Description
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The 9th Panzer Division was a panzer division of the Wehrmacht Army during World War II. It came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. The division was headquartered in Vienna, in the German military district Wehrkreis XVII. Originally raised from Austrian forces annexed into Germany before the war, the 9th Panzer Division was part of most of the German Army’s early Blitzkrieg attacks into western Europe. Sweeping east, the division was then a component of Operation Barbarossa, the German attack on the Soviet Union; it was badly mauled at the Battle of Kursk.
Returning to France to rebuild in 1944, the division was rushed to counter Operation Overlord. It was destroyed several successive times by British and American forces as the German Army was pushed back across Europe. The division suffered massive casualties in armor and personnel until it finally collapsed in March 1945. The division’s few survivors were pushed into the Ruhr Pocket where they surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war.
The Begleitkompanien were kind of the “Pretorians”/bodyguards of the Divisional Staff, but were also used in case of an emergency on the frontline (e.g. of potential breakthrough of the enemy), so some of them saw action in the most dangerous spots. As far as I know the staff of these Kompanien were hand-picked and well-equipped. Made of aluminum, this dog tag dates around 1943-1945 and is in EXCELLENT relic condition. There is some slight wear, marks, however all information is clearly legible. Information indicates:
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