"The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious. The riflemen themselves were not competent at covering a maneuvering machine gun. Each rifle squad had 1,150 rounds of ammunition for its machine gun. Harry Stemple, William L. Adams, and Rodney M. Jennings climbed aboard Panther 127 and took over one of its machine guns, probably the antiaircraft MG 34. In March 1939, theWehrmacht Supreme Command Oberkommando der Wehrmacht – or OKW for short – was founded to control the operations of the German armed forces. Second, the main source for this is the US Manual “German Squad in Combat” from the Military Intelligence Service released in January 1943. The German Infantry Handbook 1939-1945: [Alex Buchner, pioneer, Covers formations, rifle columns, light infantry weapons, equipment, rank insignia, armament, rifle groups, recon, the company, panzerjäger units, support services and operational histories of the German infantry., strength, veterinary units] on Amazon.com. It was built in small numbers but this ve… A Co was temporarily relieved when it pulled in its left flank by using the Battalion machine-gun platoon to pin down enemy infantry. Additionally, the Company Troop had 1 Sd Kfz 2 "Kettenkrad" light half track tractor which one of the Messengers was mounted on. The regimental infantry howitzer company is equipped with 120-mm mortars and 75-mm infantry howitzers only, and the regimental antitank company has been replaced by a bazooka company equipped with 72 bazookas. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. (See Figures 40 to 50.) 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. The German motorized infantry division represents a definite step in the direction of the armored division as shown by its organization: Strength: Approximately 15,000 officers and enlisted men. 1× Company HQ Section Leader (Kompanietruppführer), 1× Vehicle Leader (Führer der Gefechtsfahrzeuge), , Unteroffizier (OR-4) mounted on a bicycle, armed with 1 pistol, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), , armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each (1 mounted on a bicycle), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), Each company troop was allotted one light draft horse that hauled 2 infantry carts (infanteriekarren), 1× Administrative First Sergeant (Hauptfeldwebel), , Unteroffizier (OR-4), armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun, 1× Field Cook NCO (Feldkochunteroffizier), 1× Writer/Machine Gunner (Schreiber/M.G.Schütze), 1× Armorer Assistant (Waffenmeistergehilfe), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each, 1× Pay Clerk/Food Supply NCO (Verpflegungsunteroffizier), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle. Eighteen men served under him, and his little band of defenders pelted the German infantry with machine-gun bullets. It provides the framework and technical employment principles for Armor and rifle company teams within CAB in the ABCT. from tripods). Personnel authorized Kar98k rifles had an ammunition load of 9x 5-round clips (45 rounds) on the march and 12x 5-round clips (60 rounds) in combat. The following was the organization of the Schwere Kompanie eines Infanteriebataillons (n.A. 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. from tripods). In 1927, Germany’s leading artillery maker, Rheinmetall, received an order for a new, lightweight 75mm gun for the infantry. The rifle company, with a fairly substantial baggage train, support personnel, and potential for reinforcement from the Grenadier Battalion's 12cm mortars, 8cm mortars, and/or heavy machine guns, could reasonably operate by on its own. The 37-mm antitank gun has been the model on which our own 37-mm gun was based. Although there was provision for fire and maneuver in the rifle squads (the lowest tactical unit), with the machine gun team supporting riflemen in an assault, more often than not (especially in the defense) the riflemen would essentially act as protection for the machine gun. The type ‘a’ consisted of a Battalion Headquarters (which included the Commander’s staff, a Communication Detachment and the Battalion Trains), three Rifle Companies Each Platoon Troop was allotted 2 light 350cc motorcycles (for the messengers), 1 4-seat personnel carrier, and 1 Raupenschlepper Ost tracked prime mover. Aside from the practical changes, the title of German infantry was also changed to "Grenadier" — an appeal to old Prussian military tradition. These were typically assigned at two to each mountain battalion. By piecing together these K.St.N. Unlike the Panzershreck, which was considered a weapon, the Panzerfaust was considered a munition. Time to take a look a German Squad Tactics in World War 2. It would stay at this size on paper until the end of the war, although in practice it could drop to fewer than 6 men as long as it still had a machine gun. Explosions ripped through E Company, killing a platoon leader and an entire 12-man rifle squad and knocking out the company’s antitank guns. This bears many similarities to Western and German formations, with the obvious exception of the Political Officer (Com- KStN 131n "Schützenkompanie (n.A.)" "The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious. Thus, the ammo boxes would be carried by hand. The field cook was then given double-duty of a horse driver from the buck. The rifle platoon was the lowest level where fire and maneuver could practically take place. The company also had the highest concentration of horses in the infantry battalion, with 51 of the 1944 infantry battalion's 165 horses. In the second of this series on the men behind the counters I look at the workhorse of the German army, the infantry platoon.. The three runners carried rifles, as did the wagon driver. The smaller infantry divisions had some 15,000 men and were less heavily armed. Afterward, the German Reichswehr placed light artillery in the infantry order of battle. The number of infantry carts per platoon was also reduced from 3 carts to 2 carts. This was almost certainly done to lean out the rifle companies to cope with an increasingly desperate manpower situation. Two additional 300-round ammo boxes were carried by the riflemen. This is based upon the organization laid out in KStN … Each baggage train had 4 wagons hauled by 2 light draft horses each. The heavy-weapons company of the infantry battalion includes an infantry howitzer platoon. In 1939 the GermanReich was divided into thirteen geographical military districts, each of which provided the pe… , Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6), armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun, 1× Gun Layer NCO (Richtkreisunteroffiziere), 1× Positioning NCO (Stellungsunteroffiziere). Organization: ... 1 machine gun company and the battalion trains. The machine gunner carried a 50-round belt drum loaded for quick reaction to contact. There was also an additional Machine Gun Company but these were considered to be independent of the other companies, being of a different strength and structure. 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. published 1 May 1944, "The German Infantry Handbook 1939-1945" by Alex Buchner, "The German Grenadier Battalion, 1943 to 1945". 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 1941, each rifle platoon had 4 rifle squads (10 men each) and a light mortar troop. 3× Platoons (0-1 Officer and 32-33 Enlisted Each), 1× Deputy Squad Leader (Stellvertreter Gruppenführer), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun, , armed with 1 MG42/MG34 machine gun and 1 pistol, 1× Assistant Machine Gunner (M.G.Schütze 2). 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. Known as the Infantry Division 1944, this new formation had a strength of 12,772 men as opposed to the 17,734 soldiers of a division in 1939, although its firepower had actually increased. For comparison, each, 1× Company Troop Leader (Kompanietruppführer), to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6), armed with 1 Kar98k, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), , mounted on saddle horses, armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each (1 also acts as a Horse Leader), → 2× Field Cable Troops (Feldkabeltruppen), 1× Field Cable Troop Leader (Feldkabeltruppenführer), Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6) for 1 troop and Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3) for the other troop, armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun, 3× Telephone Operators/Wiremen (Fernsprecher Mannschaften), Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k. Approximately 36 Panzerfausts were meant to be available to each rifle company to be distributed as needed depending on the situation. Each of the Machine Gun Teams was allotted 1 light draft horse that pulled 2 infantry carts. On 2 September 1915 a definite proposal was made to the War Office for the formation of a single specialist Machine Gun Company per infantry brigade, by withdrawing the guns and gun teams from the battalions. The German gun, besides firing high explosive and … of all German armed forces. This should not be confused with the. Again shellfire erupted, hitting another M10, which burst into flames. There was a mountain gun variant, the 7.5 cm le.GebIG 18. If a squad were to lose its machine gun, those personnel were typically redistributed to squads that still had one. Six 7.5 cm le.IG 18F were manufactured in 1939. The Heavy Company supplanted the Machine Gun Companies as the Infantry Battalions' integral fire support formation. THE GERMAN WORLD WAR II ORGANIZATIONAL SERIES 1/I 01.09.39 Mechanized Army Formations and Waffen-SS Formations (3rd Revised Edition) 1/II-1 01.09.39 1 st and 2 nd Welle Army Infantry Divisions 1/II-2 01.09.39 3 rd and 4 th Welle Army Infantry Divisions 1/III 01.09.39 Higher Headquarters — Mechanized GHQ Units — Static Units (2nd Revised Edition) It is a partial translation of a German publication and using other sources, I could correct some small errors and inconsistencies, nevertheless take everything with … We've found numbers ranging from 30 to 50 per platoon as well, but it should be noted that the supply of Panzerfausts is often listed in divisional numbers (as part of the divisional ammo supply) and that the supply situation at the end of the war would have affected the numbers available unit to unit. Infantry Gun Platoon 2-4 x 75mm Inf. The primary changes from late-1943 to this organization was the movement of the 81mm mortars from the rifle companies to this battalion-level formation and the reduction in machine guns from 3 machine gun platoons (total of 12 guns) to 1 machine gun platoon (total of 6 guns). Although not included in the KStN, disposable anti-tank weapons (Panzerfausts) were intended to be issued as part of a company's ammunition scales. Machine gun companies of infantry regiments had their guns mounted on two-horse carriages. Infantry Regiments, each with three Infantry Battalions, an Infantry Gun Company and an Infantry Anti -tank Company. There were basically 2 Panzergrenadier Division layouts in World War 2 the Pan… The mortar squad was allotted 1 3-ton truck and 4 Raupenschlepper Ost tracked prime movers. Each heavy machine gun team had 2 infantry carts hauled by 1 light draft horse. The assistant machine gunner carried 4 additional 50-round belt drums as the first-line ammo load and a 300-round ammo box. The airborne variant had smaller wheels and no s… , the German Army's heavy weapons companies, from May 1944 to the end of World War II. The machine guns were redistributed to the rifle companies in the light role. B was the first attempt to test the performance of this concept. In combat, up to 2 grenades (Model 24 stick or Model 39 hand grenades) could be carried by each member of a rifle squad. One light draft horse and 2 infantry carts were allotted to each of the Company Troop's 2 Field Cable Troops. Each Platoon Troop was allotted 2 Pleskau 2 wagons (each drawn by 2 light draft horses) and 1 riding horse for the Platoon Commander. The rifle platoons' 2 reserve general-purpose machine guns in the light role (i.e. , the German Army's standard rifle company, from May 1944 to the end of World War II. As far as the rifle platoons were concerned, there were no major changes since the last organizaitonal change. The concept of mounting a heavy infantry gun on a tank chassis was born out of the need for providing the German infantry formations with more mobile artillery support. With the introduction of the Maschinengewehr 08 a 13 th (machinegun) company with six mounted machine guns, organized in three platoons of two guns each, was added to infantry regiments. From the last organization change published December 1943 to this one published May 1944, these were the changes that occured: The company's mortar squad (Granatwerfergruppe) that served 2 Gr.W.34 8cm mortars was dissolved and replaced by the heavy machine gun squad which served 2 general-purpose machine guns in the heavy role (i.e. Its chief was Colonel General Keitel. Gun, 2 x Medium Truck* Anti-Tank Gun Platoon 3 x 37mm ATG, 3 x Light Truck* ORKubelwagon* OR 3 x 50mm ATG, 3 x Light Truck* Anti-Tank Gun Company 4 x Anti-Tank Gun … published 1 May 1944. to form one of the companies of the battalion. Three riflemen from Company A did the same. The remaining 3 horses were riding horses for the Company Commander and 2 Messengers. More German tanks closed in, blowing Sparks’s troops from their holes at close range. This would mean about 12 Panzerfausts per rifle platoon if distributed equally, or 4 per squad. The 15cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. 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. The Medical NCO was authorized a bicycle. The German armored divisions in … Soviet Infantry Company - April 1941 Special Rules: All elements are Poorly Drilled Company Headquarters: A notably sparse unit which comprised no more than the Company Commander and his staff offic-ers. Over the course of the war, the platoon was reduced in size to just 3 rifle squads, with each rifle squad being reduced in size to 9 men. BBX49 Parachute Company (Plastic) BBX53 Rifle Company (Plastic) BR701 BEF Company HQ; BR702 BEF Rifle Platoon; BR704 BEF Machine-gun Platoon; BR728 Vickers MMG Platoon; BR729 3-inch Mortar Platoon; BR741 Company HQ (8th Army) BR742 Rifle Platoon (8th Army) Each Mortar Squad was allotted 8 infantry carts (1 light draft horse for every 2 carts) and 1 Pleskau 2 wagon drawn by 2 light draft horses. Personnel authorized submachine guns had a standard ammunition carriage of 6x 32-round magazines (192 rounds) carried in 2 3-cell ammunition pouches. In this video I will cover a German Panzergrenadier-Division setup and also its precursor the Motorized Infantry Division from 1939. Development of the gun began in 1927, by Rheinmetall. The division was armed with 75 guns (ranging from 75mm to 170mm); 147 mortars; 75 anti-tank guns; 138 heavy and 378 light machine guns; and 12 anti-aircraft guns. The German armored and infantry attacks were preceded by the shelling of the American positions with at least 657 light, medium, and heavy guns and howitzers and 340 multiple rocket launchers. Not to mention the early-war rifle company anti-tank rifle sections were removed, although this was probably offset by the introduction of superior man-portable anti-tank weapons. On this day, CCB of the 9th Armored Division was still in … Personnel authorized pistols had a standard ammunition carriage of 2x 8-round magazines (16 rounds) with 1 in the gun and 1 in the holster. Before 1943, these 2 boxes would have been carried by an ammunition bearer (a third member for the LMG Team). Aside from the practical changes, the title of German infantry was also changed to "Grenadier" — an appeal to old Prussian military tradition. The commander was armed with a machine pistol and a semi-automatic pistol, while the NCO was unusually author-ised just a pistol. The Heavy Company supplanted the Machine Gun Companies as the Infantry Battalions' integral fire support formation. In essence, it was simply the mounting of a heavy 15cm sIG 33 on the Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. The Machine Gun Corps is created. B chassis. ", The following was the organization of the. Heavy machine gun squad had 1 wagon drawn by 2 light draft horses. What I mean by that is that it used parts of two distinct K.St.N. The German infantry was also known as the Wehrmacht with a strength estimated at 10 million soldiers at the time. See charts below for comparison of Combat units for a 1914 and 1917 infantry division: To make up for the smaller number of riflemen in a rifle company, new weapons were incorporated into the makeup of the platoons in the rifle company. German Infantry Company - 1939-1942 Platoon HQ: The four Squads were directed by a Platoon commander aided by an NCO, three runners and a supply wagon driver. ", Schwere Kompanie eines Infanteriebataillons (n.A.) Unlike in the U.S. Army and British Army, there were no special pouches or bags for carrying ammo for squad-level auomatic weapons or machine gun belts. 1× Administrative First Sergeant (Hauptfeldwebel), Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6) mounted on horse, , Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6), armed with 1 pistol, Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6), 1× Field Cook NCO (Feldkochunteroffizier), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle, 1× Writer/Machine Gunner (Schreiber/M.G.Schütze), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 pistol, 1× Food Supply NCO (Verpflegungsunteroffizier), 1× Heavy Machine Gun Platoon (1 Officer and 54 Enlisted), 1× Armorer Assistant (Waffenmeistergehilfe), , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), , armed with 1 MG42/MG34 machine gun (heavy role) and 1 pistol, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each. These were airborne guns, capable of being broken down into four 140 kg loads. Mind this was also after a reduction in manpower. ), Heavy Company of the Infantry Battalion (New Type). For transport, the mountain variant could be broken down into six to ten packs, the heaviest weighing 74.9 kg. The ubiquitous German infantry platoon was the backbone of the German military machine. The crew was protected by an armoured shield. In 1914, each rifle company was supported by a heavy machine gun … 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. This made for a platoon total of 12 infantry carts, 2 wagons, 10 light draft horses, and 1 riding horse. This is based upon the organization laid out in KStN 131n published 1 May 1944. and using the gliederung as a guide I think I … However, they did look different from the rifle platoons at the start of the war. Assault Gun or Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion Combat Engineers Battalion Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion Tank Regiment Tank Battalion; Tank Battalion Mechanized Infantry Regiment Mechanized Infantry Battalion; Road Motorized Infantry Battalion; Road Motorized Infantry Battalion Mechanized Infantry Regiment Mechanized Infantry Battalion An additional 4 light draft horses hauled the components of the field kitchen. Each Company Troop was allotted 5 light draft horses. Each Platoon Troop was allotted 1 riding horse for the Platoon Commander. Contents: Organization. German Organisation in WW2. Originally the German antitank company, which is organically a part of the infantry regiment, had 12, 37-mm antitank guns and four light machine guns. There was also an MG-42 or MG-34 machine gun in the light role that would be used by the Schreiber. Hitler was commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, i.e. The German Army would have been rolling with 13-man rifle squads during the invasion of Poland in 1939. In the company's baggage train, the horse-related billets were reduced from 5 drivers from the buck and 1 driver from the sattle to just 4 drivers from the buck. On the morning of Sept. 24, 1944, Staff Sgt. This is based upon the organization laid out in KStN 151n published 1 May 1944. There were no revolutionary changes to the standard German rifle company throughout the war, although minor, more incremental changes did occur. The company's mortar squad (Granatwerfergruppe) that served 2 Gr.W.34 8cm mortars was dissolved and replaced by the heavy machine gun squad which served 2 general-purpose machine guns in the heavy role (i.e. Going through the documents it actually got more interesting as this unit actually had a split company. Infantry company teams within combined arms battalions (CABs) in the Armored brigade combat team (ABCT). This division consisted of three infantry regiments (about 2,000 men each), o… This is based upon the organization laid out in KStN 131n published 1 May 1944. This should not be confused with the Grenadierkompanie, which were intended to be assault rifle-equipped companies within the Volksgrenadiers that ascribed to a completely different set of tactics, organization and equipment. 1 Company Troop; 1 Baggage Train; 3 Rifle Platoons; 1 Heavy Machine Gun Squad; Discussion This obviously varied and it could be expected under normal circumstances, Panzerfausts would be hauled in the platoon or company wagons when not needed. (May 1944, The following was the organization of the, Schwere Kompanie eines Infanteriebataillons (n.A. These Machine-gun Companies were numbered 1, 2 and 3 throughout the entire regiment. ), or Heavy Company of the Infantry Battalion (New Type), the German Army's heavy weapons companies, from May 1944 to the end of World War II. The army was led by the Army High Command Oberkommando des Heeres – OKH for short – with its general staff. Pfcs. 15 more units in Infantry. The Men Behind the Counters The German Infantry Platoon By Dave Murray January 2013. The guns could only be fired when dismounted. Gun, 2-4 x Limber* Heavy Infantry Gun Platoon 2 x 150mm Inf. One was dedicated to the Verpflegungsstaffel and carried the food supply. German infantry tactics in WWII emphasized an aggressive offense with t… A Machine Gun Training Centre was also established at Grantham in England. Then I happened across a couple of documents dated August of 1944 that were specifically outlining the formation of this unit type. from bipods) were reduced to 1 in reserve. The Infantry Battalion existed in two forms. 1× 12cm Mortar Platoon (1 Officer and 46 Enlisted), 2× Motor Vehicle Drivers (Kraftwagenfahrer), Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3) mounted on 350cc motorcycles, Unteroffizier (OR-4) to Unterfeldwebel (OR-6), armed with 1 MP40 submachine gun, , Grenadier (OR-1) to Obergefreiter (OR-3), armed with 1 Kar98k rifle each (2 Mortar Crew per squad could man light machine guns and were armed with 1 pistol and 1 machine gun each rather than rifles). Two of the mortar crewman from the mortar squad were armed with pistols and could man one MG-42 or MG-34 machine gun (light role) each. KStN 151n "Schwere Kompanie eins Infanteriebataillons (n.A.)" Think I … German Organisation in WW2 maneuvering machine gun companies as the infantry order of.... Invasion of Poland in 1939 companies were numbered 1, 2 and 3 throughout the war order of.! 37-Mm gun was based n.A. ) I Ausf 13-man rifle squads ( 10 men each ) and light. 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