By Pier Paolo Battistelli
The interval 1944-45 was once certainly one of swap for the Panzer Divisions. In summer time 1944 the new-type Panzer department was once brought with a discount within the variety of tanks, a transformation that was once generally obvious in North-West Europe. at the jap entrance, the place the majority of the Panzer Divisions have been nonetheless hired, the organizational alterations have been brought in basic terms slowly, in most cases in periods of leisure and refit. In 1945 the department used to be back reorganized with a discounted energy to mirror the deteriorating German production power and to include information guns similar to the Panther (Mark V).
This quantity offers an in depth exam at the late-war alterations to the German military Panzer forces and the formation of recent devices, from the cave in at the jap entrance, via operations at the Western entrance in Normandy and the Ardennes, to the ultimate conflict for Berlin in 1945. the foremost organizational adjustments that came about during this in depth interval are tested, including the variation of German armored doctrine, strategies, and the command approach. info of unit histories and operations, illustrated in colour maps, also are supplied during this packed treatment.
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Since these figures show gross totals, including reserves and training tanks, the actual strength at the front was much lower, while losses were often quite impressive. On 31 July 1943, after the battle of Kursk, the actual Panzer strength on the Eastern Front (excluding Tiger, command and flamethrower tanks) was 1,684. This figure included 728 PzKpfw 1I1, 710 PzKpfw IV and 134 Panthers; on 10 July the actual strength in Sicily was 130, which included 52 PzKpfw III and 78 PzKpfw IV. This makes a grand total of 780 PzKpfw III with field units out of the 1,423 in the inventory, 788 PzKpfw IV out of 1,472 and 134 Panthers out of 428.
I o 68 2mi I ! 1 I 2 Wissembourg. 8-9 January 1945 3km z-<: Stuhlweissenburg. 20-21 January 1945 69 Weapons and equipment In the final two years of the war, the Panzer Divisions were much stronger than previously, not only because of changes to their establishment, but also thanks to the issue of improved weapons and equipment. The latest versions of the PzKpfw IV tank made it a match for enemy tanks, while the Panther often proved superior to them. New infantry anti-tank weapons like the Panzerschreck and the Panzerfaust helped the Panzergrenadiers deal with enemy armour more effectively, and, thanks to the new array of SdKfz 251 and 250 armoured support vehicles, the infantry now had better mobility and support.
PzRgt 15 (which had about 20 tanks left) at Bezange Ja Petite, which they seized; however, they proved unable to advance any further because of the fierce opposition from the 10th Infantry Battalion and elements from the 702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion. /PzGrenRgt 111 's drive to Xanrey was halted by American fire and a quick counterattack by the 53rd Infantry and 35th Armored Battalions. /pzGrenRgt 110 and PzAA 11, supported by some 25 tanks previously from Panzer Brigade 113, drove through American-held lines, but was soon halted in front of Hill 318, where the fighting continued over the following days.