1st Armoured Division (Germany)

Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured Division 1. Panzerdivision
1st Armoured Division insignia
Active	1956 - present
Country	Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Division
Role	Conventional warfare, peacekeeping
Size	About 20.000 soldiers
Part of	German Army
Garrison/HQ	Hanover
Nickname	The first one Die Erste
Motto	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 Markus Kneip
Notable commanders	General Henning von Ondarza, COMAFCENT 1991-1994 General Helge Hansen, COMAFCENT 1994-1996

1st Armoured Division (German: 1. Panzerdivision) is an armoured division of the German Army. It also bears the designation Division Intervention Forces (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.

Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured 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 Bunderswehr Heer, in turn part of NATO's Northern Army Group, Allied Forces Central Europe. It was the only division in the Army Group without a forward defence sector in line against a projected Warsaw Pact attack; the only immediately available reserve division.^[1]

1st Armoured 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

Structure 1st Armoured Division

• 1st Armoured Division (1. Panzerdivision)^[2]
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Armoured Division (Stab und Stabskompanie 1. Panzerdivision, Hanover)
  • Army Band 1 (Heeresmusikkorps 1, Hanover)
  • NBC Defense Battalion 7 (ABC-Abwehrbataillon 7, Höxter)
  • Light NBC Defense Company 110 (Leichte ABC-Abwehrkompanie 110, Sonthofen)
  • Light Air Defense Demonstration Battery 610 (Leichte Flugabwehrraketenlehrbatterie 610, Panker-Todendorf)
  • Reconnaissance Demonstration Battalion 3 (Aufklärungslehrbataillon 3, Lüneburg)
  • Logistics Battalion 3 (Logistikbataillon 3, Rotenburg)
  • Signals Regiment 1 (Fernmelderegiment 1, Rotenburg)
  • Air Defense Demonstration Regiment 6 (Flugabwehrlehrregiment 6, Lütjenburg)
  • Artillery Regiment 100 (Artillerieregiment 100, Mühlhausen)
    • Staff Battery
    • Surveillance & Target Acquisition Battalion 131
    • Rocket Artillery Battalion (MLRS) 132
  • Engineer Regiment 100 (Pionierregiment 100, Minden)
    • Staff Company
    • Armoured Engineer Battalion 1
    • Heavy Engineer Battalion 130

• • Panzerlehrbrigade 9, Munster
    • Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Munster)
    • Armoured Artillery Demonstration Battalion 325 (Panzerartillerielehrbataillon 325, Munster)
    • Mechized Infantry Demonstration Battalion 92 (Panzergrenadierlehrbataillon 92, Munster)
    • Tank Demonstration Battalion 93 (Panzerlehrbataillon 93, Munster)
    • Tank Battalion 33 (Panzerbataillon 33, Neustadt am Rübenberge)
    • Logistics Battalion 141 (Logistikbataillon 141, Neustadt am Rübenberge)
    • Reconnaissance Demonstration Company 90 (Aufklärungslehrkompanie 90, Munster)
    • Armoured Engineer Demonstration Company 90 (Panzerpionierlehrkompanie 90, Munster)

• • 21st Armoured Brigade "Lipperland" (Panzerbrigade 21, Augustdorf)
    • Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Augustdorf)
    • Mechanized Infantry Battalion 212 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 212, Augustdorf)
    • Tank Battalion 203 (Panzerbataillon 203, Augustdorf)
    • Armoured Artillery Battalion 215 (Panzerartilleriebataillon 215, Augustdorf)
    • Logistics Battalion 7 (Logistikbataillon 7, Unna)
    • Armoured Engineer Company 200 (Panzerpionierkompanie 200, Augustdorf)
    • Reconnaissance Company 210 (Aufklärungskompanie 210, Augustdorf)

External links

• Official Website of Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured Division
• Concept of the Anti-Air Regiment 6

New Organisation of the Army-Anti-Aircraft-Troops

References

1. ^ David C. Isby and Charles Kamps Jr., Armies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's Publishing Company, 1985
2. ^ of the 1. Panzerdivision (German), state of 2008-01-01. Accessed 2009-09-25. Archived 2009-09-27.

Coordinates: 52°22′11.31″N 9°46′11.77″E / 52.3698083°N 9.7699361°E / 52.3698083; 9.7699361