The 13. Panzer-Division was formed in October 1940 in Vienna by converting the 13. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert) into an armored formation, incorporating Panzer-Regiment 4 along with Schützen-Regimenter 66 and 93, and after initial training duties in Romania it joined Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 as part of Heeresgruppe Süd and Panzergruppe 1, fighting through the Ukraine in battles at Uman, Kiev, and the Dnepropetrovsk bridgehead before capturing Rostov; under commanders including Generalmajor Traugott Herr it advanced deep into the Caucasus during the 1942 summer offensive as part of Heeresgruppe A, reaching areas near Mozdok, then conducted prolonged defensive operations in the Kuban bridgehead in 1943 before withdrawing through the Ukraine amid heavy fighting around Kryvyi Rih and the Dniester. Severely depleted during the 1944 Soviet offensives that destroyed much of Heeresgruppe Südukraine, the remnants were withdrawn to Hungary for refitting, where the division participated in the Battle of Debrecen before becoming encircled and largely destroyed during the siege of Budapest in late 1944–early 1945; surviving elements were later reorganized into Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 and continued limited operations until the end of the war in May 1945.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
General der Panzertruppe Traugott Herr (1890-1976) was born on 16 September 1890 in Weferlingen and entered the Imperial German Army in 1911 as a Fahnenjunker in the Füsilier-Regiment „Prinz Heinrich von Preußen“ (Brandenburgisches) Nr. 35, serving through the First World War and remaining in the Reichswehr afterward before rising in the Wehrmacht; during the Second World War he commanded the 13. Schützen-Brigade of the 13. Panzer-Division and was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 October 1941 as Oberst for his leadership in expanding the bridgehead at Dnepropetrovsk and related actions on the Eastern Front. Promoted and appointed Kommandeur of the 13. Panzer-Division, he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 9 August 1942 as Generalmajor for the division’s successful advance into the Caucasus and capture of key positions including Rostov; after recovering from a severe head wound sustained in late 1942 he later took command of the LXXVI. Panzerkorps in Italy, where he was awarded the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz on 18 December 1944 as General der Panzertruppe and Kommandierender General for the corps’ determined defensive performance against successive Allied offensives near Rimini that prevented breakthroughs despite heavy pressure, subsequently briefly leading the 14. Armee and then the 10. Armee until the German surrender in Italy in May 1945, after which he spent time as a prisoner of war before his release and death on 13 April 1976 in Achterwehr.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Panzer_Division
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