German Armored Forces & Vehicles

Panzers in Rugby-land.

US Department of the Army (collection)

PzKpfw IV tanks, most probably of the 11. Panzer Division, pass through Toulouse, ?July, 1944. If the tanks look spankiing new, that would hardly be surprising. 11. Panzer was something of an élite unit - and had the sort of history not untypical of such units in the Wehrmacht. Having been severely chewed up in the breakout from the Cherassky Pocket, the Division was moved to the Bordeaux area for reconstruction and refit (it had escaped from Cherassky with heavy loss of personnel and hardly any vehicles). The Division was then moved to Toulouse for further recuperation - where it became a key German formation in the (inadequate) German force opposing the Allied invasion of the South of France (Operation Anvil, August/September, 1944). Another severe chewing-up ensued. The Division remained heavily committed on the Western Front up to the time of its surrender to the US Army 26th Division in May, 1945. Best regards, JR.