The 6th Panzergrenadier Division (6. Panzergrenadierdivision) was a West German mechanized infantry formation. It was part of the I Corps of the Bundeswehr during peacetime, but fell under Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland Command in case of war.Keegan, World Armies, p. 248 In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the Cold War, the 6th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994, although a military readiness command incorporated the division's name until 1997.
The then-named 6th Grenadier Division was constituted in November 1958 as part of the I Corps of the Bundeswehr. Initially, the division was organized with two brigade-sized battle-groups, "A6" and "B6". In 1959, these units were renamed and a third brigade was added, with the brigades being the 16 and 17th Panzergrenadier Brigades and the 18th Panzer Brigade. At this time, the division was retitled the 6th Panzergrenadier Division. Division headquarters was located at Neumünster.
The division provided assistance to civilians during floods in 1962 and 1976, and also fought forest and moor fires in 1959.
In the 1980s, it had a strength of around 30,000 men, 5,800 wheeled vehicles and 1,200 tracked vehicles, including 252 Leopard I tanks.
The division was given the strategic mission of defending Schleswig-Holstein had a Soviet attack against Germany taken place during the Cold War. In such an event, the division would have been subordinated to NATO's AFNORTH command. With the end of the Cold War, the German Army restructured and the 6th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994.
Commanders Nr. Name Start of command End of command12Generalmajor Jürgen von Falkenhayn1990199511Generalmajor Klaus-Christoph Steinkopff1986199010Generalmajor Wolfgang Malecha198419869Generalmajor Dieter Clauß198319848Generalmajor Konrad Manthey197919837Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Mack197819796Generalmajor Johannes Poeppel197319785Generalmajor Franz-Joseph Schulze197019734Generalmajor Karl Schnell196819703Generalmajor Gerd Niepold196519682Generalmajor Werner Haag196219651Generalmajor Peter von der Groeben19581962
References
John Keegan, World Armies, New York: Facts on File, 1979, .
External links Panzergrenadierbrigade 16 HERZOGTUM LAUENBURG Panzergrenadierbrigade 17 HAMBURG