6th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
German army division during World War II / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 6th Panzer Division (English: 6th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Heer, during World War II, established in October 1939.
| 6th Panzer Division | |
|---|---|
| 6. Panzer-Division — 6. PzDiv — | |
 Unit insignia 1939 | |
| Active | October 1939 – May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  German Army |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Part of |  Wehrmacht |
| Garrison/HQ | Wehrkreis VI: Wuppertal |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Erich Hoepner |
| Insignia | |
| Insignia (1939) | |
| Insignia (1941) |  |
| Insignia (Kursk) |  |
The division, initially formed as a light brigade, participated in the invasions of Poland, Belgium, France and the Soviet Union. From 1941 to 1945 it fought on the Eastern Front, interrupted only by periods of refitting spent in France and Germany. It eventually surrendered to US forces in Czechoslovakia in May 1945 but was handed over to Soviet authorities, where the majority of its remaining men would be imprisoned in Gulag hard labour camps.