1st Panzergrenadier Brigade

February 2012 1st Panzergrenadier Brigade de Panzergrenadierbrigade 1 Panzergrenadierbrigade 1 (Bundeswehr).svg Formation sign 1 April 1958 – 31 December 2007 West Germany (1958-1990)Germany (1990-2007) Panzergrenadier 1st Panzer Division Bundeswehr Mackensen-Kaserne in Hildesheim Last headquarters BrigGen Ernst-Otto Berk Last commander The 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (de Panzergrenadierbrigade 1) in Hildesheim was a formation in the Bundeswehr, which was subordinated to the 1st Armoured Division in Hanover. The Brigade was disbanded on 31 December 2007. During its lifetime the Brigade was stationed between the Lüneburg Heath, Harz Mountains, the Solling hills and the River Weser. Formation sign The formation sign displays the white Sachsenross or Saxon steed on a red background within a yellow and white shield. The steed recalls the Welf dukes and the Kingdom of Hanover. The original Saxon tribal emblem was adopted in 1235 by the Welf dukes, the Dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg, as an additional coat of arms. Through the amalgamation of part of the Lüneburg-Brunswick region with the Principality, later Kingdom, of Hanover the Saxon steed appeared in 1705 on the escutcheon of the kingdom's coat of arms surrounded by the main yellow and white shield. On the foundation of the state of Lower Saxony in 1952 the Saxon steed on a red field became the coat of arms of the state. The white border of the coat of arms, in embroidery shown as a white cord - represents the usual heraldic custom of the German Army: white borders were always the formation signs of the "first" brigades in a division. The superior division as well as the other two brigades in the division traditionally bore an identical formation sign apart from the white border. On the disbandment of the Brigade the sign continued to be worn by Panzerlehrbrigade 9, which gave up its old sign in 2006. The white border remains. Composition 2007 In 2007, just before disbanding the brigade was organised as: Headquarters Company Stabskompanie, in Hildesheim 33rd Tank Battalion 421st Panzergrenadier Battalion 10th Armoured Engineer Company 15th Armoured Artillery Battalion 803rd Armoured Engineer Battalion 141st Logistics Battalion Commanders The brigade commanders were (rank on taking over): No. Name Date took over Date handed over16Oberst Ernst-Otto Berk 27 March 200313. April 200615Brigadegeneral Dieter Skodowski26 March 199926 March 200314Brigadegeneral Dr. Dirk Oetting1 January 199525 March 199913Oberst Jürgen Ruwe1 October 199131 December 199412Oberst Manfred Dietrich1 December 198930 September 199111Oberst Hans-Theodor Dingler1 October 198720 December 198910Oberst Istvan Csoboth1 April 198430 September 19879Brigadegeneral Johann Adolf (Hanno) Graf von Kielmansegg jun.26 March 198231 March 19848Brigadegeneral Detlef Ahrens1 October 197726 March 19827Oberst Walter Hoffmann1 April 197330 September 19776Brigadegeneral Johannes Poeppel1 January 197031 March 19735Brigadegeneral Carl-Gero von Ilsemann1 October 196631 December 19694Brigadegeneral Eicke Middeldorf15 October 196330 September 19663Brigadegeneral Heinz-Helmut Hinckeldey1 October 196214 October 19632Brigadegeneral Hans-Georg Tempelhoff1 November 195930 September 19621Oberst Hans-Heinz Fischer1 April 195831 October 1959 External links Website of the Brigade Federal archive of the Brigade Bundeswehr.de: Panzergrenadierbrigade 1 verabschiedet sich aus Hildesheim. Relikte.com: Die 1. Panzerdivision der Bundeswehr Website of Hildesheim armour Traditionsverband Panzerbataillon 14, Hildesheim Website of the former PzArtBtl 15 Website of Panzerjaegerkompanie 10 52.154123 N 9.971015 E type:landmark_dim:500_region:DE-NI title Category:Brigades of the Bundeswehr Category:Infantry brigades of Germany Category:History of Hildesheim Category:Military units and formations established in 1958 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2007 Category:1958 establishments in West Germany