The 13. Panzer-Division was formed in Vienna in October 1940 from 13. Infanterie-Division (mot) and was transferred to Romania where it was used as a training unit under the name Lehrstab R.I der deutschen Lehrtruppen in Rumänien. It was transferred to Germany in May 1941 but was soon sent to the Soviet border where it took part in the invasion, fighting on the southern sector. It remained on the southern sector until September 1944 when it was returned to Germany for refitting. It was sent to Hungary in October to take part in the defense of Budapest. It was encircled there December 1944 and destroyed early 1945.

It was reformed as Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 in March 1945.

Commanders

Generalmajor Friedrich-Wilhelm von Rotkirch und Panthen (11 Oct 1940 - 13 June 1941)
Generalmajor Walther Düvert (14 June 1941 - 27 Jul 1941) m.d.F.b.
Generalmajor Walther Düvert (28 Jul 1941 - 30 Nov 1941) (1)
Oberst Traugott Herr (01 Dec 1941 - 31 Mar 1942) m.d.F.b.
Generalmajor Traugott Herr (01 Apr 1941 - 25 Sep 1942) (2)
Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli (25 Sep 1942 - ?? Oct 1942) m.d.F.b.
Oberst Dr.Ernst Kühn (?? Oct 1942 - 30 Oct 1942 m.d.F.b. (3)
Generalmajor Hellmut von der Chevallerie (01 Nov 1942 - 30 Nov 1942)
Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli (01 Dec 1942 - 21 Feb 1943) m.d.F.b. (4)
Generalleutnant Hellmut von der Chevallerie (22 Feb 1943 - 31 Aug 1943) (5)
Oberst Eduard Hauser (01 Sep 1943 - 30 Nov 1943) m.d.F.b.
Generalmajor Eduard Hauser (01 Dec 1943 - 23 Dec 1943)
Oberst Hans Mikosch (23 Dec 1943 - 31 Dec 1943) m.d.F.b.
Generalmajor Hans Mikosch (01 Jan 1944 - 30 Apr 1944)
Oberst Friedrich von Hake (01 May 1944 - 25 May 1944) m.d.F.b.
Generalleutnant Hans Tröger (25 May 1944 - 9 Sep 1944)
Oberst Gerhard Schmidhuber (9 Sep 1944 - 30 Sep 1944) m.d.F.b.
Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber (01 Oct 1944 - 11 Feb 1945) (6)

Area of operations

Romania (Oct 1940 - May 1941)
Germany (May 1941 - June 1941)
Eastern front, southern sector (June 1941 - Sep 1944)
Germany (Sep 1944 - Oct 1944)
Hungary (Oct 1944 - Feb 1945)

Nicknames

Magdeburger Division (Division from Magdeburg)

Holders of high awards

Holders of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold (8)
- Becker, Rudolf, 15.02.1944, Oberleutnant, Chef. 1./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
- Liebl, Andreas, 09.08.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 3./Pz.Aufkl.Abt. 13
- Rusdorf, Hans-Georg, 27.09.1943, Obergefreiter, 4./Pz.Aufkl.Abt. 13
- Sassenberg, Willi, 00.00.1944, Obergefreiter, Gruppenführer i. d. 8./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
-- [listed per 2006 edition of Dörr : Kein Nachweis im BA. Mitteilung des Trägers vom 03.09.1989.]
- Sauer, Johann, 14.01.1944, Hauptmann d.R., Kdr. I./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 93
- Schöntaube, Karl, 00.00.0000, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 3./Pz.Aufkl.Abt. 13
- Thieme, Kurt, 26.07.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 5./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
- Willno, Fritz, 12.02.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 3./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (6)
- Gehrig, Bernhard, 15.12.1944 (4846), Hauptmann, Kdr. II./Pz.Rgt. 4
- Gutschmidt, Hans-Herbert, 25.07.1944 (3605), Oberleutnant, Battr.Chef 3./Pz.Art.Rgt. 13
- Olbrich, Herbert, 16.10.1942 (1320), Oberst, Kdr. Pz.Rgt. 4
- Radwan, Oskar, 12.07.1941 (117), Oberstleutnant, Kdr. Schtz.Rgt. 93
- Schmidt, Bruno, 05.12.1944 (4730), Oberwachtmeister, Battr.Offz. 3./Pz.Art.Rgt. 13
- Seidel, Kurt, 07.01.1945 (5126), Hauptmann, Btl.Fhr. II./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 93
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (2)
- Beckmann, Ernst, 16.08.1943 (343), Schirrmeister, 6./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
- Franken, [first name not listed], 10.12.1941 (38), Gefreiter, 5./Kradschtz.Btl. 43
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (142)
Holders of the German Cross in Silver (1)
- Helmke, Walter, 05.11.1944, Waffen-Oberfeldwebel, Vers.Kp. I./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 93
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (24)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (41)
Holders of the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class (Orden “Michael der Tapfere” III. Klasse) (2)
- Chevallerie von der, Hellmut, Königlichen Dekrets Nr. 3269 / 20.10.1943, Generalleutnant, Kdr. 13. Pz.Div.
- Michaelis, Hans-Wilhelm, Königlichen Dekrets Nr. 3269 / 20.10.1943, Major, 13. Pz.Div.
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (3)
- 4./Schützen-Regiment 66
-- Date/Place of Downing: 18.10.1941 bei Karakasch
-- Award Date: 10.12.1941 (39)
- 6./Schützen-Regiment 66
-- Date/Place of Downing: 25.10.1941 bei Krym
-- Award Date: 10.12.1941 (57)
- 2./Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 271
-- Date/Place of Downing: 20.08.1944 bei Festelita
-- Award Date: 00.00.0000 (579)

Order of battle

HQ
- Divisional Staff
- Mapping Detachment (mot)
4. Panzer Regiment
- Regimental Staff
- Signals Platoon
- Regimental Band
- 2 x Battalion
- Panzer Maintenance Company
66. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Regimental Staff
- Regimental Band
- Regimental Staff Company (mot)
- Battalion (half-track)
- Battalion (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
- Flak Company (self-propelled)
93. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Regimental Staff
- Regimental Band
- Regimental Staff Company (mot)
- 2 x Battalion (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
- Flak Company (self-propelled)
13. Panzerjäger Battalion
- Panzerjäger Company (mot)
- Panzerjäger Company (self-propelled)
13. Reconnaissance Company
- Armroed Car Company
- 2 x Motorcycle Company
- Reconnaissance Company (half-track)
- Heavy Reconnaissance Company (mot)
- Light Armored Car Supply Column
13. Panzer Artillery Regiment
- Regimental Staff
- Staff Battery
- 2 x Battalion
- Battalion (mot)
- Observation Battery (mot)
271. Army Flak Battalion
- Staff & Staff Battery (mot)
- 2 x Heavy Flak Battery (mot)
- Light Flak Battery (mot)
- Flak Battery (self-propelled)
- Light Flak Supply Column
Montfort Panzergrenadier Battalion (formed July 1943)
- Staff
- 3 x Company
4. Panzer Pioneer Battalion
- Staff
- 2 x Pioneer Company (half-track)
- Pioneer Company (mot)
- Brüko K Bridging Column
- Light Pioneer Supply Column (mot)
13. Panzer Signals Battalion
- Panzer Telephone Company
- Panzer Radio Company
- Light Signals Supply Column
13. Feldersatz Battalion
- 4 x Company
Supply & Support Units

Panzer III Panzerbefehlswagen on the Eastern Front in June 1941

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Panzer III on the Eastern Front in June 1941

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Footnotes

1. Generalmajor Walther Düvert taken ill.
2. Generalmajor Traugott Herr wounded near Planovskoe.
3. Some sources indicate that Oberst Dr. Walter Kühn commanded the division at this time.
4. Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli to division commanders school
5. GL Hellmut von der Chevallerie wounded
6. GM Gerhard Schmidhuber killed in action trying to breakout of Budapest.

Sources used

Microfilm Publication A-3356, German Officer Personnel files, NARA
RKT & DKiGT karteikarten, BA/MA
Dermot Bradley, Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp - Die Generale des Heeres 1921-1945
François de Lannoy & Josef Charita - Panzertruppen: German armored troops 1935-1945
Wolf Keilig - Die Generale des Heeres
Andris Kursietis - Die Wehrmacht at War 1939-1945
Kurt Mehner - Die Deutsche Wehrmacht 1939-1945: Führung und Truppe
Samuel W. Mitcham Jr - The Panzer Legions: A guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of WWII and Their Commanders
Peter Schmitz, Klaus-Jürgen Thies, Günter Wegmann & Christian Zweng - Die deutschen Divisionen 1939-1945 (4 Vol)
Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945
Günther Wegmann - Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht, Teil VIII a: Panzertruppe, Band 1
Günter Wegmann & Christian Zweng - Formationsgeschichte u. Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Streitkräfte, 1815-1990, Teile IV, Abt. 1:  Die Dienststellen, Kommandobehörden u. Truppenteile des Heeres, Oct.35-May.45

Reference material on this unit

Dr. Leo Beckmann, Hans Buhlmann etc - Die 13. Panzerdivision 1935-1945
Helmut Blume - Zum Kaukasus 1941-1942: Aus dem Tagebuch und Briefen eines jungen Artilleristen
Friedrich von Hake - Das Waren Wir! - Das Erlebten Wir!: Der Schicksalsweg der 13. Panzer-Division
Dieter Hoffmann - Die Magdeburger Division: Zur Geschichte der 13. Infanterie- und 13. Panzer-Division 1935 - 1945
Willi Kubik - Erinnerungen eines Panzerschützen 1941-1945: Tagebuchaufzeichnung eines Panzerschützen der Pz.Aukl. Abt. 13 im Russlandfeldzug
Franz Kurowski - Feldwebel Rudi Brasche: Als Panzergrenadier in Ost und West
Helmut Schiebel - A Better Comrade You Will Never Find