It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops (Lehr = "teach") stationed in Germany, to provide additional armored strength for the anticipated Allied invasion of western Europe.

On several occasions it fought almost to destruction, in particular during Operation Cobra,[9] and by the end of the war in Europe bore little resemblance to the unit that had originally been activated.

[citation needed] Panzer Lehr began forming on 30 December 1943[10] and moved to the Nancy–Verdun area in January 1944 to complete the process.

[14] On 19 March 1944, Panzer Lehr division took part in the German occupation of Hungary codenamed Operation Margarethe, as well to continue its training.

'Funklenk' 316) ("316th Remote Control Panzer company")[note 1] attached while in Normandy; this company was originally equipped with ten Tiger I tanks, and was allocated the first five of the new Tiger II tanks that were not used in Normandy, as they broke down en route[20] and had been replaced by 9 Sturmgeschütz (StuG) self-propelled guns, which fought at Tilly and St.

[23] Another unique feature of this formation was that its panzergrenadiers were, in large part, dressed in the double-breasted Sturmgeschütz jacket, instead of the standard field blouse worn by other German Army (Heer) units.

[26] It was placed in the front line adjacent to the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Division, where it defended Caen and fought several British offensives to a standstill.

[31] Like all German armoured units engaged in Normandy, Panzer Lehr suffered heavy losses in its transport from Allied air attacks.

[33] By the end of June, the Panzer Lehr Division had suffered 2,972 casualties and reported the loss of 51 tanks and assault guns, 82 halftracks and 294 other vehicles.

[35][36] The area around Saint-Lô consists of small fields with high ancient hedgerows and sunken lanes, known as bocage.

[37] The bocage made it extremely difficult for armor to maneuver and provided superb defensive positions to the infantry on both sides of the battle.

[38] On 10 July, Panzer-Lehr launched a counterattack against elements of the American 9th and 30th infantry divisions around the village of Le Dézert.

[42] By that time, the division had only 2,200 combat troops remaining[35][43] and 12 Panzer IV and 16 Panthers fit for action and 30 tanks in various states of repair behind the lines.

[52] After spending a month refitting in the Saar, the division was moved to Paderborn, receiving 72 tanks, 21 assault guns and replacements, to compensate for the losses suffered in Normandy.

[12] In early November 1944, Panzer Lehr was transferred to Hasso von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army, part of Field Marshal Walter Model's Army Group B in preparation for the planned winter offensive, Operation Wacht am Rhein, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge.

On 21 November, the partially refitted Panzer Lehr was ordered out of its assembly area to counterattack the American forces driving towards the Saverne Gap.

[58] The time spent refitting Panzer Lehr and several other units which had been committed prematurely meant that the operation had to be delayed.

[64] Wacht am Rhein opened on 16 December 1944, and Panzer Lehr moved out from the start positions in the center of the German line.

[62][65] The situation worsened over the next two days, with the 901st Panzergrenadier Regiment being halted by the Americans along the road to Wiltz, and the 902nd encountering heavy resistance in the town of Hosingen.

[67] Panzer Lehr's armored reconnaissance battalion raced ahead, attacking towards Wiltz before rejoining the division on the route to Bastogne.

[72] After the taking of Mageret, a local informed Bayerlein, the division's commander, that a column of about 50 American tanks and infantry was seen moving to Longvilly.

[73] By the time that Panzer Lehr moved out again and reached the town of Bastogne, the US 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) had already secured it.

[75] Over the next few days, the Kampfgruppe helping 26th Volksgrenadier, made up mostly of the 901st Panzergrenadier Regiment, wore itself out in successive attacks on the town of Bastogne.

As the remainder of the division sped east, it enjoyed some minor successes, including the capture of a large American convoy,[76] but it was brought to a halt by fierce resistance near St. Hubert, and was soon drawn into heavy fighting south of Bastogne.

[85] Of the 2nd Panzer Kampfgruppe, only Major Cochenhausen and 600 or so of his men managed to escape on foot, abandoning almost all of the division's armor to the advancing Allies.

[90] Panzer Lehr was then involved in the unsuccessful operations to close the corridor,[91] and finally the exhausted division was pulled out of the battle.

[citation needed] After the failure of the Ardennes offensive, Panzer Lehr was refitted once again, though not to anywhere near the lavish standard of its earlier incarnations.