1st Panzergrenadier Brigade (Germany) explained

Unit Name:1st Panzergrenadier Brigade
Native Name:German: Panzergrenadierbrigade 1
Start Date:1 April 1958
Disbanded:31 December 2007
Country:Germany
Command Structure:Bundeswehr
Branch:German Army
Garrison:Hildesheim
Garrison Label:Last headquarters
Commander1:BrigGen Ernst-Otto Berk
Commander1 Label:Last commander

The 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (German: 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:

Commanders

The brigade commanders were (rank on taking over):

No.NameDate took overDate handed over
16Oberst Ernst-Otto Berk27 March 200313. April 2006
15Brigadegeneral Dieter Skodowski26 March 199926 March 2003
14Brigadegeneral Dr. Dirk Oetting1 January 199525 March 1999
13Oberst Jürgen Ruwe1 October 199131 December 1994
12Oberst Manfred Dietrich1 December 198930 September 1991
11Oberst Hans-Theodor Dingler1 October 198720 December 1989
10Oberst Istvan Csoboth1 April 198430 September 1987
9Brigadegeneral Johann Adolf (Hanno) Graf von Kielmansegg jun.26 March 198231 March 1984
8Brigadegeneral Detlef Ahrens1 October 197726 March 1982
7Oberst Walter Hoffmann1 April 197330 September 1977
6Brigadegeneral Johannes Poeppel1 January 197031 March 1973
5Brigadegeneral Carl-Gero von Ilsemann1 October 196631 December 1969
4Brigadegeneral Eicke Middeldorf15 October 196330 September 1966
3Brigadegeneral Heinz-Helmut Hinckeldey1 October 196214 October 1963
2Brigadegeneral Hans-Georg Tempelhoff1 November 195930 September 1962
1Oberst Hans-Heinz Fischer1 April 195831 October 1959

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