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{{Short description|German motorized division in the 1930s}}
The '''2nd Light Division''' (sometimes described as ''Light Mechanized'' or ''Light Panzer'' to distinguish it from ''Light infantry'' divisions) was created in November 1938 from the region of Thuringia. The light divisions were created under the impetus of the cavalry arm, who saw there scouting and screening roles being taken over by the Panzerwaffe. The division was designed to provide mobility and some armoured protection to its forces, and was composed of the 6th and 7th Mechanized Cavalry Regiments, the 7th Reconnaissance Regiment, and the 66th Panzer Battalion. These were supported by the 78th Artillery Regiment, the 58th Engineer Battalion and the 42nd Anti-tank Battalion.{{sfn|Mitcham|2001|p=79}} It's single panzer battalion was equipped with the Panzer I training tank and the Panzer II interim production tank. Both these vehicles were small, lightly armed and lightly armoured. In 1939 it fought in the [[Invasion of Poland (1939)|Invasion of Poland]]. ▼
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name =2nd Light Division
| native_name =2. leichte Division
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| dates =10 November 1938 – 18 October 1939
| country ={{flag|Nazi Germany}}
| countries =
| allegiance =
| branch =[[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Army]]
| type =Mechanized
| role =[[Mechanized warfare]]
*| size =[[Division (military)]], [[Military unit|Division]]▼
| command_structure =
| garrison =Saalfeld
| garrison_label =
| nickname =
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| motto =
| colors = <!-- or | colours = -->
| colors_label = <!-- or | colours_label = -->
| march =
| mascot =
| anniversaries =
| equipment ={{plainlist|
*[[Panzer I]]
*[[Panzer II]]
}}
| equipment_label =
| battles =[[Invasion of Poland]]
| disbanded =18 October 1939
<!-- Commanders -->
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<!-- Insignia -->
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}}
 
FollowingThe the'''2nd campaignLight inDivision''' Poland(sometimes thedescribed limitedas effectivenessa of''Light theMechanized'' lightdivision) was a motorized division created in divisions1938 causedduring the German commandrearmament. toIt orderparticipated in the reorganizationinvasion of thePoland. fourAfter lightthe divisionsend toof fullthe panzerPolish divisions.campaign Inthe Octoberdivision 1939was theconverted 2ndinto Lighta Divisionpanzer becamedivision, forming the '''[[7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|7th Panzer Division]]'''.{{sfn|Mitcham|2001|p=80}}
 
==Operational history==
As the 7th Panzer Division it participated in the 1940 [[Battle of France]] under the command of [[Erwin Rommel]], earning its nickname ''Gespenster-Division'' ("Ghost Division",) because it advanced so rapidly into and beyond the French front lines that higher headquarters lost track of where it was. It remained in France on occupation duty until early 1941.
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-012-0012-05, Polen, Motorisierte deutsche Truppen.jpg|thumb|right|Mechanized forces at the outset of the invasion of Poland]]
<!--- [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1978-120-11, Polen, Panzer I am Ufer der Brahe.jpg|thumb|right|Panzer I near the Vistula during the invasion of Poland]]--->
▲The '''2nd Light Division''' (sometimescreated described as ''Light Mechanized'' or ''Light Panzer'' to distinguish it from ''Light infantry'' divisions) was createdon in10 November 1938 from the region of [[Thuringia]].{{sfn|Tessin|1965|pp=106–107}} The light divisions were created under the impetusinstigation of the cavalry arm of the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]], who sawfeared theretheir scouting and screening roles were being taken over by the [[Panzerwaffe]]. The division was designed to provide mobility and some armoured protection to its forces, and was composed of the 6th and 7th Mechanized Cavalry Regiments, the 7th Reconnaissance Regiment, and the 66th Panzer Battalion. These were supported by the 78th Artillery Regiment, the 58th Engineer Battalion and the 42nd Anti-tank Battalion.{{sfn|Mitcham|2001|p=79}} It'sIts single panzer battalion was equipped with the [[Panzer I]] training tank and the [[Panzer II]] interim production tank. Both these vehicles were small, lightly armed and lightly armoured. In 1939 itthe foughtdivision inwas part of the [[10th Army (Wehrmacht)|German 10th Army]] during the [[Invasion of Poland (1939)|Invasion of Poland]].
 
At the outset of the invasion of Poland 1 September 1939, the 2nd Light Division fought its way through the frontier defenses and overran the [[Warta Bolesławiecka|Warta district]], pushing on to reach the outskirts of [[Warsaw]]. It was then wheeled back to help deal with the [[Battle of the Bzura|Polish counteroffensive]] and helped form the encirclement of the Polish forces at [[Radom]] 8 September through the 12 September. The division then drove north to reach the [[Bzura]] river before turning east and making a drive for Warsaw and the [[Vistula]]. Warsaw surrendered on 27 September. The division remained in Poland until 1 October, when it returned to Germany.{{sfn|Mitcham|2001|p=80}}
In February 1941 it was transferred to Germany, where it prepared for [[Operation Barbarossa]]. In June the division fought with Army Group Center on the [[Eastern Front (WWII)|Eastern Front]] until the spring of 1942, when it was shipped back to France for rehabilitation. It returned to the east in early 1943 and was used in the attempt to shore up the front line after the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] and continued with [[Army Group South]] as the Germans were pushed back through the Ukraine. In July 1944 it was transferred to [[Army Group Center]] and moved northward to fight in [[Lithuania]] and [[Courland]]. The remnant continued to fight in defensive battles across east Prussia, participating in fighting north of Berlin. Finally most of the unit's surviving men slipped away into the woods and surrendered to the British at [[Schwerin]] in [[Pomerania]] at the war's end in May 1945.
 
==Conversion to panzer division==
Following the campaign in Poland the limited effectiveness of the light divisions caused the German command to order the reorganization of the four light divisions to full panzer divisions. In October 1939 the 2nd Light Division became the [[7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|7th Panzer Division]].{{sfn|Mitcham|2001|p=80}}
 
== SeeWar alsocrimes ==
Soldiers from the 2nd Light Division executued 5 Polish prisoners of war in [[Stare Kozłowice]] on 12 September.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Sudoł |first=Tomasz |date=2011 |title=Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach polskich we wrześniu 1939 roku |trans-title=Wehrmacht crimes against Polish prisoners of war in September 1939 |url=http://www.polska1918-89.pl/pdf/zbrodnie-wehrmachtu-na-jencach-polskich-we-wrzesniu-1939-roku,2028.pdf |journal=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej |volume=8-9 (129-130)}}</ref>
 
* [[Panzertruppe]], [[Panzer]], [[Panzer division]]
▲* [[Division (military)]], [[Military unit]]
* [[German Army|Heer]], [[Wehrmacht]], [[List of German divisions in World War II]]
 
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* Mitcham, Samuel ''The Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and their Commanders'' Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 2001.▼
 
* Stolfi, Russell ''A bias for action: the German 7th Panzer Division in France & Russia 1940-1941'' Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, 1991.▼
===Bibliography===
* Szymon Datner (1974). Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu (Crimes of the Wehrmacht)
* {{cite book |last=Datner |first=Szymon |author-link=Szymon Datner |title=Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach wojennych w II wojnie światowej |trans-title=Wehrmacht crimes against prisoners of war in World War II |language=pl |year=1974 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej |location=Warszaw}}
▲* {{cite book |last=Mitcham, |first=Samuel ''|title=The Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and their Commanders'' |year=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 2001.}}
▲* {{cite book |last=Stolfi, |first=Russell ''|title=A biasBias forFor actionAction: theThe German 7th Panzer Division in France & Russia 1940-1941'' |year=1991 |publisher=Marine Corps University, |location=Quantico, VA, 1991.}}
* {{cite book |last=Tessin |first=Georg |title=Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. Zweiter Band: Die Landstreitkräfte 1-5 |trans-title=Units and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS in World War II 1939-1945. Volume Two: The Land Forces 1-5 |location=Frankfurt am Main |publisher=E.S. Mittler |year=1965 |pages=106–107 |language=de}}
 
{{German Armoured Divisions of World War II}}
 
[[Category:German World War II divisions]]
[[Category:German panzer divisions|0*02]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1938]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1939]]
 
{{Germany-WWII-stub}}
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