11th Panzer Division ( Wehrmacht ) The 11th Panzer Division was a German Panzer division which saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during the Second World War . The formation ' s emblem was a ghost ( this should not be confused with the famed " Gespenster " outfit , which was the 7th Panzer Division ) . The 11th did not take part in the western campaign , or see any action before the invasion of Yugoslavia . History . The 11th Panzer Division was formed on 1 August 1940 from the 11th " Schützen - Brigade " and the " Panzer Regiment 15 " , removed from the 5th " Panzer " Division and elements of the 231st Infantry Division , 311th Infantry Division and 209th Infantry Division . Most of its members were from Silesia . The 11th Panzer Division saw action for the first time in the invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 along with the XIV Corps ( motorized ) of " Panzergrenadier " 1 . Passing through Bulgaria , it arrived in Belgrade and assisted in the capture of that city . The division was then sent to the Russian Front where it was part of XXXXVIII Corps ( mot . ) under the command of " General " Kempf ( 1 Pz . Gr . , Army Group South ) . The division fought with distinction in the battle of Kiev and later took part in the march toward Moscow as part of XXXXVI Panzer Corps ( Pz . Gr . 4 , Army Group Centre ) . In June 1942 , along with the 4th Panzer Army , the division fought in the major offensive over the Volga and the Don , since it was not serving at Stalingrad . The division fought in the Don and Donets area with the 2nd Panzer Army , part of Army Group Don ; it suffered substantial losses during the winter of 1942 - 43 . It faced difficult challenges and engaged in heavy fighting trying to stop the Red Army in the Rostov sector . In July 1943 , it participated in Operation " Zitadelle " as part of XXXXVIII Panzer Corps ( 4th Panzer Army , Army Group South ) . It was severely tested again during the Battle of Krivoi Rog in late 1943 . In February 1944 , being one of the divisions surrounded in Cherkassy , it struggled to get out of the siege , so much so that when it did get out , it had lost nearly all of its vehicles . To continue fighting , the division was reinforced by the remnants of the 123rd Infantry Division . For this to happen , it was withdrawn from the front and sent to Bordeaux , France after receiving personnel drawn from the 273rd Reserve Panzer Division . After being stationed in the Toulouse area , it was moved to a section of the Rhône in July 1944 . It was forced to retreat via the Rhône corridor , reaching Besançon . Later entering combat in Alsace , it helped in the defence of the Belfort Gap after going back to the Saar . In December 1944 , it fought as part of the Ardennes XIII . SS - K . ( 1st Army , Army Group G ) . At the beginning of that battle , the division had 3 , 500 personnel , including 800 infantry . The 11th Panzer Division entered combat in Saarland and Moselle and the sector after dark as part of 7th Army ( January 1945 ) . It fought at Remagen with 4 , 000 soldiers , 25 tanks and 18 guns that still remained , but was expelled from the region by the advancing enemy . Despite the heavy losses suffered , it was still regarded as one of the strongest divisions on the Western Front . In March 1944 , it joined the LXXXI Corps ( 15th Army , Army Group B ) . It was then shifted to the southern sector of the front , with its forces stationed in and encircled in the Ruhr . The 11th Panzer Division fought until May 1945 when it was part of the LXXXV Corps ( 7th Army , Army Group G ) . On 4 May 1945 , Wend von Wietersheim surrendered the formation in Czechoslovakia to the US 90th Infantry Division . On the 6th , the remainder under the command of Horst Freiherr Treusch und Buttlar - Brandenfels surrendered to the 26th Infantry Division .