillery battalion 31
the anti-aircraft artillery battalion 3
the telecommunications battalion 3
the armored reconnaissance battalion 3
the engineer battalion 3
the medical battalion 3
the repair battalion 430
the Army Music Corps 3

Army structures III and IV

In Army Structure IV, among other things, the division's combat brigades were streamlined and the division was assigned a repair and supply battalion. After the implementation of Army Structure 4 in the early 1980s, the division consisted of:

Headquarters and headquarters company
of the 7th Panzer Grenadier Brigade in Hamburg
the 8th Panzer Brigade in Lüneburg
the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 in Munster
the 3rd Artillery Regiment in Stade
the division troops:
- the 3 anti-aircraft regiment in Hamburg
- the Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion 3 in Lüneburg
- the engineer battalion 3 in Stade
- the telecommunications battalion 3 in Buxtehude
- Telecommunication company 3 (EloKa) in Rotenburg / Wümme
- the medical battalion 3 in Hamburg
- the 3rd supply battalion in Stade
- the repair battalion 3 in Rotenburg / Wümme
- Army Aviation Squadron 3 in Rotenburg / Wümme
- the Army Music Corps 3 in Lüneburg
- the NBC defense company 3 in Munster
- the field artillery battalion 31 in Lüneburg
- field replacement battalions 31 to 35 (not active)
- the Jägerbataillon 36 (not active) in Zeven-Aspe
- the Jägerbataillon 37 (not active) in Buxtehude
- the security battalion 38 (not active) in Zeven-Aspe

Army structure V

In 1994, Armored Brigade 8 and Artillery Regiment 3 were disbanded in Army Structure 5, Panzer Grenadier Brigade 7 was integrated into the 6th Panzer Grenadier Division and Panzer Lehrbrigade 9 was subordinated to the 7th Panzer Division. Were dissolved continue the flight Abwehrregiment 3, the engineer battalion 3, Fernmeldebataillon 3, the replenishment battalion 3, the Heeresflieger Season 3 and the NBC defense company 3. The armored reconnaissance battalion 3 moved to the 1st tank division, the medical battalion 3 for military area command VIII, the Heeresmusikkorps 3 to 6 Panzer Grenadier Division . On September 30, 1994, the 3rd Panzer Division was decommissioned.

Calls

The division provided support for many disasters until it was disbanded, e.g. B. during the storm surges in 1962 and when the Elbe-Seiten-Canal broke in 1976 . In January 1979, parts of the division were in action during the snow disaster in northern Germany . In 1993 parts of the division were deployed in Somalia as part of UNOSOM II .

Commanders

No.	Surname	Beginning of the appointment	End of appointment
15th	Major General Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof	September 12, 1991	September 30, 1994
14th	Major General Winfried Weick	January 6, 1989	September 11, 1991
13	Major General Jörg Schönbohm	March 11, 1988	5th January 1989
12	Major General Harald Schulz	April 1, 1985	March 10, 1988
11	Brigadier General Klaus Nennecke	7th December 1984	March 31, 1985
10	Major General Wolfgang Tebbe	April 1, 1983	December 6, 1984
9	Major General Franz-Joachim von Rodde	April 1, 1978	March 31, 1983
8th	Major General Eberhard Burandt	1st October 1974	March 31, 1978
7th	Major General Horst Ohrloff	1st October 1970	September 30, 1974
6th	Major General Walter Carganico	October 1, 1967	September 30, 1970
5	Major General Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven	April 1, 1967	September 21, 1967
4th	Major General Hans-Georg von Tempelhoff	October 1, 1962	March 31, 1967
3	Major General Hans-Ulrich Krantz	October 1, 1961	September 30, 1962
2	Major General Christian Müller	July 15, 1958	20th September 1961
1	Major General Heinz Hax	3rd September 1956	July 14, 1958