20th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

Since June 22, 1941, the division of the 39th motorized corps of the 3rd Panzer Group of General Goth ( Army Group Center ) participated in the war against the USSR . It came in Lithuania along the route Suwalki - Kalwaria - Alytus - Vilnius , participated in the battle for Alytus with the Soviet 5th Panzer Division , as a result of which important bridges over the Neman were captured. Early in the morning of June 24 of the adjacent 7th Armored Division occupied Vilnius. After that, the corps turned southeast in the direction Minsk - Borisov . On June 26, while the 7th Panzer Division blocked the highway north-east of Minsk, the 20th Panzer Division, with heavy fighting, broke through to the city through the Minsk fortified area and captured it on June 28 .

In early July, attacked in the second echelon of the 39th motorized corps in the Vitebsk direction (after the 7th Panzer Division). After she came across Soviet defense west of Vitebsk, on July 8, with a fight, forced the Western Dvina in the Ulla region and on July 9 broke into Vitebsk (see the battle of Vitebsk ). July 11 to continue the offensive to the east.

On the morning of July 13, 1941, the advanced units of the 20th Panzer Division from the 3rd Panzer Group of Hermann Goth approached the city of Velizh . The 83th Slobodkin border detachment of the NKVD of the USSR and the fighter Komsomol militia battalion Velizh, who received orders to cover the retreat of the Soviet troops, offered fierce resistance to the German troops, which lasted until July 14 and cost the enemy more than 60 tanks and a significant number of dead. The last defenders of the city were the VNOS detachment, which barricaded itself in buildings in the city center and was destroyed by the Nazis only after delivery of flamethrowers to the front line ^[1] .

July 15, 1941 the 20th Panzer Division occupied Ribshevo and Prechistoe . However, further progress on the White was stopped. At the end of July, she fought heavy battles with the Soviet 107th Panzer Division northeast of the Dukhovshchina , after which in August 1941 it was withdrawn to the reserve and subordinated to the 57th motorized corps .

The Soviet 144th Infantry Division broke into the assigned area of ​​the village of Ratchino with battles. The German troops tried to circumvent the flanks and reach the crossing area. 2.08.41g in the area of ​​the crossing on the river. The Dnieper, artillery platoon of Lieutenant Fedorov P.A from the 308th LAP, which is part of 144 SD, at the cost of life stops the tank breakthrough of the 21st TP from the 20th TD of the Wehrmacht, which allowed parts of 144 SD to approach the induced crossing on the river. Dnieper and take up the defense.

On September 8, 1941, German troops captured Demyansk by forces of the 19th Panzer Division , the division’s units did not stop moving forward and seized the Lychkovo station on September 9. Following the 19th Panzer, the 20th Panzer Division approached Demyansk, turning towards Lake Seliger in the direction of Polnovo . As a result, parts of the 34th army, which were subsequently destroyed, fell into the circle of encirclement along with most of the 27th Army and some part of the 11th Army .

Since October 1941, as part of the 57th motorized corps participated in the attack on Moscow .

In 1942, she fought in the area of Gzhatsk , Orel .

Immediately before the front of the upcoming offensive of the 3rd Panzer Army with a length of 23 km, the units of the 11th German Panzer Division , the 26th and 56th Infantry Divisions were defended with the support of the 62nd Anti-Tank Artillery Division ; in addition, in the army offensive zone, the appearance of units of the 17th and 20th tank divisions that did not have their own defense bands was noted.

- ^[2] Shein D.V.: ​​Tanks are fishing. Battle Path of the 3rd Guards Tank Army

In July 1943 - fighting on the northern front of the Kursk Bulge. In the autumn of 1943 - he retreated to Bryansk, and then in the Vitebsk region.

In March-July 1944 - fighting in the area of Bobruisk , suffered heavy losses. In August 1944, she was assigned to Romania (for rest and replenishment), and in October 1944, to East Prussia.

In January 1945, she was transferred to Hungary, then retreated to Silesia . In April 1945, the division retreated to Germany (to the Dresden region). In May 1945, the remnants of the division were taken into Soviet captivity.

In 1941

• 21st tank regiment (three-battalion composition, from August 1941 - two-battalion)
• 20th Rifle Brigade
  • 59th Rifle Regiment
  • 112th Rifle Regiment
• 92nd artillery regiment
• 20th Motorcycle Battalion
• 92nd anti-tank battalion
• 92nd Combat Engineer Battalion
• 92nd battalion of communications
• parts of the rear

On June 22, it was armed with 44 Pz.I tanks, 31 Pz.II tanks, 121 Czech LT vz.38 tanks, 31 Pz.IV tanks and two command tanks based on the Pz.38 (t) base; a total of 229 tanks ^[3] .

In 1943

• 21st Tank Regiment (from April 1943 - 21st Tank Battalion)
• 59th Regiment pantsergrenadersky
• 112th Regiment pantsergrenadersky
• 92 Panzer Artillery Regiment
• 20th Tank Reconnaissance Battalion
• 92nd anti-tank battalion
• 295th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division
• 92nd Tank Engineer Battalion
• 92nd battalion of communications
• 92-th field reserve battalion
• parts of the rear

• From November 13, 1940 - Lieutenant General Horst Stumpf
• From September 10, 1941 - Colonel Georg von Bismarck
• From October 14, 1941 - Major General Wilhelm Ritter von Thom
• From July 1, 1942 - Major General Walter Duvert
• Since October 1, 1942 - Colonel (December 1942 - Major General) Heinrich Freiherr von Lyutvits
• From May 5, 1943 - Major General Mortimer von Kessel
• From January 1, 1944 - Colonel Werner Marx
• From February 7, 1944 - Lieutenant General Mortimer von Kessel
• From November 6, 1944 - Colonel (from January 30, 1945 - Major General) Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (31)

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (3)

• Rudolf Demme (№ 537), 28.7.1944 - Col. commander 59th regiment pantsergrenaderskogo
• Paul Schulze (№ 538), 28.7.1944 - Major commander 21 Panzer battalion
• Mortimer von Kessel (number 611), 10/16/1944 - Lieutenant General, Commander of the 20th Panzer Division

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

• Hermann von Oppeln-osek coat of arms Show (№ 142), 17/04/1945 - Major General, commander of the 20th Panzer Division

• Hinze, Rolf. Hitze, Frost und Pulverdampf: der Schicksalsweg der 20. Panzer-Division. 4. Auflage, Meerbusch, 1993, ISBN 3-928322-02-8
• Stoves, Rolf. Die gepanzerten und motorisierten deutschen Großverbände 1935-1945: Divisionen und selbstständige Brigaden. Dörfler, 2003. ISBN 978-3-89555-102-4
• Carius O. "Tigers" in the mud. Memoirs of a German tankman. / Translation by S.V. Lisogorsky. - M.: Tsentropoligraf, 2004 .-- 367 p. The circulation is 7,000 copies. http://lib.ru/MEMUARY/GERM/karius.txt

• 20. Panzerdivision (English) . feldgrau.com. Archived on April 21, 2012.
• 20. Panzerdivision (German) . lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Archived on April 21, 2012.
• 20. Panzerdivision (English) . axishistory.com. Archived on April 21, 2012.
• 20th Panzer Division (Neopr.) . Military history .