Concord Publications 6519 - Battle in the East- The German Army in Russia.pdf - 6500 - bogus62

6519

Battle in the East

.he German Army in Russia

Text by Gordon Rottman

Color plates by Stephen Andrew

Editor: Dr. Mark Johnston

by CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO.

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ISBN 962-361-149-8

printed in Hong Kong

- 2

Introduction

On 22 June 1941 the greatest invasion in history was unleashed by

Germany against the Soviet Union: Operation Barbarossa

(Unternehmen Barbarossa). The German Army and Waffen-SS

units faced a front more than 1,000 miles wide with diicult terrain

including wide rivers, endless steppes, vast dark forests and

swamps. At irst this broad front was defended by an inept and

cumbersome Red Army. That army though had the space to plunge

to the rear and draw the invaders deeper into the country with its

poor road system, weak bridges and limited resources. The climatic

conditions were equally hostile: a dry, hot summer filled with

choking dust, endless seas of mud and flooded streams in the spring

and fall, and an incredibly brutal winter. All seasons brought

numerous health hazards. And then the once reeling Red Army

found its feet and began the long ight back to the west.

and motorized infantry divisions. However, nearly 80 per cent of the

German divisions that invaded the USSR were infantry. The

standard infantry division that predominated in the Field Army

included three infantry regiments and relied on horses and wagons

to haul its ammunition and supplies and to draw its artillery. These

divisions were provided with some truck transport for specialist

units, but by and large counted on horses and boots for mobility.

With 17,000 or more men, the infantry division also included an

artillery regiment with four battalions; reconnaissance, antitank,

pioneer (engineer), and signals battalions plus divisional services.

The German infantry division (Infanterie-Division) was a balanced

combined arms formation capable of fighting in most types of

terrain and climatic conditions if suficiently supported. We will

take a close look at the infantry division's component units and

their roles. At the beginning of Unternehmen Barbarossa the

division was composed like this:

The much vaunted German Blitzklieg, Lightning War, which had

driven the Red Army eastwards had been spearheaded by Panzer

Infantry Division

Divisional Staf

Infantry Regiment (x3)

Regimental Staf

Mounted Platoon

Pioneer Platoon

Signals Platoon

Infantry Battalion (x3)

Battalion Staff

Rifle Company (x3)

Machine Gun Company

Light Infantry Column

Infantry Gun Company

Antitank Company (Motorized)

Regimental Train

Artillery Regiment

Regimental Staff with Staff Battery

Artillery Battalion (Light) (x3)

Battalion Staf Battery

Light Field Howitzer Battery (x3)

Light Artillery Column

Artillery Battalion (Heavy)

Battalion Staff

Heavy Field Howitzer Battery (x2)

Heavy Gun Battery

Heavy Altillery Column

Regimental Train

Infanterie-Division

Divisionsstab

Infanterie-Regiment (x3)

Regimentsstab

Reiter-Zug

Pionier-Zug

N achrichten-Zug

Infanterie-Batai llon (x3)

Bataillonsstab

SchUtzen-Kompanie (x3)

Maschinengewehr -Kompanie

leichte Infanterie-Kolonne

InfanteriegeschUtz-Kompanie

Panzerabwehr-Kompanie (motorisiert)

RegimentstroB

Arti llerie-Regi ment

Regimentsstab mit Stabsbattelie

Artillerie-Abteilung (leichte) (x3)

S tabsbatterie

leichte Feldhaubitzen-Batterie (x3)

leichte Altillelie-Kolonne

Artillerie-Abteilung (schwere)

Stabsbatterie

schwere Feldhaubitzen-Battelie (x2)

schwere Kanonen-Batterie

schwere Artillerie-Kolonne

RegimentstroB

Reconnaissance Battalion

Battalion Staf

Mounted Squadron

Cyclist Squadron

Heavy Squadron

Battalion Train

Aufklarungs-Abteilung

Abteilungsstab

Reiter-Schwadron

Radfahr-Schwadron

schwere Schwadron

AbteilungstroB

Antitank Battalion

Battalion Staf

Antitank Company (x3)

Battalion Train

Pioneer Battalion (Partly Motorized)

Battalion Staff

Pioneer Company (x2)

Panzerjager-Abteilung

Abteilungsstab

Panzerjager-Kompanie (x3)

AbteilungstroB

Pionier-Bataillon (teilmotorisiert)

Batai Ilonsstab

Pionier-Kompanie (x2)

Pioneer Company (Motorized)

Bridge Column B (Motorized)

Light Pioneer Column

Signals Battalion

Battalion Staf

Telephone Company (Partly Motorized)

Radio Company (Motorized)

Light Signals Column (Motorized)

Administrative Service

Provisions Ofice

Bakery Company (Motorized)

Butcher Platoon (Motorized)

Field Post Oice (Motorized)

Division Supply Leader

Division Supply Leader Staf

Supply Column (Motorized) (x2)

Supply Column (Horse-drawn) (x3)

Light Supply Column (Horse-drawn) (x3)

Fuel Column (Motorized)

Supply Company (Motorized)

Workshop Company (Motorized)

Medical Service

Medical Company (Horse-drawn)

Medical Company (Motorized)

Field Hospital

Ambulance Platoon (x2)

Veterinary Company

Field Military Police Troop

Pionier-Kompanie (motorisiert)

Bricken-Kolonne B (motorisiert)

leichte Pionier-Kolonne

Nachrichten-Abteilung

Abteilungsstab

Fernsprech-Kompanie (teilmotorisiert)

Funk-Kompanie (motorisiert)

leichte Nachrichten-Kolonne (mot)

Verwaltungsdienste

Verpflegungsamt

Backerei-Kompanie (motorisiert)

ScWachtereizug (motorisiert)

Feldpostamt (motorisiert)

Divisions-Nachschubfiihrer

Divisions-Nachschubfiihrer-Stab

Nachschub-Kolonne (motorisiert) (x2)

Nacbschub-Kolonne (x3)

leichte Nachschub-Kolonne (x3)

Betriebsstof-Kolonne (motorisiert)

Nachschub-Kompanie (motorisiert)

Werkstatt-Kompanie (motorisiert)

Sanitatsdienst

Sanitats-Kompanie

SaniUits-Kompanie (motorisiert)

Feldlazarett

Kranken-Kraftwagen-Zug (x2)

Veterinar-Kompanie

Feldgendarmerie-Trupp

The divisional staff consisted of the commander, a lieutenant

general (often a major general later in the war), and numerous

specialized staf oficers, their assistants, and support personnel.

The command unit comprised the commander, operations staf, and

the commanders and their staffs of the artillery regiment, signals

and engineer battalions, and other key divisional unit commanders

were located in a main command post some distance behind the

front line. The adjutant and quartermaster, responsible for personnel

administration and supplies and services were in a rear command

post even further behind the lines. So too were the divisional supply

leader and other service unit stafs.

machine gun company's three four-gun heavy machine gun

platoons might each support a company but they were mainly used

to place suppressive fir � on battalion objectives, cover gaps between

units, and protect exposed flanks. They would ire through gaps

between attacking platoons. The machine gun company's 8cm

mOltar platoon would be in general support of the battalion,

especially the main assault company.

The regimental infantry gun company with 7.5cm and 15cm guns,

the "regimental commander's artillery," provided support to the

assault battalions and in the defense covered enemy approach

routes. Later in the war these were often replaced by 12cm heavy

mortars. The regimental antitank company had three platoons each

with three 3.7cm antitank guns. These guns were not all positioned

along the front line, but some were placed in depth in twos and

threes throughout the regimental sector. Later in the war some of

these guns may have been substituted with Scm antitank guns and

by 1944 large numbers of 8.8cm Panzerschreck "bazookas" were

being issued. The battalion light infantry columns and regimental

trains were compan y -sized elements responsible for transporting

unit ammunition, supplies and rations, and included service

elements such as cooks and blacksmiths. This applied to similar

service trains and columns in other divisional battalions.

The three infantry regiments were of course the division's main

fire and maneuver elements. They took and held ground. Normally

two regiments would be deployed forward with one in reserve.

However, owing to the extended frontages that divisions were

required to hold on the Eastern Front it was not uncommon for all

three regiments to be on the front line. When in the line two

battalions wbuld be forward and one in reserve. Again, there were

instances in which all three battalions were placed in the line. In the

sector that was least diicult to defend or which the enemy was

least likely to attack a company might be detached from one of the

battalions as a regimental reserve and the little pioneer platoon

would also serve as a lean regimental reserve. Some regiments

formed small pioneer companies. By 1944 many regiments had

only two battalions. The "two up, one back" deployment concept

was also applied at company level. The platoon in the rear though

was considered to be in "support" of the forward platoons and not

as a "reserve." Platoons, however, would place all three rile squads

in the line. In the early days when platoons bad four rifle squads,

one would be positioned to the rear in support. The battalion

On 15 October 1942 the infantry regiment was redesignated a

'grenadier regiment' (Grenadier-Regiment) for morale purposes.

Grenadier units in the old Imperial Army had been considered elite

units. The division was still designated "infantry." The grenadier

regiment's battalions too were redesignated "grenadier," but the

companies, platoons, and squads retained the designation "rifle"

(Schiitzen).

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