Panzer corps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Panzer Corps (German Panzerkorps) was a military formation type in the German Wehrmacht during World War II. The name was introduced in 1942, when the motorised corps were renamed to panzer corps. Panzer corps were created throughout the war, and existed in all service arms of the Wehrmacht except the Navy. Those renamed from ordinary motorised corps (Armeekorps (mot)) retained their numbering.

[edit] Purpose

Panzer corps underwent transformation as the war went on. Initially they were the main strike force of the Wehrmacht, and consisted of motorised infantry divisions (ID (mot)) and armoured panzer divisions. Later in the war it was possible to find panzer corps that consisted solely of infantry divisions.

During the initial period of the war the panzer corps predecessor, the motorised corps, were grouped in in to panzer groups (Panzergruppen), which were named during the campaigns in Poland, France, and Greece (none participated in Norway and Denmark in 1940), and numbered 1-4 during the first half year of the war against the Soviet Union. A panzer group normally consisted of two or three motorized corps. They were the operational movement element of Army Group North, Army Group Centre and Army Group South. The motorized corps served as the tactical command element in the command structure, with the individual divisions serving as tactical combat elements.

[edit] List of panzer corps

The following list is based on www.lexikonderwehrmacht.de

The following Korps formations were AK(mot) and later Panzerkorps or were set up as Panzerkorps (list is not complete). Wehrmacht Korps formations had roman numerals or names:

Army:

• III Panzer Corps
• IV Panzer Corps
• VII Panzer Corps
• XIV Panzer Corps
• XIX Panzer Corps
• XXIV Panzer Corps
• XXXVIII Panzer Corps
• XXXIX Panzer Corps
• XL Panzer Corps
• XLI Panzer Corps
• XLVI Panzer Corps
• XLVII Panzer Corps
• XLVIII Panzer Corps
• LVI Panzer Corps
• LVII Panzer Corps
• LVIII Panzer Corps (Germany)
• LXXVI Panzer Corps
• Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle
• Grossdeutschland Division

Luftwaffe:

• Hermann Göring Division

Waffen-SS:

• I SS Panzer Corps
• II SS Panzer Corps
• III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
• IV SS Panzer Corps
• VII SS Panzer Corps

[edit] References

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/KorpsPz/PzKprps.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/KorpsSS/Gliederung.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/KorpsSonstige/FallPzKorpsGliederung.htm
de Beaulieu, Charles 'Der Vorstoss der Panzergruppe 4 auf Leningrad'

See also: military organization.