2. Panzer-Division was formed October 1935 at Wurzburg. It was transferred to Vienna following the Anschluss with Austria. It took part in the occupation of the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia in October 1938.

After the invasion of Poland it was sent to the Eifel area to prepare for the invasion of France. It supplied Panzer Regiment 4 to the forming 13. Panzer-Division 28 September and was once again sent to Poland, this time for occupation duty.

Following the campaign in the Balkans the tracked vehicles of the division were lost when the tranports Kybfels and Marburg were sunk 21 May 1941 on their way from Patras in Greece to Italy together with the Italian destroyer Carlo Mirabello in a minefield laid by HMS Abdiel the previous day.

It was sent to the central sector of the Eastern front following a brief stay in France. It took part in the fighting at Moscow, Smolensk, Orel and Kiev. It later fought at Kursk and the Dnieper suffering heavy losses and it was sent to France for refitting early 1944. It fought in Normandy following the allied landings and was almost completly destroyed during the fighting withdrawal through France.

It was reformed September 1944 at Willich and later fought in the Ardennes and along the Rhine. It ended the war at Plauen.

Holders of high awards
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (8)
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (92)
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (32)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (33, including two unofficial/unconfirmed)
Holders of the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords (1)
  Reuschel, Kurt, 08.12.1944, Oberfeldwebel, Werkstattleiter im Pz.Rgt. 3

Order of battle (1 Sep 1939)

HQ

   82. Mapping Detachment (mot)

   82. Motorcycle Messenger Platoon

2. Schützen Brigade

   Schützen Regiment

   Light Infantry Column (mot)

2. Motorcycle Battalion

   3 x Motorcycle Company

   Motorcycle Heavy Machine Gun Company

   Heavy Company (mot)

2. Panzer Brigade

   2 x Panzer Regiment

5. Reconnaissance Battalion (mot)

   Signals Platoon (mot)

   2 x Armored Car Platoon

   Motorcycle Company

   Heavy Company (mot)

   Light Reconnaissance Supply Column (mot)

38. Panzerabwehr Battalion

   Signals Platoon (mot)

   3 x Battery (mot)

1/74. Artillery Regiment

1/110. Artillery Regiment

38. Panzer Signals Battalion

   Panzer Signals Company

   Panzer Radio Company

   Panzer Signals Supply Column

38. Pioneer Battalion

   3 x Pioneer Company (mot)

   Brüko K (mot)

   Light Pioneer Supply Column (mot)

Supply & Support Units

Order of battle (Apr 1941)

HQ

   Divisional Staff

   82. Mapping Detachment (mot)

   82. Motorcycle Messenger Platoon

3. Panzer Regiment

   Panzer Signals Platoon

   Light Panzer Platoon

   2 x Battalion

   Panzer Maintenance Company

2. Schützen Brigade

   2 x Schützen Regiment

2. Motorcycle Battalion

   3 x Motorcycle Company

   Heavy Machine Gun Company (mot)

   Reconnaissance Company (mot)

38. Panzerjäger Battalion

   Signals Platoon (mot)

   3 x Panzerjäger Company

   2/47. Heavy Machine Gun Battalion (self-propelled)

5. Reconnaissance Battalion

   Signals Platoon (mot)

   Armored Car Company

   Motorcycle Company

   Heavy Reconnaissance Company (mot)

74. Artillery Regiment

   Support Detachment

   3 x Battalion

   Panzer Observation Company

38. Signals Battalion

   Panzer Telephone Company

   Panzer Radio Company

   Light Signals Company

38. Pioneer Battalion (mot)

   Panzer Pioneer Company

   2 x Pioneer Company (mot)

   Brüko B (mot)

   Brüko K (mot)

   Light Pioneer Supply Column (mot)

76. Flak Battalion

1 / 14. Panzer Observation Squadron

Supply & Support Units

Order of battle (Feb 1944)

HQ

   Divisional Staff

   82. Mapping Detachment (mot)

   82. Divisional Escort Company (mot)

3. Panzer Regiment

   2 x Battalion

2. Panzergrenader Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Regimental Staff Company (half-track)

   Battalion (half-track)

   Battalion (mot)

   Pioneer Company (mot)

   Infantry Gun Company (self-propelled)

304. Panzergrenader Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Regimental Staff Company (half-track)

   Battalion (half-track)

   Battalion (mot)

   Pioneer Company (mot)

   Infantry Gun Company (self-propelled)

2. Reconnaissance Battalion

   Armored Car Company

   Armored Car Company (half-track)

   2 x Reconnaissance Company (half-track)

   Heavy Reconnaissance Company (half-track)

   Light Reconnaissance Supply Column (mot)

38. Panzerjäger Battalion

   Staff Battery (self-propelled)

   3 x Panzerjäger Company (self-propelled)

74. Panzer Artillery Regimen

   Regimental Staff

   Battalion

   2 x Battalion (mot)

273. Army Flak Battalion

   Staff & Staff Battery (mot)

   2 x Heavy Flak Battery (mot)

   Light Flak Battery

   Self-propelled Battery

   Light Flak Supply Column (mot)

38. Panzer Pioneer Battalion

   Staff

   Pioneer Company (half-track)

   2 x Pioneer Company (mot)

38. Panzer Signals Battalion

   Panzer Telephone Company (half-track)

   Panzer Radio Company (half-track)

   Light Signals Supply Column (mot)

82. Feldersatz Battalion

   4 x Company

Supply & Support Units

Notable members

Hermann Balck (Holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds)

Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (Active in the resistance against Hitler)

Hasso von Manteuffel (Holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, post-war a member of the Bundestag 1953-1957 for the liberal Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP)

Otto Raum (usually credited with 45+ destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)

Herbert Vahl (Served in Panzer-Regiment 4, later division-commander in the Waffen-SS)

Panzer IV of 2. Panzer-Division in Normandy 1944

(Courtesy of PJ)

SdKfz. 250/1, formerly of 2. Panzer-Division, used by the Red Army on the Bryansk Front, 1943

(Courtesy of Marcin Tyranski)

Panzer II with captured New Zealand soldier in Greece 1940

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Panzer III of Panzer-Regiment 3 on the Eastern Front, fall 1943

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Sources used

Microfilm Publication A-3356, German Officer Personnel files, NARA

RKT & DKiGT karteikarten, BA/MA

Dermot Bradley, Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp - Die Generale des Heeres 1921-1945

David Brown - The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean: November 1940-December 1941

Thomas L Jentz - Panzertruppen

Wolf Keilig - Die Generale des Heeres

Andris Kursietis - Die Wehrmacht at War 1939-1945

François de Lannoy & Josef Charita - Panzertruppen: German armored troops 1935-1945

Kurt Mehner - Die Deutsche Wehrmacht 1939-1945: Führung und Truppe

Samuel W. Mitcham Jr - The Panzer Legions: A guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of WWII and Their Commanders

Peter Schmitz, Klaus-Jürgen Thies, Günter Wegmann & Christian Zweng - Die deutschen Divisionen 1939-1945 (4 Vol)

Günter Wegmann & Christian Zweng - Formationsgeschichte u. Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Streitkräfte, 1815-1990, Teile IV, Abt. 1:  Die Dienststellen, Kommandobehörden u. Truppenteile des Heeres, Oct.35-May.45

Mark C. Yerger - Waffen-SS Commanders: The army, corps and divisional leaders of a legend (2 vol)

Reference material on this unit

Franz Steinzer - Die 2. Panzer-Division 1935-1945

F. J. Strauss - Die Geschichte der 2. Panzer Division

F.J Strauss - Friedens und Kriegserlebnisse Einer Generation: Pz.Abt.38 (SF) 2. (Wiener) Panzerdivision