| Intervention Force Division / 1st Panzer Division 1. Panzerdivision | |
|---|---|
 1st Armoured Division insignia | |
| Active | 1956 - present |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Conventional warfare, peacekeeping |
| Size | 18.000 soldiers |
| Part of | German Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Hanover |
| Nickname(s) |
The first one Die Erste |
| Motto(s) |
Roughly: Go! Let's tackle it! Man drup - man to! (Low German) |
| Anniversaries | July 1st 1956 |
| Engagements |
Kosovo War War in Afghanistan |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major General Carsten Jacobson |
| Notable commanders |
General Henning von Ondarza, COMAFCENT 1991-1994 General Helge Hansen, COMAFCENT 1994-1996 General Wolf-Dieter Langheld, COMJFC-B 2010-2012 |
The 1st Panzer Division (German: 1. Panzerdivision) is an armoured division of the German Army. It also bears the designation Intervention Force Division (Division Eingreifkräfte). Its staff is based at Hanover. In the course of the current reorganisation of the Bundeswehr it will become the backbone of Germany's newly formed intervention forces which will have a manpower of 35,000 soldiers in total. This division is equipped and trained for high intensity combat operations against militarily organized enemies as well as peacekeeping missions. The majority of all German troops assigned to EU-Battlegroups and Nato Response Forces will come from this division. It also represents Germany's permanent contribution to the binational I. German/Dutch Corps.
Intervention Force Division / 1st Panzer Division is Germany's last full-scale conventional division.
History[]
This division was formed on July 1, 1956, the day of the official inauguration of the Bundeswehr. It was the first fully operational unit of the new German Army. At first referred to as 1st Grenadier Division, it was reorganized in the 1980s and made fully armoured in 1981. During this period it was part of I Corps of the Bundeswehr Heer, in turn part of NATO's Northern Army Group, Allied Forces Central Europe.
1st Panzer Division has deployed to the Balkans, Afghanistan and to several peacekeeping operations. Troops of this division were also deployed to the support of civilian agencies during large natural disasters such as the Hamburg Floods of 1962, disastrous wild fires in Northern Germany in the 1970s and the 2002 Floods in Eastern Germany.
The division cultivates a partnership with the United States Army 28th Infantry Division.
Organisation[]
The division's organisation today is as follows:
- Divisional Staff and Support Company in Oldenburg under Generalmajor Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart
- 610th Signal Battalion in Prenzlau
- 325th Artillery Battalion in Munster
- 901st Heavy Pioneer Battalion in Havelberg
- 1st Operations Support Battalion
- 9th Armoured Training Brigade
- Staff and Signal Company in Munster under Brigadegeneral Ullrich Spannuth
- 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Lüneburg
- 93rd Armoured Training Battalion
- 33rd Panzergrenadier Battalion (Heavy Mechanized) in Neustadt am Rübenberge
- 92nd Panzergrenadier Training Battalion (Heavy Mechanized)
- 91st Jäger Battalion (Mechanized) in Rotenburg
- 103rd Armoured Engineer Battalion in Minden
- 141st Supply Battalion in Neustadt am Rübenberge
- 21st (Lipperland) Armoured Brigade
- Staff and Signal Company in Augustdorf under Brigadegeneral Ansgar Meyer
- 7th Reconnaissance Battalion in Ahlen
- 203rd Armoured Battalion
- 212th Mechanized Battalion (Heavy Mechanized)
- 1st Jäger Battalion (Mechanized) in Schwarzenborn
- 921st Jäger Battalion (Reserve Light Mechanized) in Schwarzenborn
- 1st Armoured Engineer Battalion in Holzminden
- 7th Supply Battalion in Unna
- 41st Mechanized Brigade
- Staff and Signal Company in Neubrandenburg under Brigadegeneral Andreas Durst
- 6th (Holstein) Reconnaissance Battalion in Eutin
- 413th Jäger Battalion (Mechanized) in Torgelow
- 401st Mechanized Battalion (Heavy Mechanized) in Hagenow
- 411th Mechanized Battalion (Heavy Mechanized) in Quadrangle
- 908th Mechanized Battalion in (Reserve Heavy Mechanized) Quadrangle
- 908th Armoured Engineer Battalion in Quadrangle
- 142nd Supply Battalion in Hagenow
- 43rd Mechanized Brigade (Netherlands)
- Staff and Signal Company under Brigadegeneral Jan Renger Swillens
- 43rd Armoured Reconnaissance Company
- 414th Armoured Battalion (Germany) in Lohheide
- 44th Mechanized Battalion (Heavy Mechanized)
- 45th Mechanized Battalion (Heavy Mechanized)
- 10th National Reserve Battalion
- 11th Armoured Engineer Company
- 43rd Maintenance Company
- 43rd Medical Company
External links[]
- Official website of Intervention Force Division / 1st Armoured Division
- Concept of the Anti-Air Regiment 6
References[]
Coordinates: 52°22′11.31″N 9°46′11.77″E / 52.3698083°N 9.7699361°E
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The original article can be found at 1st Panzer Division (Bundeswehr) and the edit history here.