The 9. Panzerdivision was raised 15 September 1956 from Mechanisierte Volkspolizeibereitschaft Eggesin.

Commanders

Oberst Reinhold Tappert (15 Sep 1956 - 15 Oct 1959)
Oberst Erich Peter (15 Oct 1959 - 14 May 1960)
Oberstleutnant Kurt Lange (14 July 1960 - 31 July 1964)
Oberstleutnant Rolf Kappis (1 Aug 1964 - 31 Aug 1968)
Oberst Walter Krysmann (1 Sep 1968 - 31 Aug 1973)
Oberst Manfred Gehmert (1 Sep 1973 - 20 Oct 1977)
Oberst Horst Sylla (20 Oct 1977 - 31 Aug 1982)
Oberst Franz Erdmann (1 Sep 1982 - 31 Oct 1987)
Oberst Hans-Christian Reiche (1 Nov 1987 - 31 Oct 1989)
Oberst Karl-Heinz Marschner (1 Nov 1989 - 2 Oct 1990)

Headquarters

Eggesin

Honor titles

It was given the honor title "Heinz Hoffmann" 24 February 1986 in honor of the late Armeegeneral Heinz Hoffmann.

Order of battle (1987)

Panzerregiment 21 Walter Empacher
Panzerregiment 22 Soja Kosmodemjanskaja
Panzerregiment 23 Julian Marchlewski
Mot.-Schützenregiment 9 Rudolf Renner
Artillerieregiment 9 Hans Fischer
Führungsbatterie Chef Raketen/Artillerie 9
Flak- Raketene Regiment 9 Rudolf Dölling
Führungsbatterie Chef Truppenluftabwehr 9
Raketenabteilung 9 Otto Nuschk
Geschosswerferabteilung 9 Friedrich Ebert
Aufklärungsbatallion 9 Eduard Claudius
Pionierbatallion 9
Nachrichtenbatallion 9 Adolf Bytzeck
Batallion Materielle Sicherstellung 9 Robert Stamm
Instandsetzungsbatallion 9 Paul Dessau
Batallion Chemische Abwehr 9 Michael Niederkirchner
Sanitätsbatallion 9 Wolfgang Langhoff
Ersatzregiment 9

Manpower Strength: 12,369 (wartime), 8,750 (peacetime), 8,780 (actual).
Actual Equipment Strength: 4 9K79 Totschka (SS-21 SCARAB) transporter-erector rocket launchers, 322 T-72 tanks, 146 BMP tracked infantry combat vehicles, 42 armored personnel carriers, 247 artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers, 15 bridge-laying tanks.

T-72 tanks from 9. Panzer-Division “Heinz Hoffmann” on parade on Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin 7 October 1988 on the 39th anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Sources used

Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke - Die Generale und Admirale der NVA
Wilfried Kopenhagen - Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -