Created as 5th Light Division or 5th Light Afrika Division in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoc collection of smaller units rushed to support the collapsing Italian army. Reorganized as 21st Panzer Division later the same year. Fought throughout the African campaign, participating in all the major battles, and was greatly worn down by the Battle of El Alamein and the long retreat to Tunisia (1942). It led the assault at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, but was lost in the general Axis collapse in Africa (1943). Reconstituted in France (1943) and remained there for rehabilitation and garrison duty until the Allied landings at Battle of Normandy (1944), whereupon it was heavily engaged in the fighting at the Normandy beachheads, being the only Panzer division to engage the Allies on the first day. It was greatly weakened in the ensuing battles around Caen, fighting as infantry after the loss of virtually all its tanks. It was relieved for rehabilitation but rushed back to the front after the Allied breakout, fighting to keep a toe-hold in Alsace and the Saar. It was transferred to the Eastern Front in early 1945, and was captured by the Soviets there shortly before the end of the war. The Deutsches Afrikakorps (often just Afrika Korps or DAK) was the corps-level headquarters controlling the German Panzer divisions in Libya and Egypts Western Desert during the North African Campaign of World War II. Since there was little turnover in the units attached to the corps the term is... Sup G There were two battles of El Alamein, both during 1942. ... The Battle of the Kasserine Pass took place in World War II during the Battle of Tunisia, fought between the German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel, and the Americans under General Lloyd Fredendall in the Kasserine Pass (a 2 mile wide gap in the Dorsal Chain of the Atlas... Combatants United States British Empire Canada Free France Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B) Friedrich Dollmann (7. ... Location within France Hôtel dEscoville, 16th century, Caen Anonymous pen-and-ink birds-eye view of the fortifications of Caen (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris) South Wall of the Castle, a huge fortress in the center of the city Town Hall of Caen Caen train station. ... Capital Strasbourg Land area¹ 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller (UMP) (since 1996) Population  - Jan. ... Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany. ... The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ...

See also

• 5th Light Infantry Division, (unrelated unit with a confusingly similar name)

• Deutsches Afrikakorps, Western Desert Campaign, North Africa Campaign
• Panzer, Panzer Division
• Division (military), Military unit
• Wehrmacht, List of German divisions in WWII
• Hans von Luck

The Deutsches Afrikakorps (often just Afrika Korps or DAK) was the corps-level headquarters controlling the German Panzer divisions in Libya and Egypts Western Desert during the North African Campaign of World War II. Since there was little turnover in the units attached to the corps the term is... The Western Desert Campaign was the primary early theatre of the North African Campaign of World War II. It is sometimes referred to as the Egypt-Libya Campaign. ... The battle in the North African desert during World War II from 1940-1943. ... PzKpfw V-D, a Panther tank   Panzer? is German for armour. ... Panzer Division is the German term for armored division. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... A military unit is an organisation within an armed force. ... German cavalry and motorized units entering Poland from East Prussia during the Polish Campaign of 1939 Wehrmacht (Defence force) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... This is a list of German divisions in WWII. Only ground units are covered; divisions of aircraft are not. ... Hans von Luck (July 15, 1911 - 15 January 1997) was a Colonel in the German Army during the World War II. He was a close associate of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. ...

References

Note: The Web references may require you to follow links to cover the unit's entire history.

• von Mellenthin, Major General F. W. [1956] (1971). Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War, First Ballantine Books Edition, New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-24440-0.
• Pipes, Jason. "21.Panzer-Division". Retrieved April 3, 2005.
• Wendel, Marcus (2005). "21. Panzer-Division". Retrieved April 3, 2005.