Joseph E. Schaefer, Company I, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, led a squad of the 2nd platoon in the vicinity of Stolberg, Germany, when two enemy companies supported by machine guns launched an attack to seize control of an important crossroads being defended by his platoon. They were superior not only in numbers but in quality. Although not generally a part of the standard TO&E, sub-machine guns like the Thompson, were found at company HQ's and could be issued to troops on patrol duty. From 1943, the lack of available replacements for the Wehrmacht began to become apparent, reducing the division’s TOE strength and introducing a new organization. Instruction video about how the German WWII squad was structured. General Guderian, at last, pointed out that there was little sense in producing more tanks and guns if they were to be thus recklessly sacrificed. In total strength and number and variety of combat units, the static divisions bore little resemblance to one another. Deception, German-Style • The Firefight & Actions in Combat • Instructions in case of capture • Working Forward • German Infantry Fieldworks • What the Germans Thought : Commands: Organization: • … The division which included the bulk of Gerd von Rundstedt‘s infantry, however, the static (bodenstaendige) division, was exempted from reorganization unless specifically so ordered. All the infantry divisions were committed on or directly behind the coast under the command of one of the four armies or the German Armed Forces Commander Netherlands. There were basically 2 Panzergrenadier Division layouts in World War 2 the Pan… The problem (set in January 1944 by Hitler) was to trim the personnel to something like 11,000 without affecting the combat strength. This is based upon the organization laid out in K.St.N.131V published 1 November 1944. In the second of this series on the men behind the counters I look at the workhorse of the German army, the infantry platoon.. German division artillery was thus roughly equal to that of a U.S. division. Exponents of the theories of Blitzkrieg, like Generaloberst Heinz Guderian, the Inspector General of Panzer Troops, believed that without a large armored striking force Germany could not hope to return to offensive operations essential for ultimate victory. The reduction from nine infantry battalions to six was partly alleviated by the substitution of a Füsilier battalion for the old reconnaissance unit. However, the average panzer division along the Atlantic Wall possessed merely seventy-five tanks. The term Abwehr (German for "defense", here referring to counter-intelligence) had been created just after World War I as an ostensible concession to Allied demands that Germany's intelligence activities be for defensive purposes only. The same order called for the formation of a heavy mortar battalion (with thirty-six 120-mm. The organic signal platoon was half the size of the German signal section and held only 2 telephone teams and one radio. The chief weakness of the parachute troops was one they shared with the rest of Rundstedt’s army-their lack of motor transport. The two-regiment infantry division, therefore, did not operate in T/O form in the invasion area, and for the German Army as a whole, it may be regarded as experimental and eccentric, designed further to conserve manpower but not accepted as a generally satisfactory solution. Time to take a look a German Squad Tactics in World War 2. mortars which the tables of an organization called for, but in the 3rd Parachute Division, weaponing was miscellaneous, including 100-mm. The planned total for the end of May was 1,994. Attempts in 1943 and early 1944 to rehabilitate the units and fill their ranks chiefly with 0st battalion resulted in virtual abandonment of tables of organization in favor of improvisation that reflected both the particular nature of the coastal assignments and the vicissitudes of the long struggle for manpower and equipment. At the end of March, the situation had not improved; the number of operational tanks was still decreasing despite accelerated deliveries of new machines. guns. 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division (Goetz von Berlichingen). It should be noted that this would have been the nominal organization. Vehicles which were initially used to plough through mud at the same pace as infantry men, soon became faster and more manoeuvrable and therefore left the infantry behind, which called for the motorisation of infantry … Chiefly because of the antitank and reconnaissance units, on the other hand, the division with 17,00 men was substantially larger than its U.S. counterpart. Other units like those found in Cavalry, Airborne, Marines raiders and Marine companies had a slightly different structure as those in the infantry. They lacked the füsilier battalion and had three instead of four artillery battalions. To meet the invasion in June, OB WEST had six army and three SS Panzer divisions. Handbook on German Military Forces. While the 716th Division, for instance, had six battalions and only one regimental headquarters under its control on D Day, the 709th, occupying two and a half times as long coastline, had eleven battalions under three regiments. Until the fall of 1943 German airborne forces comprised only one corps with two parachute divisions. Its six rifle battalions were organized in two regiments, which were supposed to be motorized; one battalion was supposed to be armored. In March 1939, theWehrmacht Supreme Command Oberkommando der Wehrmacht – or OKW for short – was founded to control the operations of the German armed forces. They included 13 infantry divisions, 2 parachute divisions, 5 army panzer divisions, and 4 SS panzer and panzer grenadier divisions. The parachute division had only one battalion of light artillery (twelve 70-mm. guns as well as guns of smaller caliber, but lacked almost a fifth of its personnel. Acted as the company's commanding officer. It was also substantially larger than could be supported by the dwindling supply of manpower after four years of war. "The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious. Both were thus considerably larger than the normal corresponding infantry units. The division had a full armored reconnaissance battalion of six companies, and an antiaircraft battalion. In reality, most likely less than half of Grenadierkompanie were equipped in this manner. The east continued to enjoy priority on new equipment until the end of 1943, and although German-made tanks and assault guns were shipped to OB WEST during that time the deliveries were often more than outweighed by the transfer of armored units. Contrary to popular opinion, the Wehrmachtwas not so mechanized or technologically sophisticated, they often were left to navigate their terrain on horses, and their mechanized and tank formations accounted for about 20 percent of their capacity. On the first of the month, Guderian estimated that the tanks and assault guns awaiting repair equaled about nine months’ new production. (2) Howitzer Company: The infantry howitzer company is the 13th company of the regiment. One panzer division (the 21st), being still equipped in part with captured materiel, was not considered suitable for service in Russia, although in other respects it was ready for offensive use, and in fact had exceptional strength in heavy weapons. All the panzer divisions were thus much larger than their American counterparts, the 1st SS being more than twice as large. German Panzer Strength June of 1941 to January of 1945 Wehrmacht Panzer Division (mid-1942) Panzer Division HQ: Reconnaissance Battalion - Aufklaerung Abteilung: Armored Car Company Armored Car Company Panzergrenadier Company Heavy Company Signals Battalion - Nachrichten Abteilung: ... Mechanized Infantry Regiment Mechanized Infantry Battalion; Organization charts of the new-style division (with 13,656 men)comprising three regiments of two battalions each had only just been published when further slashes were ordered. The need, in short, was for new tanks in large numbers. In 1939, the German army not only had five different kinds of divisions (infantry, motorized infantry, armored, mountain, and light), there were five different kinds of infantry division. In February 1944, only 1,519 tanks remained operational while 1,534 were under repair. Of the new parachute units created during the early months of 1944, OB WEST received the 3rd and 5th Divisions and the 6th Parachute Regiment (from the 2nd Parachute Division). Company Troop (19 Enlisted) German SS Panzergrenadier Company (Motorized) (1944-45) Headquarters 3 Rifle Platoons Headquarters 3 Squads 2 x 9mm SMG 1 x PSK 2 x 7.92mm LMG 2 x G98 Rifle (Assistant LMG Gunners) 4 x G98 Rifle Weapons Platoon Headquarters 2 HMG Squads 2 HMG Sections 1 x 7.92mm HMG Mortar Squad 2 Mortar Sections 1 x 81mm Mortar Anti-tank Squad 4 x PSK. In practice, this would have likely also included Kar98k rifles with telescopic sights as well. The static divisions were formed at the request of Rundstedt in 1942 in order that he would have a nucleus of divisions not subject to transfer to the east. These sections were commanded by a corporal and were numbered 1-12 throughout the Company. The parachute units were also much better armed than corresponding army units. Intended personnel strength was 18,354, of which on 1 June the division actually mustered 17,321. Under Rundstedt’s command on 1 June, 1944 were 58 combat divisions of which 33 were either static or reserve, suitable only for limited defense employment. mortars) but this, too, was apparently not complied with. Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun each, 1× Deputy Group Leader (Stellvertretender Gruppenführer). Russian Rifle companies attacked on a frontage 350 wide, less at night or in woods, but up to 1 km in rugged mountains (Sharp, 1998). Each platoon had a wagon for carrying rucks and munitions drawn by 2 light draft horses and 2 infantry carts drawn by 1 draft horse. The Infantry Battalion existed in two forms. The Seventh Army, which was to meet the actual invasion, had fourteen infantry (including static) divisions under the control of four corps. In June 1943 the Germans had 2,569 operational tanks with 463 in process of repair. The smallest subdivision of the German Army was the 9 man Squad, including its squad leader (a lance-corporal), two of which made up the Section. (1995). The miscellaneous tank armament of the panzer divisions was typical of the weaponing of nearly all units in the west and reflected the long drain on the German war economy of the Russian war and the increasing production difficulties imposed by the accelerating Allied air offensive. Each Infantry Division was built around three Infantry Regiments, each with three Infantry Battalions, an Infantry Gun Company and an Infantry Anti -tank Company. This bears many similarities to Western and German formations, with the obvious exception of the Political Officer (Com- Each of the infantry regiments had, besides its twelve rifle and heavy weapons companies, a 13th (infantry howitzer) and 14th (antitank) company. howitzer) and three light (105-mm. Its chief was Colonel General Keitel. Actually, by the end of 1943, most of the divisions had lost their third regiments. The rifle companies of the 6th Parachute Regiment had twice as many light machine guns as the infantry division rifle companies. In theory, the two Sturmgewehr equipped platoons would be the line platoons, while the third platoon would be in reserve and used for replacements and training. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThe organization and structure of a German infantry division. Both were first-rate fighting units. The “tank” battalion had thirty-seven assault guns, five less than authorized. Besides lopping off three battalions, the new division pruned out the rifle squad and company while at the same time increasing the proportion of automatic weapons. The new year brought a change. The 6th Parachute Regiment, for instance, had only seventy trucks, and these comprised fifty different models. During February, moreover, only 145 damaged tanks were actually returned to the front. January showed only a slight increase, but thereafter the deliveries to the west were sped up. Enjoy.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ww2freak001Instagram: ww2freak001 This organization was centered around the new Sturmgewehr 44 from its inception. The German Order of Battle: Infantry in World War II identifies each infantry unit operating between 1939 and 1945, and details the organization and precise composition of the formation. Russia was unable to withdraw its heavy guns or retrieve tanks that were damaged or out of fuel. U.S. War Department. "How Infantry Battalions Develop for the Attack," Intelligence Bulletin Vol.II, No.5, Section II. of all German armed forces. of the Heer's Volksgrenadiers. An order of 12 May 1944 to substitute an artillery regiment with two light battalions and one medium was not carried out before the division entered combat. The Germans tried to find an answer in diverting additional men, materials, and factory space into the manufacture of tanks. This division consisted of three infantry regiments (about 2,000 men each), o… Each of the infantry regiments had, besides its twelve rifle and heavy weapons companies, a 13th (infantry howitzer) and 14th (antitank) company. German Organization for Combat, 1944 Between 1939 and 1943 the German standard infantry division contained three regiments with a total of nine rifle battalions. Need for this type of company in the infantry regiment was brought out in … Only the separate regiment and the 3rd Division were encountered during the fighting described in this volume. German Infantry Company - 1939-1942 Company HQ: The Command Squad was normally led by a Captain, although the fluid nature of German Command structure means the company commander may be of greater or lesser rank. The four armies were the First holding the Atlantic coast of France, the Seventh occupying Brittany and most of Normandy, the Fifteenth along the Kanalküste, and the Nineteenth defending the French Mediterranean coast. This is based upon the organization laid out in KStN 131n published 1 May 1944. The best infantry units in the 1944 German Army were the parachute divisions, administratively under the Luftwaffe but tactically always subordinated to Army command. Infantry Company An infantry company generally contained three Rifle and/or SMG platoons, plus a fire group of heavy weapons (mortars, machine guns, anti-tank weapons, and accompanying guns). The 3rd Parachute Division comprised three regiments of three battalions each and in addition had in each regiment a 13th (mortar) company, 14th(antitank) company, and 15th (engineer) company. But the combined pressure of the Allied air offensive and Russian ground attack was rapidly creating an economic quagmire in which the harder the enemy struggled the deeper he sank. The total ration strength of the division as of 22 May was 17,420. The large command unit size was indicative of the German Army’s top heavy command structure for much of the war. As long as the Russian front was the main theater of war and the west was not immediately threatened, it was natural to ship the bulk of the best material to the east and arm the west as well as possible with what was left. There were 24 divisions classified as fit for duty in the east by reason of their relative mobility and high-grade personnel. Saved from ... German Uniforms Military Weapons German Army Luftwaffe Us Army World War Ii Division Ww2 Africa. One result was to curtail the production of prime movers and parts. German Rifle Company (May 1944) By Brendan Matsuyama, Editor The following was the organization of the Schützenkompanie, or Rifle Company, the German Army's standard rifle company, from May 1944 to the end of World War II. The division had also an antitank and a reconnaissance battalion. The army panzer divisions included, in addition to the two regiments (four battalions) of infantry and one tank regiment, a self-propelled antitank battalion (armed more often with assault guns), an armored reconnaissance battalion, a towed antiaircraft battalion, and an artillery regiment with one light self-propelled battalion, one light towed battalion, and one medium towed battalion. A still more important by-product of concentrating on tank manufacture at the expense of a balanced production program was the increasingly serious lack of spare parts. The table of organization for the 2d SS Panzer Division, on the other hand, called for 75 assault guns of which 33 were on hand on 1 June; 7 Mark III tanks, none on hand; 57 Mark IV tanks, 44 on hand; and 99 Mark V’s, 25 on hand. The 1st SS Panzer Division, for instance, was supposed to have 45 assault guns, 21 Mark III,101 Mark IV, and 81 Mark V tanks. World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations: Last Updated 28.09.2011: German Army. Similarly, between July and December, 2,235 artillery pieces and 1,692 antitank guns were captured or destroyed. This made German platoons considerably larger than their British equivalent, over twice their size. George F. Nafziger is a foremost historian specializing in military organization with special emphasis on World War II and the Napoleonic period. Germany had ten panzer divisions in Normandy, including five from the Waffen SS. German Army Tables of Organization (T/Os) in World War II (c. 1939 - 1945): These tables were created faithfully from German Army (Heer) Kriegsstarkenachweisung (abbreviated K.st.N), which were the equivalent of the U.S. Army Tables of Organization. Although most new Tiger tanks continued to go to the east, deliveries to OB WEST of the powerful Panther (Mark V) tank were notably increased. howitzers). At the end of October 1943, for instance, there were in the west 703 tanks, assault guns, and self-propelled 88-mm. The Abwehr was the army intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. Table of Organization and Equipment of 1941 German Infantry Battalion The Soviet battalion was 676 men strong with 3 rifle companies and a heavy machine company, the latter with 12 heavy machine guns (but without mortars). At the end of December, the number had risen only to 823, the increase being largely in the lighter Mark IV tank. Sharp, C. S. (1998). The antitank battalion, supposed to consist of three companies of self-propelled guns, had actually only one company, equipped with nine 75-mm. Between 1939 and 1943 the German standard infantry division contained three regiments with a total of nine rifle battalions. On the other hand, like so many west divisions, its combat strength in fact was much less than it appeared on paper. First-class armored equipment remained a comparative rarity in divisions assigned to OB WEST until 1944. This company consists of infantrymen and should not be confused with artillery even though the company functions as artillery. Though triangular with nine rifle battalions, they were substantially weaker than the normal old-type infantry division. Even the 2nd Panzer Division, the best prepared of the armored divisions on D Day, had less than its authorized number of the heavier MarkV’s. Organic artillery consisted of one regiment of one medium (150-mm. The strength of the 6th Parachute Regiment with fifteen companies was 3,457. The Panzer-Regiment contained only one hybrid panzer battalion and one Panzergrenadier-Abteilung (Table 28), this organization was nearly the same as the short-lived Panzer/Panzergrenadier-Brigade in 1944. Hitler was commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, i.e. In October 1943, the division was drastically overhauled to reduce its size while maintaining its firepower. Reductions were made chiefly in supply and overhead, and the proportion of combat to service troops was thereby raised to 75-80 percent. At the end of April, OB WEST had 1,608 German-made tanks and assault guns of which 674 were Mark IV tanks and 514 Mark V’s. A total of 823, moreover, compared to a planned build-up of l,226. In reality four of the battalions had improvised motor transport (partly Italian), two being equipped with bicycles. Here again, individual variations were enormous. Entirely formed from volunteers, they were composed principally of young men whose fighting morale was excellent. In 1939 the GermanReich was divided into thirteen geographical military districts, each of which provided the pe… They lacked the reconnaissance battalion and had only three battalions of artillery. Each battalion was supposed to have four companies each with twenty-two tanks. Note that the word Panzergrenadier literally translated is “tank grenadier”, but the correct term nowadays is mechanized infantry or even armored infantry, but in World War 2 most Panzergrenadiers were actually motorized infantry. At the end of 1937 the German Army introduced the organization that would take its Infantry Divisions into the coming war. Although the German Army in the west on the eve of its great test was considerably weaker than planned in equipment, quality, and numbers, it was nevertheless a force strong enough to hope for victory in a battle in which Allied materiel superiority would be partly counteracted by the natural advantages of a coastline defense. The heavy weapons companies with twelve heavy machine guns and six medium mortars each were also superior in firepower to army units. The average age of the enlisted men of the 6th Parachute Regiment was 17l/2. SS divisions had an additional towed light battalion. Soviet Infantry Tactics in WWII: Red Army Infantry Tactics from Squad to Rifle Company from the Combat Regulations. The backbone of the Heer (German Army) was the infantry division. Organization (Nov. 1944 to May 1945) Type: Shock Infantry Company; Origin: German Army (Nazi Germany) Time Frame: November 1944 to May 1945; Personnel: 2 Officers and 117 Enlisted 1× Company Commander (Kompanieführer), Hauptmann (OF-2), armed with 1 StG 44 rifle. Theoretically, about on a par with the parachute divisions were the Panzergrenadier divisions which, by American standards, were infantry divisions with organic tank battalions, some armored personnel carriers, and some self-propelled artillery. The decision ot institute the hybrid regiment was the result of practical front experiences gained over the war years. Russian armies were destroying existing tanks while Allied bombers were making it increasingly difficult to produce new ones. Two important points, first a squad rarely acted alone on the battlefield, it was used in coordination with other squads of its platoon and/or company. In the case of the 77th Division, this organic lack was partly made up by the attachment of an 0st battery and a Volga-Tatar rifle battalion. They were to be an elite arm and were put on an equal status with the SS units in recruiting, armament, equipment, and training. 2× Storm Platoons (0-1 Officers and 32-33 Enlisted), 3× Rifle Grenadiers (Schützen für Gewehrgranatgerät), , armed with 1 Kar98k and rifle grenade launcher each, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 StG44 rifle, 2× Assistant Machine Gunners (M.G.-Schütze 2), 2× Ammunition Bearers (Munitions-Schützen)*. Against the background of the disintegrating German war economy, the tank buildup in the west was a notable achievement that strikingly revealed the importance assigned to the forthcoming struggle with the Western Allies. guns. The Men Behind the Counters The German Infantry Platoon By Dave Murray January 2013. The basic unit, the Rifle Company, was cut to 140 enlisted men and 2 officers, as compared with the U.S. Company of 187 enlisted men and 6 officers. Even after the 1944-type division had been standardized, experimentation continued. This question arises a fair bit with readers of WorldWar2Facts.org, so we have compiled a table to help explain what the unit or group names mean, what units made up larger WW2 army units, the rough size of the unit, and what rank of officer or NCO was normally in charge. Author. The 91st Division went into combat with an attached parachute regiment. Dr. Niehorster’s previously published works include the “The Royal Hungarian Army, 1920–1945”, which was acclaimed as one of the Top Ten Books of 1999, and is considered by many experts to be the single most important English language history on the … The policy of equipping west divisions primarily with captured materiel was laid down in December 1941 when ten divisions were ordered so equipped. George Nafziger. The only such division in the west during the invasion period was the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division (Goetz von Berlichingen). Their strength and organization varied so widely that it is impossible to talk of a type. On the morning of Sept. 24, 1944, Staff Sgt. The infantry regiments of the Infantry Division, Old Type, may be considered the basic type of German infantry regiments, as their organization remained for all practical purposes unchanged from the beginning of 1940 until the end of 1943. On the other hand, they all had fewer tanks. In this video I will cover a German Panzergrenadier-Division setup and also its precursor the Motorized Infantry Division from 1939. The German infantry was also known as the Wehrmacht with a strength estimated at 10 million soldiers at the time. The division had no tanks. German infantry tactics in WWII emphasized an aggressive offense with t… The latter contained twelve towed 88-mm. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? 15. In late 1943, therefore, Guderian proposed and Hitler approved a scheme to form a ten-division strategic armored reserve while at the same time trying to bring all armored divisions up to strength in equipment. The army was led by the Army High Command Oberkommando des Heeres – OKH for short – with its general staff. All the Hornets and Tiger (Mark VI)tanks had been shipped out to the Russian front, and the stock of assault guns was considerably decreased. Like all SS divisions, it was substantially stronger than the corresponding army division. The KStN lists self-loading rifles with telescopic sights as the standard. The largest infantry division had 17,700 men organized in 3 regiments each with 3 battalions. howitzer or gun) battalions with a total armament of forty-eight pieces. 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