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 Severely depleted during the 1944 Soviet offensives that destroyed much of Heeresgruppe Südukraine, the remnants were withdrawn to Hungary for refitting, where the division participated in the Battle of Debrecen before becoming encircled and largely destroyed during the siege of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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SCHWERTERTRÄGER
Major im Generalstab Waldemar von Gazen genannt von Gaza (1917-2014) was born on 6 December 1917 in Hamburg as the son of Oberst a.D. Oskar von Gazen and after completing his Abitur and Reichsarbeitsdienst joined the Wehrmacht in 1936 as Fahnenjunker in Infanterie-Regiment 66 of the later 13. Panzer-Division. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 September 1938 he served as Zugführer during the Invasion of Poland and the Westfeldzug, receiving both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz in September and October 1939, and was advanced to Oberleutnant on 1 September 1940. On the Eastern Front he became Chef of the 2. Kompanie of Schützen-Regiment 66, which was redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66, and for leading his company forward to the Temernik river, capturing an intact bridge and establishing a bridgehead that decisively aided the capture of Rostov on 25 July 1942 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 September 1942 as Oberleutnant. Shortly thereafter he took command of the I. Bataillon and in early 1943, as Führer of a Kampfgruppe of the 13. Panzer-Division in the Kuban bridgehead and Caucasus, destroyed 22 Soviet tanks in two days while contributing decisively to the orderly withdrawal of German divisions from the Terek and Kuban areas, earning the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 18 January 1943 as Hauptmann, the 182nd recipient. In April 1943 he became Führer of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66 and was formally appointed its Kommandeur on 28 August 1943 at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest regimental commanders in the Heer. At the end of September 1943 near Oktoberfeld close to Melitopol his regiment held the threatened front line against repeated Red Army assaults; for this outstanding defensive performance he was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht and awarded the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub on 3 October 1943 as Major, the 38th recipient, though he was severely wounded in the fighting. After convalescence he entered the Generalstab des Heeres on 1 July 1944, completed staff training, and served as Ia of the 13. Panzer-Division in Hungary from September 1944 and later as Ia of the 2. Panzer-Division until the end of the war, when he was taken prisoner. Released in 1946 he studied law and worked thereafter as a lawyer and notary in Uslar until his death in Göttingen on 13 January 2014 at the age of 96.
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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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