The 20. Panzergrenadier-Division was formed from 20. Infanterie-Division (mot) in July 1943.

Commanders

Generalleutnant Georg Jauer (23 July 1943 - 01 Sep 1944)
Oberst Dr. Walter Kühn (i.V.) (01 Sep 1944 - 00 Sep 1944)
Generalleutnant Georg Jauer (00 Sep 1944 - 1 Jan 1945)
Generalmajor Georg Scholze (1 Jan 1945 - 24 Apr 1945) (suicide) (1)

Operations officers (Ia)

Hauptmann Otto Burk (23 Jul 1943 - 20/23 Nov 1943)
Oberstleutnant Adrian Graf von Pückler (20/28 Nov 1943 - 10 Mai 1944)
Major Benno von Bonin (10 May 1944 - 01 Dec 1944)
unknown (01 Dec 1944 - 20 Dec 1944)
Major Adolf Altmayer (i.V.) (20 Dec 1944 - 1945)

Area of operations

Eastern front, central sector (July 1943 - Sep 1943)
Eastern front, southern sector (Sep 1943 - July 1944)
Poland (July 1944 - Mar 1945)
Berlin (Mar 1945 - May 1945)

Nicknames

Hamburger Division (Hamburg Division)

Holders of high awards

(20. Infanterie-Division (mot) / 20. Panzergrenadier-Division)
Holders of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold (8)
- Gottschalk, Herbert, 18.05.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 10./Gren.Rgt. 76
- Jochims, Hermann, 23.04.1945 [per V.S.], Hauptmann, Kp.Chef 7./Gren.Rgt. 90 (mot)
- Keyser, Gustav, 26.09.1944, Gefreiter, Gruppenführer i. d. 11./Gren.Rgt. 76 (mot)
- Loos, Wilhelm, 18.05.1944, Oberleutnant, Kp.Chef 10./Gren.Rgt. 76 (mot)
- Schacht, Emil, 18.05.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 10./Gren.Rgt. 76
- Susky, Vinzenz, 01.10.1944, Unteroffizier, Gruppenführer i. d. 11./Gren.Rgt. 76
- Wandmaker, Helmut, 07.04.1945, Major d.R., Kdr. II./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 76
- Wulf, Hermann, 18.05.1944, Oberstleutnant, Kdr. III./Gren.Rgt. 76 (mot)
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (10)
- Bieler, [first name not listed], 08.02.1942 (683), Wachtmeister, 3./Art.Rgt. 20
- Hey, Friedrich, 17.06.1944 (3477), Oberleutnant, Kp.Fhr. 3./Gren.Rgt. 76 (mot)
- Jochens, Werner, 25.12.1944 (4968), Oberst, Kdr. Gren.Rgt. 90 (mot)
- Jochims, Hermann, 18.04.1942 (914), Leutnant, Zugführer i. d. Stabs.Kp./Inf.Rgt. 90
- Kurzmann, Georg, 15.05.1944 (3296), Hauptmann, Btl.Fhr. I./Gren.Rgt. 90
- Meinertz, Anton, 07.01.1945 (5127), Unteroffizier, Pz.Jäg.Fhr. i. d. 1./Pz.Jäg.Abt. 20
- Rodust, Werner, 20.08.1941 (235), Major, Kdr. III./Inf.Rgt. 90
- Seitz, Hermann, 20.08.1941 (234), Major, Kdr. Aufkl.Abt. 20
- Thölke, Albert, 19.11.1942 (1359), Hauptmann, Chef 2./Inf.Rgt. 90
- Tibken, Joachim, 07.08.1944 (3655), Oberleutnant, Chef 1./Pi.Btl. 20
Holders of the Commendation Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army for Shooting Down Aircraft (1)
- Breuss, Walter, 01.02.1944 (463), Feldwebel, Stab/Gren.Rgt. 76
Holders of the German Cross in Gold (124)
Holders of the German Cross in Silver (3)
- Kreuzer, Dr. Georg, 03.02.1944, Oberstabsintendant, 20. Pz.Gren.Div.
- Lohse, Johannes, 14.01.1945, Major, Nachr.Abt. 20
- Wesselhoeft, Dr. Carl, 09.09.1944, Stabsarzt d.R., Pi.Btl. 20
Holders of the Honor Roll Clasp of the Heer (32)
Holders of the Knight's Cross (46) (41 RK + 5 EL)

Order of battle

Staff
- Staff
- 20. Mapping Detachment (mot)
76. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff
- Regimental Band
- Staff Company
-- Panzerjäger Platoon
-- Motorcycle Platoon
-- Signals Platoon
-- Pioneer Platoon
- 3 x Battalion
-- Staff
-- 3 x Company (mot)
-- Machine Gun Company (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
90. Panzergrenadier Regiment
- Staff
- Regimental Band
- Staff Company
-- Panzerjäger Platoon
-- Motorcycle Platoon
-- Signals Platoon
-- Pioneer Platoon
- 3 x Battalion
-- Staff
-- 3 x Company (mot)
-- Machine Gun Company (mot)
- Infantry Gun Company (mot)
120. Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
- Staff
- Light Armored Car Company
- 3 x Motorcycle Company
- Heavy Company (mot)
-- Pioneer Platoon
-- Panzerjäger Platoon
-- Light Infantry Gun Section
- Light Reconnaissance Column
20. Panzerjäger battalion
- 3 x Company (self-propelled)
- Flak Company (self-propelled)
5. Panzer Battalion
- Staff
- Staff Battery
- Flak Platoon
- 3 x Sturmgeschütz Battery
20. Artillery Regiment
- Staff
- Staff Battery
- Regimental Band
- 3 x Battalion
-- Staff
-- Staff Battery
-- 3 x Battery (mot)
20. Pioneer Battalion
- Staff
- 3 x Company (mot)
- Light Pioneer Column (mot)
20. Signals Battalion
- Staff
- Telephone Company (mot)
- Radio Company (mot)
- Signals Column (mot)
Supply & Support Units

Footnotes

1. Georg Scholze committed suicide on 24 April 1945 in Potsdam by shooting himself with his pistol. At this time a part of his division was surrounded already when the Red Army approached the city. Only some days before, on 14 April 1945, his wife and four of his children were killed in an Allied air bombing on Potsdam (only one son survived the war).

Sources used

Georg Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht 1933-1945

Reference material on this unit

Dietwar Asmus - Die 20. Inf.Div.(mot) (später 20.Pz.Gred.Div.) (9 vol)
Dietwart Asmus - Die Geschichte der 20 Panzer-Grenadier Division 1935-45
FR Averdieck - Geschichte des Infanterie-Regiment 90 das PzGren-Rgt 90 im Kriegsjahr 1945
FR Averdieck - Die letzten Tage der 20. Panzergrenadier-Division
Artur Römer - Tagebuchnotizen und Erinnerungen beim Regiment 76 1938-1945
Willy Schumann - Being Present: Growing Up In Hitler's Germany