Ritterkreuzträger of 20. Panzer-Division

The 20. Panzer-Division was formed on 15 October 1940 in Wehrkreis IX around Erfurt and Jena, primarily from elements of the 19. Infanterie-Division together with newly raised armoured units including Panzer-Regiment 21. Its early organisation comprised Schützen-Brigade 20 with Schützen-Regiment 59 and Schützen-Regiment 112, Artillerie-Regiment 92 and supporting battalions. The division saw continuous service exclusively on the Eastern Front. In June 1941 it advanced with Panzergruppe 3 of Heeresgruppe Mitte during Operation Barbarossa, taking part in the battles for Minsk and Smolensk before joining Operation Typhoon toward Moscow. Throughout 1942 and early 1943 it fought defensive actions in the central sector, including the area of Toropez and Orel. In July 1943 the division participated in the northern pincer of the Battle of Kursk as part of XXXXVII. Panzerkorps. After suffering heavy losses it continued to defend around Orel, Bryansk and Vitebsk. During the Soviet Operation Bagration in June 1944 the 20. Panzer-Division was nearly destroyed near Bobruisk while serving as a reserve of the 9. Armee. Reconstituted, it later fought in Romania, East Prussia, Hungary and Silesia. Successive commanders included Generalleutnant Horst Stumpff, Generalmajor Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, Generalmajor Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, Generalleutnant Mortimer von Kessel and finally Generalmajor Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski. The remnants of the division surrendered to American and Soviet forces in Czechoslovakia in May 1945.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


Oberstleutnant Bruno Kahl (1914-1999) was born on 23 November 1914 in Köln and died there on 27 February 1999. He entered military service in 1933 as Fahnenjunker with Kraftfahr-Abteilung 6 in Gießen, was commissioned Leutnant on 20 April 1935 and served as Nachrichten-Offizier with Panzerjäger-Abteilung 9. Promoted to Oberleutnant in 1938, he became Kompaniechef of Gebirgs-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 48 and took part in the campaigns in Polen and Norwegen. In autumn 1940 he volunteered for the Panzerwaffe and joined Panzer-Regiment 21 of the 20. Panzer-Division, rising to Hauptmann in June 1941 and later commanding its III. Abteilung. On 8 February 1943, as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of III./Panzer-Regiment 21, he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for distinguishing himself southeast of Toropez, where after three days of hard fighting his reinforced Abteilung sealed the last exit from a Soviet pocket through a bold thrust launched on his own initiative. In April 1943 he assumed command of Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216, designated III./Panzerjäger-Regiment 656 within the newly formed schweres Panzerjäger-Regiment 656. For his outstanding leadership of this Brummbär-equipped unit in support of the 86. Infanterie-Division during the Battle of Kursk and the subsequent fighting around Orel, he was awarded the Eichenlaub (270th recipient) on 8 August 1943 as Major. After serving as an instructor with the Bulgarian army and commanding a Panther training course, he took over Panzer-Regiment Großdeutschland in late 1944, was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 January 1945, was wounded for the eighth time in April, and entered American captivity near Dachstein, from which he was released in June 1945. In civilian life he later became a director of Bayer AG.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Panzer_Division