Thomas Anderson STURMGESCHÜTZ PANZER, PANZERJÄGER, WAFFEN-SS AND LUFTWAFFE UNITS 1943–45 STURMGESCHÜTZ Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 1 11/08/2017 14:39 STURMGESCHÜTZ Panzer, Panzerjäger, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units 1943–45 Thomas Anderson Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 2 11/08/2017 14:39 STURMGESCHÜTZ Panzer, Panzerjäger, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units 1943–45 Thomas Anderson Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 3 11/08/2017 14:39 Osprey Publishing Thomas Anderson has asserted his right under the Copyright, c/o Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author PO Box 883, Oxford, OX1 9PL, UK of this Work. or c/o Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ISBN: HB: 978 1 4728 1752 5 1385 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA ePub: 978 1 4728 1754 9 E-mail: [email protected] ePDF: 978 1 4728 1753 2 XML: 978 1 4728 2644 2 www.ospreypublishing.com OSPREY is a trademark of Osprey Publishing, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Editor: Jasper Spencer-Smith This electronic edition published in 2017 by Bloomsbury Design & layout: Nigel Pell Publishing Plc Index: Shaun Barrington First published in Great Britain in 2017 Produced for Bloomsbury Plc by Editworks Limited Bournemouth, BH1 4RT, UK © 2017 Thomas Anderson Originated by PDQ Digital Media Solutions, Bungay, UK All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form without the prior written permission Osprey Publishing supports the Woodland Trust, the UK’s except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles leading woodland conservation charity. Between 2014 and and reviews. Enquiries should be addressed to the Publisher. 2018 our donations are being spent on their Centenary Woods Every attempt has been made by the Publisher to secure project in the UK. the appropriate permissions for material reproduced in this book. 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Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 4 11/08/2017 14:39 CONTENTS Introduction 6 chapter 1 Waffen-SS 24 chapter 2 Luftwaffe Field Divisions 52 chapter 3 1943 – in the Panzertruppe 86 chapter 4 Special Formations 124 chapter 5 Infantry Formations 156 chapter 6 Increased Production 194 chapter 7 ‘neuses Sturmgeschütz’ 228 in 1945 chapter 8 Conclusion 256 Index 266 Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 5 11/08/2017 14:39 Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 6 11/08/2017 14:39 9 Introduction The Sturmgeschütz was a genuine German invention and, although the idea of mounting a gun in a fixed superstructure was neither new nor future- looking, the type became a vital weapon in the arsenal of the Third Reich and was produced in very large numbers. As described in my book Sturmartillerie (Osprey, 2016) the Sturmgeschütz assault gun was originally intended to be a support weapon for the assault infantry. The requirement for such a vehicle was noted in a letter, dated 8 June 1936, written by an officer of the Generalstab des Heeres (GenStdH – General Staff of the Army) to his superiors: We have to ascertain that the Panzerwaffe and the Sturmartillerie, which are both similarly equipped, will follow absolutely different tactical approaches. I.) Panzerverbände [tank formations, here Panzer divisions (PzDiv), author] are mixed units able to fight independently and pursue their own combat Generaloberst missions. These PzDiv are equipped with motorized artillery and infantry to Heinz Guderian, enable success. Generalinspekteur der II.) Panzerbrigaden [tank brigades] is the force for the focal point of an attack. Panzertruppen, making a In contrast to the PzDiv, the Panzerbrigade is unable to operate independently. speech to an assembly of III.) Sturmartillerie, it is relevant as to whether it will be produced as a tank or tank crews while standing on the engine deck of a a self-propelled gun, or a support weapon for the infantry. It should be able Sturmgeschütz. Initially he to provide support fire at a minimum range of 7km as part of the divisional had vehemently opposed artillery. The Sturmartillerie is deployed as escort artillery to support an infantry the introduction of the assault by directly attacking dangerous targets. Unlike a tank formation, which type, but by 1943 he was attacks in large numbers, the Sturmartillerie will only be committed in platoon forced to realize that the Sturmgeschütz was vital strength. if the combat strength Each infantry division will have to be issued at least with one battalion of Sturmartillerie of his armoured forces formed of five batteries with six assault guns each. The division should consider the was to be maintained. removal of a light artillery battalion or the tank destroyer battalion. (Historyfacts) Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 7 11/08/2017 14:39 8 STURMGESCHÜTZ A Sturmgeschütz Ausf The GenStdH replied in a letter dated 16 June 1936, with these comments: F/8 carrying Luftwaffe infantry, possibly during a 1) In general, we agree on the specification and tactical deployment for the training exercise. The only proposed Sturmgeschütz. markings on the vehicle are the solid Balkenkreuze 2) It seems necessary to emphasize the difference between the Sturmartillerie (the word is for a cross and the divisional [conventional, author] artillery to set clear requirements made from two baulks for the development of the type. of timber and not a 3) It is the task of the Sturmgeschütz to destroy enemy machine-gun nests by reference to the Balkans) direct fire; thus it is a weapon of the infantry, and must not be committed which were applied by the manufacturer. (Anderson) as artillery. Also as the infantry operates at ranges up to 4km only, sighting devices for indirect fire up to 7km range are not necessary. 4) Also it must be explored if the Sturmgeschütz can perform as the (currently under development) tank destroyer. Thus duplicated development can be avoided. However, the demand for the production of such a large number of Sturmgeschütz was beyond the capacity of the German armaments industry. In 1939, the first phase Mobilmachung (general mobilization) resulted in the formation of 39 infantry divisions, five tank divisions, three mountain divisions and four light divisions. As part of this plan, the GenStdH decided Sturmgeshutz-v5.indd 8 11/08/2017 14:39