During summer-autumn 1942, part of the division was formed in France, including the division's artillery regiment. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Front, the Brigade Michalik (led by Colonel Helmut Michalik) was formed around the 140th Panzer Grenadier Regiment (which was previously part of
22nd Panzer Division). In autumn 1942, the two echelons joined in
Voronezh, situated then in the rear area of the
German 2nd Army, and the division was formally activated on 1 October 1942. With about 3,000 men its strength was well under that required for a
Panzer Division; however the situation required that it had to be scattered in several groups to support different sectors of the Eastern Front: Don, south of
Kharkov,
Hungarian 2nd Army,
Italian 8th Army. Twenty tanks were incorporated into the German 2nd Army Headquarters. The 127th Pz.Eng.Batt. never joined the rest of the division, as it was one of the units
encircled at
Stalingrad, where it was destroyed. By 1 January 1943, the unit was depleted: it had only half of its mechanised infantry and 11 tanks left. The estimated total strength was less than 1,600 men by 8 February. Once the Soviet winter offensive,
Operation Little Saturn, was stopped, the 27th Panzer was disbanded around 3 March 1943. The personnel of the 127th Panzer and 127th Panzer Signals Battalions were assigned to the
24th Panzer Division in France, while the remaining men and materiel were incorporated into the
7th Panzer Division in Russia. == Commanding officers ==