| 3rd Armoured Division (3. Panzerdivision) | |
|---|---|
Formation sign |
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| Active | 2 July 1956–30 September 1994 |
| Country | Germany |
| Armed Force | Bundeswehr |
| Service | German Army |
| Type | armoured division |
| last headquarters location | Estetal Barracks, Buxtehude |
| Commander | |
| last commander | Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof |
The 3rd Armoured Division (German: 3. Panzerdivision) was formed on 2 July 1956 in Hamburg and was one of the first major formations of the new German Army or Bundeswehr after the Second World War. The 3rd Armoured Division was stationed on the North German Plain between the rivers Elbe and Weser. Its last headquarters location was Buxtehude. It was part of the I Corps alongside the 1st Panzer, 7th Panzer, and 11th Panzergrenadier Divisions.
The 3rd Armoured Division was disbanded on 30 September 1994. Its last commander was Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof.
In the 1980s under Army Structures III and IV the division consisted of the 7th Panzergrenadier Brigade, 8th Panzer Brigade, and the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 (Armoured demonstration brigade). After the division's disbandment 9 PzL Bde eventually became part of 1st Armoured Division (Germany).
The Division provided support to numerous disasters, e. g. during serious floods in North Germany in 1962 and 1976 as well as the flooding of the Elbe Lateral Canal. In January 1979 elements of the Division were deployed during the emergency caused by heavy snowfall in North Germany. In 1993 parts of the Division were deployed to Somalia as part of UNOSOM II.
| No. | Name | Took over | Handed over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof | 12 September 1991 | 30 September 1994 |
| 14 | Generalmajor Winfried Weick | 6 January 1989 | 11 September 1991 |
| 13 | Generalmajor Jörg Schönbohm | 11 March 1988 | 5 January 1989 |
| 12 | Generalmajor Harald Schulz | 1 April 1985 | 10 March 1988 |
| 11 | Brigadegeneral Klaus Nennecke | 7 December 1984 | 31 March 1985 |
| 10 | Generalmajor Wolfgang Tebbe | 1 April 1983 | 6 December 1984 |
| 9 | Generalmajor Franz-Joachim von Rodde | 1 April 1978 | 31 March 1983 |
| 8 | Generalmajor Eberhard Burandt | 1. October 1974 | 31 March 1978 |
| 7 | Generalmajor Horst Ohrloff | 1 October 1970 | 30 September 1974 |
| 6 | Generalmajor Walter Carganico | 1 October 1967 | 30 September 1970 |
| 5 | Generalmajor Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven | 1 April 1967 | 21 September 1967 |
| 4 | Generalmajor Hans-Georg von Tempelhoff | 1 October 1962 | 31 March 1967 |
| 3 | Generalmajor Hans-Ullrich Krantz | 1 October 1961 | 30 September 1962 |
| 2 | Generalmajor Christian Müller | 15 July 1958 | 20 September 1961 |
| 1 | Generalmajor Heinrich Hax | 3 September 1956 | 14 July 1958 |
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