The German Grenadier Battalion, 1943 to 1945
The term Grenadier dates back centuries in military history, and has long been associated with elite infantry. During 1942, in somewhat belated recognition of the efforts of the Infantry in the campaigns of the previous years, all Infantrymen were re-titled Grenadiers. The change in nomenclature had no actual effect on the immediate situation for the average German soldier, and was nothing more that an attempt to raise moral.
Of more impact was the adoption in late 1943 of the neu Art or 'new type' organisation for what was now termed the Grenadier Battalion. For a more detailed examination of the May 1944 organisation, please see the German Grenadier Battalion entry in the Example TOE section.
The Grenadier Battalion, late 1943
Battalion Headquarters (4 Officers, 13 men)
Communications Platoon (25 men)
Battalion Train (35 men)
Machine Gun Company (3 Officers, 205 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 19 men)
Company Train (29 men)
Three Machine Gun Platoons, each (1 Officer or NCO, 36 men)
12-cm Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 47 men)
Three Rifle Companies (2 Officers, 143 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 11 men)
Company Train (13 men)
8-cm Mortar Section (21 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer or NCO, 5 men)
Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 9 men
Total Strength of 720 all ranks (13 Officers and 707 men)
The Grenadier Battalion, circa mid-1944
Battalion Headquarters (4 Officers, 13 men)
Communications Platoon (25 men)
Battalion Train (35 men)
Heavy Company (3 Officers, 202 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 19 men)
Company Train (17 men)
Machine Gun Platoon (1 Officer, 54 men)
8-cm Mortar Platoon (66 men)
12-cm Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 46 men)
Three Rifle Companies (2 Officers, 140 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 11 men)
Company Train (13 men)
Machine Gun Section (18 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer or NCO, 5 men)
Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 9 men
Total Strength of 708 all ranks (13 Officers and 695 men)
Points of note
The overall structure of the original Battalion had changed slightly. Some units fielded the new Heavy Mortar Platoon while the medium mortars and heavy machine guns were broken into units providing direct Company support and general Battalion assets. Several new weapons were also now in the hands of the troops, though in varying quantities.
Machine Gun Platoon - the previous layout of three Platoons each serving four heavy machine guns remained unaltered until mid-1944. Then, half the weapons were distributed out among the Rifle Companies, the remaining six being concentrated in a single Platoon of three Sections. Equipment also changed, as the new MG42 began to supplement the MG34 during 1943. The MG42 had an even higher rate of fire than its predecessor and was a particularly lethal machine. It too was used in the light role by Rifle Squads, and was easier to mass produce. It never supplanted the MG34 however, which remained in service throughout.
Medium Mortar Platoon - the 8-cm mortar became increasingly important in the German Army as the war progressed. For a time, it was thought the new 12-cm mortar would take the place of the Medium Mortar Platoon, which would be broken up and redeployed at the rate of two tubes per Rifle Company where their maximum range of almost 2400 metres would be less of an issue. Due to shortages in the availability of the 12-cm weapon, many units retained their 8-cm armed Medium Platoon and issued additional 8-cm weapons to the Rifle Companies. When these weapons were subsequently withdrawn, a second Medium Platoon was often established, unless and until 12-cm mortars were received. As a result, a Battalion could possess as many as twelve 8-cm mortars, making for a substantial concentration of firepower.
What stands out in all allied reports is the ferocity and accuracy of the bombardment that German mortars produced. Perhaps this was partly due to an increased allocation of such weapons later in the war, but they undoubtedly provided the Battalion commander with his most powerful asset.
Heavy Mortar Platoon - the Germans had encountered a new threat on the Eastern Front, the Red Army's 120-mm mortar. They were suitably impressed and copied the weapon for German use. It was effectively a light artillery piece, and required a high level of motor transport to move. The Platoon served four weapons, each with a massive range of almost 6000 metres. Production never met demand, and as mentioned above the Platoon was often armed with four or six 8-cm mortars in lieu.
The Rifle Company - the new Company was a much smaller unit.
The Rifle Squad itself was reduced to nine men, deleting the ammunition bearer for the machine gun team. The loader now officially adopted a rifle, and a second machine pistol replaced a Mauser in the rifle group, possibly carried by the assistant leader. The remainder of the Squad was effectively unaltered, and this organisation was almost certainly more reflective of that in use throughout 1943.
Platoon HQ had a Commander, two runners, a stretcher bearer, and two supply wagon drivers. The Platoon Commander could now be either an Officer or a senior NCO, and there was no longer the equivalent of a Platoon Sergeant to assist him. Each Platoon had a two horse wagon, and a one horse wagon with trailer. The commander still carried his MP40 and pistol, the medic a pistol, the runners and drivers all rifles. The Platoon also had two unallocated light machine gun for deployment as required, but this was swiftly reduced to one and this too may have been deleted in subsequent cutbacks. Curiously, there is no indication of radios being issued to Platoons. Instead, Company HQ listed four signallers among it strength, who were perhaps despatched as necessary. The Company Train carried a further light machine gun.
With the demise of the 5-cm mortar and the anti-tank rifle, fire support was provided initially by two 8-cm mortars, which were subsequently withdrawn and replaced by two heavy machine guns. In both cases the weapons involved were simply redeployed from the Machine Gun or Heavy Company.
A number of new individual weapons began to reach the troops in 1943, which the neu Art Rifle Company organisation aimed to incorporate. It was intended the Company would receive nineteen self loading rifles, ten of which would be fitted with telescopic sights. There was no specific guidance on how these weapons were to be allocated, but two per Squad, one scoped, would seem reasonable. Given the often incoherent nature of the German supply system it would be sensible to regard this more as the ideal situation than the actual in many cases. The Gewehr 43 was an attempt to provide a semi-automatic rifle to the troops, but still using the same ammunition as the Mauser. It had been preceded by the Gewehr 41, which had proven to be an all round failure in terms of usefulness and reliability. The G43 on the other hand was a success, and while it never replaced the 1898 Mauser, it offered a real increase in firepower to those units lucky enough to receive it. Likewise, the MG42 served alongside the MG34 as the Squad light machine gun, its high rate of fire proving as devastating in the light role as the heavy. Anti-tank potential had also been exponentially increased. For the best part of two years, the German soldiers only reply to a Soviet T34 was to move within spitting distance and assail it with either a Teller mine or a bundle of stick grenades. A new series of one shot disposable anti-tank grenades changed that in late 1943. The variously titled Faustpatrone or Panzerfaust gave the individual soldier the ability to successfully destroy a tank, though effective range never increased beyond 100 metres as the design was progressively upgraded. Unlike the Bazooka or PIAT, the Panzerfaust was effectively a munition, and was issued in tremendous numbers to offset the declining status of the Panzer arm.
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The German Infantry and Grenadier Battalion
German Divisional Organisations