The 18. The Destruction of Army Group Center, 1944. The 18. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. ( Log Out /  Soviet losses of Guns and Mortars during the war was 218,000 pieces (all over 50mm). In 1917 a mobile observation mast or tower was added to the surveillance inventory. ( Log Out /  Why is German artillery branch so inferior to that of USSR and America? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The 18th Artillery Division (German: 18. Some 50 Nahkampf-Batterien were formed, with single batteries being deployed to divisional sectors as required. The whole equipment was mounted on a two-wheeled trailer and drawn by a suitable motor vehicle, a metal seat being provided at each side of the tower for use by the device’s two-man crew when in transit. However, when the German attack began on 16 December 1944, the alignment of U. S. 7th Armored Division was (XIII Corps, U. S. Ninth Army, 12th Army Group). This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The typical strength was two infantry regiments, each consisting of three battalions. On mobilization the divisional field artillery was grouped into field artillery brigades (Feldartillerie-Brigaden), each consisting of of two regiments and commanded by a major general (Generalmajor), with a brigade allocated to every division. Re: German use of Artillery. There are a total of [ 56 ] WW2 German Artillery (1939-1945) entries in the Military Factory. In light of battlefield experience and the pressing need to form ever more artillery units to support newly-formed formations during 1916, the two-regiment divisional field artillery brigade had been completely displaced by a new organization by 1917. Initially using 2-centimetre, 3.7-centimetre, 5-centimetre, 5.7-centimetre and 6-centimetre guns adapted for the purpose (mainly by lowering and reconfiguring the gun carriage to enable shells to be fired with a near horizontal trajectory), these defensive or protective artillery units (Schützengrabenkanonen-Abteilungen) were deployed to infantry regiments on the Western Front as sector troops, being manned jointly by artillery and infantry gunners. ( Log Out /  : For info on the Italian Waffen-SS Division ( See Italian Organizations) Learn how your comment data is processed. The German corps, in addition to containing supply, communication, and hospital units, provided heavier artillery for the support of the divisions. 1st Panzer Division (1. They were under the operational command of the artillery commander of the division in which area they were deployed, with one Artillerie-Meßtrupp and one Schall-Meßtrupp usually assigned to a division sector. The Suomen Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force). You could also 'stagger' templates, with a certain ratio of pure infantry divisions compared to 7/2 divisions if your production can't keep up. However, the average panzer division along the Atlantic Wall possessed merely seventy-five tanks. To carry out their task, artillery group observation detachments used a range of optical surveillance equipment, including large periscopes (Mastfernrohre) manned by an NCO and four other ranks. Jan-Hendrik Member Posts: 8276 Joined: 11 Nov 2004, 13:53 Location: Hohnhorst / Deutschland. Training and development for all of the Prussian foot artillery regiments was the responsibility of an inspector of foot artillery, his inspectorate being organized as three sub-inspectorates. This division consisted of three infantry regiments (about 2,000 men each), o… Staff and Signal Company 1st Panzer Division, in Oldenburg; 325th Artillery Demonstration Battalion (Artillerielehrbataillon 325), in Munster with 40x PzH 2000 155mm self-propelled howitzers, 8x M270 MLRS multiple rocket launch systems, KZO drones and 2x Euro-Art COBRA counter-battery radars The four-inch howitzers were typically deployed in the three battalions (three batteries each) of an infantry division’s artillery regiment. Later that day, the alignment became (VIII Corps, U. S. The 18th Artillery Division (German language: 18.Artillerie-Division) was established by the end of 1943 after disbanding the 18th Panzer Division. Now in terms of organization and structure, a German Infantry division in 1914 consisted of 2 Infantry brigades, which themselves consisted of 2 Infantry regiments each, which consisted of themselves of 3 infantry battalions and 1 MG Company. These personnel manned 3,732 guns and light field howitzers, with a further 54 guns designated for training use. Ever since its significant contribution to the German victory against France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the artillery had enjoyed a particularly prestigious position within the army. Observation reports were passed by telephone directly to a coordinating centre (Auswertungs-Stelle), which was usually located close to the divisional artillery headquarters. Artillery is often described as weak point of the Wehrmacht, Why is this so. Additionally in some cases there were also cavalry, engineer and medical units attached. A field battery was commanded by a captain (Hauptmann), whose post as battery commander was termed Batterie-Führer. It was originally commanded by Major General Charles L. Scott, with Colonel George S. Patton in charge of training. ( Log Out /  From 1914, artillery units were employed extensively to support all operations, while technological advances meant that its destructive power and effectiveness increased significantly as the conflict progressed. An important vehicle within the field battery was the six-horsed observation wagon, which carried the equipment necessary to observe and adjust the battery’s fire. This involved the creation of a divisional artillery headquarters (Artillerie-Kommando) in each division, which now controlled not only the field artillery but all of the artillery allocated to support the division. German Organization Main Menu: Army Group C at Cassino, Feb 1944.: Army Group C at GOTHIC Line, Sept 1944.: German Winter Attack in December 1944.: Army Group C - Spring 1945.: Unit History - A Brief History of each Division, August 1944 to May 1945.: Commanders - A brief list of commanders. [2] Though it managed to break through it was depleted and lost all of its heavy equipment. Each infantry division had another artillery battalion equipped with the tractor-drawn M1 155mm howitzer with a range almost 14,600 meters (nine miles). Сухопутная Армия Германии. The headquarters staff of the eleven horse artillery regiments had five medical officers and four veterinary officers. In August 1914 the divisional field artillery brigades were formed as planned, and each initially deployed with two regiments and a total of twelve field batteries grouped in four Abteilungen (with two Abteilungen per regiment). In field and horse artillery regiments alike, these numbers included six personnel to serve as Abteilung staff. Division was notable for being the first such independent and mobile artillery division in … In wartime the field artillery regiments were subdivided into two Abteilungen (numbered I and II), each of which contained the usual three batteries (numbered 1 to 6 within the regiment) of field guns or light field howitzers. Then produce more artillery. [3] Until November 4, 1944, it was engaged in mostly infantry battles; and due to heavy casualties the division nearly ceased to exist. These reorganized regiments now had three Abteilungen, numbered I, II and III (one of which was entirely equipped with light field howitzers) rather than two, and nine instead of twelve field batteries. Having the mission of defending the artillery in all dangerous situations this battalion, thoroughly trained in rear guard actions, saved the division from total destruction no less than three times. A light ammunition column supported the regiment in the field. The division served with the 5th Panzer Army only during its entire history. Taking into account their intended use, the mountain divisions had a large share of light and easy-to-handle equipment. From 1943, the lack of available replacements for the Wehrmacht began to become apparent, reducing the division’s TOE strength and introducing a new organization. Artillerie-Division was an artillery division in service with the German Heer during World War II. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. As such I used mostly primary sources for this video. The horse artillery was intended for employment with cavalry divisions and the field artillery with infantry divisions. 1933—1945 гг. It was listed as an integral unit for the last time in April 1944 as Kampfgruppe 18. In peacetime the headquarters staff of a field artillery regiment included seven artillery officers, three medical officers, three veterinary officers, three paymasters and their assistants, a bandmaster, an armourer, three NCOs, and three regimental tradesmen. The German artillery was categorized either as field artillery (Feldartillerie) – which also included the horse artillery (Reitende Artillerie) – or as foot artillery (Fußartillerie), which manned the army’s heavy artillery, howitzers and mortars. However, when that division moved out of the sector, the Meßtrupps usually remained in place, serving as sector troops and thus providing invaluable continuity and knowledge of the area to the benefit of the relieving division. Artillerie-Division) was a German artillery division formed during World War II in 1943. This self-contained device featured sophisticated prisms and magnifying optics as part of a telescoping eight-section tubular metal tower that could be raised and lowered to enable observation from behind cover to a height of between nine and 24 metres. 177th Field Artillery Group; 182nd Field Artillery Group; 183rd Field Artillery Group; 404th Field Artillery Group; 410th Field Artillery Group; 26th Infantry Division Major General Willard S. Paul. By early 1918, the army had no fewer than 2,900 field artillery batteries in service. The 18th Artillery Division was formed by combining the staff and some of the remaining corps troops from the 18th Panzer Division, being disbanded on October 1, with other stray units. Its also better to have 50% of your divisions as arty templates, than to have all of your templates at … The artillery regiment therefore had two Abteilungen(sections) with eight 7.5 cm guns each, … With the defeat of the Army Group North Ukraine in April 1944, the division’s combat path came to an end. Their establishment mirrored that of the infantry-gun batteries deployed to the army-level assault battalions described earlier and included two officers and up to 70 other ranks with six guns, although their usual method of employment meant that neither the infantry-gun battery nor the Nahkampf-Batterie were allocated transport or horses. Change ). These batteries were developed primarily to counter the threat posed by the arrival on the battlefield of the first Allied tanks on 15 September 1916. The Reichswehr's visual acknowledgement of the new National Socialist reality came on 17 February 1934, when the Defense Ministry ordered the Nazi Party eagle-and-swastika, now Germany's National Emblem, to be worn on uniform blouses and headgear effective 1 May. Maj. ; and was disbanded in practice in April 1944. However, in peacetime the Bavarian ministry of war retained a measure of responsibility for the efficiency and preparation of the Bavarian artillery regiments for war. This resulted in an authorized establishment of six officers to manage the battery once fully mobilized and deployed for action. In 1915 the number of guns or light field howitzers of all field batteries was reduced to four, together with commensurate reductions of manpower, in order to enable the redistribution of the surplus guns produced by this action to equip newly formed artillery units. In 1917 a bicycle was added to the transport inventory of every field battery to assist with routine liaison, administration and message-carrying duties in situations where a horseman might otherwise have been employed. All field artillery training and development was the responsibility of an inspector of field artillery. An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased and a divisional signals command was created. These Feldartillerie-Brigaden bore the number of the division they supported. The 1st Reserve Division triangulated in June 1917. The following answer is primarily based on paper strengths, due to the impossibility of determining reliably actual numbers at hand. The 309th Artillery Division (309. The four-gun batteries in service from 1915 had an establishment of six officers, 21 NCOs, 64 gunners and 45 drivers, with its transport divided into the firing battery (Gefechts-Batterie) and its 1st Line (Gefechtsbagage) and 2nd Line (Grosse Bagage) transport. The second category of artillery was the foot artillery, and in 1913 its peacetime establishment included 1,332 officers, 82 medical officers, 35 veterinary officers, 129 paymasters and assistant paymasters, 25 bandmasters, 50 artificers, 5,322 NCOs and 28,002 other ranks, with 3,391 horses. This is a wonderful and relatively compact book containing all the essential information about the organization of every Panzer division, motorized infantry (or panzergrenadier) division, and every independent artillery formation fielded by the German army during the war. The second Abteilung of the second field regiment of the brigade usually had three batteries of the 10.5-centimetre light field howitzer rather than the 7.7-centimetre field gun. As a result of these changes some 110 new batteries of field artillery were formed during 1916, most of which were subsequently deployed to reinforce the divisional artillery of divisions serving on the Eastern Front. Artillerie-Division) was a German artillery division formed during World War II in 1943. A.I. Being the first independent mobile artillery force it never raised to its planned strength. Effects of a 44th Infantry Division soldier from Stalingrad Sixth Army; Surrendered January 30, 1943 6th Artillery Command (Arko 6) Sixth Army Engineer Replacement Battalion Bridge Column B22 21st Bridge Construction Battalion (Mot) 25th Observation Detachment 28th Observation Detachment (Mot) 144th Artillery Command What if Eisenhower Had Driven On to Berlin? Top. This division was the first unit planned as an independent and mobile artillery force; and the planned strength for the division was never achieved. The remaining officers and men from staff and corps troops were used to form the Panzerkorps Großdeutschland and the artillery regiments were reformed into several independent artillery brigades. German Artillery Tactics in World War 2 are a rather obscure subject, very little is written about it. Panzerdivision", short: "1. In 1914, a German corps provided either 32 150mm howitzers or 16 210mm howitzers for the support of its two divisions. As well as identifying Allied gun positions, these units actively assisted the ranging and fire planning of the army’s own guns. That effectiveness also influenced the future construction of defensive positions, as all sides sought to counter the sheer weight of high explosives that could be delivered with considerable accuracy by a wide range of guns, mortars, and howitzers of all types, capabilities and calibres. three-Abteilungen organization also reflected the fact that most infantry divisions were ‘triangular’, being based upon three infantry regiments, and by 1917 this structure had become the standard field artillery support for a division A titanic quantity was lost, even in 1945. During 1914 the total number of batteries increased to 782, and then to 1,691 by late 1918. Издательство «Изографус» Москва, 2002, p. 688. The division fought at the Eastern Front, suffered heavy losses and was disbanded in 1944. Although the precise numbers always depended upon the operational situation and stage of the conflict, a field artillery battery usually had about 135 rounds of gun ammunition or 88 rounds of howitzer ammunition immediately available for each gun from its battery gun limbers, wagons and wagon limbers. By 1939 they decided to equip their artillery regiments with new 105mm and 150mm howitzers. The division was part of the XXXVIII Army Corps in the 1st Panzer Army. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Scott was promoted to command the I Armored Corps in November of that year, which put Patton, now a brigadier general, in command of the division. Personnel for the observation groups were trained at an artillery observation training school (Artillerie-Meßschule) at Wahn in Germany. With artillery and machine-guns dominating many of the World War I battlefields, the identification and neutralization of Allied artillery batteries was accorded a particularly high priority by the German general staff, and it was therefore hardly surprising that by early 1918 there were at least 175 Artillerie-Meßtrupps and 125 Schall-Meßtrupps operating on the Western Front alone. PzDiv") is an armoured division of the German Army.Its headquarter is based in Oldenburg.In the course of the last reorganisation of the Bundeswehr it became the backbone of Germany's newly formed intervention forces with a manpower of 35,000 soldiers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_divisions_in_World_War_II THE WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION – FRANCE. 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. The three mountain divisions were organized similarly to the usual infantry divisions, although their organization in the field varied according to circumstances. Panzerdivision), in Oldenburg. Most were experienced in the West and Russia. The tower was raised and lowered by a cable winch, with three guy ropes fitted to stabilize the equipment when the tower was fully extended. Division artillery liaison pilots took exception to the idea that bridges were the only means of supplying infantrymen. A field artillery Abteilung was formed of three batteries, each of which in 1914 had six 7.7-centimetre field guns or four 10.5-centimetre light field howitzers; the pre-war horse artillery batteries usually had only four guns rather than six. Certainly, the artillery arm more than any other exemplified the industrialized, dehumanized and mechanistic forms of attrition warfare that characterized so much of the 1914–18 conflict. In addition to the field artillery allocated to specific divisions, some 80 independent field artillery regiments were also created in 1917, these being held in reserve and allocated by higher-level army headquarters to support front-line sectors and specific operations as necessary. The 1st Panzer Division (German: "1. The Germans made excellent use of all artillery systems at their disposal - from World War 1 designs to captured pieces from their enemies. Guess they did not see that one coming…. The division fought at the Eastern Front, suffered heavy losses and was disbanded in 1944. The division was commanded by Major General Wener Haack.1 The 309th Division were formed in January 1944 in Paris for artillery support of the Oberbefehlshaber West. 3000 of them were assigned to the Tank Brigade, 3200 to the motorized infantry brigade and 1200 to the artillery regiment. Germany had ten panzer divisions in Normandy, including five from the Waffen SS. Included in the wagon’s standard equipment inventory was optical equipment such as a rangefinder (Entfernungsmesser) and a stereoscopic telescope (Scherenfernrohr), as well as a 3.75-metre tripod-based ladder with a shield fitted to protect an observer while observing from the ladder, plus telephones and various other items. This formation included 14 infantry divisions, one tank division plus three mountain brigades, four cavalry brigades and two fortress brigades. However, these units and the Nahkampf-Batterien that succeeded them from 1917 – by that stage armed with a 7.7-centimetre gun – were never able to counter the Allied tanks decisively. Divisional Structure 1914 1st German Cavalry Division part of 1st Reserve Cavalry Corps and 8th German Army The remaining 5600 were assigned to supply, recon, engineering, anti-tank, signaling and staff units. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Deployment, army groups, armies, corps, divisions, organization and equipment, tanks. The three-Abteilungen organization also reflected the fact that most infantry divisions were ‘triangular’, being based upon three infantry regiments, and by 1917 this structure had become the standard field artillery support for a division. A special element of this division was that it had its own (heavy) infantry element, the Schützen-Abteilung 88 (tmot) (also known as Art.-Kampf-Btln. The German field and naval artillery possesses in 1944 the particularity to be divided between the command of the terrestrial forces (Heeresartillerie) and that of the Navy forces (Marineartillerie). Although categorized as part of the army’s survey organization and arguably, therefore, part of the army’s support services rather than combat troops, counter-battery fire planning was supported by a comprehensive network of artillery survey units tasked with pinpointing the location of Allied artillery fire positions. Б. Мюллер-Гиллебранд. Mention should also be made of the so-called ‘close range batteries’ (Nahkampf-Batterien) formed from 1916, the numbers of which expanded significantly during 1917. The units or sections were controlled by, and allocated to, corps and divisions by army-level headquarters and included at least one artillery officer. Each battalion consisted of five companies. These reductions were followed in April 1916 by further decreases in the transport establishment of the field batteries. 1933—1945 гг. The 2nd Armored was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia on 15 July 1940. In 1913, the field artillery’s peacetime establishment consisted of 3,523 officers, 325 medical officers, 315 veterinary officers, 529 paymasters and assistant paymasters, 101 bandmasters, 214 artificers, 14,181 NCOs and 72,180 other ranks, with 57,327 horses. The army’s artillery survey training manual issued in May 1917 included a list detailing the principal duties of these units: ‘(a) Location of hostile batteries and other targets; (b) Information from aeroplane photographs; (c) Observation of fire for own artillery; (d) Observation of enemy’s movements; (e) Preparation and use of stereo photographs; (f) Preparation of charts and tables showing the positions, number and activity of hostile batteries; (g) Preparation of battery [fire data] boards and artillery maps; (h) Collection and collation of all reconnaissance reports concerning the sector.’. Known as the Infantry Division 1944, this new formation had a strength of 12,772 men as opposed to the 17,734 soldiers of a division in 1939, although its firepower had actually increased. ARTILLERY OBSERVATION AND SOUND-RANGING UNITS. In wartime, field batteries were subdivided into two sections (Züge). A German Tank division in 1939 consisted of about 12000 men. Arguably, the combination of artillery fire and machine-gun fire shaped the whole nature of the war on the Western Front in particular, precipitating the stalemate and onset of operational stagnation from the end of 1914, followed by the years of trench warfare and the dominance of defensive operations, which persisted until the appearance of Allied tanks on the battlefield. Communication between the command posts and the guns was effected by the telephone detachment (Fernsprech-Trupp) found in every field battery and Abteilung, each with a capability to lay at least two kilometres of telephone cable. In comparison, German artillery strength on the Eastern front (probably only referring to artillery, not mortars) was ~over 7 k down to over 5 K in the same period) This serviced some 2.7-1.9 million German troops. Owing to Allied deception measures, some German armored units failed to engage the Anglo-Americans until after D-Day. Artillerie Division) was a short-lived artillery division of the Wehrmacht. German Orders of Battle for the campaign in the West, 10 May 1940. Art.Div. The following is a list of German military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, … aye? A single observation or sound-ranging post might cover a frontage of five to sixteen kilometres, the actual distance depending upon the type of terrain and the prevailing meteorological conditions. They included artillery observation groups (Artillerie-Meßtrupps) of about six officers and 100 other ranks, which could deploy up to five flash-spotting sections (Licht-Meßstellen) as well as four or five sound-ranging sections (Schall-Meßtrupps). The 18th Artillery Division (German: 18. German; Artillery; German Artillery. Being the first independent mobile artillery force it never raised to its planned strength. Following the mixed results achieved by the Nahkampf-Batterien, better success was achieved by the army’s anti-armour gunners later in the war following the introduction of a 3.7-centimetre light anti-tank gun (Panzerabwehrkanone, or PAK) and improved armour-penetrating munitions; however, the Panzerabwehrkanone was not produced in sufficient numbers in time to realize its full potential before the war ended. In the infantry division their prime mover was usually a 2 ½-ton truck or an M5 high speed tractor. By May 1940, the number of divisions in the German army was Сухопутная Армия Германии. During the interwar period German army was still using the old 75mm FK 16 and 150mm sFH 13/02. This formation included over 250 armoured fighting vehicles and 2.300 artillery pieces. As at 1 October 1913 there were 642 batteries of field and horse artillery, including nine batteries at the field artillery school of gunnery (Feldartillerie-Schieß-Schule). Although not as effective as a reconnaissance aircraft, these extending observation towers were mobile and relatively easy to conceal, so they were less vulnerable than captive observation balloons. The unit was planned as a mobile artillery force, but due to lack of equipment it was never raised to its planned strength. Maj. Arnold W. Samuels, Columbus, Ohio, Ass't G-4, gathered two and a half truckloads of ammunition, blood plasma, rations and radio parts, hauled them to the airstrip. Barbarossa to ‘Berlog’ – Soviet Air Force, Rome Military mid-fourth century to the mid-third century BC, Rommel Recaptures Cyrenaica, January 1942, Russian Weapons, that are currently in service…, A Lesson of History: The Luftwaffe and Barbarossa. Germany’s standard field artillery weapon was the 10.5-cm LFH.18/40, a World War I design upgraded with a muzzle brake that improved range to 13,400 yards. From February 1917 the separate branches of field and foot artillery were centralized, with a single focus for artillery development, command and control. For example, the hierarchy here places the U. S. 7th Armored Division in XVIII Corps in U. S. First Army in 12th Army Group. Furthermore, the division had one artillery brigade, which consisted of 2 artillery regiments, which consisted of 2 artillery battalions each. Издательство «Изографус» Москва, 2002, p. 794. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/ArtDiv/18ArtDiv.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=18th_Artillery_Division_(Wehrmacht)&oldid=947284310, Artillery units and formations of Germany, Military units and formations established in 1943, Military units and formations disestablished in 1944, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 March 2020, at 12:02. Example: 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division consisted of 103rd Panzer Battalion (assault guns), … The demise of the field artillery brigade soon followed the adoption by divisions of a single field artillery regiment from 1916 in place of the two-regiment organization that had existed from 1914.