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The 7th Panzer Division was an elite armored formation of the German Army in the Second World War. It participated in the Battle of France, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the occupation of Vichy France, and the defensive battles on the Eastern Front till the end of the war. The division met with great success in France in 1940, and then again in Russia in 1941. In May 1942, the division was withdrawn from Russia and sent back to France to replace losses and refit. It returned to southern Russia following the defeat at Stalingrad, and helped to check a general collapse of the front in a series of defensive battles as part of Army Group Don, and participated in General Erich von Manstein's counter stroke at Kharkov.〔David M. Glantz, ''From the Don to the Dnepr'', Chapter 4, Operation Star.〕 The division fought in the unsuccessful offensive at Kursk in the summer of 1943, suffering heavy losses in men and equipment and was further degraded in the subsequent Russian counteroffensive.〔Kamen Nevenkin, ''Fire Brigades: The Panzer Divisions 1943-1945'', p 214-239, The losses for July were 3,231, and in August almost as many 3,035 (p 233)〕 Through 1944 and 1945, the division was markedly understrength but nevertheless was continuously engaged in a series of defensive battles across the eastern front. It was twice evacuated by sea, leaving what was left of its heavy equipment behind each time. After fighting defensively across Prussia and northern Germany, the surviving men escaped into the forest and surrendered to the British army northwest of Berlin in May 1945. == Creation of the division == Following the completion of the invasion of Poland, the limited effectiveness of the light divisions caused the German High Command to order the reorganization of the four light divisions into full panzer divisions. In October 1939, the 2nd Light Division became the 7th Panzer Division. The reconnaissance regiment from the 2nd Light Division was split into two parts, forming the new 37th Reconnaissance Battalion and the 7th Motorcycle Battalion. The 25th Panzer Regiment with its 2 panzer battalions was added to give the division more striking power. With the division's 66th Panzer Battalion, the total armoured strength rose to 3 battalions. The division also possessed two regiments of motorized infantry, an artillery regiment of three battalions with twelve guns each, an anti-tank battalion and a pioneer battalion. The new commander of the division was Erwin Rommel. A highly decorated infantry officer from the First World War, he had been chosen by Hitler to command his personal guard unit. Such duties were not to his liking during a time of war. Although Rommel had no training or practical experience in tank warfare, he had witnessed the effects of the panzer forces with Hitler in Poland. Their speed and mobility had appealed to him, and were well suited to his own aggressive style. He prevailed upon the Führer to transfer him to a command in the new panzerwaffe. On 15 February 1940, Rommel received his request and was given command of the 7th Panzer Division. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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