GERMAN WORLD WAR II ORGANIZATIONAL SERIES

1 Volume 5/IMECHANIZED ARMY DIVISIONS(4th July 1943) GERMAN WORLD WAR IIORGANIZATIONAL SERIESTHE GERMAN WORLD WAR IIORGANIZATIONAL SERIES1 Mechanized Army Formations and Waffen-SS Formations (3rd Revised Edition)1/II-1 1st and 2nd Welle Army Infantry Divisions1/II-2 3rd and 4th Welle Army Infantry Divisions1 Higher Headquarters Mechanized GHQ Units Static Units (2nd Revised Edition)2 Mechanized Army Formations and Waffen-SS Formations (2nd Revised Edition)2 Higher Headquarters and Mechanized GHQ Units (2nd Revised Edition)3 Mechanized Army Divisions - (2nd Revised Edition)3 Higher Headquarters and Mechanized GHQ Units (2nd Revised Edition)4 Mechanized Army Divisions - (2nd Revised Edition)4 Mechanized GHQ Units and Waffen-SS Formations5 Army Formations5 Higher Headquarters and Mechanized GHQ Units5 Waffen-SS Higher Headquarters and Mechanized FormationsIN PREPARATION FOR PUBLICATION 2007/20087 Army Formations2 Army Infantry Divisions3 Army Infantry DivisionsIN PREPARATION FOR Landwehr division Mountain Divisions Cavalry GHQ UnitsStatic Waffen-SS FormationsStatic Higher HeadquartersArmy DivisionsStatic DivisionsStatic Army FormationsMechanized GHQ UnitsMechanized Waffen-SS FormationsArmy DivisionsStatic UnitsHigher Mechanized GHQ UnitsMechanized Waffen-SS FormationsArmy DivisionsStatic UnitsHigher Army FormationsMechanized GHQ UnitsMechanized Waffen-SS FormationsArmy DivisionsStatic

2 UnitsHigher Headquarters1939 45 Luftwaffen Ground Combat Forces1944 45 The 1944 Brigades1939 45 ORGANIZATIONAL HandbookGERMAN WORLD WAR IIORGANIZATIONAL SERIESby Leo NiehorsterVolume 5/IMECHANIZED ARMY DIVISIONS(4th July 1943) GERMAN WORLD WAR II ORGANIZATIONAL SERIESV olume 5/IMechanized Army Divisions(4th July 1943)First published by The Military Press in 2004 Reprinted by The Military Press in 2007 This and all previous editions by Leo NiehorsterAll rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the express prior, written permission of the publisher.

3 Neither the authornor the publisher assumes any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this in the United KingdomTHE MILITARY PRESS1 Gallagher CloseCrownhill, Milton KeynesBuckinghamshire MK8 OLQU nited KingdomTel: +44 (190) 826-5095 Fax: +44 (870) 912-0908email: EditionISBN978-0-85420-298-0 Softback Army Divisions2 The Author3 General Introduction4 How to Read the Charts6 ORGANIZATIONAL Symbols7 GERMAN Units and Symbols8 Terms and Abbreviations9 Order of Battle10 The 1943 panzer division , with all authorized changes11 The 1943 Panzergrenadier division , with all authorized changes12 1. panzer -Division13 2. panzer -Division14 3. panzer -Division15 4. panzer -Division16 5. panzer -Division17 6.

4 panzer -Division18 7. panzer -Division19 8. panzer -Division20 9. panzer -Division21 11. panzer -Division22 12. panzer -Division23 13. panzer -Division24 14. panzer -Division25 16. panzer -Division26 17. panzer -Division27 18. panzer -Division28 19. panzer -Division29 20. panzer -Division30 21. panzer -Division31 23. panzer -Division32 24. panzer -Division33 25. panzer -Division34 26. panzer -Division35 panzer -Grenadier- division Grossdeutschland36 3. panzer -Grenadier-Division37 10. panzer -Grenadier-Division38 15. panzer -(Grenadier-)Division39 16. panzer -Grenadier-Division40 18. panzer -Grenadier-Division41 20. panzer -Grenadier-Division42 25. panzer -Grenadier-Division43 29. panzer -Grenadier-Division44 panzer -Grenadier- division Feldherrnhalle45 division Sardinien46 Headquarters / panzer & panzer -Grenadier Division47 panzer -Regiment48 100.

5 panzer -Regiment (21. panzer - division )49 panzer (Sturmgeschutz) Battalion & panzer Battalion50 Sturmgesch tz Battalions51 panzer -Grenadier-Regiment ( panzer - division )56 panzer -Grenadier and Grenadier-Regiment (motorized)58 panzer -Grenadier-Regiment (21. panzer - division )59 Grossdeutschland Regiment60 panzer -Artillery Regiment62 Artillery Regiment (motorized)64 Anti-Aircraft Battalion65 Anti-Tank Battalion66 Armored Reconnaissance Battalion68 Armored Combat Engineer Battalion69 Motorized Combat Engineer Battalion70 Divisional Signal Battalion panzer -Division71 Divisional Signal Battalion Panzergrenadier-Division72 Divisional Services74 Armored Fighting Vehicle Stengths75 Bibliographyi Introduction to Motor Vehiclesii Numbered Motorized Softskin Vehiclesiv Special Motorized Vehiclesx Military Trailers and Special Military Trailersxiii Horse-Drawn Vehicles.

6 Wagons, Carts, Sledsxv Ranks and Billet Groups of the GERMAN Armyxvi GERMAN Military Personnel Job AUTHORDr. Leo Niehorster was born in The Hague, Netherlands of anAmerican mother and Dutch father. He has lived in Holland,Peru, England, Mexico, Canada, the United States, France, andGermany. His university education has been correspondinglydiverse. The University of the Americas in 1964 to 1967,University of Maryland (correspondence courses while in theUS Army) from 1968 to 1972, European Business School 1972to 1976 (BA in Business Administration), FrankfurtFachhochschule 1978 (Dipl. Kaufmann), Columbia PacificUniversity 1978 to 1980 (External MA in BusinessAdministration), Columbia Pacific University 1980 to 1982(External PhD in History).

7 His vocational training includes acourse resulting in the degree of Telecommunications SystemsDeveloper. He is also a licensed Apple Service author did his military service in the US Army from 1968 to1972, ending up in Germany, where he professional career started as night shift supervisor in anairline catering service, and has spanned such activities as pizzabaker at the local Italian in Barstow, California, to productmanager for long haul travel in the WORLD s largest tour operatorin Hannover, Germany. He is presently spends most of his sparetime involved in military author is a recognized authority on WORLD War II Germanground forces organization, and has put all of his expertise intothe present SERIES . Some of these books are a republishing of theoriginal SERIES , (which have been out of print for several years),and have been very much enhanced and augmented, encompassinga further fourteen years of research and study in the GERMAN ,American, and British archives.

8 The revised editions as well asthe new volumes in the SERIES will be highly welcomed by allinterested in GERMAN military organization in WORLD War Niehorster s previously published works include the TheRoyal Hungarian Army, 1920 1945 , which was acclaimed asone of the Top Ten Books of 1999, and is considered by manyexperts to be the single most important English language historyon the Hungarian INTRODUCTIONA lthough in general the personnel situation could be mastered, equip-ment was and continued to be a major problem. Armored vehicles werein short supply. The divisions being raised in France were equipped fortraining largely with French equipment. Enough Pz-III and Pz-IV tanks,Sturmgesch tz, and armored self-propelled carriages to equip the fortyodd mechanized divisions were just not available or being produced in sufficient numbers.

9 The new Pz-V Panther was just coming offthe production lines, and the first tank battalions so equipped did notreach their divisions until late August 1943. The heavy 75mm , and even the medium 50mm antitank guns were in shortsupply. The medium armored halftrack was still unavailable in thedesired numbers. Some panzer divisions were equipped with a completebattalion, while others only had one armored infantry company, if at the wheeled armored car company, the other companies in thearmored reconnaissance battalion were supposed to be equipped withthe light armored halftrack or Volkswagen K belwagen, but manycompanies were still equipped with motorcycles. The light, 4-wheel,armored car was supposed to be replaced by the new heavy, 8-wheel,version when it became available.

10 Many heavy companies were stillonly motor vehicles were never produced in sufficient numbersto satisfy the needs of the Kriegst rkenachweisung. The lack of Germanequipment was compensated to a certain extent by the wholesaleincorporation of captured Russian, Czech, British, and French, vehicles,guns, artillery, , General Heinz Guderian was appointed Inspector Gen-eral of the Panzertruppen (Armored Forces). This meant that theorganization of all mechanized formations, (including those of theInfantry Inspectorate, the Waffen-SS and the Luftwaffe) came under Infanterie-Divisions (motorisiert) were redesignated as panzer -Grenadier Divisions on All new motorized infantry regi-ments reformed or raised after this date were supposed to be designatedas Panzergrenadier-Regiments, but not always were.