German Armor in Normandy

By Yves Buffetaut

Throughout the Second World War, a shift occurred in the composition of the large armored units of armies which lead to an increase in the power of their tanks in particular. The Germans were no exception. Many of its recently formed Panzer divisions, from the 12th SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend to the 2nd SS-Panzerdivision Das Reich, were thrust into the effort to repel the Allies from June to August 1944 in Normandy. Within just ten weeks they would be defeated.

This volume of Casemate Illustrated starts by exploring the initial struggle to gain control of Caen after the Allies had landed on the beaches of Normandy which resulted in the ferocious German Tiger tanks destroying the 7th Armored Division, with British losses totaling twenty-seven tanks. The subsequent strategies the commanders devised for the Panzer tanks during Operations Goodwood and Cobra were not so successful, ultimately ending in disaster for the Germans as the Allies broke through the German line by the end of July.

With over 100 photos, diagrams showing the composition of German armored divisions, and color profiles of tanks and other armored vehicles, this is a detailed examination of the German armored forces in Normandy in 1944, focusing on the organization of the 10 Panzer divisions that took part, the vehicles they relied on and the battles they fought in and why ultimately their combined strength was not enough.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casemate
• Release date: Oct 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781612006444

Yves Buffetaut

Yves Buffetaut is an internationally respected French military historian and editor of Histoire & Collections major magazine, Militaria. He lives in France.

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Timeline of Events

From the invasion of Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944, the battle for Normandy raged for ten weeks until the Falaise Pocket was closed late in August. With only one panzer division near the coast on D-Day, the Germans found themselves rushing their armored divisions into Normandy, often piecemeal, to plug the gaps, and conducting frantic counteroffensives, often localized, as they desperately attempted to roll the Allies back into the sea.

A superb photograph of a Panzer IV from 2nd Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Regiment. As the numbers on the turret indicate, it is the fifth tank of 2nd platoon of the 6th Company. The architecture of the house in the background is typical of Flanders, and confirms the location of the scene, photographed in early 1944. The infantry hitching a ride are not Waffen-SS. (Bundesarchiv)

The 1944-Type Panzer Division

Throughout World War II, the belligerents continuously modified the composition of their armored units, and, as a general rule, with tanks becoming more powerful, fewer troops were needed. Germany was no exception—in fact, panzers, by necessity, were at the forefront of design and modification—and the 1944 panzer division bore only a passing resemblance to its predecessors in Poland, during Barbarossa and in North Africa.

The Panzer Regiment

The first changes took place before the 1940 invasion of France, when light divisions were transformed into armored divisions. The new units created were little more than tank regiments, except each regiment comprised three battalions, in place of the old structure of two regiments with two battalions apiece. At the time of the invasion of France, therefore, there were two types of panzer divisions in action. During the preparations for Operation Barbarossa, the pre-1940 divisions were brought into line with the newer type, the second regiment in each instance serving as a base upon which to build a new panzer division.

The Panther was usually the basic tank in the panzer regiment’s first battalion, though there were exceptions. (Bundesarchiv)

Das Reich Panzer IVs in Normandy. The lead tank carries two supplementary fuel drums, in the Russian style. These were removed during operations. (Bundesarchiv)

This is why, for example, the 4th Panzer Regiment was hived off from the 2nd Panzer Division on September 28, 1940, to form the nucleus of the 13th Panzer Division, training in Austria.

The three tank battalions each had three companies. From the end of 1941, as many Panzer I and IIs as possible were replaced, the typical battalion composition thus became one company of 22 Panzer IVs and two companies of 22 Panzer IIIs.

By the end of 1942, with increasing losses and the arrival of more up-to-date matériel, the structure of the panzer regiment changed once again. The 1943 panzer regiment had one battalion fewer, but the two that remained increased from three to four 22-tank companies. The next year, the companies were reduced to 17 tanks. In general—though, as we will see, this is somewhat arbitrary—the first battalion had four companies of Panthers, and the second battalion four companies of Panzer IVs, with a service company per battalion.

At the head of each battalion was a headquarters company, composed in 1944 of two Panthers (first battalion) and three Panzer IVs (second battalion), as well as three Flak vehicles and five SdKfz 251 half-tracks.

Finally, the regimental HQ company usually consisted of five Panzer IVs, three Panthers and eight 3.7cm self-propelled Flak guns.

The 1944 panzer regiment therefore comprised 160 tanks, 60 tracked vehicles, nearly 200 trucks, 70 cars, 60 motorcycles and 1,934 men. These figures are, however, purely theoretical; as can be seen in the photographs throughout this book, the panzer regiments used French, Italian and Russian matériel as well, of course, as German.

The Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion

The panzer reconnaissance battalion, an armored sub-unit of the panzer division, was also subjected to huge variations between 1939 and 1945, one of which was the complete abandonment of the motorcycle companies. In 1944, a panzer reconnaissance battalion comprised:

•Headquarters company: six platoons of three eight-wheeler armored cars (or sometimes the four-wheeled SdKfz 222), one close-support platoon (with three SdKfz 233s armed with 7.5cm short guns) and often an antitank platoon of three SdKfz 234/2s or 234/4s

•Armored reconnaissance company: eight platoons of three SdKfz 250s (reconnaissance half-tracks)

•Reconnaissance company: three platoons of three sections equipped with two SdKfz 250/1s and a heavy platoon with two sections: one with one 250/1 and two 250/8s (7.5cm short guns), the other with one SdKfz 250/1 and two 250/7s (8cm mortars)

•Reconnaissance company: idem

•Heavy panzer reconnaissance company: seven SdKfz 251/5s, six SdKfz 251/9s (7.5cm short howitzers) and six 251/2s (8cm mortars). In practice, all varieties of SdKfz 250 were also used in place of the SdKfz 251s

•Logistics company

This SdKfz 250 is from the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, Hitlerjugend Division, as indicated by the insignia on its bonnet. (ECPAD)

The tank destroyer units were not composed solely of self-propelled guns; they also employed Pak guns such as these which are being towed by RSOs (Raupenschlepper Ost, a fully tracked, lightweight vehicle). (Bundesarchiv)

SdKfz 251s from the 2nd Panzer Division. The foliage used for camouflage is tidily done, essential for daytime movement due to Allied air superiority. (ECPAD)

The Tank Destroyer Battalion

The composition of a tank destroyer battalion was as follows: three or four companies, the first two comprising 14 Jagdpanzers, Hetzers or Jagdpanthers, and the third, 12 towed 7.5cm Pak 40s. In some cases, a fourth company of varied composition was also present. Note, however, that Hetzers were not used in the battle of Normandy.

The Panzergrenadier Brigade

The panzergrenadier brigade was composed of two regiments of two battalions (three in the Waffen-SS units and certain elite Wehrmacht units). These battalions were four companies strong.

In the best-case scenario, a battalion would be equipped entirely with SdKfz 251 halftracks, but in practice this was rare. Within the 9th SS Panzer Division, for example, of six battalions, only one was equipped with the SdKfz 251, the 2nd Battalion of the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.

The first three companies of the 1st Battalion comprised four heavy machine guns, 29 light machine guns, two 8cm mortars, two 7.5cm howitzers and two 2cm Flak guns. The fourth company was less endowed in terms of machine guns (six in total) but had four heavy 12cm mortars and six 7.5cm howitzers.

In the second battalion, the first three companies had four heavy machine guns, 18 light machine guns and two 80mm mortars, while the fourth had six 20mm Flak guns, four heavy 12mm mortars and two light machine guns.

As well as the eight panzergrenadier companies, a ninth had six 150mm self-propelled guns (SdKfz 138/1 Hummel).

Finally, the 10th Pioneer Company (engineers) had on paper 24 flamethrowers, 30 heavy and light machine guns, and two 80mm mortars.

The Artillery Regiment

Theoretically, the panzer artillery regiment was composed of one HQ Battery, without artillery; three battalions of which one was composed of two batteries with six Wespe 10.5cm guns and one with 15cm Hummels; one battalion composed of two batteries, each with six 10.5cm towed guns; one battalion composed of two batteries, each with six 15cm towed guns and one battalion composed of two batteries, and one battery with six 10cm (sometimes 15cm) towed guns. Some units also contained a battery of six 15cm Nebelwerfers.

Each armored division had one Flak battalion of three batteries, armed with guns of varying calibers: 88mm, 37mm and 20mm. Seen here is the formidable Flakvierling, a carriage-mounted quadruple 20mm. (Bundesarchiv)

In Profile:

A Panzer Division in 1944

Panzergrenadiers perched on a Panther during action in the Lorraine region, September 1944. They are armed with Panzerfausts, which were extremely effective in the Normandy bocage. A panzergrenadier brigade comprised two regiments of two battalions each (or three in the case of the Waffen-SS and some elite Wehrmacht divisions). (Bundesarchiv)

The Flak Battalion

Sources differ considerably with regards to the composition of the antiaircraft artillery (AAA or Flak) battalion. Some authors, such as Bruce Quarrie, write of five batteries, others, like Jean-Paul Pallud, of three, and others still, like Herbert Fürbringer, of four. It is certain that at least two batteries—three in the case of the 9th SS Panzer Division—were equipped with six 8.8cm guns, one or two other batteries being armed with nine 3.7cm guns and either three towed quadruple 2cm guns or 12 3.7cm guns.

The Pioneer Battalion

The engineers’ battalion is the last of the important fighting units within the panzer division. It had three combat companies (of