The 10. Panzer-Division was formed in April 1939 in Prague. It took part in the campaign in the west and remained in France until February 1941 when it returned to Germany. It fought on the central sector of the Eastern front until May 1942 when it was transferred to Amiens, France, for refitting and remained in France (it was a reserve force during the Allied landings at Dieppe) until December 1942 when it was sent to Tunisia. It was destroyed in Tunis on 12 May 1943 and was formally disbanded in June.

Commanders

Generalmajor Georg Gawantka (01 May 1939 - 14 Jul 1939) (1)
Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal (16 Jul 1939 - 04 Sep 1939)
Generalmajor Horst Stumpff (05 Sep 1939 - 26 Sep 1939)
Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal (27 Sep 1939 - 02 Aug 1941)
Generalleutnant Wolfgang Fischer (02 Aug 1941 - 01 Feb 1943) (2)
Generalleutnant Friedrich Freiherr von Broich (01 Feb 1943 - 12 May 1943)

Area of operations

Germany (Sep 1939 - May 1940)
France (May 1940 - Feb 1941)
Germany (Feb 1941 - June 1941)
Eastern front, central sector (June 1941 - May 1942)
France (May 1942 - Dec 1942)
Tunisia (Dec 1942 - May 1943)

Holders of high awards

Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army  (3)
- Hanbauer, Heinrich, 18.07.1941 (088), Oberleutnant, Chef 2./Schtz.Rgt. 86
- Jörns, [first name not listed], 18.07.1941 (987), Hauptmann, Chef 1./Schtz.Rgt. 86
- Rätzel, Fritz, 20.08.1941 (214), Hauptmann, Chef 7./Schtz.Rgt. 86
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (45)
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (7)
- Baumeister, Lorenz, 19.08.1941, Unteroffizier, Pz.Jäg.Abt. 90
- Franz, Herbert (mit seinem Zuge), 20.09.1941, Leutnant, 9./Schtz.Rgt. 86
- Hoffmann, Paul, 27.05.1943, Oberleutnant, I./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 69
- Keyssner, Rudolf, 04.05.1942, Leutnant, 4./Pz.Rgt. 7
- Liebermann von, Hans-Detlef, 27.05.1943, Leutnant, II./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 86
- Reichelt, Rudolf (mit seinem Zuge), 20.09.1941, Leutnant, 1./Schtz.Rgt. 86
- Stein, Kurt, 26.02.1943, Leutnant, 4./Pz.Rgt. 7
Holders of the Knight's Cross (19)
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (1)
- Werkstatt-Kompanie 3/90
-- Date/Place of Downing: 14.12.1941 bei Bely
-- Award Date: 16.05.1942 (88)

Order of battle

HQ
- Mapping Detachment (mot)
7. Panzer Regiment
- Staff Platoon
- Signals Platoon
- 2 x Battalion
- Captured Tank Recovery Company
69. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff Battery (mot)
- 2 x Battalion
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
86. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff Battery (mot)
- 2 x Battalion
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
10. Motorcycle Battalion
- 2 x Motorcycle Company
- Half-track Company
- Armored Car Company
- Heavy Company (mot)
90. Artillery Regiment (mot)
- Staff Battery (mot)
- 4 x Battalion
- Battery (Sturmgeschütze)
- Battery (British 25pdrs)
- Observation Battery (mot)
- Light Supply Column (mot)
90. Panzerjäger Battalion
- Battery (self-propelled)
- Battery (mot)
- Flak Battery (self-propelled)
49. Pioneer Battalion
- Pioneer Company (half-track)
- 2 x Pioneer Company
- Bridging Column (mot)
- Light Pioneer Supply Column (mot)
90. Signals Company
- Panzer Radio Company
- Panzer Telephone Company
- Light Signals Supply Column (mot)
14 / 104. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Reconnaissance Platoon
- 3 x Panzerjäger Platoon
Supply & Support Units

Notable members

Albrecht von Hagen (Active in the resistance against Hitler and executed after the failure of the July 20 Plot)
Dr. Karl Mauss (Holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds)
Erich Peter (Generaloberst and Deputy Minister for National Defense and Chief of the Border Police/Troops (15 Sep 1960-31 July 1979) of the German Democratic Republic; served as an Unteroffizier in the division from 1939-1943.)
Ferdinand Schaal (Active in the resistance against Hitler)
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (Active in the resistance against Hitler and the one who placed the bomb that were to kill Hitler 20 July 1944, he was executed after the failure of the July 20 Plot, the Bundeswehr barracks Graf-Stauffenberg-Kaserne in Sigmaringen was named in his honour 1961)

A captured British Valentine Mk III in use by Panzer-Regiment 7

(Courtesy of Magnus)

Tanks of 10. Panzer-Division in Tunisia

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

Tanks of 10. Panzer-Division in Tunisia

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

Footnotes

1. Generalmajor Georg Gawantka died on 14 July, 1939
2. Wolfgang Fischer was killed 1 February 1943 near Mareth when his staff car drove into a poorly marked Italian minefield.

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
French Maclean - Quiet Flows the Rhine: German General Officer Casualties in World War II
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
George F. Nafziger - The Afrika Korps: An organizational history 1941-1943
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

Kevin Fish - Panzer Regiment 8 in World War Ii: Poland-France-North Africa
J. Restayn & N. Moller- The Combat History of the 10. Panzer Division: In Action in the East, West and North Africa 1939-1943