3rd Light Division
8th Panzer Division

The 3rd Light Division (sometimes described as Light Mechanized or Light Panzer to distinguish it from the later Light infantry divisions) was raised in November 1938. In 1939 it fought in the invasion of Poland. Due to shortcomings that the campaign revealed in the organization of the Light divisions it was reorganized as the 8th Panzer Division afterward, in October 1939. Polish Defensive War of 1939 Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign or Defensive War of 1939 (Polish: Wojna obronna 1939 roku) was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet...

As the 8th Panzer Division it fought in the 1940 Battle of France and then remained on occupation and garrison duty in France and Germany until joining Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941. It remained on the Eastern Front thereafter, fighting in every sector and eventually driven back into Hungary and then Czechoslovakia, where it surrendered to the Soviets at the end of the war. In World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow (Fall Gelb in German) was the France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. ... 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

• Panzertruppe, Panzer, Panzer division
• Division (military), Military unit
• Heer, Wehrmacht, List of German divisions in WWII

Panzertruppe, German for Armored Troops, refers to a command within the German Wehrmacht responsible for the affairs of panzer and motorized forces shortly before and during the Second World War. ... Tiger II, perhaps the most advanced Panzer Panzer is an abbreviation of Panzerkampfwagen, a German compound noun which translates as Armoured Combat Vehicle. It became synonymous with German tanks during the 1930s, and is usually shortened to become PzKpfw. ... Panzer Division is the German term for armored division. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. ... A military unit is an organisation within an armed force. ... Heer is the German word for army. ... Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... This is a list of German divisions in WWII. Artillery Divisions German 18th Artillery Division German 310th Artillery Division German 311th Artillery Division German 312th Artillery Division Fortress Divisons German 41st Fortress Division German 133rd Fortress Division Infantry Divisions German 69th Infantry Division German 71st Infantry Division German 163rd Infantry...

References

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

• Wendel, Marcus (2004). "3. Leichte-Division (http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=971)". Retrieved April 11, 2005.
• "3. leichte Division (http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/leichte%20Panzerdivisionen/3leD.htm)". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved April 11, 2005.