page_title: 25th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
section_title: Organisation and build up
hierarchical_section_title: 25th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht) / History / Organisation and build up
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Generalmajor Adolf von Schell. Generalbevollmächtigter für das Karftfahrwesen. 8.3.40 PK-Sch.
context_page_description: The 25th Panzer Division, nicknamed 'Mondschein', was a tank formation of the German Army during World War II. It was one of the many under strength Panzer divisions formed during the last years of the war.
context_section_description: The 'Rhineland-Westphalia 25th Panzer' was formed in Norway on 15 May 1941 as the 'Schützenverband Oslo', It was created to spearhead the possible invasion of Sweden and a full Panzer Division was not considered necessary for this task. When the Russian campaign did not end in 1941 as planned, the Verband was re-designated the 25th Panzer Division on 25 February 1942, although there was little increased strength to the original numbers of the Verband. Divisional staff were formed in Eberswalde Germany, (their new home station) and arrived in Oslo, Norway on 5 March. Existing units were renamed, and new ones formed in order to get the new division to actual divisional strength, although it remained well under even when it moved to France in September 1943. Soon after its creation in February, the division engaged with Norwegian Partisans near Rjukan, and then in late August sailed to Denmark to take part in Operation Tivoliasflug, the disarming of the Danish Army. After being transferred to Northern France in September/October for training exercises, the division was sent east, and eventually arrived on the Eastern front (central sector) in early November 1943.
caption: Adolf von Schell
  1 January 1943 – 15 November 1943
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