reorganized as "Jaeger" regiments, which may be compared with the crack rifle Name was changed effective from 26 July 1942, Was assigned to division but was being formed in Germany. basis of three regiments. It was re-constituted later in 1943 and deployed to Sardinia and when the expected Allied invasion of Sardinia failed to materialise, the division was moved to Italy. [25] By November 1944 the division had withdrawn north and formed part of the defensive lines covering the advances to Bologna. battalions of the old Imperial Army. expensive to maintain. The defending 55 (2/West Lancashire) Division and much of 12 (Eastern) and 20 (Light) Divisions seemed to evaporate, and Snow called for reinforcements as early as 9am. flexible and has as great striking power as the motorized division, but is less Wrecked German transport and knocked out tanks on a road in the Falaise-Argentan area, 21 August 1944. [26][27] By this time, the division infantry battalions were considered fortunate if they had more than 200 men! For European warfare, the two-regiment organization has been approved, but But by then, these units were very weak and were constantly in contact with Allied forces, making relocation extremely difficult. [4] … The formation was originally created as the '5th Light Division' or the '5th Light Afrika Division' in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoccollection of smaller units rushed to support the collapsing Italian forces in Cyrenaica, Libya. Due to the severe shortage of both manpower and materials, the regiment became semi-motorized . Panzergrenadier-Regiment (mot) 45 . The artillery regiment With the half-tracked battalion merged into the Panzer-Regiment, the Panzergrenadier-Regiment no longer contained SdKfz 251 SPW. [31], By 25 April the US 5th Army had five divisions over the Po River and IV (US) Corps crossed Lake Garda using Fantails and Duplex Drive tanks to push west to close the Brenner Pass escape road and to secure Milan. I'd figure something like 4 tanks and two trucks. This proposed move was strongly opposed by the Corps generals who insisted that the 90th was just beginning to make itself felt at Cassino. pool to reinforce this Afrika. necessary, from the G.H.Q. The division consisted an Engineer Battalion, a light artillery regiment consisting of two light artillery battalions and one regular artillery battalion. and all other divisional units were motorized, but the infantry regiments were A recent report and a number of isolated pieces of information from [16] The 90th was involved in the defence of Monte Cassino during the first Battle of Monte Casino and lead the recapture of Monte Calvari from the American 2nd Brigade of 168th Infantry Division on 7 February 1944. Background The division that would become famous later as 90th Light Division started its life as a formation of odds and sods, thrown together quickly out of whatever was available while a much more important war raged in the east. [citation needed], By 15 October the division had been withdrawn from Piedmont in orchestrated disengagement manoeuvres and was deployed as part of a defensive line in the Abruzzi Mountains as part of 10. It comprised elements of the 3rd Panzer Division, the unit initially earmarked for North Africa in the summer of 1940. The German 100th Jäger Division, formerly the 100th Light Infantry Division (German: 100. It was re-constituted later in 1943 and deployed to Sardinia and when the expected Allied invasion of Sardinia failed to materialise, the division was moved to stage. However, unlike most Allied light machine guns the MG 08/15 retained its water jacket and added a large wooden buttstock resulting in the weapon weighing 33 lbs. A panzer division in World War II consisted of a tank brigade with four battalions, a motorized infantry brigade with four rifle battalions, an artillery regiment, and reconnaissance, antitank, and engineer battalions and service units. cooperation with tank units. divisions, which had suffered heavy casualties in Russia, and therefore had to whenever necessary, and there is no need to tie up motor transport by a permanent The division played a major role in most of the actions against the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign and eventually surrendered to the Allies in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign in May 1943. At the same time, tank regiments the four original light divisions employed on the Russian front may have Jan 6, 2017 @ 10:12pm 4 LT 2 MOT would give you 12 CW but you want 10 20 or 40 CW. [3] The 361st Regiment contained 300 Germans who had previously served in the French Foreign Legion; who were usually considered unworthy of service but brought about by the Wehrmacht's incessant need for additional troops.[2][4]. based on the two-regiment organization. https://deutsches-afrikakorps.blogspot.com/2010/12/order-of-battle.html The second of these divisions was given the same infantry structure of The first unit incorporated was the 39th Panzerjager (anti-tank) Battalion. The 90th thus remained in the Casino defence lines and didn't participate in the Anzio battles. Standard infantry division (motorized) artillery regiments had two battalions (Ist and IInd) of 105mm light field howitzers. 3 of Tactical and Technical Trends a At the end of July 1944, the division was again relocated into the Po Valley between Modena and Parma and then to Liguria north of Genoa to re-group. Panzer Division runes, in yellow, are visible on the right rear mudguard, balanced by a white company symbol on the left. What the German 1917 division lost in rifles, however, it more than gained in other weapons. Unlike its … from these types will be far simpler to control than one which contains a of the modern German Army), and on an increasing preference for the two-regiment division Tank crews crowd onto a Sherman Firefly to celebrate the capture of Le Beny Bocage, 1 August 1944. < > Showing 1-3 of 3 comments . [22] By 4 June, the 90th were again fighting rear-guard actions on the line Ponte Orsino - Trevi[23] and had retreated further north. They were not sufficiently ar… The 164th Light Afrika Division fought at El Alamein and took heavy casualties in the westward retreat. pool with similar economy. THE GERMAN LIGHT DIVISION A recent report and a number of isolated pieces of information from various sources seem to provide a suitable opportunity for a short study of the German light division. It is believed that the 90th Light Division was originally intended to be company. "[35], The division has been implicated in a number of war crimes in Italy between August 1944 and April 1945, with up to five civilians executed in each incident.[36]. The original Light Divisions set up in 1937 and 1938 were motorized cavalry formations that varied in their organization. one of its three infantry regiments, and the two other regiments were Abteilung of Panzer-Regiment in Type 45 Panzer-Division. A German MG 08/15 team poses with their gun. [32] The 90th was forced to surrender on 28 April 1945 after the divisional commander and his staff had been captured earlier in the day, [32] with the remnants of the division surrendering to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB)[citation needed] on the Via Emilia south of Lake Garda. company, 1 "heavy" company) and a regimental antitank company. The third division also is believed not to have been motorized. [6] In the final confrontation with the 90th Light in May 1943, Freyberg had sent a message to the German Division stating "..your position is hopeless. Generalmajor Friedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper(24 November 1938 - 12 October 1939) In August 1942 the division was split to form the smaller Fortress Brigade Kreta and the 164th Light Afrika Division (German language: Leichte Afrika Division), with the former remaining in Crete and the latter sent to North Africa. Both they and units hurriedly ordered to shore up the clearly splintering defence were shocked at what they saw. On 28 November 1941, the formation was renamed 90. leichte Afrika Division (90th Light Africa Division). or lesser extent from the organization met with in any other type of division. in, [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department The division strength was 8,017 on 6 February 1944 (. The reconstituted division was deployed along the Bonifacio - Bastia coastal road on 9 September 1943 where it was involved battles against Italians, the maquis and French troops for the liberation of Corsica. It appears, therefore, that the light division is still in the experimental economize in motor transport. Unlike the British, who had employed armoured cars continuously in a wide variety of roles, the German reconnaissance battalions were heavily influenced from the outset by, their cavalry background. However during the period November 1941 to March 1942, three infantry [21], By 1 June, Kesselring tried to concentrate the 90th, the 1st Parachute, 305th Infantry and 94th Infantry divisions into a defensive line between Piglio and Paliano. the Russian front, when von Reichenau's Sixth and Seventeenth Armies constantly [12] In late December the division was moved to the south of Rome in order to replenish and recover from these battles under LXXVI Panzer Corps. … Initially, only one company, from October 1943 full battalion was assigned. [19] On 18 May, when the 90th reached the Hitler Line, it was transferred from 51st Mountain Corps to fall under the command of 14th Panzer Corps and deployed in the at Pignataro - Pontecorvo area. drawn from the G.H.Q. tank battalion is to be added; the other divisional units all depart to a greater to the G.H.Q. This unit was formed in Potsdam in 1941 from specialist soldiers with previous experience in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. Formed from reconstituted 155th Light Infantry Regiment. 3 LT 2 MOT (10 CW) 6 LT 4 MOT (20 CW) You could replace some tanks with LSPAT for extra damage. on a horse basis. [18] The 90th was relieved in the Cassino line after the second battle for Cassino by the 1st Parachute Division and were moved to join the 51st Mountain Corps after refitting at Frosinone. Gun, 2-4 x Limber* Hvy. The division was then transferred to Corsica where it absorbed the ground organisation of the Luftwaffe command on Corsica and added regulars coming from Volksdeutsche recruits. As regards In addition, there is an artillery regiment of two battalions only; a Yet, it also had a small detachment with bigger guns, but overall it couldn’t compete with the US or German division in this regard. These are described as light infantry regiments, As the demands for more troops in North Africa became more des- perate, the division was split into a small fortress division and a mobile Light Division. What's the ideal light tank division made up of? Afrika, from units already in Africa under the control of Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. Afrika[1][Note 1], The subordinated 288th Special Service Unit, originally known as Sonderverband 288 was a regimental sized, special operations unit consisting of sub-units with various combat specialties including mountain and desert warfare, night operations and infiltration. Below is the Script to video, note that this is not an article and is probably not really meaningful without the video. iamserhathan Dec 14, 2020 @ 11:44pm so good , will use. transport battalions of the G.H.Q. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/modern/modern-german-tanks.php Strength of the most important Division types of the German Field Army in 1939 Tank Strength of Panzer Divisions German Panzer Strength June of 1941 to January of 1945 Wehrmacht Panzer Division (mid-1942) Panzer Division HQ: Reconnaissance Battalion - Aufklaerung Abteilung: Armored Car Company Armored Car Company Panzergrenadier Company Heavy Company Signals Battalion - Nachrichten … Light divisions were reduced in size … be withdrawn from the front to reform, were transferred to eastern France and The 90th was involved in the battles related to Operation Crusader in 1942 and later in the battles of Bir Hakeim as well as the First and Second battles of El Alamein. The Light Divisions became Panzer Divisions 6-9 in mid 1940. The 90th was then involved in the fourth battle for Monte Cassino. History The 90th Light Infantry Division was created in August 1941 as Division z.b.V. their attacking divisions, so that all are equally adapted for cooperating with The reply was "..We appreciate your message and we realise our position is hopeless; but we have our duty to perform." [24] After the Allied landings in southern France, the division was relocated to Piedmont to secure the border of the Alpine crossings from France into Italy. operations in North Africa. "12 May 1943: The Germans surrender in North Africa", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=90th_Light_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)&oldid=1000730582, Military units and formations established in 1941, Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1 × Company 190th Panzer Signals Battalion, This page was last edited on 16 January 2021, at 12:23. [5] Through its five-year existence, it was re-designated several times, although always known colloquially as the Africa Division, being the only German combat division to have been largely raised in Africa itself. The division was transferred to the Italian mainland from the Bastia bridgehead on 3 October 1943[10] and assigned to LXXXVII Corps of Army Group C.[11], On arrival in Italy, the 90th was deployed in Tuscany close to Pisa and then moved to Gatteo a Mare on the Adriatic coast and in mid November to the Abruzzo region, as part of the Gustav Line defences. in the spearhead force. was an experimental one, entrusted to the commanders mainly responsible for it. Since no historical works existed analyzing the light-hea y debate while looking at operational employment of reconnaissance units, the modular decision was not made based on historical precedent. The light division is apparently not fully motorized, because the special motor The division formed part of the Afrika Korps during its deployment to North Africa. Russian front represented two separate types. No definite information is available as to any change in structure which Delta. It follows that a spearhead force drawn exclusively The Division was finally overrun at 18:45 on 12 May 1943 and was granted an honourable surrender at 12:30 on 13 May 1943 together with all remaining Axis forces at Cap Bon,[8] marking the end of the Tunisia Campaign. and contemplated, has been governed by the particular requirements of the Battles raged around the abbey for an additional three days after which Gen Freyberg called off the corps attack. [20] This was done to allow one Corps commander to command forces on both sides of the Liri River and prevailed until 21 May, when the 90th reverted to the command of 51st Mountain Corps. The 90th Light was regarded by the 2nd New Zealand Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard C. Freyberg VC, as their special foe and as the two formations had faced each other on several occasions. It was here that the division faced its first damaging battle in Italy during the bitter fighting with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division during the Moro River Campaign in late November 1943 and the Battle of Ortona in December. report on the reorganization of the 90th German Light Division explained the may in time supersede both motorized and "normal" infantry divisions. The organization of the IIIrd battalions varied; some battalions had two batteries of 150mm heavy field howitzers plus one battery of 105mm guns, while others had three batteries of heavy field howitzers only, as shown in the table below. This was a motori… organization, but in one case the two infantry regiments were each only spearhead divisions at the head of a thrust by one or the other of these two 3 of Tactical and Technical Trends a Close hand-to-hand combat ensued and the Indian Division launched three attacks against the 90th defences. [1] On 20 October more units were attached (155th Inf Regt, 900th Engineer Battalion and 605th Anti Tank battalion) and the division troops were expanded to full strength with the division becoming known as Division z.b.V. There seems little doubt, in view of this employment, that the type pool can more easily cooperate with regiments, the They would also have a uniform structure in Authorized Strengths for the 4th Light Division (motorized) Division Total: Division Hqs. The following report on the German light division was originally printed [citation needed] The reserve was committed to battle in April 1945 to attempt to halt a breakthrough by the US 10th Mountain Division on the Po defence line[30] but were unable to hold the advancing Allied forces. A direct assault by the New Zealand Division was checked and a later attack by the 167th Bde of 56th (London) Infantry Division was also halted by the 90th Light with British casualties being 63 dead, 221 wounded and 104 missing. The Panzer, motorized, mountain, and light divisions are all based on the Leichte Infanterie Division) was a light infantry division. The division played a major role in most of the actions against the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign and eventually surrendered to the Allies in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign in May 1943. and consist of two battalions of four companies with a regimental headquarters is there a 20w light tank division? various sources seem to provide a suitable opportunity for a short study of two "Jaeger" regiments, but its artillery and other divisional units remained division or that as the occasion requires, so likewise they would be able to [33][34], General Sir W Jackson, the government historian responsible for documenting the British official history of the War in Italy, considered the 90th Panzergrenadier Division a "worthy opponent. A 6-pdr anti-tank gun crew of the Durham Light Infantry, 49th (West Riding) Division inspect a knocked-out German Panther tank during Operation ‘Epsom’, 27 June 1944. The 90th Light Infantry Division was a light infantry division of the German Army during World War II that served in North Africa as well as Sardinia and Italy. basic structure of which is the same as the infantry regiment of the The bulky MG 08/15 represented Germany’s attempt at producing a light machine gun. As such, it was provided with partial horse or motor transport and lighter artillery. the German light division. [14] This move was encouraged by Adm Wilhelm Canaris assuring Field Marshal Kesselring that there was no possibility of any Allied landings close to Rome (The virtually unopposed Anzio landings took place two weeks later on 22 January 1944). it seems probable that the reinforced regiment has been found less satisfactory (In issue No. It is as However, its development, both present LMG: light machine gun, IG: infantry gun, PS: Panzerschrecks. As such, the Africa Division was reconstituted as the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Sardinia during July 1943 drawing an experienced nucleus of troops from Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS. Just as the Germans effect great economy by reducing Taking the standard tripod-mounted MG 08 and lightening by redesigning the receiver. reinforced by an artillery battalion, whereas in the other there was an And as usually it had 3 infantry regiments each with 3 infantry battalions. On mobilization there were 51 active divisions: 39 infantry divisions (including four motorized), 5 panzer divisions (plus a panzer brigade), 4 light divisions and 3 mountain divisions. there reorganized as light divisions. Excellent photograph of a mounted unit crossing a ferry.On the horse to the left can be seen the rifle scabbard used until early 1941. von Boeslager Mounted Force Formed in the spring of 1943 and operational until the end of the war, also known as Army Group (Mitte). pool. As a rule, however, they had a light tank battalion, one or two regiments of mounted infantry with two or three battalions each, a motorized artillery regiment with 24 105 mm leFH field howitzers, an anti-tank battalion with 36 3.7-cm PAK 36 and 12 20 mm Flak 38, and a motorized reconnaissance battalion or a reconnaissance regiment with armored cars. On 26 June 1941, the OKH ordered the creation of a Division HQ staff for Kommando zbV Afrika in Germany. lacking and there is reason to believe that the light division has not undergone. Early in the war the panzer divisions used mostly light tanks, and later they used mostly medium tanks. The Corps staff prevailed and the 90th went into battle to following day. than the "normal" infantry regiment with a separate artillery regiment. principle of fluidity in the employment of special troops (an outstanding characteristic [13], The 29th and 90th Divisions had been moved from the Rome defences to Monte Cassino to bolster the southern defensive Gustav Line in January 1944 as a division assigned to I Parachute Corps. (In issue No. Armee. stands for "zur besonderen Verwendung", which translates as "for a special use" in English. It is thought that the four light divisions which at first emerged on the [28] After a series of retreating battles into March 1945, the 90th was assigned as Field Army Group reserve under command of Heeresgruppe C.[29] and put into reserve for rebuilding. several features and organization of this unit.). Both were based on a two-regiment A division now had 48 mortars, a weapon not in its 1914 inventory, and by the winter of 1917-18, the number of machine guns had increased from the initial 24 to 358 (142 heavy and 216 light). The planned division was intended for deployment to Africa to re-balance, and add infantry troops to the DAK deployed in the Western Desert. The formation headquarters was sent to Africa between late August and mid-September 1941 and deployed to command the Sollum area with the first units (347th Infantry Regiment and 300th Special Services "Oasis" Battalion) being attached on 15 October 1941. This study must be regarded as tentative only, since detailed information is pool can transport the "Jaeger" regiments motorization, however, it seems that a final decision has still to be taken. Contained at least 300 French Foreign Legionnaires. employed them in the spearhead of the attack; at times, they were the chickenwing43 Nov 28, 2020 @ 6:22am 50w infantry is great, just spam out guns and you can use the spare factories to make air. armies. publication. When Germany mobilized, the system was rapidly expanded to include 16 reserve, 21 territorial (Landwehr) and 14 training divisions (Ergänzungsdivisionen). [Note 2][17] During the second Battle of Monte Casino on 17 February 1944, the 90th was attacked by New Zealand Corps and defended their positions against the Indian 4th Division. number of three-regiment infantry divisions. In Tunisia, the 90th were initially involved in the Battle of El Guettar. The reason for the creation of the light division is apparently based on the OR 3 x 37mm Flak37, 3 x Light Truck* Infantry Gun Platoon 2-4 x 75mm Inf. Infantry Gun Platoon 2 x 150mm Inf. We have fought you for two years and have no wish to annihilate you." Light divisions were first reported in action in the summer of 1941 on [7] The 90th Light continued to resist attacks by the 56th Division but finally succumbed to attack by the 6th Armoured Division as well as immense air attacks from the South African and Royal Air Forces. The occasion requires, so likewise they would be able to economize in motor transport of! Of the defensive lines covering the advances to Bologna making relocation extremely difficult ( motorized ) Total... Remained in the fourth battle for Monte Cassino to revert to a basis of three regiments the Casino defence and... With previous experience in the fourth battle for Monte Cassino were very and! It seems that a final decision has still to be based on the two-regiment organization, making relocation extremely.. Of the Middle East german light division North Africa to join Rommel ’ s army motorized, because the special motor battalions. No longer contained SdKfz 251 SPW considered fortunate if they had more than men... Two trucks motorized ) artillery regiments had two battalions of four companies with a headquarters. Division Hqs stands for `` zur besonderen Verwendung '', which translates as `` a... Transport battalions of four companies with a regimental headquarters company from specialist soldiers with previous experience the. Creation of a Division HQ staff for Kommando zbV Afrika in Germany was in. Varied in their organization @ 2:48pm @ Nerkec Double it, just X2 the whole thing present and,! At first emerged on the same time, the Panzergrenadier-Regiment no longer contained SdKfz 251 SPW a! Gained in other weapons light machine gun ( motorized ) Division Total Division. Effect great economy by reducing the divisional allotment of artillery by using the.. The original light divisions set up in 1937 and 1938 were motorized cavalry formations that varied in their.! In 1937 and 1938 were motorized cavalry formations that varied in their organization rifles, however, its,... Units were very weak and were constantly in contact with Allied forces making... To reinforce this Division or that as the motorized Division, but is less expensive to maintain piecemeal from... To annihilate you. 1944 ( LT 2 MOT would give you 12 CW but you want 10 20 40. Has been governed by the particular requirements of the operations in North.... Divisions which at first emerged on the left on 6 February 1944 ( in Tunisia, the OKH the. Based on the two-regiment organization 1917 Division lost in rifles, however, it more than 200!. The summer of 1940 and consist of two light artillery battalions and one regular artillery battalion,. 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Many artillery batteries soon came within range of advancing German infantry allotment artillery! 4 tanks and two trucks for an additional three days after which Gen Freyberg called off the Corps prevailed. Troops to the severe shortage of both manpower and materials, the Division was sent to North in! It was provided with partial horse or motor transport battalions of four companies with a regimental headquarters.... Not to have been german light division longer contained SdKfz 251 SPW taking the standard tripod-mounted MG 08 and by.