The 14. Panzer-Division was formed in August 1940 in Wehrkreis IV around Dresden by converting the 4. Infanterie-Division and incorporating Panzer-Regiment 36 from the 4. Panzer-Division, creating a fully armoured formation with Schützen-Regiment 103, Schützen-Regiment 108, Kradschützen-Bataillon 64, Artillerie-Regiment 4 and supporting units. After training it took part in the Balkan campaign of April 1941, advancing from Hungary into Yugoslavia and reaching Sarajevo by mid-month before returning to Germany to prepare for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Assigned to Heeresgruppe Süd and Panzergruppe 1, the division crossed the Bug on 22 June 1941, fought through Ukraine, participated in the Battle of Kiev, crossed the Don near Rostov and held positions along the Mius. In 1942 it fought at Kharkov and advanced with Heeresgruppe B toward Stalingrad, where it was subordinated to the 6. Armee under Generaloberst Friedrich Paulus and became trapped in the encirclement. After bitter fighting in the industrial districts and suburbs the division was completely destroyed by February 1943. Reformed in Brittany, France, in the spring of 1943, it returned to the Eastern Front in November under Heeresgruppe Süd, later receiving Panther tanks and an additional Sturmgeschütz battalion. In August 1944 it was transferred to Heeresgruppe Nord and committed to the Courland Pocket in Latvia, where it remained until the final collapse. In the last weeks of the war remaining elements were reorganised into two panzer brigades; some personnel were evacuated by sea and surrendered to Western forces, while the bulk of the division capitulated to Soviet troops on 10 May 1945.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Generalmajor Willy Langkeit (1907-1969) was born on 2 June 1907 in Schuchten, East Prussia, the son of a Prussian farmer, and joined the Reichswehr in 1924 at age seventeen, serving initially with Kraftfahr-Abteilung 1 in Königsberg before transferring to the Panzertruppe; he rose steadily through the ranks as Unteroffizier on 1 June 1930, Feldwebel on 1 April 1933, Leutnant in 1934, Oberleutnant later that year, and Hauptmann on 1 January 1938, becoming Kompaniechef of the 8./Panzer-Regiment 36 by November 1938. With Panzer-Regiment 36 of the 14. Panzer-Division he took part in the invasion of Poland, the Westfeldzug, the invasion of Yugoslavia, and Operation Barbarossa, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 10 November 1939 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 30 August 1940; promoted to Major on 1 January 1942 and awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 1 July 1942 as Major in the II./Panzer-Regiment 36, he assumed command of the I./Panzer-Regiment 36 and particularly distinguished himself on 23 July 1942 west of Nowotscherkassk during the pursuit battles of the 14. Panzer-Division toward the Lower Don, where his aggressive leadership enabled the capture of the town that evening and contributed decisively to the advance, earning him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 December 1942 as Major and Kommandeur of the I./Panzer-Regiment 36. Promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 December 1942, he was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket in early 1943 and later took full command of the reconstituted Panzer-Regiment 36; at the end of October 1943 his armoured Kampfgruppe played a major role in recapturing the lost Ingulez sector and reaching the line Nowo Iwanowka–Krassny, then on 20 November destroyed 22 Soviet tanks in a fierce engagement and on 26 November advanced from Protopopowka to block three key roads from Kossowka while destroying another 21 enemy tanks and crushing a Soviet infantry attack of roughly two regiments, achievements that led to the award of the 348th Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 7 December 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Panzer-Regiment 36. Promoted to Oberst on 1 December 1943, he commanded Panzer-Regiment “Großdeutschland” from March 1944, later the Ersatz-Brigade “Großdeutschland,” and from January 1945 the Panzergrenadier-Division “Kurmark,” receiving promotion to Generalmajor on 20 April 1945 and the rare Panzerkampfabzeichen IV. Stufe mit Einsatzzahl 75; after breaking out of the Halbe pocket he surrendered to American forces in May 1945, was held until 1947, joined the Bundesgrenzschutz in 1951, rose to Brigadegeneral, and retired in 1967 before dying on 27 October 1969 in Bad Bramstedt.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Oberstleutnant Bernhard Sauvant (1910-1967) was born on 25 March 1910 in Kutten, East Prussia, and entered the Reichswehr in 1930, joining Panzer-Regiment 36 in 1936. As Chef der 1. Kompanie he took part in the Polish campaign, the Battle of France and the Balkan operations before advancing into the Soviet Union. By August 1942 he commanded the I. Abteilung of Panzer-Regiment 36 within the 14. Panzer-Division and fought his way to the outskirts of Stalingrad. On his own initiative he directed a successful penetration of the northern sector of the Stalingrad tractor factory on 14 October 1942 after earlier attempts had failed, contributing decisively to its capture the following day. Later that month he assumed leadership of Kampfgruppe von Pannwitz, assembling twelve repaired tanks manned by workshop personnel; without waiting for higher orders he destroyed the bulk of the Soviet 61st Cavalry Division near Scharnutovski on 26 November and the next day struck the rear of the 81st Cavalry Division north of Kotelnikovo, again annihilating most of the formation. For these actions he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 30 November 1942 as Major. After a period of convalescence he took command of the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505 in February 1943 and led it during Unternehmen Zitadelle at Kursk. Deployed between the 6. Infanterie-Division and the 9. Panzer-Division, he met a major Soviet armoured counter-attack with only ten operational Tiger tanks, skilfully exploiting their superior range and armour to destroy forty T-34s. This success earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 28 July 1943, the 260th award of the decoration. Severely wounded on 13 August 1943, he later returned to command Panzer-Regiment 36 and fought in the Courland Pocket until the end of the war, reaching the rank of Oberst. Sauvant died in Ludwigsburg on 15 April 1967.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Panzer_Division
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