The 2nd Panzergrenadier Division (2. Panzergrenadierdivision) was a West German mechanized infantry formation. It was part of the III Corps of the , which also incorporated in 1985 the 5th Panzer Division and 12th Panzer Division.Isby and Kamps, Armies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's Publishing Company, 1985, p.196 III Corps was part of NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG), along with the Bundeswehr's II Corps and the American V and VII Corps. In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the Cold War, the 2nd Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994.
The division was constituted as the 2nd Grenadier Division in Kassel on 1 July 1956 as part of the II Corps (then called "Army Staff II") of the Bundeswehr. At that time, it commanded the "A2" and "B2" battle-groups. In 1957, the division was subordinated to the German III Corps and one year later it received a third battle-group, "C2". The battle-groups later became the 6th Panzer, 5th Panzergrenadier, and 4th Panzergrenadier Brigades. As part of an army reorganization in 1959, the division was renamed the 2nd Panzergrenadier Division and division headquarters was quartered at Marburg.
In 1970, the division was renamed the 2nd Jäger (light infantry) Division. In 1974, the division headquarters was moved back to Kassel. The division once again became the 2nd Panzergrenadier Division in 1980. Following the end of the Cold War, the 2nd Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994.
Commanders Nr. Name Start of command End of command15Wolfgang Estorf1991199414Hans Grillmeier1987199113Carl-Helmut Lichel1984198712Manfred Fanslau1981198411Werner Schäfer1979198110Fritz von Westermann197619799Carl-Gero von Ilsemann197119768Rolf Juergens197019717Ernst Ferber196719696Werner Drews196419675Klaus Müller196119644Ottomar Hansen196019613Alfred Zerbel195819602Friedrich Foertsch195719581Otto Schaefer19561957
References
Literature Erinnerungsbuch 2. Panzergrenadierdivision, Herausgeber: 2. Panzergrenadierdivision (Major i. G. Dr. phil. Gert-Detlef Feddern), erschienen beim Verlag Moritz Diesterweg, Frankfurt am Main, 1962 2. Panzergrenadierdivision/Die "Zwote"/Eine Chronik der Geschichte der "Hessischen Division", 1. Auflage 1994, Herausgeber: Kameradschaft 2. Panzergrenadierdivision e. V.
External links Die Geschichte der „Hessischen Division“ 2. Panzergrenadierdivision die „Zwote“ auf Kameradschaft 2. PzGrenDiv Stand 3. Februar 2008 Beschreibung auf www.relikte.com Die Geschichte der Division im Bundesarchiv