German Fourth Panzer Army
Encyclopedia
The 4th Panzer Army was, before being designated a full army, the Panzer Group 4 (Panzergruppe 4), a German panzer
army that saw action during World War II
. Its units played a part in the invasion of France
, and then on the Eastern Front
.
.
The Group was composed of:
, the group was a part of Army Group North
, and consisted of the XLI and LVI Army Corps (motorized) with three panzer and two motorized infantry divisions equipped with 631 tanks.
Acting as the armored spearhead for Army Group North in the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, it crossed the River Neman, where the XXXXI Panzer Corps was counter-attacked by 300 Soviet Tanks near Raseiniai. In a 4 day battle, the Germans encircled and destroyed the Soviet Armor. The LVI Panzer Corps seized the Dvina bridges and began their advance towards Leningrad
.
The Soviets formed a bitter defense around Leningrad and Hitler reinforced 4th Panzer Army with the 3rd Panzer Army and it crept up to 7 miles of the city. However, Hitler re-called both Panzer Armies and transferred them to Army Group Center for an all-out offensive around Moscow
.
The operation called for the 3rd and 4th Panzer Army to attack Moscow from the North. The 4th Army would attack through the center and 2nd Panzer Army to attack from the south. But due to the cold weather, deteriorating supply situation and bitter Soviet resistance, only the 4th Panzer Army made any headway against the Soviets and reached to about to about 15 miles of Moscow. Exhausted, it was halted at the gates of Moscow and then pushed back 200 miles by the Soviet counteroffensive launched in December 1941.
for its offensive in Southern Russia. As Operation Blue
progressed, Hitler divided the Army Group South into two Army groups. Army Group A
which was composed of the German 17th Army and 1st Panzer Army and Army Group B
which was composed 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army.
Army Group B's objective was to capture the city of Stalingrad while Army Group A drove into Southern Russia. 4th Panzer Army approached Stalingrad from the South while the 6th Army approached it from the north. Their aim was to meet up at Stalingrad and encircle the two soviet armies outside the city. However, 6th Army was being heavily counterattacked by Soviet forces and failed to meet up with the 4th Panzer Army for 3 days allowing the bulk of the Soviet Army to withdraw into Stalingrad.
The 4th Panzer Army guarded the outside perimeter of Stalingrad and the 6th Army was engaged in the battle to capture the city. The Soviets launched their counter-offensive
in November 1942 encircling all of the 6th Army and the 24th Panzer Division
of the 4th Panzer Army. Under General Hermann Hoth
, the 4th Panzer Army tried and failed to break the encirclement of Stalingrad in Operation Wintergewitter
, and withdrew, forcing the surrender of the encircled troops.
and re-took the city of Kharkov in the spring of 1943. The army saw little or no action as both sides build up their strength after previous years exhausting battles.
The army throughout the spring and summer of 1943 was massively reinforced and grew to all time strength of 1,100 Tanks and 250,000 men by July 1943. It was to form the southern spearhead in the Battle of Kursk
. The Army tried but failed to break through the Soviet defenses around Kursk. It then fought a series of defensive battles throughout the remainder of 1943 to hold back the Red Army's Lower Dnieper Strategic Offensive Operation. By November 1943, the Soviets had reached Kiev and the 4th Panzer Army was tasked to defend the city. The Soviet aim was to take the city and break the rail link with Army Group Center or envelop Army Group South. But even though the Soviets had liberated Kiev, broken the Dnieper line, and inflicted massive casualties, the 4th Panzer Army held on and the Soviets failed to break the rail link.
Unknown to the Germans the Soviets planned to saturate the entire defensive zone with artillery bombardment. The Soviets began their Vistula–Oder Offensive on January 17 and struck with such force and speed that they managed to encircle and destroy the LVI Panzer Corps; destroying half of all armored forces concentrated with the 4th Panzer Army. The remnants of the Army retreated along the entire front before re-grouping on the western bank of the Oder River in February 1945.
The Soviets halted their offensive in February 1945. The 3rd Panzer Army was tasked to halt the Soviets in the north, while the 9th Army was guarding against the Soviets in the center. The 4th Panzer Army was deployed in the South.
On April 16 1945, the Soviets renewed their offensive by crossing the Oder River. While the 9th Army held the Soviets at the Battle of Seelow Heights, the 4th Panzer Army was being pushed back. The retreating 4th Panzer Army ran into the German 9th Army, forming a gigantic pocket of 250,000 men and 600 tanks. The Soviets then encircled the armies in a pocket in the Spree
Forest
south of the Seelow Heights and west of Frankfurt
.
Hitler ordered the 12th Army to breakthrough the Soviet encirclement and link up with the trapped 4th Panzer and 9th Army and relieve Berlin. Ignoring Hitler's orders, they chose to breakout towards the west, known as the Battle of Halbe
proved to be a very costly resulting in the destruction of the 4th Panzer Army and Ninth Army as a coherent force. The survivors that were not killed, and did not surrender to the Soviets during the breakout, crossed the Elbe and surrendered to the US Army.
Panzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
army that saw action during 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...
. Its units played a part in the invasion of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, and then on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
Early history
The 4th Panzer Group's predecessor was the XVI Corps formed in Berlin in February 1938. It fought in Poland and in the campaign in the West. In February 1941, Panzer Group 4 was created, taking over activities of XVI Corps and placed under Army Group NorthArmy Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
.
The Group was composed of:
- LVI Panzer Corps (General Johannes BlockJohannes BlockJohannes Block was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at division and corps level. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
) - XXXXVI Panzer Corps (General Walter FriesWalter FriesWalter Fries was a German General of the tank troops, serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
) - VIII Corps (General Walter HartmannWalter HartmannWalter Hartmann was a German general of Artillery, serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
)
1941
On commencement of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, the group was a part of Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
, and consisted of the XLI and LVI Army Corps (motorized) with three panzer and two motorized infantry divisions equipped with 631 tanks.
Acting as the armored spearhead for Army Group North in the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, it crossed the River Neman, where the XXXXI Panzer Corps was counter-attacked by 300 Soviet Tanks near Raseiniai. In a 4 day battle, the Germans encircled and destroyed the Soviet Armor. The LVI Panzer Corps seized the Dvina bridges and began their advance towards Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
.
The Soviets formed a bitter defense around Leningrad and Hitler reinforced 4th Panzer Army with the 3rd Panzer Army and it crept up to 7 miles of the city. However, Hitler re-called both Panzer Armies and transferred them to Army Group Center for an all-out offensive around Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
The operation called for the 3rd and 4th Panzer Army to attack Moscow from the North. The 4th Army would attack through the center and 2nd Panzer Army to attack from the south. But due to the cold weather, deteriorating supply situation and bitter Soviet resistance, only the 4th Panzer Army made any headway against the Soviets and reached to about to about 15 miles of Moscow. Exhausted, it was halted at the gates of Moscow and then pushed back 200 miles by the Soviet counteroffensive launched in December 1941.
1942
On 1 January 1942, 4 Panzergruppe was redesignated 4th Panzer Army. The 4th Panzer Army held defensive positions in the spring of 1942 and then was heavily re-enforced and re-fit and was transferred to Army Group SouthArmy Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
for its offensive in Southern Russia. As Operation Blue
Operation Blue
Case Blue , later renamed Operation Braunschweig, was the German Armed Forces name for its plan for a 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and November 1942....
progressed, Hitler divided the Army Group South into two Army groups. Army Group A
Army Group A
Army Group A was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.-Western Front, 1940:During the German invasion of the Low Countries and France Army Group A was under the command of General Gerd von Rundstedt, and was responsible for the break-out through the Ardennes...
which was composed of the German 17th Army and 1st Panzer Army and Army Group B
Army Group B
Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.-Battle for France:The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam...
which was composed 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army.
Army Group B's objective was to capture the city of Stalingrad while Army Group A drove into Southern Russia. 4th Panzer Army approached Stalingrad from the South while the 6th Army approached it from the north. Their aim was to meet up at Stalingrad and encircle the two soviet armies outside the city. However, 6th Army was being heavily counterattacked by Soviet forces and failed to meet up with the 4th Panzer Army for 3 days allowing the bulk of the Soviet Army to withdraw into Stalingrad.
The 4th Panzer Army guarded the outside perimeter of Stalingrad and the 6th Army was engaged in the battle to capture the city. The Soviets launched their counter-offensive
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...
in November 1942 encircling all of the 6th Army and the 24th Panzer Division
24th Panzer Division (Germany)
The 24th Panzer Division was formed in 1942 from the 1st Cavalry Division based at Königsberg.-Service:It served under the Fourth Panzer Army in Army Group South of the Eastern Front. In late December 1942 it was encircled in the Battle of Stalingrad and destroyed...
of the 4th Panzer Army. Under General Hermann Hoth
Hermann Hoth
Hermann "Papa" Hoth was an officer in the German military from 1903 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generaloberst during World War II. He fought in France, but is most noted for his later exploits as a panzer commander on the Eastern Front...
, the 4th Panzer Army tried and failed to break the encirclement of Stalingrad in Operation Wintergewitter
Operation Wintergewitter
Operation Winter Storm was a German offensive in World War II, undertaken between 12–23 December 1942, in which the German 4th Panzer-Armee failed to break the encirclement of Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad....
, and withdrew, forcing the surrender of the encircled troops.
1943
The Army was then given much needed reinforcements and in particular 160 new tanks. It then was able to halt the Soviet Winter offensive in Southern Russia and then counterattackedThird Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
and re-took the city of Kharkov in the spring of 1943. The army saw little or no action as both sides build up their strength after previous years exhausting battles.
The army throughout the spring and summer of 1943 was massively reinforced and grew to all time strength of 1,100 Tanks and 250,000 men by July 1943. It was to form the southern spearhead in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. The Army tried but failed to break through the Soviet defenses around Kursk. It then fought a series of defensive battles throughout the remainder of 1943 to hold back the Red Army's Lower Dnieper Strategic Offensive Operation. By November 1943, the Soviets had reached Kiev and the 4th Panzer Army was tasked to defend the city. The Soviet aim was to take the city and break the rail link with Army Group Center or envelop Army Group South. But even though the Soviets had liberated Kiev, broken the Dnieper line, and inflicted massive casualties, the 4th Panzer Army held on and the Soviets failed to break the rail link.
1944
By early 1944, the Fourth Panzer Army had been pushed back to the pre-war 1939 Polish border. The Soviets in 1944 now concentrated their operations in the north and center of the front. They would not launch another sizable offensive in Southern Poland until January 1945.1945
By January 1945, the Fourth Panzer Army was holding static defensive positions on Hitler's direct orders and during the lull in the fighting they had created a defensive zone in southern Poland.Unknown to the Germans the Soviets planned to saturate the entire defensive zone with artillery bombardment. The Soviets began their Vistula–Oder Offensive on January 17 and struck with such force and speed that they managed to encircle and destroy the LVI Panzer Corps; destroying half of all armored forces concentrated with the 4th Panzer Army. The remnants of the Army retreated along the entire front before re-grouping on the western bank of the Oder River in February 1945.
The Soviets halted their offensive in February 1945. The 3rd Panzer Army was tasked to halt the Soviets in the north, while the 9th Army was guarding against the Soviets in the center. The 4th Panzer Army was deployed in the South.
On April 16 1945, the Soviets renewed their offensive by crossing the Oder River. While the 9th Army held the Soviets at the Battle of Seelow Heights, the 4th Panzer Army was being pushed back. The retreating 4th Panzer Army ran into the German 9th Army, forming a gigantic pocket of 250,000 men and 600 tanks. The Soviets then encircled the armies in a pocket in the Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
Forest
Spreewald
The Spreewald is situated about 100 km south-east of Berlin. It was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels within the area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age...
south of the Seelow Heights and west of Frankfurt
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
.
Hitler ordered the 12th Army to breakthrough the Soviet encirclement and link up with the trapped 4th Panzer and 9th Army and relieve Berlin. Ignoring Hitler's orders, they chose to breakout towards the west, known as the Battle of Halbe
Battle of Halbe
The Battle of Halbe lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin....
proved to be a very costly resulting in the destruction of the 4th Panzer Army and Ninth Army as a coherent force. The survivors that were not killed, and did not surrender to the Soviets during the breakout, crossed the Elbe and surrendered to the US Army.
Commanders
- Generaloberst Erich HoepnerErich HoepnerErich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
(13 Feb 1940 – 12 Jan 1941) - Generaloberst Erich HoepnerErich HoepnerErich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
(15 Feb 1941 – 7 Jan 1942) - Generaloberst Richard RuoffRichard RuoffRichard Ruoff was an officer in the German Army before and during World War II.Colonel-General Richard Ruoff commanded the 4th Tank Army from 8 January 1942 to 31 May 1942...
(8 Jan 1942 – 31 May 1942) - Generaloberst Hermann HothHermann HothHermann "Papa" Hoth was an officer in the German military from 1903 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generaloberst during World War II. He fought in France, but is most noted for his later exploits as a panzer commander on the Eastern Front...
(31 May 1942 – 10 Nov 1943) - Generaloberst Erhard RausErhard RausErhard Raus was a Austrian Colonel General during World War II. He commanded the 6th Panzer Division during the early years of the war on the Eastern Front before taking Army and Army Group commands....
(10 Nov 1943 – 21 April 1944) - Generaloberst Josef HarpeJosef HarpeJosef Harpe was a German Generaloberst who served during World War I and World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
(18 May 1944 – 28 June 1944) - General der Panzertruppen Walther NehringWalther NehringWalther Kurt Josef Nehring , was a German general of World War II, known for his involvement with the Afrika Korps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
(28 June 1944 – 5 Aug 1944) - General der Panzertruppen Hermann BalckHermann BalckHermann Balck was a career German army officer who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds...
(5 Aug 1944 – 21 Sep 1944) - General der Panzertruppen Fritz-Hubert GräserFritz-Hubert GräserFritz-Hubert Gräser was a German officer. Having served in World War I, he was a general during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
(21 Sep 1944 – 8 May 1945)
See also
- List of German military units of World War II
- Army Group CentreArmy Group CentreArmy Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
- Operation BarbarossaOperation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, Fall Blau - Battle of KurskBattle of KurskThe Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
- Lvov-Sandomierz OffensiveLvov-Sandomierz OffensiveThe Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive or the L'vov-Sandomierz Strategic Offensive Operation was a major Red Army operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland...
- Start of the Battle of BerlinBattle of BerlinThe Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
- Battle of HalbeBattle of HalbeThe Battle of Halbe lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin....
only the V CorpsV Army Corps (Germany)-Commanders:* Infantry General Hermann Geyer, 16 May 1935 – 30 April 1939* Infantry General Richard Ruoff, 1 May 1939 – 12 January 1942...
, which was transferred from the 4th Panzer to 9th Army just before the battle. - Prague OffensivePrague OffensiveThe Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May...