It was a constituent part of Army Group Centre and participated in Operation Barbarossa and fought in the Battle of Moscow in late 1941 and early 1942.

The 1st Baltic Front (Ivan Bagramyan) attacked with four field armies, with a total of 33 rifle divisions and 17 armored formations, east of Vitebsk, with another two field armies, with a total of 23 rifle divisions and 11 armored formations, had attacked in the north and northwest of Vitebsk for the purposes of an encirclement.

Having exhausted themselves in high casualties, the Soviet forces, with only small territorial gains, attempted a final breakthrough on 16 February 1944, but were again repulsed.

After the Second Winter Battle of Vitebsk ended on 17 February 1944, 3rd Panzer Army counted 11,688 combat casualties (2,128 KIA, 1,071 MIA, 8,489 WIA).

On 10 March 1945, General Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel was made the commander of the 3rd Panzer Army, which was assigned to defend the banks of the Oder River, north of the Seelow Heights, thus hampering Soviet access to Western Pomerania and Berlin.

On 25 April the Soviets broke through 3rd Panzer Army's line around the bridgehead south of Stettin[3] and crossed the Randow Swamp.