The 4th Panzergrenadier Division (4. Panzergrenadierdivision) was a West German mechanized infantry formation. It was part of the II Corps of the Bundeswehr, which also incorporated in 1979 the 1st Mountain Division and 1st Airborne Division, and the 10th Panzer Division.Keegan, World Armies, p. 248 II Corps was part of NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG), along with the Bundeswehr's III Corps and the American V and VII Corps. In the wake of military restructuring brought about by the end of the Cold War, the 4th Panzergrenadier Division was disbanded in 1994 with some of its forces being used to form the Airmobile Forces Command /4th Division.
The division was constituted from federal border police troops in July 1956 as the 4th Grenadier Division as part of the II Corps (then called "Army Staff II") of the Bundeswehr. At that time, it commanded the "A4" and "B4" battle-groups. In 1958 it received a third battle-group, "C4". The battle-groups later became the 12th Panzer, 11th Panzergrenadier, and 10th Panzergrenadier Brigades. From 1958 to 1959, the 30th Panzer Brigade was part of the division before it was subordinated to the 10th Panzergrenadier (later Panzer) Division. As part of an army reorganization in 1959, the division was renamed the 4th Panzergrenadier Division. Division headquarters was quartered at Regensburg.
In 1970, the division was renamed the 4th Jäger (light infantry) Division. The division once again became the 4th Panzergrenadier Division in 1980. Following the end of the Cold War, elements of the 4th Panzergrenadier and 1st Airborne Divisions were combined and designated Airmobile Forces Command /4th Division.
Commanders Nr. Name Start of command End of command14Generalmajor Jürgen Reichardt1989199413Generalmajor Kurt Barthel1985198912Generalmajor Wolfgang Odendahl1982198511Generalmajor Gerhard Wachter1980198210Generalmajor Gert Kohlmann197419809Generalmajor Rüdiger von Reichert197119748Brigadegeneral Joachim-Frithjof Lindner197019717Generalmajor Helmut Schönefeld196819706Generalmajor Helmut Grashey196619685Generalmajor Johannes Härtel196419664Generalmajor Friedrich Alfred Übelhack195919643Generalmajor Hellmuth Laegeler195719592Generalmajor Kurt Spitzer195619571Brigadegeneral Hans Höffner19561956
References
John Keegan, World Armies, New York: Facts on File, 1979, .