German 33rd Infantry Division

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33rd Infantry Division
15th Panzer Division
15th Panzergrenadier Division

Contents

[edit] History

This unit was created as the 33rd Infantry Division in 1936, and mobilized in 1939, but it did not take part in the invasion of Poland. In 1940 it participated in the invasions of Belgium and France. It was then reorganized as the 15th Panzer Division in August 1940 at Darmstadt and Landau by incorporating the 8th Panzer Regiment from the 10th Panzer Division and giving up its 110th Infantry Regiment to the 112th Infantry Division.

In April 1941 the division began transport to Libya, joining General Erwin Rommel's Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) with the 21st Panzer Division and the 90th Light Division. By June 15th the division was deployed in reserve to the south of Bardia, and the panzer regiment fought in the successful defense during Operation Battleaxe at Halfaya Pass.

On November 18 the British forces began Operation Crusader with the objective of relieving the besieged forces at Tobruk. The 15th was situated to the east of Tobruk, and by November 20 they joined the 21st Panzer Division to battle the armored forces of the British XXX Corps.

With the XXX Corps situated on the approaches to Tobruk, Erwin Rommel sent his panzer divisions on a rapid advance to the east, threatening the British rear. However the British continued to advance on Tobruk and by November 27th they had linked up with the fortress. The Axis forces were forced to withdraw.

By December 31, 1941, Rommel's forces halted at the line at El Agheila for refitting his depleted forces. By January 21st he was ready to advance again, and the DAK and Italian forces began another march to the east.

The British Eighth Army had drawn up in mine-fortified positions on the coastal town of Gazala, to the west of Tobruk. The 15th Panzer was deployed with the other Axis armor on their southern flank, with infantry dividions holding the northern part of the line.

The Axis began their attack on May 26th, with the DAK sweeping around the southern end of the British line. They were met by the armoured forces of the British, and took losses in tanks. Without a supply line, the Germans had to withdraw into a "Cauldron" position along the front until supplies could be moved through the minefields.

On June 11 they began their breakout, advancing to the east and threatening to encircle the British. The Eighth Army was forced to withdraw, leaving Tobruk once more encircled. This time, however, the Tobruk fortifications were weaker, and an attack on June 20, which included 15th Panzer, captured the town and the garrison.

The axis forces now began a rapid advance to the east, Much of the armor of the XXX Corps had been destroyed at Gazala, so a stand at Mersa Matruh on June 26 quickly broke through the defenses. In this battle the 15th Panzer was held up by the British 1st Armoured Division, but the remainder of the DAK broke through to the north.

At the beginning of July the Eighth Army had reached their final defensive position before Alexandria at the railroad junction of El Alamein. The DAK was understrength from its recent battles, but Rommel attempted an attack along Ruweisat with the 15th Panzer and the remainder of the corps. Only minor progress was made, and British counterattacks and mounting losses caused Rommel to call off the attack on July 22.

Another attack was attempted by Rommel on August 30th, with the armored forces attacking the southern flank. The 15th Panzer Division reached as far as the Alam Halfa ridge on September 1st, but failed to break through the British defenses.

At this point Rommel went onto the defensive and began to build a deep defensive position with thick minefields. The 15th Panzer Division formed the reserve in the northern part of the front, and the 21st Panzer in the south.

With the able General Bernard Montgomery taking charge of the allied forces, the Eighth Army now underwent a long, steady buildup that the axis forces couldn't, or wouldn't, match. By October 23rd, Monty's forces were ready and they began a breakthrough attack in the northern front. Counterattacks by 15th Panzer failed to halt the advance, and by November 4 the British tanks achieved a breakout.

Now began a period of steady British advance to the west, combined with allied landings in French North Africa on November 8th. So the remains of the 15th Panzer Division, and the remainder of the axis forces, were continually forced to withdraw. The British XXX Corps reached and flanked the line at El Agheila on December 17th, then took Tripoli on January 23rd, 1943.

By February 18th the XXX Corps reached the defensive line at Mareth in Tunisia, and were forced to halt. The 21st Panzer Division was drawn away to the Kasserine Pass operation on February 22, so the 15th Panzer held the Mareth Line with the remaining Italian forces.

On March 6th, with the 21st Panzer having returned, the DAK counter-attacked the Eighth Army at Medenine, but were repulsed. On the 20th, the British 50th Infantry Division breached the defensive position, but they were contained by the 15h Panzer Division. However the Axis position was flanked in the west, and by March 27th they were forced to withdraw northward.

The axis forces in North Africa were now forced back to their final defensive position in north Tunisia. Hitler chose this time to heavily reinforce his forces in this theater; forces that would have been far more beneficial a year earlier. But by it was now too late, and the US First and British Eighth armies now relentlessly ground through the enemy defenses.

By May 12th, 1943, all German and Italian forces in Tunisia surrendered, including the 15th Panzer Division.

In July 1943 the surviving remnants of the division were reconstituted as the 15th Panzergrenadier Division; it was never brought back up to the strength of a full Panzer division. 15th Panzergrenadier fought the rest of the war in Italy and on the West Front, and surrendered to the British at war's end.

[edit] Commanders

Date Commander
November 1, 1940 General Friedrich Kühn
March 22, 1941 General-Lieutenant Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron
April 13, 1941 General Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck
May 26, 1941 General-Lieutenant Walter Neumann-Silkow
December 6, 1941 General-Lieutenant Erwin Menny
December 9, 1941 General Gustav von Värst
May 26, 1941 General-Lieutenant Eduard Crasemann
July 15, 1942 General-Lieutenant Heinz von Randow
August 25, 1942 General Gustav von Värst
November 11, 1942 General-Lieutenant Willibald Borowitz

[edit] Organization

1940

  • 15th Panzer Division
    • 8th Panzer Regiment
    • 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment
    • 115th Panzergrenadier Regiment
    • 33rd Artillery Regiment
    • 15th Motorcycle Battalion
    • 115th Reconnaissance Battalion
    • 33rd Engineering Battalion
    • 33rd Anti-Tank Battalion

[edit] See also

  • 15th Infantry Division (an unrelated unit with a confusingly similar name)

[edit] References

Note: The Web references may require you to follow links to cover the unit's entire history.

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