The origins of Panzergrenadier-Division ‘Großdeutschland’ (GD) are to be found in the Wachregiment Berlin, established in early 1921 but quickly disbanded. The Grossdeutschland Panzer Division was the German Army’s premier armoured formation. Staffed exclusively by volunteers, and attracting the cream of Germany’s young officers, it quickly established a reputation for excellence on the battlefield. It later moved to Orel, and on 1 April 1942 the former Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland was reinforced and expanded into the Infanterie-Division Großdeutschland (mot.) (motorized Infantry Division Grossdeutschland) using newly arrived troops from Germany. In November 1944, while the division retained its status as a Panzergrenadier division, several attached units were expanded to divisional status, and the Panzerkorps Großdeutschland was formed. Die Division Großdeutschland war eine der mächtigsten und symbolträchtigsten Formationen der deutschen Armee während des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Ihre Schlachtfeldbilanz spiegelt sowohl ihre taktischen Fähigkeiten als auch die verheerenden menschlichen Kosten des totalen Krieges wider. The Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland was an élite German Army (Heer) combat unit which fought on the Russian front during WWII. The division fought alongside the 1.SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 2.SS Division Das Reich and 3.SS Division Totenkopf during these battles. After the fall of Kharkov, the Grossdeutschland was again pulled back and refitted. The Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland , [notes 1] also commonly referred to simply as Großdeutschland[notes 2] or Großdeutschland Division, was an elite combat unit of the German Army (Heer) that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. Die Division Großdeutschland war ein Großverband der Wehrmacht im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Very possibly the German Army's premier formation of World War II, Grossdeutschland grew from a ceremonial guard detachment in Berlin, to become a panzer corps. The three-volume work The 'Großdeutschland' Division by Zhou Ming and Ma Wenjun provides a very detailed record of the entire formation and combat history of the Großdeutschland Division.