German 22nd Panzer Division
Encyclopedia
The 22nd Panzer Division was a German
Panzer Division
in World War II
. It was formed September 1941 in France
. It was transferred to the southern sector of the Eastern Front in March 1942. The 22nd was the last Panzer Division to be issued with the Czech-built Panzer 38(t)
, which was considered under-gunned, under-armoured and obsolete by 1942.
After an initial disastrous attack on 20 March, in which the division's units lost 30-40% of their personnel, the division remained in the Crimea
and took part in Manstein's Unternehmen Trappenjagd (Operation Bustard Hunt). In May 1942, the division was sent north to the Kharkov area and then took part in the 1942 summer offensive against Soviet forces in the Don River
bend leading to the Battle of Stalingrad. The 22nd fought in the Battle of Rostov on 23 July 1942.
Together with the 1st Romanian Armoured Division (equipped with the also obsolete R2, similar to Panzer 35(t)
), the 22nd Panzer Division comprised the XXXXVIIIth Panzer Corps and was next tasked with defending the northern flank of the ill-fated German 6th Army at Stalingrad. Lieutenant General Ferdinand Heim
was the corps commander.
On November 19, 1942, Operation Uranus
began. The great Soviet counter-offensive encircled the German 6th Army and much of the IVth Panzer Army and smashed the XXXXVIIIth Panzer Corps, including the 22nd Panzer Division. Many of the division's tanks had been parked in dugouts for an extended period of time and protected from the frost by straw. When the tanks were called on to respond to the Soviet offensive, many could not be started because mice had sought refuge in the straw and then in the tanks where they chewed up the insulation of electric system wires. The ability of the division to put up effective resistance was also compromised by the prior piecemeal deployment of division assets to shore up the Romanian line.
According to Beevor, the division had as few as 30 servicable Panzer 38t's with which to meet the onslaught of the T-34
s of the Soviet 1st Tank Corps. Contradictory orders directing the panzers in two different directions only aggravated an already hopeless situation.
After desperate fighting around the Russian town of Petshany 19-22 November 1942, the 22nd was virtually destroyed with survivors making their way southwest to and across the river Chir to join various ad hoc Kampfgruppe
n. The 22nd Panzer Division was subsequently disbanded in April 1943.
General Heim was relieved of command and retired in disgrace only to be recalled to active duty in 1944 to command the hopeless defense of Boulogne
, France
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Panzer Division
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was formed September 1941 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was transferred to the southern sector of the Eastern Front in March 1942. The 22nd was the last Panzer Division to be issued with the Czech-built Panzer 38(t)
Panzer 38(t)
The Panzerkampfwagen 38 was originally a Czech tank of pre-World War II design. After Czechoslovakia was taken over by Germany, it was adopted by the German Army, seeing service in the invasions of Poland and Russia. Production ended in 1942, when its armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over...
, which was considered under-gunned, under-armoured and obsolete by 1942.
After an initial disastrous attack on 20 March, in which the division's units lost 30-40% of their personnel, the division remained in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and took part in Manstein's Unternehmen Trappenjagd (Operation Bustard Hunt). In May 1942, the division was sent north to the Kharkov area and then took part in the 1942 summer offensive against Soviet forces in the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
bend leading to the Battle of Stalingrad. The 22nd fought in the Battle of Rostov on 23 July 1942.
Together with the 1st Romanian Armoured Division (equipped with the also obsolete R2, similar to Panzer 35(t)
Panzer 35(t)
The Panzerkampfwagen 35, commonly shortened to Panzer 35 or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35, was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II. The letter stood for tschechisch...
), the 22nd Panzer Division comprised the XXXXVIIIth Panzer Corps and was next tasked with defending the northern flank of the ill-fated German 6th Army at Stalingrad. Lieutenant General Ferdinand Heim
Ferdinand Heim
Ferdinand Heim was a World War II German general.-War service:Heim served as a junior artillery officer in the XIII Corps during the whole of the First World War After 1918 he remained in the much smaller army as a career officer, reaching the rank of Oberst in June 1939, just before the start of...
was the corps commander.
On November 19, 1942, Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
began. The great Soviet counter-offensive encircled the German 6th Army and much of the IVth Panzer Army and smashed the XXXXVIIIth Panzer Corps, including the 22nd Panzer Division. Many of the division's tanks had been parked in dugouts for an extended period of time and protected from the frost by straw. When the tanks were called on to respond to the Soviet offensive, many could not be started because mice had sought refuge in the straw and then in the tanks where they chewed up the insulation of electric system wires. The ability of the division to put up effective resistance was also compromised by the prior piecemeal deployment of division assets to shore up the Romanian line.
According to Beevor, the division had as few as 30 servicable Panzer 38t's with which to meet the onslaught of the T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
s of the Soviet 1st Tank Corps. Contradictory orders directing the panzers in two different directions only aggravated an already hopeless situation.
After desperate fighting around the Russian town of Petshany 19-22 November 1942, the 22nd was virtually destroyed with survivors making their way southwest to and across the river Chir to join various ad hoc Kampfgruppe
Kampfgruppe
In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
n. The 22nd Panzer Division was subsequently disbanded in April 1943.
General Heim was relieved of command and retired in disgrace only to be recalled to active duty in 1944 to command the hopeless defense of Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Commanders
- Generalleutnant Wilhelm von Apell Wilhelm von ApellWilhelm von Apell was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 22. Panzer-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
(25 September 1941 - 7 October 1942) - Generalleutnant Hellmut von der ChevallerieHellmut von der ChevallerieHellmut von der Chevallerie was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 13. Panzer-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
(7 October 1942 - 1 November 1942) - Generalleutnant Eberhard RodtEberhard RodtEberhard Rodt was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who command several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(1 November 1942 - 4 March 1943)
Further reading
- Beevor, AntonyAntony BeevorAntony James Beevor, FRSL is a British historian, educated at Winchester College and Sandhurst. He studied under the famous military historian John Keegan. Beevor is a former officer with the 11th Hussars who served in England and Germany for five years before resigning his commission...
(1998). Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942–1943. New York: Viking, 1998 (hardcover, ISBN 0-670-87095-1); London: Penguin Books, 1999 (paperback, ISBN 0-14-028458-3). - Craig, William (1973). Enemy at the Gates: the Battle for Stalingrad. New York: Penguin Books (ISBN 0-14-200000-0).
- Metelmann, HenryHenry MetelmannHenry Friedrich Carl Metelmann was a German soldier, peace activist and writer who was best known for a book about his experiences growing up in Nazi Germany and in World War II entitled Through Hell for Hitler....
(2001). Through Hell for Hitler. Havertown PA: Casemate Books (paperback, ISBN 1-932033-20-3). - Schroter, Heinz (1958). Stalingrad. New York: Ballantine.