The Panzer Division (Panzer Division) Clausewitz was one of the last formations of the German army in World War II. Began to form on 6 April 1945 under the responsibility of Army Group H from every available source.
Its staff and some combat elements came from the also ad hoc Holstein Army which was disbanded by the Soviets. Clausewitz also housed the remnants of the 106th Panzer Brigade Felddeherrnhalle which had been destroyed in the Ruhr and the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Panzer Regiment Felddeherrnhalle from the training school in Bergen.
It was also allocated the Grenadier Panzer Replacement Training Regiment Felddeherrnhalle, the 42nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment (SGPa) , the Assault Rifle Squadron Grossdeutschland and other elements of the armored training school.
However, despite the impressive titles, the shortages especially in tanks and vehicles were huge. Rarely did a subunit have 30% of its theoretical power reserve. The personnel of the division came mainly from members of the Hitler Youth and had particularly high morale. The division eventually had:the Panzer Regiment (Panzer) Clausewitz, the 2nd Felddeherrnhalle Division, the 1st SSG Clausewitz, the 2nd SSG Clausewitz, the tank destroyer battalion Clausewitz.
The division was assigned to General Walter Wenk's 12th Army which was facing the Americans, but was ordered by Hitler to rush to his rescue in Berlin.
Clausewitz fought heroically and managed to rescue part of the German 9th Army trapped by the Soviets, reaching within 30 km of Berlin. But the Soviet supremacy was so great that nothing more could be done.
The division returned to the Western Front, now not far from each other where it found itself engaged with forces of the American and British 2nd Armies, trying to prevent the encirclement of German forces in the Harz Mountains in Thuringia.
She fought brilliantly inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy even though all her men knew the war was lost. Eventually the remnants of the division were surrounded at Braunschweig and disbanded. The division ceased to exist on April 21, 1945, having completed a life of only 15 days, but all of them rich in action.
What remained of the division surrendered, along with its commander, Lieutenant General Martin Unrein, to the Allies.