Formatted for Spearhead rules: (Artie Conliffe 1995)

1943 Tank Corps Morale: All Regulars

Corps Headquarters:

HQ:
1 - HQ Stand in Car or Truck
1 - Quad AAMG Stand in Truck

3 - Tank Brigades, each with:

Brigade Headquarters:
HQ: 1 - T-34B-C Tank
Recon: 1 - BA-32 Armored Car
1 - Quad AAMG Stand in Truck

1 - Tank Battalion:
4 - T-34B-C Tanks
1 - Tank Battalion:
2 - T-34B-C Tanks
4 - T-70 Tanks

1 - Motorized Rifle Battalion, with:

Battalion Headquarters:
HQ:
1 - HQ Stand in Car
1 - Rifle Stand in Truck
1 - Engineer Stand (Rifles/Flame) in Truck
1 - Quad AAMG Stand in Truck

2 - Rifle Companies, each with:
3 - Rifle Stands in Trucks
1 - 'Tank Rider" Company:
3 - SMG Stands (may ride on tanks)
1 - Machinegun Company:
1 - HMG Stand in Truck
1 - Mortar Company:
1 - 81 mm Mortar Stand in Truck
1 - Antiaircraft Company:
2 - AAMG Stands in Trucks
1 - Antitank Company:
1 - 76/41 AT Gun Truck

1 - Motorized Rifle Brigade, with:

Brigade Headquarters:
1 - HQ Stand in Car/Truck
3 - Motorized Rifle Battalions, each with:
Battalion Headquarters:
1 - HQ Stand in Car/Truck
1 - SMG Stand in Truck
1 - Engineer Stand in Truck

3 - Rifle Companies, each with:
3 - Rifle Stands in Trucks
1 - Machinegun Company:
1 - HMG Stand in Truck
1 - Antitank Company
1 - 45/66 ATG/Tractor or Truck

Brigade Assets:

Mortar Battalion:
1 - 120mm Mortar/Truck
2 - 82mm Mortars/Trucks
Artillery Batalion:
3 x 76/41 Field Guns/Trucks
Antiaircraft Company:
2 - AAMG Stands in Trucks
Submachine gun Company:
3 - SMG Stands in Trucks
Engineer-Mine Company:
3 - Engineer Stands (Rifles/Flame in Trucks
Reconnaissance Company:
1 - BA-64 Armored Car
1 - Rifle Motorcycle Stand
1 - Rifle Stand Trucks
1 - Rifle Stand/M3 Halftracks (US or Carrier Platoon (UK)

Corps Assets:

1 - Mortar Regiment, with:
HQ:
1-HQ Stand in Car/Truck
3 - Mortar Battalions, each with:

3 - 120mm Mortar Stands in Trucks
1 - Heavy SU Regiment, with:
RECON: 1 - BA-64 Armored Car
3 - SU-152s
1 - Medium SU (Tank Destroyer) Regiment
RECON: 1 - BA-64 Armored Car
4 - SU-85s
1 - Light SU Regiment, with:
4 - SU-76s
1 - Antiaircraft Regiment, with:
HQ: 1 - HQ Stand in Car/Truck
4 - 37/70 AA Guns/Trucks
2 - AAMG Stands in Trucks

1 - Antitank Regiment, with:
HQ: 1-HQ Stand in Car/Truck
5 - 76/41 or 57/73 guns/Trucks

1 - Antitank Battalion, with:
3 - 85/53 AA guns/Trucks
1 - Guards Mortar Battalion, with:
2 - BM-13 Katyushas
1 - Engineer Battalion, with:
2 Companies, each:
3 - Engineer Stands(Rifles/Flame) in Trucks
1 - Motorcycle Battalion, with:
HQ:1 - HQ Stand in Car/Truck
1 - Engineer Stand (Flamethrowers) in Truck
1 - 82mm Mortar/Truck
2 - Motorcycle Companies, each with:

2 - SMG Motorcycle Stands
1 - Rifle Company:
2 - Rifle Stands in Trucks

Special Rules

For purposes of Orders and Morale, the Basic tank unit is the Brigade. The Brigade always uses a 12" Command Zone and is given one order that applies to both component Tank Battalions. Use the 12" Command Zone even if the Recon or AAMG Platoons are Attached-out. The Motorized Rifle Battalion may operate separately.

Some of the Corps Assets may operate either independently (as Battalions) or be Attached to any fighting Battalions or Regiments in the Corps. The Antitank, Mortar, and AA units must be Attached-out.

The Tank Destroyer (Medium SU) Regiment was added to some Corps starting in August 1943. Before that time, some Corps had an SU Regiment like the Light SU Regiment but with 4 - SU-122s, which were later reequipped with SU-85s.

The Antitank Battalion was equipped with 85mm Heavy Antiaircraft guns, that being the fastest way to get the 85mm into the front lines to fight Panthers and Tigers before the SU-85 or T-34/85 got into production. Use the AT/AI factors for the KV-85: weight = 1, towed speed = 6". Both the Antitank Battalion and Antitank Regiment were supposed to be removed when the Medium and Light SU Regiments were added to the Corps, but some Corps kept the towed antitank units until well into 1944.

Common Variations:

Starting in April 1943, some Tank Corps began to replace all their light tanks with medium tanks. Most of these units had two tank battalions, one with 4 and one with 6 T-34B-C tanks by the middle of the year.

At least one Tank Corps at Kursk (July 1943) had US Lend Lease M3 Grant medium tanks in place of the T-34s in 2 out of 3 tank brigades. Several Tank Corps had Heavy Tank Regiments attached or assigned. In 1943 these all had the same organization: 4 - Heavy Tanks

The Heavy Tanks were commonly either KV-1s OR Churchill IV (Lend Lease). There were a very few KV-85s build late in the year, but there is no direct evidence that any KV-85-equipped regiment was ever attached to a Tank Corps. By late 1943, some of the motorized rifle battalions in the tank brigades were being completely equipped with SMGs. Replace all Rifle stands with SMG stands. This became an authorized change in the spring of 1944.

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© Copyright 1996 Hal Thinglum

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