22. tanková divize [1941-1943]

22. Panzer-Division

The formation of 22. Panzer-Division started 25. September 1941 in Niort in the southwest of France - the basis of division was kořistními tanks armed with Panzer regiment 204 from Tank brigade 101 and two new shooting regiments, gradually added to the Artillery regiment 140, reconnaissance, engineer and other units. At the end of December reached the division its full capacity condition and at the beginning of January 1942 moved to the Military training area Couetquidan in Brittany to stmelovacímu exercises, to according to the plan reached its full combat capability to 1. march. Yet received I 7. February the order to move to the southern section of the eastern front and 1. march arrived last troops by rail to the Odessa. Followed by a move to the Crimea on its own axis, and here the division immediately involved in the assembly of XXXXII. army corps in the fighting to repel the offensive of the soviet 51. army in the area east of Simferopol.
After the termination of this protiofenzivy (20. march 1942), the fighting strength of the division only 30-40 % of the original condition, therefore she was given time to rest and replenish combat losses.
8. may launched a 11. army the operation under the cover mázvem Trappenjagd (Hunting loot drops) to occupy the eastern part of the Crimean peninsula. 22. panzer division was ordered to break through into the rear of the soviet 51. army and 10. may was sent to the front. 24. may achieve the set goals and along with 170. infantry division and 28. hunting divisions stood on the shore of the Azov sea to the east of Kerch.
At the end of may the division was withdrawn from the queue and transferred to the donetsk region to the south of Slavjansku to the assembly area Mackensenovy group, 4. June started to move north to the Kharkov and then participated in the summer offensive on the Don and in July participated in the conquest of the Rostov. In this period, was the division removed a few units (among other things. and II. battalion Regiment of panzer grenadiers 140 and III. section Panzer regiment 204, which create "Kampfgruppe Michalik"), which significantly reduce its combat power.
At the end of July, the division concentrating in the Novočerkassku and 5. August surged towards the Stalingrad. In the following weeks the division fought under the command of XI. and XVII. army corps together with the Romanian 1. panzer division was covering the northern flank of the advancing 6. army north of Kalače.
In mid September the division was withdrawn from the queue and transferred to the backup OKH to rest and replenish losses (however without entitlement to a refund of the units transferred Kampfgruppe Michalik). Because of the continuing advance at Stalingrad, however, instead of strengthening the division was even more weakened - had to pass on to the next unit 27. panzer division (formed from the Kampfgruppe Michalik) and Pohlmannově battle group. It was a very significant weakening of some of the battalions so left with only one company.
Shortly before the beginning of the operation to rescue the surrounded 6. army division was activated and 10. November received orders to move into the space Kalač-on-Don. Already during the movement suffered a division, another loss - in addition to the other lost half of the tanks. 19. November arrived in the area of concentration XXXXVIII. tank corps on the north bank of the river Kurtlak and the same was sent along the Volga to Stalingrad to break the encirclement of the 6. army. Because of the strong soviet resistance was several times forced to change the direction of the procedure and 25. November was reflected back across the river Čir.
Badly decimated the 22. a panzer division is divided into several combat groups operated during December in the area northwest of Stalingrad. From 2. January 1943 the last remnants of the division moved to the southwest, where she was on both sides of the Bystry formed a new defensive line. In mid-January 1943 the divisional battle groups operated along the railway line from Morosovské to Tazinské and in the area south of it, during February, then in the neighborhood Sverdlovska.
On the basis of a warrant issued for 9. February 1943 army Group Don division was abolished and its remaining part should be incorporated into the 6. panzer division. XXXXVIII. panzer corps pronounced this order 1. march for the invalid. On the same day were a supply unit 22. panzer division incorporated into the 79. infantry division, two days later, were the divisional battle groups subordinate to directly XVII. army corps of them formed Kampfgruppe Burgsthaler, the divisional headquarters was canceled.
Kampfgruppe Burgsthaler was then 7. April 1943 was incorporated in the 23. panzer division.

Tessin, Georg: Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945
www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de
en.wikipedia.org

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Nositelé Rytířského kříže kteří byli příslušníci 22. Panzer Division:




Herbert Eymer 4/18/1943
Walter Hartmann 8/10/1941
Alois Huebner 12/5/1943
Martin Lenz 1/15/1945
Hermann Oppeln-Bronikowski 1/1/1943
Josef Rauch 8/8/1944
Willy Spreu 2/24/1945
Friedrich-Wilhelm Steuer 8/26/1943
Albert Zapf 2/23/1944