56487847 Panzer Grenadiers 1939 45 Almark

8/9/2019 56487847 Panzer Grenadiers 1939 45 Almark

1/18

No 3

WEH R I \ : ~ \ ~ H T

ILLUSTRATED

..

}

,

f an?tt=

~ r c n b i c r


2/18

The classic panzer-grenadier role; grenadiers

dismount

from their

d fz

5 half-track carrier and cautiously approach a burning farmhouse,

grenades at the ready.

This

picture dates from July

9

during the


3/18

© 1972 Almark Publishing Co. Ltd.

Text

© Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis

Artwork © Kenneth M Jones

Al l rights reserved No part of this

publication

may

be reproduced

stored in a

retrieval

system or

transmitted by any means

electronic

mechanical

or by photo

copying without pr ior

permission

from the publishers

First

Published January

1972

ISBN 0 85524 056 3

Printed

in Great

Britain by

Vale Press Ltd. Mitcham Surrey CR4 4HR

fo r

the publishers Almark Publishing Co Ltd.

270 Burlington

Road New

Malden

Surrey KT3 4NL

England

2

.

Th e k ey vehicle in

the armoured

battalions

of

panzer-grenadier regiments

was t he Hanomag

Sd

Kf z

251

half-track. one of the best

known

of all

erman

military vehicles.

The

early

model had

a

M

34

mounted

with

a small protective shield. Here a complete platoon

of

four vehic les one is

obscured extreme right passes General List during the victory parade

in thens

a ft er the conques t of

Greece. May

1941.

The

erman

censor

has paint ed out

the

vehicle registration

numbe rs and

over-painted

the

rec tangular tac tical s igns denoting a

motorised infantry company

Cham-

berlain Collection .

rganisation

and actics

STRICTLY s pe ak in g P an ze r- Gr en ad ie rs w er e t he armoured infantry

elemen t o f

Panzer

tank) Division

or

Panzer Grenadier

Divisions

and

were

a dm in is te re d b y t he I ns pe ct or at e

of

Mobile Troops ra ther

than

by the

Inspectorate

of

Infantry w ho a dm in is te re d a ll other i n fan try u ni ts ,

In

practice, however, the d is ti ncti on b ecomes b l urred

for

t he i nf an tr y u ni ts

o f m os t M ot or is ed Infantry Divisions Panzer-Grenadier Divisions) and

s ome L i gh t D iv is io ns w ere s imil arl y eq ui p ped and o rg an is ed , ev en t h ou g h

overall divisional organisation was different. In November 1 94 2 all i n fan try

u ni ts w er e r e- de si gn at ed as G re na di er s

at

H it le r s p er so na l c om m an d i n

r ec og ni ti on o f t he i nf an tr y s important status in the war. Hence even

the conventional Infantry D iv is io n wa s r e- ti tl ed as a Grenadier Division

from t hi s p er io d o nw ar ds . T hi s book c on ce rn ed w it h t he m ec ha ni se d

i n fan try , h ow ev er, t h e Panzer-G ren ad i ers and Motorised Infantry.

The

German

rmy

had

a v ery flexi bl e at ti t ud e t o d iv is io nal o rgan is ati o n

3


4/18

Grenadiers

of

a Panzer-Grenadier

ivision

are here see n moving i nt o t he

suburbs of Stalingrad, fol low ing and riding upon the StuG Ills o f the

div is ion s assault gun bat talion. ate is October

1 2, 1 94 2.

Cl os e co

operation between

the

assault guns

a nd t he i nf an tr y

we re a f ea tu re

of

the tac tics in a panze r- grenadie r div is ion C hamberlain C olle ct ion) .

a nd t he re w er e c on si de ra bl e c ha ng es in the composition of divisions

during World

War 2

Partly t he se c ha ng es r es ul te d f rom operational

experience a nd p ar tl y t he y were made to conserve

or

stretch available

manpower

a s l os se s

mount ed and ope ra ti on al

commitments increased.

Thus the

ex amp les g iv en

here should only

be

regarded

a s t yp ic al

for

any

given period.

There

was

often

s o me v ari ati on , ev en

from

the theore

tical establishment at

any

g iv en t ime. A s the

war

progressed

many

divisions

b ec am e w el l

under

strength

and

some nominal d iv is io ns b y 1945

had

o nl y a f ew

hundred

men.

German

infantry u ni ts w er e built up

on

the basis

of

t he p la toon

w hi ch w as the s mal lest s elf-co nt ai n ed fig ht in g element .

The

platoon

consisted o f f ou r t en man r ifle s ec tions , e ac h w it h a l ig ht m ac hi ne g un,

plus a light mortar section with a 5cm mor ta r a nd t hr ee men, and a

HQ section with the platoon commander, platoon sergeant, and four men.

A r if le s ec ti on o r s qu ad ) w as c om ma nd ed by a NCO and h ad six riflemen

plus a m ac hi ne gun crew of three with the

MG 34

l at er t he

MG

42)

used in the light role only.

The

machine gun commander wa s a lso

s omet imes a NCO

In panzer-grenadier battalions later in the war the

light

mortar

section was

d ropped f rom the p la toon but

overall fire-power

was theoretically much greater

for

t he s ec ti on l ig ht m ac hi ne gun was

a ug me nt ed b y t wo o th er s w hi ch

formed the demountable armament of

the

section s

armoured troop

carrier.

From the tactical p oi nt o f view the most im po rt an t f ea tu re o f th e

infantry battalion was that the four th company was th e m ac hi ne gun

company with three l at er t wo ) heavy machine gun platoons e ac h w it h

two gun sections) and a h ea vy Sc m) mortar platoon with three later two)

m or ta rs . W it hi n t he infantry regiment was an infantry gun company with

t h ree p lat oo n s of 7.5cm howitzers and one p la toon o f 15cm howitzers

tw o g un s t o e ac h p la to on ). Later in the w ar the fo urth company of a

p anzer-g ren ad i er b att ali o n b ecame a heavy company with three anti-tank

g un p la to ons a nd

an

infan try gun pla toon see Table 3 T he se w er e

additional to the weapons of the battalion s gun company which by this

time ha d b ec om e a h ea vy gun company w it h 1 5cm p ieces. Thus it can

4

Two

Hanomag

half-tracks

of

a panzer-grenadier

armoured

battalion

following

up

tanks during the Stalingrad offensive, e ] t e m ~ e r

17, 1942.

visible on the rioht mudguard of the neare st v ehic le IS the motonsed

infantry tactical tign. Note the section

commander

standing behind the

gunshield in e ac h v ehic le . Ove rtaking on the left

is

one

of

the Sd Kfz

250/3 radio command vehicles, probably that

of

the battalion

commander

Chamberlain Collection).

be s ee n

that

infantry regiments

and

t he ir b at ta li on s w er e v ir tu al ly s el f

co nt ain ed as

fa r

as i mmed iat e arti ll ery

support

was concerned.

Table I s ho ws t he ba si c o rg an is at io n and composition o f a n o rdi na ry

infantry r eg im en t i n

the

1943 period.

The

t h ree b at tal io ns

of

infantry

we re f re qu en tl y r ed uc ed t o t wo later in the war. The ordinary infantry

division throughout the war rel ied ext en si vely o n h ors e-d raw n t ran s po rt,

su ppl em ent ed to a sma ll e xte nt by trucks and

other

wheeled vehicles

when available.

A m otor ise d infantry regiment

Grenadier-Regiment [mot.])

was

o rg an is ed as i n Table I e xc ep t that the mounted infant ry p la toon horses

or

b ic yc le s) w as r ep la ce d b y a m ot or -c yc le platoon and th is was a ma l

gamated w it h t he en gi neer and signal platoons to form a s in gl e regi ment al

HQ company. In a m ot or is ed r eg im en t a ll transport was by t ru ck .

continued

on

page 8

5


5/18

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- - .

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111

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o

So

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c:l

il

; .

....

::l

:J

::l

5

::e

tl>

IlO

s'

l>

a

[-Ieavy

Infantry

Howitzer

Platoon

150-llIffi Howitzer

Section

Ligh t ~ [ e l l i

lIe-C: 1I11

Sectioll

I

I1Ifullt, y

I

I

Battalioll

I

I Battalion I

I Battalioll

I

37-mlll Ant i tank

Section

Ligh t Infan t rj

Howitze r Platoon

150-mlll

Howitzer

Section

Infantry Howitzer

COlllpallY

il7-11I1ll Antitank

Section

7U-LUIII

Howitzer

Section

Light Illlantr;

Howitzer Platoon

I

INFANTRY

REGIMEN .r I

I

I

Services

I

il7-mlll

Alltitank

Sectioll

7U-ffilll Howitzer

Section

Light

Infantry

Howitzer Platoon

Antitank

Platoon

I-I

Antitank

Platoon

I-I Ant it a nk P latoon

I-I Alltitank Platoon 1--

I

I

I I I I

I I 1 I I

i I

[eiulqu


6/18

Table : Elements a Panzer Division

numbered consecutively,

ie

c ompanie s 1-4 we re in t he first ba tta lion ,

companies

5-8

were i n t he s econd,

and

companies 9 -12 were in the thi rd

battalion. Company 13 was the infant ry gun company ,

14

was the engineer

company, and company

15

was the AA Flak company. In two-battalion

regiments the support companies still retained their

13 14

and 15 numbering.

Table 2 shows the composi tion of a typica11943 period Panzer Grenadier

Brigade wher e i t c an be seen at once

that

only Bat ta lion 1 is armoured

and

Battalions

2

3 and 4 are motorised.

Table 3 shows the rel at ionship of the Panzer Grenadier Brigade to the

o ther arms within a Panzer Division.

In

this book only the panzer-grenadiers

are s hown i n de ta il

ie Table 2

though i t will be app re ci at ed

that

all

the other a rm s i n th e division had their own bat ta lion and company

organisation.

Table 4 s hows t he r el at io ns hi p o f t he Mot or is ed Infantry Regiments to

the other a rms w it hi n a Panzer Grenadier Div is ion. Thi s type of d iv is ion

was essential ly similar to a Panzer Division except

that

a single assault gun

battalion replaced the tank regiment. The infantry regiments in a Panzer

Grenadier Div is ion were normal ly motor ised only

ie

carried in trucks

though sometimes one battalion was carried in armoured hal tracks as in

a Panzer Division.

Table 5 shows th e comp osit ion

in

1943

of

a Mot or is ed Infantry

Regiment from a Panzer Grenadier Division. Comparison with the relevant

p art o f Table 2 shows that essential ly the motorised regiments were the

same whether in Panzer or Panzer Grenadier Divisions and t he onl y r ea l

changes were differing modes of transport and fewer l ight machine guns.

1

Div HQ

Coy

HQ

I

Armd I Div tgnalS I pz.bren I Div I

Anti

Unit Brigade Tank Bn

Div Engineer

Tank Reg t

1 Div

Artly

Bn Regt

.

See Table 2 page 7

ervices

Grenadier in ful l marching order 1940.

e

is wearing ful l equipment

except for t he large hide pack. The rifle is the Mause r Kar 98 7·92mm.

Table

:

Elements

a Panzer-Grenadier Division

I

Artillery

Reg

continued

from

page

5)

An

armoured infantry regiment

Panzer-Grenadier

Regiment was similar

again but

had

only two ins tead

of

three infantry battalions at all t imes.

W it hi n t he b at ta li on wer e t he chang es

in

composition mentioned above.

The heavy gun compani es u su al ly

had

self-propelled weapons rather

than towed guns.

W it hi n a Panzer Div is ion there were two Panzer Grenadier Regiments

forming a Panzer-Grenadier Brigade. While panzer-grenadiers are popularly

associated with armoured hal f- tr acks , i n r ea li ty th is ty pe o f v ehi cle was

r est ric ted in s uppl y and

of

the

four

bat ta lions in the Panzer Grenadier

Brigade ie 2 x

2

only one , or at most two, w ou ld be fully armoured

bat ta lions; the remaining bat ta lions were motor ised with t ruck t ransport

in st ead o f h al f- tr acks. W it hi n a r eg imen t t he i nf an tr y compani es wer e

8

I

Signals

Bn

I

Armd

Reccd

Unit

HQ

I

I

Motorised

Infantry

Regt

1

Assault

otorised

Gun

Infantry

Bn Regt 2

See Table 5 page 12

9

Anti·

Tank

Bn

I

ngineer

Bn

ervices


7/18


8/18


9/18

ABOVE: There were four basic production models of the Sd Kf z

251

The

last, the Ausf D, had a ver y

much

simplified body shape w ith the number

of separate plates reduced to facilitate production. The side storage lockers

were now integral with the hull side. Detachable hoops provided a support

for a

wet

weather canvas cover. Instead

of

the earlier type

of

gun

mount,

a s ka te rail wa s provided for the vehicle s machine gun.

This

example was

cap tu red by the Bri ti sh in

1944

BELOW: T he F la k (anti-aircraft) company

of

panzer-grenadier battalions was

equipped

with

the

Sd Kf z

10/4

or

10/5

(armoured cab)

2cm AA

vehicle. Based on

the

standard 1

ton

half-track

chassis, this vehicle c ou ld k ee p pace with the battalion s armoured half

tracks. The gun was used when necessary to give ground

support

fire as well

as for air defence . T his e xample i s at Sebastopol on December 3 1941, the

the crew wearing winter clothing (IWM-MH1171O).

TOP:

An

armoured car and motor-cycle combination

of

the divisional

reconnaissance uni t ov ertak e a panzer-grenadier company advancing in

their half-tracks. F ro m t he direction

of

travel an d the movement

of

the

distant tank ( far r ight) the unit is engaged in outf lanking and encircling the

village in the background as

shown

in diagram f or m o n page 11 Nearest

vehicle, radio-equipped, appears to be .

from the company o r ba tt al ion s ta ff

p latoon according to the flag and SI

symbols just discernible on its tactical

sign.

These

v eh ic le s a re actua ll y f rom

SS-pz-Div. Das Reich whose divisional

sign may a lso be seen IWM-MH12183).

ABOVE:

Sd

Kfz

251

half-tracks

move

up in l ine through the vehic les

of

a tank

bat talion during the Ore of fensive July

28 1943 The

nearest tanks are captured

Russian T-34s with large German crosses

on

their turrets.

RIGHT:

The mortar

section

of

the

h ea vy pl at oon h ad two

Sd Kf z

251/2 vehicles, each carrying an

8 cm m or ta r which could b e fired f rom

the vehicle (Chamberlain Collection).

5


10/18

nfantry Small Arms

Action:

Maschinengewehr 42 MG 42

Calibre:

7 92mm 312

inches .

Feed:

Left

side;

1

50

round

interconnecting

non-

disintergrating metallic-link belts.

2)

50

round

belts in drums.

3)

100

round

canvas containers for tank use.

Fully automatic only.

Combination

short

recoil

blowback

action.

Ai r

cooled, with

barrel changing facility.

Fitted

wi th a

recoil booster as in the

MG

34.

25 pounds 8

ounces.

Approximately as for MG 34.

Rear

tangent graduated from 200 to 2,000

metres. Anti-aircraft peep sight fitted to

rear sight, which was used in conjunction

with the standard AA ring sight as used

on the

MG

34.

Dependent on ammunition

used .

..

as for

MG 34.

1,300 rpm cyclic decrease in accuracy

compared with the

MG

34 .

Weight:

Range:

Sights:

Muzzle

velocity:

Rat e o f fire:

o

. . ~ o O Q O ~ O

7 92mm 312 inches .

Left side; 1 50 round interconnecting non

disintergrating metallic-link belts.

2)

round saddleJrum feed. 3 50 round

belts in drumf. 4) 100

round

canvas

containers for tank use.

Semi- and

fullYjJlltomatic,

short

recoil

action. Air c ~ l e d with barrel changing

facility.

There is

a recoil bo:oster fitted to

to th e

end

of

the barrel which aids barrel

recoil by gas pressure force upon the

barrel face.

26.pounds 8 ounces.

5,000 yards

maximum 3,825

yards tripod

mounted

2,000 yards

bipod

mounted

effective ranges .

Vertical rear leaf, graduated200 to 2,000

metres, foresight fixed, inverted vee blade.

Telescopic sights for use in the heavy role

when mounted on a tripod sighted up

to 3,500 metres. AA ring sight fitting.

Dependent on

ammunition used: up to

3,000 fps. Ammunition used: Ball,

AP

and AP

tracer.

Approximately

900

rp m

.cyclic.

Maschinengewehr 34 MG 34

Sights:

Action:

Calibre:

Feed:

Rate

of

fire:

Muzzle

velocity:

Weight:

Range:

N.B.:

Drawings

are

not

to common

scale

Karbine 98 Kurz Kar 98K Mauser

Calibre: 7 92mm 312 inches .

Magazine capacity:

5

rounds, internal box magazine.

Weight: 8

pounds

8 ounces.

Range: 3,000 yards maximum

800 yards effective.

Muzzle v eloc it y: 2, 800 fps.

Sights: Rear: open, vee-notch tangent

graduated from 100 to 2,000

metres.

Fore: inverted vee-blade which was

fixed

an d

could be fitted with

a cowl NB . No facilities for

windage adjustments on sights .

Stock

shown

. folded

P 8

Magazine

fitted

Pistole 1938 P 38 Walther

Calibre: 9mm

354

inches .

Magazine

capacity:

8

rounds,

removable

box

magazine in butt.

2

pounds It

ounces, empty.

As

for Pistole 08.

As for Pistole 8

Weight:

Range:

Muzzle velocity:

Rate

of

fire:

Maschinenpistole 38 40 MP38 40

Calibre: 9mm

354

inches .

Magazine capacity:

32

rounds, in removable

box

magazine.

10 pounds

7

ounces, loaded.

1,850 yards maximum

200 yards effective.

Practical,

up

to 100

rpm

burst fire.

Rear: fixed an d folding

leaf open notch.

fixed, 100metres,

folding, 200metres.

Fore: fixed inverted

vee-blade with ring

cowl cover.

Sights:

Weight:

Range:

MP 4

Magazine

omitted

u te r e nd of

stock omitted

det i l

as

fo r MP38

Pistole 1908 P 08 Luger

Calibre: 9mm 354 inches .

Magazine capacity:

8

rounds, removable box

magazine in but t.

1 pound

14

ounces, empty.

1,150 yards maximum

25 yards effective.

1,040 fps using Parabellwn

ammunition.

Muzzle velocity:

Weight:

Range:

16

17


11/18

The very efficient

4

was

the

standard

machine

gun

of

the Wehrmacht It

had

a high cyc lic rate

of

fire

and s relatively simple to

operate and maintain. It

cou ld be used w ith 50

round

belts or

round drums in

the ground fighting role.

In

the medium machine gun

role above it

had

a crew

of

five and a t ripod

mount

There were two

of

these

guns to each

of

the two

medium

machine

gun sec

tions

of

the

heavy

platoon

in a rifle company In the

light

machine

gun role the

4

was used on a fold

ing bipod mount in each

rifle section left ·

Combat

engineers Pionere were an integral part

of

German infantry

formations

and

were trained and armed f or a fighting role. A motorised

eng inee r bat ta li on was inc luded in each Panze r-Grenad ie r Div is ion

and

Panzer Divis ion

and

uni ts wer e

deployed

cl ose ly wit h t he gr en ad ier

battalions. ABOVE:

For

a r iv er

or

water crossing example , see page 11

the eng inee r fi eld companies used sma ll 3 -man

and

large 7-man crew

pneumatic

boats. The lat ter seen here,

could

carry a

machine

gun section

or a ri fle sec ti on

of

10 men as in thi s p ic tu re. BELOW: Fl4me-throwers

were

another combat

engineer responsibility.

This

July 1941 pic ture

shows

the

early Kleif

type of man pack

in use.

This

had a

5

yard range

and

12

second capacity.

Wafjen SS

engineers are shown. The engineer battalion

light column

had

six of these or later models and three medium wheeled

trolley units.


12/18

ABOVE: The Panzerfaust shown loaded

in its spig ot discharger) was a

hollow

charge anti-tank

weapon

wi th a 100 yar d

range. It was introduced in 1943 and this

two

man

t ea m is co ver ing an ad jacen t

roadway out

of

the picture) in a defensive

position on the Russian front. RIGHT:

50 round belts

of

34 ammunition

a

P0 8

Luger pistol, and Stielhandgranate

2 4 h an d g ren ad e) c ar ri ed by 34

team

commander.

BELOW: The

rifle

grenade and its l auncher fitted on the

Kar 98k rifle. Both

HE

and AP types

were issued Chamberlain Collection).

ABOVE:

The

anti-tank platoon of a panzer-grenadier battalion s heavy

company

was equipped w it h t he

Sd Kfz

10 I ton half-track. The g un w as

the 5cm

Pak

38 gradual ly replace d by the 7 5cm Pak 40 from late 1942.

There

were three guns in the platoon.

I n s om e a rm ou re d

bat talions a

Sd Kfz

25 was used as the

towing

vehicle instead

of

its unarmoured

equivalent.

BELOW:

An armoured

infantry

company

o n t he move during the invasion

of

France in May 1940.

This

is the e arly Sd

Kfz 5 Ausf

A model lacking

a

f ront machine

gun shield. Modifications

on

t hes e v eh icl es g iv e a l ow

stowage rack a bo ve the cab.

Very

clearly shown

on

the mudguard is the

rectangular motorised infantry symbol w ith the

company

number alongside.

J us t a bo ve t hi s is the famous

oa k

leaf

emblem of

1st Panzer-Division.

The indicates Guderian s panzer group.


13/18

Uniforms and

Clothing

ABOVE: Though t he re wa s a r eg ul at io n way

of

wearing personal equip

ment see drawing, page 8 the re w as c onside rable v ariation in the actual

manner

of

w earing i t as

shown

i n t hi s v ie w

of

grenadiers seeking

out

snipers

in a rai lw ay y ard. N eare st

man

has ful l

equipment

e xc ept large pac k) , the

sec ond has his small pac k, respirator c ase, and entrenching tool all attached

to hi s belt. RIGHT: Panzer-Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland was an

elite formation, one

of

the few

Army

units to wear a divisional cuff- title . This

unteroffizier is a rifle section

commander and

h as a MP 40 sub-machine gun,

and

the special Schmeisser pouches. He w ears the I ron C ross 2nd class and

the infantry

assault badge. Picture

comes

fr om a

German

wartime magazine

IWM STT2203

t ~ ~ ~


14/18


15/18

ABOVE:

In wet

weather

the

camou flage she lt er quart er or poncho

Zeltbahn was

worn

in cape fashion.

This

camouflaged garment could be

u sed as a s ing le b ivo ua c o r could be buttoned together to

make

a larger

tent. BELOW: The

most common

pat tern greatcoat in the use by 944 It

had a dis tinc tive large col lar

and

reached well

down

the legs. Two m en

wear standard camouflage smocks over their coats.

ABOVE: The simplest item

of

snow camouflage c lothing was a white cape

which came nearl y to the ankl es . It was worn ove r normal uniform This

MG 34 team is f ir ing tracer at night. BELOW: Special ly designed for the

bitter conditions

of

the East front was the two-piece quilted winter combat

suit.

This

was reversible white one s ide

and

field grey the other. The

helmet

was white painted as necessary.


16/18

F

B

J

o

G

Badges and Insignia opposite page

A Na tional emb lem worn on right breast

of

tunic and on caps. B) Other

ranks bel t plate . C) Obe rgefre iter c orporal) rank c he vrons, w orn on left

arm

of

s er vi ce t un ic . D ) G re na di er s e pa ul et te w it h p an ze r- gr en ad ie r

Waffenfarbe arm

of

service colour piping-apple green). E) Oberleutnaut s

e paulet te . F) Gre nadier s c ol lar patch w ith Waffenfarbe . G) Panzerkampf

a bz ei ch en t an k a ssa ult badge), b ro nz e class, a war ded f or t ak in g part

i n t hr ee

tank

assaults

on

three different days.

W or n on

left breast

pocket

of

service tunic. H) Das Infanteriesturnabzeichen infantry assault badge).

Silver class-infantry; bronze c lass-panzer-grenadiers or motorised in

fantry.

Awarded

for three f irst -w av e assaults on three dif fe re nt day s. Worn

on l ef t b re as t pocket of service tunic. 1 Sonderabzeichen Fur Das

Niederkampfen von Panze rkampfwagen D ur ch e in zel ki im pf er ta nk

destruction badge). Silver class.

Awarded

f or t he s in gl e handed destruction

of

an

armoured

vehicle using

infantry

w ea po ns o nl y. I nt ro du ce d e ar ly

1942. Maximum award

of

five,

after

w hi ch a g old class bad ge was

awarded. Worn

on

the right sleeve below the shoulder.

Panzer-Grenadier e dwe r

A 9 6 pattern steel helmet w it h n at io na l i ns ig ni a as s ti ll w or n b y some

uni ts in 939 B) 935 pattern steel helmet worn with standard camouflage

helmet cover.

The

s ti tched in loops w ere for aff ix ing fol iage for c amouflaRe

purpose s. C) Feldmiitze field c ap) w ith panze r- grenadie r Waffenfarbe

arm

of

service c olour) . D) Off ic ers 943 pattern Einheitsmiitze silver

piping). E) Other ranks 943 pattern Einheitsmiitze.


17/18

This pic/lire shows the

a two-piece

w inte r sui t in lise, this

time

w ith i ts hood lip

over t he h el me t. T hi s

item of

c lothing w as

worn almo st exclll

sively on the Russian

front. The

nearest

ma n has the MP 38

machine pistol.

BELOW: Grenadiers move cautiously through a courtyard behind a burning

b ui ld in g w hi le s ea rc hi ng f or s ni pe rs i n a R us si an town in the

summer

of

1941. The two men on t he r ig ht are G ef re it er s l ance c or po ra ls ) a nd t he

centre

ma n

appears to be sec tion c ommander.

Rolled

up tunic sleeves and

open

collar were

normal

practice in

warm

weather.

ABOVE:

General Leutnant

vo n ManteufJel left)

with Major Kriegk,

commander of

the Panze r.

Grenadier Regiment Grossde utschla nd right).

Kriegk h el d t he K ni gh t s Cross and w ears a tank

destruction badge on his arm. RIGHT: A battalion

commander

of

Pz-Gren.-Regt. Grossdeutschland .

in J une 1944.


18/18

ALMARK

PUBLIC TIONS

A BO VE : S d

Kf z 25

half-tracks

of

the

panzer-grenadier

armoured

bat

talion

of 4 th P an ze r D iv is io n

move

throug h a Russian village in late

July 94

The

first two vehicles are

fitted with racks to f ire 28cm rockets.

O n t he left a panzer-grenadier platoon

is apparently

about

to search adjacent

buildings and a c omplete te n man

rifle section is

moving

away up the

sidewalk Chamberlain Collection .

Front Cover

A gefreiter lance corporal

of

panzer

grenadiers in 1940 with MP 40

machine pistol,

an d

wearing goggles

for r id ing in

his

half-track.

The

small

illustration

shows

the widely-awarded

.1ron Cross 2n d Class. Only the ribbon

was w or n o n act ive service , in a coat

button

hole.

German

infantry

WEHRMACHT

ILLUSTR TED

UK

price

p net

ISBN 855 4 563

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

,.

Afrika

Korps

1941-42

Panzer-jiiger

Halbkettenfahrzeuge

half-tracks

Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis

A

pictorial guide to

the

motorised

and armoured

units and

their

equipment

Unterfeldwebel sergeant wearing

1936 pattern

h el me t a nd

camouflage

she lter quarter poncho .

Panzer-grenadier Obergefreiter cor

poral wearing the 943 pattern tunic,

camouflage helmet cover, and anklets,

1944. He is armed with the standard

Mauser Kar

98

7 92mm rifle.

Documents

56487847 Panzer Grenadiers 1939 45 Almark