By Pier Paolo Battistelli
On the outbreak of global battle II in September 1939, Germany's armored forces - the Panzerwaffe - have been nonetheless of their infancy. the constraints imposed by way of the Treaty of Versailles intended that German tank improvement needed to be carried out in mystery. preliminary armor campaigns in Poland weren't thoroughly profitable and adjustments have been wanted earlier than the invasion of France.
This ebook examines the organizational adjustments, advancements in doctrine and strategies, and superior command and regulate that supplied the foundation for the dazzling good fortune of the Panzer divisions in 1940. even supposing the Panzerwaffe was once nonetheless mostly not so good as its enemies by way of either tank numbers and caliber, it successfully tailored and built these doctrines and rules of war that had formed German combating because the nineteenth century. reaching tactical and operational shock, the Panzer divisions succeeded in breaking via enemy defences within the Ardennes and enveloping a lot of antagonistic forces at Dunkirk. The legend of the Blitzkrieg was once born.
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Extra info for Panzer Divisions - The Blitzkrieg Years 1939-40
Example text
This was made up of a Nachrichten Kompanie, composed in 1939 of a telecommunications and three radio platoons (in 1940 there were only three mixed platoons), and a Panzer Funk (armoured signal) Kompanie, also of three platoons. In 1939 the Nachrichten Kompanie was mainly equipped with communications cars and vans (Kfz 2, 15, 17, and 77) carrying either radio or cable communications equipment. In 1940 its vehicle inventory also included seven PzBefh III (SdKfz 267 and 268, the difference between the two variants lying in the different radio equipment carried aboard) and three radio armoured cars (SdKfz 260, 261 and 263, though, given their scarce availability, Kfz 17 radio vans could replace the latter while PzBefh I or radio vans certainly replaced the former, whose presence was even less common).
Mittlere Panzer Kompanie (same as 1. Leichte Panzer Kompanie) •• Kompt Trupp' •• Komp Trupp ': ••• Ie Panzer lug ••• 1-3 ZUg~ r c = = 1. 1 h . 1;' O · )-( •• Tross TRAIN Panzer Regiment tank establishment, September 1939 Regiment Stab Nachrichten lug leichte Panzer lug I. Abteilung I. Abteilung Stab leichte Panzer lug •• It Abteilung same as I. Abteilung Note 1 One PzKpfw " could replace one of the PzKpfw III. 29 Schiitzen Brigades. 4 per cent of divisional strength (see the Command and Control chapter); they included 18 officers, 14 Beamte, 26 NCOs and 107 other ranks, armed with a total of 50 pistols, 111 rifles and two heavy MGs.
Pz. Rgt. I 26 49 28 20 4 Pz. Rgt. 2 26 49 30 20 4 Pz. Rgt. 3 22 55 29 16 8 Pz. 4 23 60 29 16 8 Pz. Rgt. 5 Pz. Rgt. 6 117 129 42 26 27 Pz. Rgt. 35 69 50 20 12 5 Pz. Rgt. 36 66 55 20 12 5 Pz. Rgt. 15 51 61 24 16 15 Pz. Rgt. 31 46 59 28 16 II 6. Pz. Div. Pz. Rgt. II 7. Pz. Div. Pz. 66 8. Pz. Div. 34 60 31 68 24 91 8 58 23 116 15 9. Pz. Div. Pz. Rgt. 33 10. Pz. Div. Pz. Rgt. 7 22 Pz. Rgt. 8 22 554 920 30 41 16 58 29 16 9 55 29 16 9 349 280 54 Notes I Of which 14 were PzBefh 35 (t) and 23 were PzBefh 38 (t).