It was originally known as Schnelltruppen ; a motorized command established in the Reichswehr following the First World War, redesignated as Panzerwaffe in 1936 by Generalleutnant Heinz Guderian.
Panzertruppen
The men of the Panzerwaffe, are referred to as Panzertruppen, were distinguishable by their close fitting black uniforms, known as Panzer wraps. The corps colour of the German Panzertruppe was pink. In addition to practical considerations, the uniform was inspired by the traditional uniform of the Brunswick Hussars. After 1943, the Panzerwaffe, like most other German branches of service, had relaxed the uniform rules and many Panzertruppen wore a variety of clothing, including camouflage and winter items. Two training schools existed for panzer crews throughout the war, Panzertruppenschule I and II. The mainstay of the Panzerwaffe was the Panzer division. These consisted of a panzer brigade and two motorized or mechanized infantry regiments. All forces of a Panzer division were mobile. Support elements included self-propelled artillery, self-propelled anti-tank, and armored reconnaissance cars. After the campaigns in Poland and France, the Panzer divisions were reduced in size, with only one Panzerregiment per Division. This move was taken to allow the creation of several new divisions with the available tanks.
were an early formation, and consisted of infantry transported by trucks. Early in the war, there were a number of light divisions, each a semi-motorized cavalry force created out of compromise with the Heer's cavalry command. These were judged inadequate following the Invasion of Poland and converted to fully motorized units. During World War II they converted again to armoured reconnaissance divisions by the name of Panzergrenadier divisions consisting ofmotorized infantry, with self-propelled artillery and Jagdpanzer, and in some cases a significant panzer component.
Organization
A panzer corps consisted of two to three divisions and auxiliary attachments. Panzergruppen were commands larger than a corps, approximately the size of an army, and named after their commander. These were later recognized as Panzerarmeen, an army-level command of two to three corps. These higher-level organizations almost always mixed ordinary infantry units with the Panzerwaffe. Significant numbers of panzer and motorized formations were of the Waffen-SS. These did not fall under the Panzerwaffe administratively, although operationally they were organized and fought as part of army formations and under army command.
