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.
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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.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Panzer_Division_(Wehrmacht)
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