Panzers in Normandy - Then and Now.pdf - Panzerwaffe - m4a3

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IN NORMANDY

Eric Lefevre

THEN AND NOW

Second edition 1990

Reprinted 1993

Reprinted 1996

Reprinted 1999

ISBN 0 900913 29 0

Printed in Great Britain

Translated from the French by Roy Cooke and

edited by Andrew Holmwood.

Editor-in-Chief After the Battle magazine.

Technical adviser: Jean Paul Pallud

PUBLISHERS

Battle of Britain International Limited,

Church House, Church Street,

London E15 3JA, England.

PRI TERS

Printed in Great Britain by Heronsgate Ltd,

Basildon, Essex.

MAPS

Unless stated to the contrary, all maps are

reproduced from GSGS 4249 1:100,000 -

either from Sheet 6F St La- Vire 1942 Edition

or Sheet 7F Caen-Falaise 1943 Edition and are

Crown Copyright. All extracts are reproduced

to the same scale of 1: 100,000, Le.

1cm == 1km. Distance scales have been omitted

on some pages in the interest of clarity. It is

important to remember that the majority of

roads in France have been reclassified and/or

renumbered since the war. The numbers

overlaid on the maps are those in current use.

(See also pages 186-187.)

The Panther - these are Ausf Gs -

served in Normandy with the majority of

the panzer regiments although rarely at

the theoretical strength of 17 per

Kompanie. (Bundesarchiv)

REAR ENDPAPER

In defeat. Panther Ausf A abandoned in St

Lambert-sur-Dive outside the Mairie

photographed by Captain Derrek Knight on

August 23,1944. (Imperial War Musuem)

PAGES 4-5

The 8. Kompanie of Panzer Regiment 3 in

battle formation on the Picardy plain before

the invasion. (Bundesarchiv)

PAGES 60-61

PHOTOGRAPHS

photographs where known (Imperial War

Museum is abbreviated IWM). All present

day photographs copyright After the Battle

magazine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

An SS-Panzer Regiment 12 Panther com-

mander attired in the camouflage-style

uniform which had been manufactured from

cloth obtained from Italy when he was

stationed there in 1943, probably as a member

of the Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler. (Bun-

desarchiv)

The author would like to express his gratitude

to all those who have given him the benefit of

their knowledge or access to material in their

possession: firstly to Lotc Le Guen and Jean de

Lagarde, also to Dr Haupt, General Graf von

Schwerin, Dr Weiss, Paul-Charles Steinmetz-

Lange, Dr Meyer, Michel Danin and, above

all, to Robert Soulat and Georges Bernage.

The help and advice of Peter Chamberlain,

Jean Paul Pallud and Gary Simpson was

invaluable in compiling the English language

edition. The illustrative material for Panzer

Regiment '44' and the organisational charts

were compiled and drawn by Jean Paul Pallud.

FRONT COVER

Reproduced from a painting by George A.

Campbell of SS-Obersturmftihrer Michael

Wittmann of schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung

101 before his promotion and the award of the

swords to his Ritterkreuz. His unmarked field

grave, dating from August 1944, was found as

a result of the research undertaken for this

edition (see page 183).

PAGES 76-77

A Panther Ausf G of the II. Abteilung of

Panzer Regiment 33 being transported from

Mailly-Ie-Camp eighty miles east of Paris to

Normandy by rail. The fir branches used for

camouflage are indigenous around the tank

training area and would have to be renewed

during the long journey to the front. The

summer dress of the crew is typical of the

period: pre-1943 shirts with rolled up sleeves

and canvas trousers. The standard black

peaked caps outnumber the forage cap.

(Bundesarchiv)

PAGES 124-125

BACK COVER

Panther from the 6. Kompanie, II. Abteilung,

Panzer Regiment 33 which fought in Nor-

mandy in August 1944. The loader has

emerged from the rear hatch, his eyes

protected by dark goggles, in order to spot any

Allied fighter-bombers attacking from out of

the sun. (Bundesarchiv)

EDITOR'S NOTE

Of necessity the German army had to use

abbreviations for their units. The company

(Kompanie), regiment, brigade, division and

army was always designated by an Arabic

figure, the battalion (Abteilung) and corps

(Korps) by a Roman numeral. Thus:

S./Pz.Rgt. 3 means the 5th Company of the

3rd Tank Regiment. Likewise II./pz.Rgt. 16

is short for the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Tank

Regiment, 'Panzer' being the German for

'armour' but also used for 'tank'. The style

adopted in this book, while not adhering

strictly to the hieroglyphics of the German

abbreviations is, nevertheless, 'Germanic' in

flavour while being more readily understood

in English.

FRONT ENDPAPER

In victory. A crew from schwere SS-Panzer

Abteilung 101 with their well camouflaged

Tiger Ausf E photographed shortly after their

successful battle against the advance of the

British 22nd Armoured Brigade at Villers-

Bocage on June 13. They wear a mixture of

clothing often seen during active service. Each

crew member was issued with a P.38 semi-

automatic pistol apart from the gun-layer who

was given an MP40 sub-machine gun.

(Bundesarchiv)

Tiger Is of schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 101

climb the hill on the N316 north-east of

Morgny en route to Normandy. Note the wide

battle tracks on this late production Ausf E.

(Bundesarchiv)

PAGES 208-209

The sole panzer remaining in Normandy today

- the Tiger Ausf E beside the Route

Nationale 179 outside Vimoutiers.

CONTENTS

4 INTRODUCTION

6 ORGANISATION OF PANZER REGIMENT '44'

9 Panzer Regiment (Staff and Staff Company)

10 I. Abteilung (Staff and Staff Company)

11 I. Abteilung (Panther Companies)

12 II. Abteilung (Staff and Staff Company)

13 II. Abteilung (PzKpfw IV Companies)

14 Versorgungskompanie, I. Abteilung

15 Versorgungskompanie, II. Abteilung

16 Werkstattkompanie

17 Allocation tables, men and equipment

19 PzKpfw IV

25 PzKpfw V PANTHER

32 PzKpfw VI TIGER AUSF E

39 PzKpfw VI TIGER AUSF B

43 STURMGESCHUTZ

46 JAGDPANZER IV

47 JAGDPANTHER

48 MOBILE FLAK

52 RECOVERY VEHICLES

54 HALF-TRACKS

57 OTHER ARMOURED VEHICLES

60 UNIFORMS

63 The Heer

67 Waffen-SS

70 The Panzerkampfabzeichen

71 The Panzerlied

72 PANZER REGIMENTS.

77 HEER

78 Panzer Lehr Regiment (Panzer Lehr Division)

96 Panzer Regiment 3 (2. Panzer Division)

102 Panzer Regiment 16 (116. Panzer Division)

104 Panzer Regiment 22 (21. Panzer Division)

111 Panzer Regiment 33 (9. Panzer Division)

114 Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503

120 Miscellaneous Army Panzer Units

120 Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 654

122 Panzer Ersatz und Ausbildungs Abteilung 100

123 Panzer Abteilung 206

125 WAFFEN-SS

126 SS-Panzer Regiment 1 (1. SS-Panzer Division)

130 SS- Panzer Regiment 2 (2. SS- Panzer Division)

140 SS- Panzer Regiment 9 (9. SS- Panzer Division)

145 SS-Panzer Regiment 10 (10. SS-Panzer Division)

149 SS-Panzer Regiment 12 (12. SS-Panzer Division)

160 SS-Panzer Abteilung 17 (17. SS-Panzer Grenadier Division)

161 Schwere SS- Panzer Abteilung 101

184 Schwere SS- Panzer Abteilung 102

192 DER RUCKMARSCH

198 WHAT NOW REMAINS?

210 GLOSSARY

212 COMPARATIVE RANK TABLE

INTRODUCTION

This book deals specifically with the tank regiments of the

panzer divisions in Normandy and with the independent heavy

tank battalions. Ten panzer divisions took part in the battle,

the same number as in the Blitzkreig of 1940, although then

they had been deployed in concerted action, whereas in the

summer of 1944 the German High Command had first to be

convinced that the landings were the real thing before striving

to assemble divisions from the four corners of Europe. Con-

troversy over the deployment of the panzer reserve was con-

siderable. A crucial factor was the question of where the in-

vasion would take place - something which the Allied

deception plans exploited to the full. In the spring of 1944,

though, it was fairly obvious that it could be Normandy. Hitler

was rather in two minds about it - insisting on the need to

keep a careful eye on the sector but, at the same time, retaining

panzer divisions in north-west France.

On top of everything, the High Command was at that

moment divided among itself and in a state of paralysis.

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, the Commander-

in-Chief West, was in favour of keeping the panzer divisions

back from the coast so that once the enemy's intentions

became clear the armour could be launched in a well-laid

conventional counter-attack. The same aims prevailed within

Panzergruppe West - the headquarters made up of ex-

perienced panzer officers under General der Panzertruppen

Geyr von Schweppenburg and entrusted with the training of

the panzer divisions - with the General resolutely in support

of von Rundstedt's views.

On June 6, 1944 Hitler's so-called Atlantic Wall delayed the

Allied landings in Normandy only by a few hours. The Luft-

waffe and Kriegsmarine were no longer forces to be reckoned

and the German infantry divisions defending the coastal area

were still using horses as their main means of transport. Once

ashore, the invading troops could rely on permanent air

support that was limitless and devastating. Allied aircraft were

able to harass enemy columns hundreds of kilometres in the

rear, paralysing all movement, and preventing men, shells,

and petrol from arriving at the front. The Allies, on the other

hand, were assured of permanent supplies, far in excess of

their effective requirements, and were able to rely on massive

artillery support and on the heavy guns of warships firing from

out at sea for dozens of kilometres inland.

There were, however, the panzers. They could move by

night, when what the Germans called 'Jabos' (fighter-bombers)

could no longer intervene, and, face to face with Allied tanks,

the panzers often had the upper hand, even when it was a case

of one against five. But they were comparatively few in number

and most of them a long way from Normandy. They were to

arrive piecemeal, right up to the final days of the battle ...

and their hulks were to be abandoned right across the

Normandy countryside.

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