The Panzer Grenadier Battalion

The successes of the Panzer Divisions were not brought about by tanks alone. It was the ability to combine the actions of Infantry, Armour and Artillery which achieved it. The Panzer Grenadiers provided close support for the tanks throughout the war, and as the numbers of Panzers dwindled the Grenadiers were forced to shoulder more of the burden.

The Panzer Grenadier Battalion seems to have been the subject of more organisational variations than any other manoeuvre unit in the German Army. Matters are complicated further by the deployment of two distinct types of Battalion; the 'Mechanised' unit, which fought from armoured halftracks, and the 'Motorised' which was carried in lorries and field cars. Both formations had similar characteristics, but their fighting potential was notably different. The disagreements between various sources renders any attempt to apply unit strengths meaningless.

The Panzer Grenadier Battalion, circa 1940 to 1942

Battalion Headquarters

Communications Platoon

Battalion Supply and Maintenance elements

Heavy Company

Company HQ

Pioneer Platoon

Anti Tank Platoon

Infantry Gun Platoon

Machine Gun Company

Company HQ

Mortar Platoon

Two Machine Gun Platoons

Three Rifle Companies, each comprising;

Company HQ

Machine Gun Section

Three Rifle Platoons, each comprising;

Platoon HQ (1 Officer or NCO, 6 men)

Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 12 men

Points of note

At first sight the allocation of support weapons seems quite generous, however it is somewhat deceiving. An Infantry Battalion commander could be reinforced with an Anti Tank and an Infantry Gun Platoon from his Regiment. The Panzer Grenadier Regiment simply deployed its extra assets within the Battalions as a matter of course. During the early years of the war it was not unusual for a Battalion to deploy a single Company in halftracks with the balance in lorries. As production increased, the aim became to fully equip an entire Battalion with the armoured vehicle.

The elements of the Battalion

Battalion Headquarters - the command staff of the Battalion but fully motorised.

Communications Platoon - fulfilled the same role as that in the Infantry Battalion.

Supply and Maintenance units- contained the Battalion motor pool and the various craftsmen and mechanics needed to maintain the collection of men and vehicles.

Pioneer Platoon- the Panzer Grenadier seem to have initially had a standing Pioneer unit, which was charged with assault tasks rather than labouring, as befitted their mobile role. They were equipped with light machine guns and flamethrowers, but numbers of weapons are vague.

Anti Tank Platoon- the original Anti Tank gun was the 3.7 cm Pak. This small lightweight weapon was akin to the British 2 pdr, in that it too was obsolete before hostilities began but due to a lack of replacements was kept in service far beyond its days. The Platoon served three weapons, towed by whatever vehicle was available from the myriad types deployed, the ideal being the Krupp Protz. The 3.7 cm was the standard defence for the early part of the war, and earned the derisory nickname 'the doorknocker' from its inability to penetrate most British and Soviet tanks. Its successor was the more capable 5 cm Pak, which appeared in time to replace some 3.7 cm weapons for the invasion of Russia.

Infantry Gun Platoon - the 7.5 cm Infantry Gun was the primary Regimental support weapon, and the Platoon served two such weapons.

Mortar Platoon - as the Infantry version, with six 8 cm tubes.

Machine Gun Platoon - as the Infantry with four MG34 heavy machine guns.

The Rifle Company- as mentioned the Rifle Company could be transported either by lorry or halftrack. In either event, the same twelve man Squad was used.

It comprised a leader and assistant, armed with a machine pistol and rifle respectively. The four men of the rifle element were each armed with a rifle. The machine gun element deployed two gunners and two loaders, each armed with a pistol, serving a pair of light machine guns. A driver and assistant were responsible for the vehicle. In the halftrack version, the vehicle mounted its own LMG behind a splinter shield. It was the responsibility of the assistant driver to man this weapon. The driver had a rifle, and a 'spare' machine pistol was carried in the vehicle. One of the two LMGs could be placed on a rear mounting enabling it to be used in the anti aircraft role where required. In the lorried Squad there were no additional weapons in the vehicle, both driver and assistant carrying a rifle. The concentration of light machine guns was enormous for such a small unit. The driver and assistant would remain with the vehicle (though with the lorry there was only need for the driver to stay). The dismount troops could split into two teams, each with a leader, two riflemen and gun team. This negated the weakness of riflemen covering a moving MG team with clunky bolt action weapons. The three Squads operated under a Platoon Headquarters. The halftrack version comprised a Platoon commander, NCO, two messengers, driver, medic and motorcycle orderly. The motorised equivalent was split between two Kubelwagens and so substituted a second driver for the motorcycle rider. Commanders carried machine pistols, medics pistols, all others rifle.

Uniquely, an attempt was made to provide anti tank guns to each halftrack Platoon by mounting a 3.7 cm Pak on the commander's vehicle in place of a LMG. As a means of tank defence it was mostly outdated, but it offered a handy means of projecting fire in support of the Squads. The issue of 5 cm mortars and Anti Tank Rifles in the early years is hazy. Each Company had three of each weapons, but whether they were deployed by the Platoons or served by dedicated men at Company level remains a mystery, to me at least. Anyone know?

Company HQ added the traditional command, supply and additionally maintenance elements.

The mid-war period

During 1943 the same reductions inflicted upon the Infantry arm were also visited upon the Panzer Grenadiers. Again, specific details are confused, but the overall effect is clear.

The Machine Gun Company was abolished, and its assets were distributed to the Rifle Companies, each of which now added a Weapons Platoon to its ranks. Heavy Company lost its Pioneer Platoon, but there were such assets at Regimental level to compensate. Some sources describe an Anti Tank Section within each Rifle Company, serving four 8.8 cm Projectors. The most important move was towards deploying at least one Mechanised Battalion in each Panzer Division. Panzer Grenadier Divisions were left motorised only it appears. By 1944 the picture had settled somewhat.

The Panzer Grenadier Battalion, circa 1944

Battalion Headquarters

Communications Platoon

Battalion Supply and Maintenance elements

Heavy Company

Company HQ

Motorised Battalion

Heavy Mortar Platoon

Anti Aircraft Platoon

Anti Tank Platoon * credited in some sources to the Battalion, but possibly attached from a Regimental AT Company

Mechanised Battalion

Heavy Mortar Platoon

Infantry Gun Platoon

Three Rifle Companies, each comprised of;

Company HQ

Weapons Platoon, comprised of;

Platoon HQ

Two Machine Gun Sections

Mortar Section

Anti Aircraft Section * Mechanised only

Infantry Gun Section * Mechanised only

Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of

Platoon HQ (1 Officer or NCO, 6 men)

Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 10 men Mechanised or 12 men Motorised

Points of note

The firepower of the Mechanised formation had been massively increased. Curiously, the Motorised Battalion had lost its 7.5 cm Infantry guns, but these may have been retained in those units which did not receive the 12 cm mortar to replace them. Anti aircraft weapons were now a prime requirement for the ground troops, as the Luftwaffe's decline allowed allied planes to roam at will overhead.

The elements of the Battalion

Heavy Mortar Platoon - as with the Infantry, the Panzer Grenadiers were authorised four 12 cm mortars carried by tracked lorries of halftracks.

Anti Aircraft Platoon- the AA Platoon served six 2 cm weapons which were ideally mounted on trucks or unarmoured halftracks, or towed. They also served in the ground support role as 'very heavy' machine guns.

Anti Tank Platoon- where present this unit was intended to field three 7.5 cm Pak anti tank guns. The 7.5 cm was the next evolution of the German series, and was perhaps the best all round weapon. The guns could be towed or mounted on any of the numerous vehicles used as a firing platform.

Infantry Gun Platoon - in the Mechanised Company this unit comprised six halftracks each mounting a 7.5 cm gun with ammunition vehicles in support.

The Rifle Company- the Motorised Company seems to have undergone little restructuring. The Weapons Platoon served four heavy machine guns and two 8 cm mortars. Other than that, it remained as before.

The Mechanised Company however was very different. Each Squad had lost two men from the rifle element. The Platoon vehicle was now intended to be armed with a 2 cm anti aircraft gun, but this was by no means a universal arrangement. The motorcycle had long since gone and the rider now served on the carrier as a loader or gunner. The Weapons Platoon deployed two 8 cm mortars, each carried and fired from their own halftrack; likewise two 7.5 cm infantry guns. The anti aircraft group should have had three halftracks mounting 2 cm weapons. Each vehicle also carried a heavy machine gun team, yet the Company is credited with four HMGs. Where the fourth team was deployed is one of the many minor mysteries concerning the Panzer Grenadiers. The Platoon commander's vehicle was later deleted. Company HQ is also variously credited with a further 2 cm AA gun halftrack. No official tables credit 8.8 cm anti tank Projectors, the lethal German equivalent of the Bazooka, to the Panzer Grenadiers in 1944. Some sources suggest each halftrack may have been so equipped, but the total is purely speculative.

A flurry of revised tables were issued during the closing months of the war, aimed at increasing AA defence or centralising mortars and machine guns in support companies. I do not propose to attempt to cover them here for sanity's sake, and the fact that they were probably little more than paper formations.

Summary

Quite how closely Panzer Grenadier formations resembled their authorised tables differed on a day to day basis. But where they approached full strength, they were powerful units. As the war progressed they became less mobile, debilitated by lack of fuel and vehicles, pounded from on high by allied bombers, and supported by dwindling numbers of Panzers. In the end, they were reduced to the same stubborn defensive actions as their foot slogging comrades in the Infantry.