10th Panzer Division (Bundeswehr)

Not to be confused with 10th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).

The 10th Panzer Division (German: 10. Panzerdivision) is an armoured division of the German Army, part of the Bundeswehr.^[3] Its staff is based at Veitshöchheim. The division is a unit of the German Army's stabilization forces and specializes in conflicts of low intensity.

10th Panzer Division
10. Panzerdivision
10th Panzer Division Shoulder Insignia
Active	1 April 1959–present
Country	Germany  Netherlands
Type	Panzer
Size	20,000 soldiers[1]
Part of	German Army
Garrison/HQ	Veitshöchheim
Nickname(s)	Lion's division Löwendivision The Tenth Die Zehnte
Motto(s)	Reliable, mobile, quick! Zuverlässig – beweglich – schnell!
March	Fridericus-Rex-Grenadiermarsch
Anniversaries	1 April 1959
Engagements	War in Bosnia Civil war in Albania Kosovo War War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Ruprecht Horst von Butler[2]
Notable commanders	Lieutenant General Leo Hepp General Johann Adolf Graf von Kielmansegg General Günter Kießling Lieutenant General Josef Moll Major General Erhard Bühler

History

This division was founded as the 10. Panzerdivision of the new German Army in 1959. The 10th Panzer Division is a part of Germany's permanent contribution to Eurocorps, the other being the German contribution to the Franco-German Brigade which was subordinate to the division until 2006.

After 1993 troops of this division participated in numerous overseas deployments. Among them were the first out-of-area land deployment operations for the Bundeswehr (in fact of any German military unit after World War II). Troops were deployed to Somalia (UNOSOM II) from 1993 to 1994 and to Bosnia and Herzegovina (IFOR) from 1995 to 1996 and stayed in this country until 1998 (SFOR). Soldiers of the 10th Panzer Division's SFOR contingent were also involved in the Bundeswehr's first combat operation in 1997 (Operation Libelle). In 2000, the 10th Panzer Division deployed more than 8,000 personnel to the Balkans. Between 2002 and 2003, it deployed to various operations in the Balkans and in Afghanistan.

In 2017, the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade of the Czech Land Forces started to ″work closely″ with the division.^[4][5][6]

Since April 2024, the 10th Panzer Division provides the manoeuvre contingent for the Kosovo Force. The Franco-German Brigade provides the 200 soldiers from the division.^[7]

In April 2025, the 10th Panzer Division assumed command of the newly established 45th Panzer Brigade “Litauen” stationed permanently in Lithuania. The brigade is structured as a heavy mechanized formation and includes Panzerbataillon 203 and Panzergrenadierbataillon 122, both scheduled to deploy from Germany by 2026. It also integrates NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Lithuania.^[8] This marks the division’s first operational command of a permanently stationed force outside Germany.

Organization

10th Panzer Division with integrated Dutch units 2025

Main article: Structure of the German Army

• 10th Panzer Division (10. Panzerdivision), in Veitshöchheim^[9]
  • Panzer Brigade 12 (Panzerbrigade 12), in Cham
  • 13 Light Brigade (13 Lichte Brigade), in Oirschot (Netherlands)
  • Panzergrenadier Brigade 37 (Panzergrenadierbrigade 37), in Frankenberg
  • Panzer Brigade 45 (Panzerbrigade 45), in Rūdninkai (Lithuania) — activated on 1 April 2025 and initially consist of the Panzergrenadier Battalion 122 and Panzer Battalion 203.^[10][11][12]
  • Franco-German Brigade (Deutsch-Französische Brigade), in Müllheim (administrative control of the brigade's German units)
  • Reconnaissance Battalion 10 (Aufklärungsbataillon 10), in Füssen with Fennek reconnaissance vehicles and KZO drones
  • Artillery Lehr Battalion 345 (Artillerielehrbataillon 345), in Idar-Oberstein with 24x PzH 2000 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, 8x M270 MLRS multiple rocket launch systems, 12x 120 mm mortars, KZO drones and 2x Euro-Art COBRA counter-battery radars
  • Panzer Engineer Battalion 4 (Panzerpionierbataillon 4), in Bogen
  • Engineer Battalion 905 (Pionierbataillon 905), in Ingolstadt (Reserve unit)
  • Signal Battalion 10 (Fernmeldebataillon 10), in Veitshöchheim^[13]
  • Security Support Battalion 10 (Sicherungsbataillon 10), in Veitshöchheim (Reserve unit)
  • Supply Battalion 8 (Versorgungsbataillon 8), in Füssen

Geographic Distribution

10th Panzer Division

Signal Bn. 10
Security Bn. 10

Artillery Lehr Bn. 345

Panzer Brigade 12

Recon Bn. 8

Panzer Bn. 104
Mtn. Panzer Bn. 8

Panzergrenadier Bn. 112

Panzergrenadier Bn. 122

Panzer Artillery Bn. 375

Panzer Artillery Bn. 131

Panzer Engineer Bn. 4

Supply Bn. 4

Panzer Engineer Bn. 8

Engineer Bn. 905

Recon Bn. 10

Supply Bn. 8

Panzergrenadier Bde. 37

Recon Bn. 13

Panzer Bn. 363

Panzer Bn. 393

Panzer Eng. Bn. 701

Supply Bn. 131

Panzergrenadier Bn. 371

Panzergrenadier Bn. 909

Panzergrenadier Bn. 212

Panzergrenadier Bn. 391

Franco-German Brigade

D/F Supply Bn.

3^e Régiment de Hussards

1^er Régiment d'Infanterie

Jäger Bn. 291

Jäger Bn. 292

Artillery Bn. 295

Engineer Coy. 550

10th Panzer Division locations 2025:
Units: Panzer Panzergrenadier Jäger
Reconnaissance Artillery Engineers Logistics Signals
Reserve formations are in Italics
The 13 Light Brigade based in Oirschot in the Netherlands and the Panzer Brigade 45 based in Rūdninkai in Lithuania are off map.

See also

• German Army
• Eurocorps