APPENDIX B
ACTIVATION
The 4. Panzer-Division was activated on 10 November 1938, with its headquarters in Würzburg. Other than the campaign in France in 1940, it fought exclusively on the Eastern Front. It surrendered to Soviet forces on the Frische Nehrung (around Danzig) in May 1945.1
COMMANDERS
10 November 1938: Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt2
15 February 1940: Generalleutnant Ludwig Ritter von Radlmaier
6 April 1940: Generalleutnant Johann-Joachim Stever
15 May 1940: Oberst Hans Freiherr von Boineburg-Lengsfeld
19 May 1940: Generalleutnant Johann-Joachim Stever
24 July 1940: Oberst Hans Freiherr von Boineburg-Lengsfeld
7 September 1940: Generalmajor Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp
24 December 1941: General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken
6 January 1942: General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Eberbach
2 March 1942: Generalleutnant Otto Heidkämper
4 April 1942: General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Eberbach
23 June 1942: Oberstleutnant (?) Edgar Hielscher
3 July 1942: General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Eberbach
24 November 1942: General der Panzertruppen Dr. Karl Mauss
28 November 1942: Generalleutnant Dipl.-Ing. Erich Schneider
7 January 1943: General der Panzertruppen Dr. Karl Mauss
29 January 1943: Generalleutnant Dipl.-Ing. Erich Schneider
15 May 1943: General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken
23 October 1943: General der Panzertruppen Dr. Karl Mauss
21 January 1944: Generalleutnant Dipl.-Ing. Hans Junck
7 February 1944: Generalleutnant Clemans Betzel
3 March 1944: General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken
6 May 1944: Generalleutnant Clemans Betzel
June 1944: General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken
21 December 1944: Oberst Hans Christern
28 December 1944: Generalleutnant Clemans Betzel
27 March 1945: Oberst Ernst-Wilhelm Hoffmann
1 April 1945: Generalmajor Hans Hecker
ORGANIZATION FOR BATTLE
Motorized/Mechanized Infantry
• 4. Schützen-Brigade. Formed on 1 November 1939 in Bamberg as the headquarters for the two motorized rifle regiments of the division. On 5 July 1942, the brigade was redesignated as the 4. Panzergrenadier-Brigade.
• Schützen-Regiment 12. Formed on 1 April 1938 from Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Franz Josef I Nr. 1 and Kraftfahr-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 1 of the Austrian Army. On 10 July 1942, redesignated as Panzergrenadier-Regiment 12. Dissolved on 4 January 1943 and never reformed.
• Schützen-Regiment 33. Formed on 1 April 1938 by reorganizing and redesignating Infanterie-Regiment (mot) 33 of the 13. Infanterie-Division. On 5 July 1942, redesignated as Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33. It underwent a (battlefield?) reconstitution in January 1945.
• Grenadier-Regiment 1071. Formed out of elements of the 154. Reserve-Division on 1 July 1944. The regiment was disbanded on 5 August 1944, with the majority of its personnel and assets incorporated into the 4. Panzer-Division. Some elements were transferred into the 129. Infanterie-Division.
Armor
• 5. Panzer-Brigade. Formed on 10 November 1938, with headquarters in Bamberg. In 1940, redesignated as the 3. Panzer-Brigade. On 27 January 1941, transferred to the 3. Panzer-Division, where it was disbanded on 21 February 1942.
• Panzer-Regiment 35. Formed on 10 November 1938, with headquarters in Bamberg. On 24 May 1943, the regimental headquarters provided cadre for the establishment of the headquarters of schweres Heeres-Panzerjäger-Regiment 656 (two battalions of the Ferdinand tank destroyer and one battalion of the Brummbär assault tank). The regimental headquarters was reestablished on 5 June 1944. In January 1945, the regiment received a (battlefield?) reconstitution.
• Panzer-Regiment 36. Formed on 10 November 1938, with headquarters in Schweinfurt. On 11 November 1940, transferred to the 14. Panzer-Division, where it was destroyed in February 1943 in Stalingrad. Reactivated on 25 April 1943.
Reconnaissance
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot) 7. Formed on 15 October 1938 in Munich from Kraftfahr-Abteilung München (1 October 1934), which, in turn, was formed from the 7. (bayer.) Kraftfahr-Abteilung (1 January 1921). Redesignated as Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 on 1 February 1940. On 5 May 1942, the battalion was consolidated with Kradschützen-Bataillon 34, retaining the latter designation.
• Kradschützen-Bataillon 34. Formed on 7 January 1941 from the III./Infanterie-Regiment 5. On 5 May 1942, it consolidated with Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 (see above). On 30 April 1943, reorganized and redesignated as Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4 (see below).
• Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4. Formed on 30 April 1943 out of Kradschützen-Bataillon 34 (see above). In January 1945, the battalion received a (battlefield?) reconstitution.
Artillery
• Artillerie-Regiment 93. Formed on 12 October 1937 in Würzburg with only the 2nd Battalion (Heavy). On 2 July 1940, it was attached to the division artillery, Artillerie-Regiment 103. On 7 January 1941, it was consolidated with the divisional artillery and redesignated as the III./Artillerie-Regiment 103.
• Artillerie-Regiment 103. Formed on 7 November 1938 in Meiningen (with the 1st Battalion coming from the II./Niederösterreichisches leichtes Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 3 of the former Austrian Army). In June 1944, the regiment was redesignated as Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 103. In January 1945, the regiment received a (battle-field?) reconstitution.
Air Defense Artillery
• Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung (mot) 290. Formed on 1 November 1942 from Fla-Bataillon 605. In January 1945, the battalion received a (battlefield?) reconstitution.
Antitank
• Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 49. Formed on 1 August 1939 in Wöllersdorf out of the Austrian Infanterie-Kanonen-Abteilung 1. Redesignated as Panzerjäger-Abteilung 49 on 16 March 1940. Reconstituted in January 1944 (assigned new field post numbers as well).
Combat Engineers
• Pionier-Bataillon 79. Formed on 1 November 1939. Redesignated as Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 79 on 15 April 1940. In January 1945, the battalion received a (battlefield?) reconstitution.
Divisional Troops
• Nachrichten-Abteilung 79. Formed on 1 March 1939 in Würzburg. In January 1945, the battalion received a (battlefield?) reconstitution.
• Feld-Ersatz-Bataillon 84. Formed for the division on 14 March 1941. Redesignated as Feld-Ersatz-Bataillon 103. on 1 September 1943.
• Divisions-Nachschubführer (mot) 84. The division support command. Divisional support elements not designated otherwise were given the numerical designator of 84.
Footnotes
1 Translator’s Note. The information in this and subsequent orders of battle draws from Peter Schmitz et al., Die Deutschen Divisionen (Osnabrück: Biblio-Verlag) and Lexikon der Wehrmacht (www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de). In cases where there is a divergence, the work by Schmitz et al. is used for dates and information.
2 Translator’s Note. The highest rank achieved is listed. The dates indicate the date on which (acting) command of the division was assumed.