The 3rd Panzer Division (3. Panzer-Division), one of the original three tank divisions of the Wehrmacht formed on 15 October 1935 in Berlin from elements of cavalry and other units, emerged as a formidable armored formation that played a significant role across nearly every major theater of World War II. Initially the strongest Panzer division with 391 tanks during the 1939 Invasion of Poland, it advanced from Pomerania through Toruń to Brest-Litovsk, showcasing the aggressive combined-arms tactics of Blitzkrieg. In 1940, it spearheaded operations in Belgium via the Albert Canal to Brussels and into France, though it later lost one tank regiment to help form new divisions. Diverted from a planned North Africa deployment, it joined Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 as part of Army Group Center, seizing key bridges and contributing to the massive encirclements at Bialystok-Minsk and Kiev before pushing toward Moscow and Tula; under commanders like Walter Model and later Hermann Breith, it endured the brutal Soviet winter counteroffensive of 1941–42 as a mobile fire brigade. In 1942, during Case Blue, the division drove deep into the Caucasus toward Mozdok, suffering heavy losses in intense fighting before narrowly escaping encirclement by crossing the frozen Sea of Azov. It fought prominently in the 1943 Battle of Kursk west of Belgorod, achieving local successes amid the largest tank battle in history, only to join the grueling defensive retreats through Ukraine, Romania, Poland, and Hungary as Soviet forces advanced. Reorganized with Panzer-Grenadier regiments, Panzer Regiment 6, and supporting artillery and reconnaissance units, the "Bear Division" (from its Berlin mascot) remained on the Eastern Front until early 1945, when it shifted to Styria in Austria. There, it evaded the Red Army and surrendered to American forces on or around 8 May 1945, with most surviving personnel released by July; its long service exemplified the Wehrmacht's armored elite, marked by high mobility, repeated heavy casualties, and adaptation from offensive triumphs to desperate rearguard actions.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch (1914-1971) was a German Heer officer who began his military career in 1935 with the Reiter-Regiment in Potsdam, transferred to Panzer-Regiment 6 in 1937 as Leutnant, and later served with the Condor Legion in Spain before rising to Oberstleutnant im Generalstab. During the Battle of France he served as Zugführer in the 2./Panzer-Regiment 6 and distinguished himself by capturing several Seine bridges near Paris while his platoon and company destroyed a significant number of enemy tanks, for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 29 June 1940 as Oberleutnant. In Operation Barbarossa, now as Chef der 2./Panzer-Regiment 6, he led his company on 23 June 1941 in the destruction of twelve Soviet tanks at Buchowiecze and the immediate formation of a bridgehead at Minicze the following day; these actions earned him the 44th award of the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941. He was additionally mentioned by name in the Wehrmachtbericht of 6 July 1941 for exemplary bravery during the early fighting in the Panzer-Regiment alongside other officers. After these exploits Buchterkirch was transferred to instructor duties in the Heimat in August 1941, attended the Kriegsakademie, and later served on the Generalstab des OKH before ending the war in staff positions with Panzergruppe West.
General der Panzertruppe Hermann Breith (1892-1964), born on 7 May 1892 in Pirmasens and died on 3 September 1964 in Pech district of Wachtberg, was a German officer who rose to the rank of General der Panzertruppe in the Wehrmacht during World War II, commanding key armored formations including the 5. Panzer-Brigade, the 3. Panzer-Division, and ultimately the III. Panzerkorps. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 3 June 1940 as Oberst and Kommandeur of the 5. Panzer-Brigade within the 5. Panzer-Division for his leadership in the campaign in the West, where near Merdorp on 13 May 1940 his brigade bloodily repelled the first major French armored formation encountered, destroying over thirty enemy tanks amid heavy defensive fire through exemplary attacking spirit and personal example despite being wounded himself. Breith received the 69th Eichenlaub on 31 January 1942 as Generalmajor and Kommandeur of the 3. Panzer-Division for decisively eliminating a Soviet penetration north of Kursk near Butyrki—Judinka—Stakanowo, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy and forcing their withdrawal across the Tim river during intense defensive fighting on the Eastern Front. Finally, the 48th Schwerter were awarded to him on 21 February 1944 as General der Panzertruppe and Kommandierender General of the III. Panzerkorps for his outstanding command during the relief operation of the Cherkassy pocket, where his corps—comprising several Heer divisions and one Waffen-SS formation—fought through successive enemy positions to reach just west of the encircled Kampfgruppe Stemmermann, drawing the bulk of Soviet forces onto itself while Breith repeatedly demonstrated personal bravery by intervening at critical combat hotspots from the foremost lines, showcasing skillful leadership that enabled the breakthrough under extreme pressure. Throughout his career, which began in 1910 and spanned both world wars, Breith exemplified the aggressive yet adaptive tactics of the Panzertruppe, contributing significantly to major operations before his capture by American forces in May 1945 and subsequent release in 1947.
Oberfähnrich Ernst Kruse (1915-1944) was born on 1 October 1915 in Egeln near Magdeburg and entered the Schützen-Regiment 3 at the end of 1935, receiving promotion to Feldwebel in March 1938. He participated in the campaigns in Poland, France and the Soviet Union. For personal bravery in the fighting around Machino during the winter of 1941/42 he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 19 January 1942 as Feldwebel in the 7./Schützen-Regiment 3. Serving as Zugführer of the 7. Kompanie in Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division, he made a decisive contribution to the successful crossing of the Don in summer 1942 and especially distinguished himself on 29 July 1942 when the regiment stormed Proletarskaja; advancing far ahead with his Zug, he enabled the rapid penetration of his Bataillon into the town, for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 October 1942 as Oberfeldwebel. On the morning of New Year’s Day 1943, while the regiment held positions along the Kura stream near Aga Batyr, Soviet forces launched a sudden attack through dense mist after the German withdrawal had begun the previous night; enemy tanks overran the foremost defensive line, yet Oberfeldwebel Kruse immediately counter-attacked with his Zug without any artillery support, destroyed several tanks in close combat and sealed off the penetration, thereby preventing a Soviet breakthrough into the rear of the Division and permitting the planned retreat to continue. For this outstanding leadership and bravery he was decorated with the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz as the 245th recipient on 17 May 1943. After a period as instructor in the homeland he returned to the front on 23 September 1944 as Oberfähnrich and Ordonnanzoffizier of the II. Bataillon, Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3, and fell on 5 October 1944 during the assault on Ozbanice at the Soviet bridgehead near Serock.
Generalmajor Günther Pape (1907-1986) was born on 14 July 1907 in Düsseldorf and died there on 21 January 1986. He entered the Reichswehr as Fahnenjunker on 1 April 1927 and was promoted to Leutnant in the 15. Kavallerie-Regiment on 1 February 1932. By the outbreak of war he served as Hauptmann and Kompaniechef in the Kradschützen-Bataillon 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division. On 1 September 1941 he became Major and Kommandeur of the Kradschützen-Bataillon 3, later redesignated Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3. For outstanding leadership on the Eastern Front he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 23 January 1942. The Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was awarded to him on 10 February 1942 as Major and Kommandeur of Kradschützen-Bataillon 3. On 30 January 1942, acting on his own initiative, Major Pape led his Kampfgruppe in a determined assault on the village of Solojowka without waiting for supporting Panzers; the attack succeeded in smashing a Soviet cavalry division with heavy losses, capturing its divisional commander, and sealing a critical breakthrough point adjacent to a neighbouring formation. From 6 August 1942 he commanded the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 394 of the 3. Panzer-Division, rising to Oberstleutnant and then Oberst. He was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 15 September 1943 as the 301st recipient, in recognition of his achievements as Kommandeur of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 394 until he was wounded on 5 July 1943, the opening day of Operation Citadel. After recovery and further assignments he took command of the Panzer-Division „Feldherrnhalle“ in September 1944 and was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 December 1944, becoming one of the youngest generals of the Wehrmacht. He was mentioned by name in the Wehrmachtbericht and received the Ehrenblattspange. Captured at the war’s end, he was released in 1947. In 1956 he rejoined the Bundeswehr as Brigadegeneral, commanded the Panzertruppenschule in Munster and later the 5. Panzerdivision, and served as Generalmajor and Befehlshaber im Wehrbereich III before resigning in 1966.
Oberst Ernst Wellmann (1904-1970) was born on 14 January 1904 in Samter and died on 17 July 1970 in Karlsruhe. He transferred from the police to the Reichswehr in 1924, was promoted to Leutnant on 1 January 1928 and to Oberleutnant on 1 October 1932, then to Hauptmann on 1 January 1936 as Chef of the 6. Kompanie in Schützen-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division, which he led in the Polish and Western campaigns. In July 1940 he took command of the I. Bataillon of that regiment, fighting on the Eastern Front from summer 1941; for actions around the Oskol he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 8 June 1942 as Major in the I./Schützen-Regiment 3. On 1 August 1942 he became Kommandeur of the newly formed Panzergrenadier-Regiment 126. The action that earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 September 1942 as Oberstleutnant and commander of the I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 occurred on 23 July 1942, when he led the foremost Bataillon of Kampfgruppe Westhoven in the advance from the German bridgehead at Nikolayevskaya toward the Sal River; in a rapid coup de main he seized an intact bridge at Kalinovski, thereby establishing the first German bridgehead across that river, a success of decisive operational importance recognized by his superiors. From April 1943 he commanded Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 (the former Schützen-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division) and was promoted to Oberst on 1 September 1943. The deeds that brought him the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz (the 342nd award) on 30 November 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 took place in the summer of 1943: during the opening days of the Battle of Kursk his regiment cleared successive Soviet defensive positions, liberated a group of German prisoners, captured Luchanino by the third day, and thereafter held the sector between Hill 258.5 and Berezovka against repeated Soviet assaults while launching numerous counter-attacks of its own; later, in the Fourth Battle of Kharkov, he blocked a Soviet attack on 12 August 1943 and, on 17 August 1943, was credited with saving the division when his Kampfgruppe, fighting around Polewaj and Hills 201 and 204, destroyed a force of Soviet tanks advancing southeastward. He briefly assumed temporary leadership of the 3. Panzer-Division after Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven was wounded on 20 October 1943, served from May 1944 as Abteilungschef Panzergrenadiere under the Inspekteur der Panzertruppe, briefly led the Panzer-Division Schlesien in March 1945, and ended the war as Oberst commanding Kampfgruppe Wellmann in the Uckermark. After the war he joined the Bundeswehr, rising to Brigadegeneral, and retired in 1960.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model (1891-1945), born on 24 January 1891 in Genthin, Saxony, rose through the ranks of the German Army to become one of Adolf Hitler's most trusted and versatile commanders during World War II, renowned for his aggressive early panzer leadership and later mastery of defensive warfare on the Eastern Front. As Generalleutnant and commander of the 3. Panzer-Division during the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Model earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 July 1941 for his division's extraordinary advances, covering over 300 km in the first five days from the Bug River at Brest-Litovsk to the Beresina at Bobruisk despite challenging terrain and Soviet resistance, outpacing other units in the Panzergruppen. Promoted and transferred to command the XXXXI. Panzerkorps and then the 9. Armee, he stabilized the critical Rzhev salient during the harsh winter battles of 1941-42 through energetic counterattacks and skillful defense, surrounding elements of the Soviet 39th Army and preventing a breakthrough; these actions secured him the 74th Eichenlaub on 17 February 1942 as General der Panzertruppe. Further defensive successes around Rzhev in the summer and winter of 1942-43, including the masterful execution of Operation Büffel - a disciplined withdrawal that shortened the front while inflicting heavy losses on the enemy - earned him the 28th Schwerter on 2 April 1943 as Generaloberst commanding 9. Armee. In mid-1944, as the Soviet summer offensive Operation Bagration shattered Heeresgruppe Mitte, Model assumed command, rapidly organizing a coherent defensive line that halted the Red Army's momentum near the Vistula River despite overwhelming odds, showcasing his trademark personal frontline leadership and improvisation; for this feat as Generalfeldmarschall and commander of Heeresgruppe Mitte (and briefly Heeresgruppe Nordukraine), he received the 17th Brillanten on 17 August 1944, becoming one of only 27 recipients of the full Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Model's career ended with commands on the Western Front, including Heeresgruppe B during the Ardennes Offensive and the Ruhr Pocket, where he committed suicide on 21 April 1945 to avoid capture, leaving a legacy as the "Lion of Defense" whose loyalty and tactical acumen repeatedly salvaged desperate situations for the Wehrmacht.
General der Panzertruppe Ulrich Kleemann (1892-1963) was born on 23 March 1892 in Langensalza and entered military service in October 1911 as Fahnenjunker in the 2. Badische Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 21. He fought in the First World War as Leutnant, suffering wounds in 1915, and ended the conflict as Oberleutnant and regimental adjutant, receiving both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz. Remaining in the Reichswehr, he advanced through cavalry units, becoming Major in 1933, Oberstleutnant in 1936 and Oberst in 1938 while commanding Schützen-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division. In the Second World War he led this regiment in the Polish campaign of 1939 before taking command of the 3. Schützen-Brigade for the 1940 Western campaign and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. As Oberst and commander of the 3. Schützen-Brigade he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 October 1941 for outstanding leadership south of Smolensk, where his Kampfgruppe successfully crossed the rivers Ssosh, Iput and Desna, forestalling Soviet defensive lines and later helping seal the Kiev pocket near Lochwiza. Promoted Generalmajor, he commanded the 90. leichte Afrika-Division in North Africa from April to November 1942, distinguishing himself in operations around El Adem, Marsa Matruh and the First Battle of El Alamein until severely wounded by a mine. After recovery he took charge of the newly formed Sturm-Division Rhodos in May 1943 and was promoted Generalleutnant. Following Italy’s capitulation he directed the rapid disarmament of the far larger Italian garrison on Rhodes, capturing its commander and securing the island within two days against potential Allied intervention; these decisive actions, accomplished despite numerical inferiority and logistical difficulties, prevented British occupation of key Aegean positions and earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 16 September 1943 as the 304th recipient. Later he commanded Panzerkorps Feldherrnhalle on the Eastern Front from late 1944, fighting in Hungary until the corps was destroyed at Budapest. Captured by American forces in 1945 and released in 1947, Kleemann reached the rank of General der Panzertruppe and died on 1 January 1963 in Oberursel.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Panzer_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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