Armies of WW11 continued….

Germany - Later Panzer Division

The winter battles in the Ukraine on the Eastern Front during late 1943 and into 1944 bled the elite of the Panzer Divisions white. Instead of receiving large reinforcements in the spring of 1944, most of Germany’s tank production was switched westward to equip divisions preparing to fight off the impending Allied invasion of France.

By mid-1944, the Germany Army’s Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front were a shadow of their former glory. On paper, they were powerful formations with two battalions of tanks, usually one of 88 Panzer IVs and one of 88 Panthers, but battle losses and delays in delivering replacement vehicles meant that divisions on the Eastern Front were lucky if they mustered on average more than 50 working tanks, of both types.

The Panzer was also supposed to have four Panzergrenadier Battalions, one of which was to be equipped with armored halftracks. In reality, these “Battalions” were often little more than over-sized companies, while the Armored Panzergrenadier Battalion was lucky to muster more than a dozen halftracks.
A desperate situation was made even more critical by the destruction of Army Group Center in June and July 1944. With no respite available on either the Western or Eastern Fronts, it was no longer possible to pull worn-out Panzer Divisions out of the line for reequipping and refitting. More drastic measures were needed.
In July 1994, the first of 10 new so-called “Panzer Brigades” were formed to fill the gaps in the German battle line. These were basically strong regimental Kampfgruppen (battle grounds) made up of a Panzer Battalion, with around 40 Panthers and a weak Panzergrenadier Battalion mounted in armored halftracks. The experiment was short-lived, and by the late fall they had depleted the Panzer Divisions.

By the spring of 1945, the Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front were on their last legs. A new order of Panzer Divisional organization was issued in March 1945 reducing Panzer Divisions to a single battalion of tanks, but this was largely an academic exercise. Most could only muster a couple dozen tanks, backed up by an equal number of assault guns or armored self-propelled anti-tank guns.

Tank strength of a Panzer Division:

Time period: Number of Tanks:
1939-1940 324
1941-1942 150-200
1943 170
1944 120-140

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