101st Panzer Brigade
| 101st Panzer Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 5 July – 21 September 1941 15 August - October 1944 |
| Country | File:Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Brigade |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert |
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The 101st Panzer Brigade was a Panzer Brigade that fought in World War II.
History
[edit | edit source]The first 101st Panzer Brigade was formed on 5 July 1941 in France with captured tanks.[1] On 21 September 1941, it was used to form the staff of the 23rd Panzer Division.[2] Colonel Botho Elster was briefly in command of the brigade in 1941 before being transferred to OB West.[3]
The second 101st Panzer Brigade was ordered to be formed on 11 July 1944 but was not formed until 15 August 1944.[2] Like most Panzer Brigades, it had a battalion of Panther tanks and a battalion of panzergrenadiers in Sd.Kfz. 251 half tracks. It was a part of the ad hoc Panzerverband Strachwitz under Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz.[4] The 101st, along with the SS Panzer Brigade Gross, participated in Operation Doppelkopf to restore connection between Army Group North and Army Group Center.[4] It was then deployed to the frontline on Estonia.[5] In October 1944, the brigade was reformed near Bobruisk, then it was merged with the remains of the destroyed 20th Panzer Division.[2] The brigade staff formed the Staff/21st Panzer Regiment, the panzer battalion became the 2/21st Panzer Regiment, while the panzergrenadier Battalion became a Jagd-Kommando in the 20th Panzer Division.[2]
Order of battle
[edit | edit source]1941
[edit | edit source]- 203rd Panzer Regiment
- 204th Panzer Regiment
1944
[edit | edit source]- 2101st Panzer Battalion (3 Panther tank companies, 1 Jagdpanzer IV company)
- 2101st Panzergrenadier Battalion (3 companies)
- 2101st Brigade Support Units [2]
Commanders
[edit | edit source]- Oberst Botho Elster - 1941
- Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert - July - August 1944
- Oberst Richard Schmidthagen - August 1944
- Oberstleutnant Guido von Wartenburg - August - September 1944
- Major Eberhard Zahn - September - October 1944[note 1]
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Major Friedrich-Wilhelm Breidenbach also served as acting commander, date of command is unknown.
Citations
[edit | edit source]- ^ Nafziger 1999, p. 202.
- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Mitcham 2000, p. 215.
- ^ a b Mitcham 2007, p. 140.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 141.
References
[edit | edit source]- Books
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- Websites
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