13. Panzer-Division was formed at Vienna Oct 1940 from 13. Infanterie-Division (mot) and was transferred to Romania where it was used as a training unit under the name Lehrstab R.I der deutschen Lehrtruppen in Rumänien. It was transferred to Germany May 1941 but was soon sent to the Soviet border where it took part in the invasion, fighting on the southern sector. It remained on the southern sector until Sep 1944 when it was returned to Germany for refitting. It was sent to Hungary in Oct to take part in the defense of Budapest. It was encircled there Dec 1944 and destroyed early 1945.

It was reformed as Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 Mar 1945.

Nicknames
Magdeburger Division

Holders of high awards
Holders of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold (8)
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (6)
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (2)
  Beckmann, Ernst, 16.08.1943 (343), Schirrmeister, 6./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 66
  Franken, [first name not listed], 10.12.1941 (38), Gefreiter, 5./Kradschtz.Btl. 43
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (142)
Holders of the German Cross in Silver (1)
  Helmke, Walter, 05.11.1944, Waffen-Oberfeldwebel, Vers.Kp. I./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 93
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (24)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (41)
Holders of the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class (Orden “Michael der Tapfere” III. Klasse) (2)
  Chevallerie von der, Hellmut, Königlichen Dekrets Nr. 3269 / 20.10.1943, Generalleutnant, Kdr. 13. Pz.Div.
  Michaelis, Hans-Wilhelm, Königlichen Dekrets Nr. 3269 / 20.10.1943, Major, 13. Pz.Div.
Unit-Level Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (3)
  4./Schützen-Regiment 66
    Date/Place of Downing: 18.10.1941 bei Karakasch
    Award Date: 10.12.1941 (39)
  6./Schützen-Regiment 66
    Date/Place of Downing: 25.10.1941 bei Krym
    Award Date: 10.12.1941 (57)
  2./Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 271
    Date/Place of Downing: 20.08.1944 bei Festelita
    Award Date: 00.00.0000 (579)

Order of battle

HQ

   Divisional Staff

   Mapping Detachment (mot)

4. Panzer Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Signals Platoon

   Regimental Band

   2 x Battalion

   Panzer Maintenance Company

66. Panzergrenadier Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Regimental Band

   Regimental Staff Company (mot)

   Battalion (half-track)

   Battalion (mot)

   Infantry Gun Company (mot)

   Flak Company (self-propelled)

93. Panzergrenadier Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Regimental Band

   Regimental Staff Company (mot)

   2 x Battalion (mot)

   Infantry Gun Company (mot)

   Flak Company (self-propelled)

13. Panzerjäger Battalion

   Panzerjäger Company (mot)

   Panzerjäger Company (self-propelled)

13. Reconnaissance Company

   Armroed Car Company

   2 x Motorcycle Company

   Reconnaissance Company (half-track)

   Heavy Reconnaissance Company (mot)

   Light Armored Car Supply Column

13. Panzer Artillery Regiment

   Regimental Staff

   Staff Battery

   2 x Battalion

   Battalion (mot)

   Observation Battery (mot)

271. Army Flak Battalion

   Staff & Staff Battery (mot)

   2 x Heavy Flak Battery (mot)

   Light Flak Battery (mot)

   Flak Battery (self-propelled)

   Light Flak Supply Column

Montfort Panzergrenadier Battalion (formed July 1943)

   Staff

   3 x Company

4. Panzer Pioneer Battalion

   Staff

   2 x Pioneer Company (half-track)

   Pioneer Company (mot)

   Brüko K Bridging Column

   Light Pioneer Supply Column (mot)

13. Panzer Signals Battalion

   Panzer Telephone Company

   Panzer Radio Company

   Light Signals Supply Column

13. Feldersatz Battalion

   4 x Company

Supply & Support Units

Panzer III Panzerbefehlswagen on the Eastern Front in June 1941

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

Panzer III on the Eastern Front in June 1941

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

Footnotes
1. Generalmajor Walther Düvert taken ill.
2. Generalmajor Traugott Herr wounded near Planovskoe.
3. Some sources indicate that Oberst Dr. Walter Kühn commanded the division at this time.
4. Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli to division commanders school
5. GL Hellmut von der Chevallerie wounded
6. GM Gerhard Schmidhuber killed in action trying to breakout of Budapest.

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

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

Wolf Keilig - Die Generale des Heeres

Andris Kursietis - Die Wehrmacht at War 1939-1945

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)

Günther Wegmann - Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht, Teil VIII a: Panzertruppe, Band 1

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

Reference material on this unit

Dr. Leo Beckmann, Hans Buhlmann etc - Die 13. Panzerdivision 1935-1945

Helmut Blume - Zum Kaukasus 1941-1942: Aus dem Tagebuch und Briefen eines jungen Artilleristen

Friedrich von Hake - Das Waren Wir! - Das Erlebten Wir!: Der Schicksalsweg der 13. Panzer-Division

Dieter Hoffmann - Die Magdeburger Division: Zur Geschichte der 13. Infanterie- und 13. Panzer-Division 1935 - 1945

Willi Kubik - Erinnerungen eines Panzerschützen 1941-1945: Tagebuchaufzeichnung eines Panzerschützen der Pz.Aukl. Abt. 13 im Russlandfeldzug

Franz Kurowski - Feldwebel Rudi Brasche: Als Panzergrenadier in Ost und West