113th Panzer Brigade

The 113th Panzer Brigade was a tank formation of the German Army in World War II. As a tank formation, it was part of the Panzer Arm (Panzerwaffe).

113th Panzer Brigade
Active4 September - 1 October 1944
Country Nazi Germany
BranchArmy
TypePanzer
RoleArmoured warfare
SizeBrigade
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Erich Freiherr von Seckendorff

History

The 113th Panzer Brigade was formed on 4 September 1944.[1]

Unlike earlier Panzer Brigades, it was equipped with two battalions of Panzer IV and Panther tanks, with two mechanized panzergrenadier battalions, instead of one battalion each. On paper, it was a strong formation. However, it lacked sufficient supporting units such as reconnaissance, artillery and engineers, which made a Panzer Division a lethal combination of armor and infantry. On 6 September the brigade was sent to Colmar and on 16 September sent to Saarburg.[1] Assigned to the 5th Panzer Army,[2] it participated in the Battle of Arracourt, as the Germans attempted to stop the US Third Army's penetrations in Lorraine.[3] By that time, the brigade had 42 Panther tanks.[4] The battle resulted in German defeat and the virtual destruction of the 113th Panzer Brigade,[5] leaving its commander, Oberst Erich Freiherr von Seckendorff dead in the battle as well.

On 1 October 1944, the 113th Panzer Brigade was disbanded and its shattered remnants was assigned to the 15th Panzergrenadier Division.[1]

Order of battle

Citations
  1. Nafziger, George. "Organization History of German Panzer Formations" (PDF). Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  2. Cole 1997, p. 192.
  3. Cole 1997, pp. 220-233.
  4. Cole 1997, p. 224.
  5. Cole 1997, p. 233.

References
Books
Websites


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