The 7th Panzer Division was an armored division of the German Heer during World War II, existing from 18 October 1939 to 8 May 1945. The division took part in the invasions of France (with Erwin Rommel in command) and the Soviet Union in 1940 and 1941, and the unit was a part of Army Group Don during the counterattack at Kharkov in 1943. However, the division suffered heavy losses in the August 1943 Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive, and the division engaged in a series of defensive battles on the Eastern Front from 1944 to 1945. On two occasions, the division was forced to leave its heavy equipment behind to be evacuated by sea, and the division fought across Prussia and northern Germany until its soldiers surrendered to the British Army northwest of Berlin in May 1945 after fleeing into the forest.
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