The Pz.Div. Panzer Division was one of 38 divisions of Germany during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe (battlegroup). After the Campaign against Poland in 1939, a number of new German Divisions were formed. The 3rd Division was formed from the units that took part in the Polish Campaign and with other members. Some portions of the Division were formed from elements of Heimwehr Danzig which was originally Sturmbann "Gotze", renamed "Heimwehr Danzig" and formed into Abteilung size, then put under Heer control for combat in Poland. After Poland, portions of this unit were used in the formation of this Division. During the Campaign in France, Division served first as a part of the Army reserve. On May 16th, 1940, the Division was ordered into battle. Soon after, the Division was sent to the Coast of France south of Dunkirk where it took part in coastal defense operations. In the begining of June, 1940, the Division was moved to St. Pol. When the Campaing in France was over, the Division was located near the Spanish border. 3.Division stayed in that location until April, 1941, when it was ordered to the East as a part of Army Group North for the Invasion of the Soviet Union. Division saw action in Lithuania, through Latvia, through the Stalin Line in July, to North of Demyansk, to Leningrad where it was in combat from July 31st to August 25th, 1941. Early in August, 1941, 3.Division managed to capture the city of Chudovo which was on the main Leningrad-Moscow railway. During this period, a small but not insignificant unit, the Freikorps Danemark, was attached to the Division. Also during this time, the Fall and Winter of 1941, the Soviets launched a number of operations against the German lines in the Northern sector of the Front. As a result, the Division was encircled for several months in the Demyansk Pocket. The Division suffered so heavily in the Demyansk Pocket. In April of 1942, the Division broke out of the Pocket and managed to reach the area of the Lovat River. A portion of the Division stayed near Demyansk on defensive operations, until the whole Division was pulled out of action for refitting in late October, 1942 and sent to France. The Division stayed in France until February, 1943. In February, 1943, the Division was transfered to the East as a part of Army Group South. It was then that the Division took part in the massive German counter offensives to stop the Russian Winter offensive that had already destroyed the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. The Division took part in the 2nd Battle for Kharkov, and helped stop the Soviet offensive in the south. From Kharkov, the Division was sent into the massive battles for the Kursk Salient in 1943, fighting in some of the most bloody and fierce combat of the war and the largest tank battle in all of History. The operation soon came to a halt, and the Kursk offensive was called off. PzDiv. Panzer Division was pulled out along with the other German units, but stayed on conducting defensive operations, helping to restore the German front once again after another Soviet offensive was launched after the battle for Kursk failed. The Division stayed on defensive operation in the south and central sector of the German front for nearly a year, and during this time, in October, 1943, the Division was reformed and renamed as a Panzer Division. By 1944, the situation on the Eastern Front was very dire. Everywhere the Soviets were advancing. In the center of the Front, the Soviets had managed to launch what was probably the largest offenisve of the entire war, sending hundreds of units against the German lines, pushing them nearly 300 miles in four weeks. Next, the Division was sent south to help rescue the encirled German units in Budapest. 3.Panzer Division launched an assualt taking it all the way to the Budapest airport, but was pulled back in an action that was hoped would result in the destruction of Soviet units to the North of the Budapest. From there, the Division was pushed back West, fighting battles west of Budapest, and then in Vienna. The Division surrenderd to the Americans on May 9th, 1945, and handed over to the Soviets.