(Note: In correcting the Scorched Earth rules on railroad engineers, I gathered considerable information on the German railroad engineers in all theaters of the war. As compensation for having the rules changed once again, here's the Europa level OB.)

Responsible for the maintenance and construction of railways, German railroad engineer forces served in all European theaters from Italy to the Arctic and from France to the Soviet Union. Faced with imposing obstacles, such as rail nets of differing gauges, immense distances, enemy bombing campaigns, and partisans, they almost always succeeded in keeping the "iron roads" in operation. Their failures - in the advance during Barbarossa and in the final days of Allied bombing - were due to their lack of numbers.

The railroad engineers underwent many reorganizations and redesignations throughout the war. Despite these, their essential organization remained fairly constant. The basic railroad engineer unit was the company. A battalion headquarters almost always controlled the companies, usually with four companies per battalion headquarters. Above the battalions were two types of regiments: headquarters, which had no organic battalions, and complete regiments, which had two or three organic battalions.

In April 1940, the Germans went to a single organization of a regiment with two organic battalions. This held for the rest of the war, except for the 7th and 8th Regiments, which had their battalions detached and became headquarters-only regiments.

Later in the war, three brigade headquarters were organized, each responsible for the railroad engineer troops of an army group on the eastern front. For Europa purposes, railroad engineer organization has been simplified to the following: companies and battalion headquarters are shown as battalions, the regiment consists of two battalions, and the brigade of four battalions.

German number and name designations for the railroad troops changed constantly throughout the war. For Europa purposes, most of these changes aren't significant and aren't shown. Almost all the early-war units were renumbered in April 1940; later many of these were renumbered again. Often the numbers would remain the same, but the unit type name would change, such as when the Eisenbahn-Bau-Bataillon (railroad construction battalion) series became the EisenbahnBaupioner-Bataillon (railroad construction engineer battalion) series in the August 1943 reorganization. To avoid needless "counter shuffling," I've smoothed out the designations.

Take the 1/5 battalion, for example. It actually started the war as the 5th, became the 15th in April 1940, and then the 1/5 (1 Battalion of the 5th Regiment) in September 1940.

I see no need for having three counters, identical in everything except unit ID, simply to track the designation changes. Similarly, I've smoothed out the OB to hide the numerous headquarters swaps the Germans went through. There wasn't a pressing need to maintain unit cohesion like combat troops, so railroad engineer battalion and regimental headquarters constantly were swapped around.

For example, when the headquarters of the 5th Regiment was raised, the Germans used the HQ of the 1/3 Battalion as the HQ of the 5th Regiment and then transferred the HQ of the 13th Battalion as the new HQ of the 1/3. (The HQ of the 1/3 was one of the oldest, most experienced RR engineer HQs in the German Army, which made it more suited as a regimental HO than the less experienced 13th.) The net effect is that the 13th is withdrawn to become the HQ of the 5th Regiment, which is how I show it in the OB. This approach results in a "clean" OB, with no useless counter swapping in it.

Sometimes, the name of a unit was important, and this is tracked. For example, there was an Eisenbahn-Pionier-Bataillon-Stabe (railroad engineer battalion headquarters) series, separate from the Eisenbahn-Bau-Bataillon (railroad construction battalion) series. For Europa, both series rate as railroad engineer battalions. Those "Pionier" units that had "zbW designations (the German abbreviation, "for special purposes") retain them in the OB. This helps show that the 15th Railroad Engineer Battalion and the 15th zbV Railroad Engineer Battalion are two different units.

Sep 1 39

Initial Forces. 11 x0-6 RR Eng II 1 zbV, 1/1, 1/2,11/2,1/3,11/3, 1/5,1/6.11/6, 9 zbV, 13
Available for Assembly: 3 x 0-6 RR Eng III 1, 2,3

Note: The 1 st and 2nd RR Eng III start the war as headquarters, with no organic units. Each gains its two battalions in the April 1940 reorganization.

The 3rd RR Eng III starts the war as the 68th RR Eng III, with three organic battalions. In the April 1940 reorganization, the 68th is redesignated the 3rd, its I/68 and II/68 became the I/3 and II/3, and its III/68 became the I/1 (the I Battalion of the 1st Regiment).

The I/2 started the war as the 56th, becoming the I/2 in April 1940.

The II/2 started the war as the 1st, became the 11th in April 1940, and then became the II/2 in October 1940. (There was an actual II/2 from April to October 1940, formed from the 1st zbV, which was separate from the 1st. This II/2 became the HQ for the 6th Regiment in October, at which time the 11th became the new II/2. I have smoothed this out by having the 1st zbV become the HO for the 6th Regiment, with the 1st/11 th as the II/2 from the start.)

The I/5 started the war as the 5th, became the 15th in April 1940, and then the I/5 in September 1940 when the 5th Regiment was raised.

The I/6 started the war as the 2nd, became the 12th in April 1940, and then the I/6 in October 1940 when the 6th Regiment was raised.

The II/6 started the war as the 6th, became the 16th in April 1940, and then the II/6 in October 1940 when the 6th Regiment was raised.

The 9th zbV had a mixed course: The 4th started the war, became the 14th in April 1940, became the II/7 in January 1941, and then effectively became the 9th zbV in July 1942 when the 7th Regiment was broken up. By "effectively," I mean that the Germans swapped a lot of HQs around in July: the II/7 actually became the II/5, while the II/5 became the II/2, the II/2 becoming the II/1, and the II/1 becoming the 9th zbV! The net effect is as I show it in the OB.

The 13th started the war as the 3rd, becoming the 13th in April 1940.

Dec I 39
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II II/1

Note: The II/1 battalion was originally the 698th zbV and became the II/1 in April 1940.

Jan I 40
4 x 0-6 RR Eng II 511, 512, 513, 514

Note: The 207th, 212th, 251st, and 252nd Construction Battalions became Railroad Construction Battalions, with the same numbers, in January 1940, and then were renumbered, respectively, the 511th, 512th, 513th, and 514th in April 1940.

Feb I 40
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 515

Note: The 253rd Construction Battalion became the 253rd Railroad Construction Battalion in February 1940 and was renumbered the 515th in April 1940.

Apr I 40
4 x 0-6 RR Eng II 1/4,11/4,11/5,12 zbV
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng III 4

Note: The 4th Regiment, I/4, and II/4 were new formations.

The II/5 was raised as the 17th and became the II/5 in September 1940.

The 12th zbV was raised as the 18th, became the I/7 in January 1941, and then the 12th zbV in July 1942.

Jun I 40
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 19

Note: The 19th was raised in June 1940 and effectively became the 11th zbV in July 1942. (in actuality, the 19th became the HQ of the 8th Regiment when it was raised in April 1941. At that time, the II/8 was raised from scratch. For game purposes, I treat this as the 19th becoming the II/8. In July 1942, the 8th had its battalions detached, and the II/8 became the I/1, while the I/1 became the 11th zbV. The net effect of all this is that the II/8 (19th) became the 11th zbV. For simplicity, I show this unit as the 19th throughout.)

Jul I 40
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 20

Note: The 10th zbV was raised as the 20th, became the 1/8 in April 1941, and then the 10th zbV in July 1942.

The 701 st Regiment was raised as a railroad engineer regimental headquarters (no organic battalions) in the summer of 1940. However, I haven't found any evidence of its existence or disbanding beyond this time, and I suspect this was a very temporary unit, at best. Accordingly, I've excluded it from the OB. If you disagree, feel free to add, available for assembly, 1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 701 on the Jul I 40 Turn.

Sep I 40
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng III 5
Withdraw:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 13

Note: The 13th effectively became the HQ of the 5th Regiment. (Actually, the I/3 became the regimental HQ, and the 13th became the new 1/3.)

Oct I 40
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng III 6
Withdraw:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 1 zbV

Note: The 1st zbV effectively became the HO of the 6th Regiment. (Actually, it did, only it was the II/2 at the time. See the note under Sept I 39.)

Dec I 40
2 x 0-6 RR Eng II 106, 111

Note: The 106th and 111th Construction Battalions became the samenumbered Railroad Construction Battalions.

Jan I 41
3x 0-6 RR Eng II 15,83,139
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng III 7

Note: The 15th, 83rd, and 139th Construction Battalions became the samenumbered Railroad Construction Battalions.

The HQ of 7th Regiment was raised in January 1941. (Actually, the II/3 became the HQ of the 7th, while a new III/3 was raised.)

Apr I 41
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng

Note: The HQ of 8th Regiment was raised in April 1941. (Actually, the 19th became the regimental HO and a brand new II/8 was raised. The net effect is that the 8th HQ is new and the 19th (11th zbV) became the II/8.

Apr I 42
1 x 0-6 RR Eng 11 404

Note: The 404th Construction Battalion became the 404th Railroad Construction Battalion.

Jun I 42
2 x 0-6 RR Eng II 2, 408

Note: The 2nd and 408th Construction Battalions became the 2nd and 408th Railroad Construction Battalions.

Dec I 42
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng X 1
Withdraw:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 9 zbV

Note: The 9th zbV effectively was withdrawn to become the HQ of the 1st Brigade. (Actually, the HQ of the 3rd Regiment became the HQ of the 1st Brigade, while the 9th zbV was withdrawn to replace the HQ of the 3rd.)

Apr I 43
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 13

Note: The 13th was a new formation.

Jul I 43
2 x 0-6 RR Eng II 12,14

Note: The 12th and 14th were formed from the 12th and 501st Railroad Bridge Construction Battalions. (In Europa, bridging units are not shown directly, but their effects are factored into existing engineer units.)

Aug I 43
2 x 0-6 RR Eng II 15 zbV, 16

Note: The 15 zbv was a new formation. The 16th was formed in the Balkans from the "Nowsky" Bridge Construction Headquarters

Oct I 43
1 x 0-6 RR Eng II 9 zbV
Available for Assembly: 1x 0-6 RR Eng X 3

Note: The 9th zbV, earlier withdrawn, was reraised.
The HQ of the 3rd Brigade was a new formation.

Nov I 43
3 x 0-6 RR Eng II 516, 517, 518

Note: The 516th, 517th, and 518th were new formations.

Jan I 44
Available for Assembly:
1 x 0-6 RR Eng X 2

Note: The HQ of the 2nd Brigade was a new formation.