The Panzer Battalion
After taking a deep breath I have decided to revisit the Panzer Battalion page. Elsewhere on the site I have always attempted to give personnel totals for the units covered, however with the Panzer Battalion my source material is sadly lacking. Also, a number of the early war KStN tables are lost, so while details of vehicles appear to have survived those of the officers and men assigned have not. There were also a bewildering array of variations used during the invasions of Poland and France before some degree of uniformity was enforced prior to operation Barbarossa in 1941.
The Panzer Battalion, circa 1939 to 1940
Battalion Headquarters
Staff Company
Company HQ
Communication Platoon
Motorcycle Reconnaissance Platoon
Anti-aircraft Platoon
Pioneer Platoon
Light Tank Platoon
Train and Maintenance
Medium Company;
Company HQ
Train and Maintenance
Four Tank Platoons
Two Light Companies, each;
Company HQ
Train and Maintenance
Four Tank Platoons
Points of note
The hurried expansion of the Panzers from three to ten Divisions was not achieved without a degree of compromise on equipment. The Skoda tank park in Czechoslovakia was plundered to fill the gaps and may have accounted for a quarter of the Panzers used in 1939 and 1940.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - contained the command staff, plus supporting personnel and a number of cars and motorcycles, but interestingly no tanks.
Communication Platoon - as always responsible for maintaining radio and wire communications between the various parts of the Battalion as well as higher headquarters. The Platoon included three tanks, two of which were specially fitted radio vehicles, types varying but at this point most likely Panzer I models.
Motorcycle Reconnaissance Platoon - perhaps more properly termed a scout unit, the Platoon had a small HQ and three Sections, each perhaps eight men, with motorcycles and combinations.
Anti-aircraft Platoon - four cars, each mounting a pair of light machine guns.
Pioneer Platoon - three Squads, each probably with a light machine gun, carried in trucks and cars, plus the usual motorcycle accompaniment.
Light Tank Platoon - five light tanks, providing a more substantial reconnaissance element.
The Panzer Company - the deceptively simple organisation outlined above was complicated by several factors, not the least of which was that here were six different models of Panzer in service at the outbreak of war in 1939.
The Platoon could be equipped with either light or medium Panzers. The light tanks could be either the Panzer I or II. The Panzer I was nothing more than a machine gun carrier, with a commander and driver, the former manning a small turret mounting two light machine guns. The Panzer II had a three man crew, adding a gunner, and mounted a 2 cm cannon with a coaxial machine gun. Some light Platoons had two Panzer I and three Panzer II, others five Panzer II, but as always there was room for deviation from this ideal.
The medium tank could be either the Panzer III or IV. Both shared the same layout of commander, gunner, loader, driver and hull machine gunner, the Panzer III having a 3.7 cm main gun and the Panzer IV a 7.5 cm, both types having a coaxial and hull machine gun. The 7.5 cm of the Panzer IV was a short-barrelled weapon, more intended to deliver high explosive fire support to the infantry than take on enemy armour. The Panzer III Platoon usually fielded five tanks, but this could be reduced to three, while the Panzer IV Platoon had four tanks. Supplementing these were the Panzer 35(t) and 38(t), Czech machines pressed into German service. Both mounted a 3.7 cm gun with a four man crew, the 35(t) being the more commonly encountered at this stage.
Company HQ could have two Panzer IV tanks, or two Panzer I and two Panzer II, one of the former being a command variant. The usual structure saw a Light Company with three light and one medium Platoons, a Medium Company with one light and three Medium. Several authors have taken the time and trouble to define which units used what combination of Platoon and HQ types, and I do not intend to try and replicate their work here.
The Eastern Front, 1941 to 1943
The usual fine tunings no doubt occurred to the above Battalion, but the overall structure remained the same. Of more significance was the attempt to rationalise the varied Company and Platoon organisation.
Officially, the Panzer I was removed from service, but that did not mean none took part in the invasion of Russia in June 1941. The new Light Company had a HQ of to Panzer III, a Light Platoon with five Panzer II, and three Platoons each of five Panzer III. The Medium Company now had a HQ of two Panzer IV, one Light Platoon of five Panzer II and three Platoons each of four Panzer IV. Panzer 35(t) and 38(t) were substituted for the Panzer II in several Divisions.
The Light Tank Platoon in the Staff Company was also to be Panzer II equipped, the Communication Platoon having Panzer III. A reserve detachment was also provided for, with two Panzer II, three Panzer III and a single Panzer IV. How many units included this element is debateable, and it was deleted by 1943.
The Panzer III and IV also underwent changes during this period. The 3.7 cm gun of the Panzer III had proven highly ineffective even during the French campaign, and a new 5 cm weapon was fitted to many tanks for 1941. By 1942 some tanks had an improved 5 cm gun, the 3.7 cm having almost completely vanished. Likewise the Panzer IV began to receive a long-barrelled 7.5 cm gun during 1942, which remained an ongoing process throughout the war for existing vehicles.
At the beginning of 1943 a new organisation was proposed, in which Battalions would be equipped entirely with one type of tank, either the well established Panzer IV, or a new machine, the Panzer V, better known as the Panther. The Panther embodied the lessons of eighteen months combat against the Red Army, and incorporated much improved armour and a long-barrelled 7.5 cm gun. Mechanical reliability however was woeful in early models, and it was not until early 1944 that the problems were rectified.
The Panzer Battalion circa 1943
Battalion Headquarters (8 Officers, 16 men)
Staff Company (6 Officers, 250 men) * 318 men in Panther Battalion
Company HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Reconnaissance Platoon (1 Officer, 24 men)
Communication Platoon (1 Officer, 17 men)
Scout and Pioneer Platoon (1 Officer, 52 men)
Anti-aircraft Platoon (44 men)
Train and Maintenance (2 Officers, 110 men) * 178 men in Panther Battalion
Four Companies (3 Officers, 158 men) * 170 men in Panther Company, each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 13 men) * 15 men in Panther Company
Trains and Maintenance (47 men) * 58 men in Panther Company
Four Platoons, each comprised of (1 Officer or NCO and 24 men)
Total strength of 924 all ranks (26 Officers and 898 men), or 1030 men (26 Officers and 1014 men) in Panther Battalion
Points of note
It should be stressed that the above totals are those for the end of 1943, and should not be applied to the units that fought at Kursk for example. The aim however was the same throughout 1943, to replace the Panzer III and use the Panzer IV and Panther as the new main battle tanks. It was simply never achieved. The Panzer III remained in active service throughout the war and was particularly prevalent in 1943, meaning many units probably still adhered to something approaching the 1941 organisation. Three Companies was also more likely than four in a Battalion equipped with the Panzer III and IV.
The Panther Battalions show a much increased personnel strength, but all were to be found in the service elements, giving a good indication of the extra resources needed to keep the Panther operational.
The elements of the Battalion
Reconnaissance Platoon - equipped with five Panzer IV or Panther tanks, equally likely to be Panzer III or even the Panzer II Luchs of mid-war. Sometimes deleted due to shortages.
Communication Platoon - Panzer III models or Panthers, dependent upon the Battalion, still three tanks.
Scout and Pioneer Platoon - by the end of 1943 the Motorcycle and Pioneer Platoons had been grouped into a single unit. Four Motorcycle Sections, each of ten men carried on motorcycles or Kettenkrads, with a single light machine gun per Section. The three Pioneer Sections were each nine men strong, carried in a SdKfz 251/7 with a halftrack or truck for equipment. Each Squad had a light machine gun, another on the halftrack.
Anti-aircraft Platoon - such was the pounding being handed down by ground attack aircraft like the Russian Shturmovik that anti-aircraft tanks were now provided, three machines each mounting four 2 cm cannon being the preferred option, however halftrack tractors were also found in the role.
The Panzer Company - on paper the Company was now at its strongest, with twenty two tanks of either the Panzer IV or Panther type.
The Platoon remained as five tanks, with four in the Company. However, production problems and other losses meant many Companies deleted their fourth Platoon. Battalions mixing Panzer III and Panzer IV probably tended to keep the tanks in separate Companies, perhaps two of each type, while Panthers were only deployed their own units. Company HQ still had two tanks of the relevant type.
The Panzer Battalion circa mid -1944
Battalion Headquarters (4 Officers, 10 men)
Staff Company (3 Officers, 142 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 4 men)
Communication and Reconnaissance Platoon (1 Officer, 45 men)
Scout and Pioneer Platoon (1 Officer, 53 men)
Anti-aircraft Platoon (40 men)
Supply Company (7 Officers, 174 men) * 270 men in Panther Battalion
Company HQ (3 Officers, 19 men)
Medical Detachment (1 Officer, 7 men) * 8 men in Panther Battalion
Maintenance Detachment (2 Officers, 87 men) * 164 men in Panther Battalion
Fuel Detachment (12 men) * 26 men in Panther Battalion
Munitions Detachment (15 men) * 18 men in Panther Battalion
Supply Detachment (1 Officer, 34 men) * 35 men in Panther Battalion
Four Companies (3 Officers, 100 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 17 men)
Reserve Platoon (10 men)
Three Platoons, each comprised of (1 Officer or NCO and 24 men)
Total strength of 752 all ranks (26 Officers and 726 men), or 848 men (26 Officers and 822 men) in Panther Battalion
Points of note
Probably during the latter part of 1944 the Panzer Division was reorganised, the various Company level service units being concentrated into dedicated Supply Companies. While aimed at freeing up manpower, it seems that in some cases it actually increased the number of service personnel while the combat arms continued to wane. The Reconnaissance and Communications Platoons were also now merged into one, still fielding eight tanks.
The Panzer Company - the Companies were now officially reduced to three tank Platoons.
Each Platoon maintained five tanks, with two more at Company HQ. Relief crews were found in the fourth 'dismounted' Platoon. By the end of 1944, further reductions were imposed. Provision was made for some Platoons to drop to four, or even three tanks, with Company HQ down to one if the latter were in effect.
Summary
The decline of the Panzer arm is astounding. In early 1943 it was estimated that there were only enough tanks available on the Eastern Front to equip each Panzer Division with 27 machines! Too many new Divisions were formed, exceeding the ability to maintain them in the field. The trend towards increasingly heavy tanks could not address the fundamental problem. They could not be in two places at once. The Army was increasingly losing the numbers game in both the East and the West. Like the Infantry arm, the Panzers were reduced to fighting spoiling battles against the advancing allies. A few flashes of the old brilliance appeared now again, but the days of Blitzkrieg were long dead.
German Divisional Organisations