The Panzerkorps Großdeutschland was a German panzer corps in the Wehrmacht which saw action on the Eastern Front in 1944/1945 during World War II.

Creation and service history

On September 28, 1944 the OKH ordered the creation of Panzer Corps Grossdeutschland. It was planned to contain enlarged corps troops and several panzer divisions; a unit that could be used as strong reserve for an army. To achieve this, parts of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division Großdeutschland were, while the division retained its status, used as base for the Generalkommando Panzerkorps Großdeutschland. Units for the staff and the corps troops were: With the addition of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division Brandenburg the corps had its first structure with two active divisions. The first commander of the corps was General der Panzertruppe Dietrich von Saucken, the former commander of the XXXIX Panzer Corps. Still in the forming phase during the looming of the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive the staff and the Brandenburg Division were ordered to Poland, while the Division Großdeutschland was detached to Eastern Prussia. Ultimately the corps never fought as a unified body, and during the retreat towards the west its composition steadily changed. When von Saucken was promoted to command the 2nd Army in February he was succeeded by General der Panzertruppe Georg Jauer, who commanded the corps's 20. Panzer-Grenadier-Division. Never surrendering at-large the corps was dismissed on war's end on May 8, 1945.

Order of Battle – March 1, 1945

Staff Panzercorps Großdeutschland

Corps Troops

Division z.b.V. 615 / Divisions-Stab z.b.V. 615

Generalmajor Gerd-Paul von Below

Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring

Generalmajor Max Lemke

Panzer-Grenadier-Division Brandenburg

Generalmajor Hermann Schulte-Heuthaus

20. Panzer-Grenadier-Division

Generalmajor Georg Scholze

Commanders

Footnotes