Original Article: Panzer Armee Afrika Part I

I enjoyed very much your articles on "Panzer Armee Afrika" but ... they deserve a few comments:

The compositions given are those of 1942, they were different in 1941. The Panzer-Abteilung did not receive its 4th Company until the spring of 1942, its composition in 1941 was as follows: Abteilung Stab: V.W., a small bus or truck Stabs-Kompanie (H.Q. Co):

Gruppe Fuhrer: 2 Befehl Panzern, 1 Pz II for the Med. Off.
Aufklarung Zug (Rec. Platoon), 5 light Panzern: Pz II or Pz I
Erkunder und Pionier Zug: (Scouts and Engineer Plat.)- Scouts on V.W., Engineers on Pz II or S.P.W. (A.P.C.)
Flieger Abwehr Zug (A.A. Plat.)

2 Light Companies with 22 Pz III each. 4 Plat. of 5 and 2 in Comm. Plat. (one Plat. may have been equipped with Pz I or Pz II at the beginning)

1 Heavy Co.:

2 Plat. of 4 or 5 Pz IV
1 Plat. of 5 PzII
1 Comm. Plat. with 2 Pz II

The Pz IV were then close support tanks with short (L 24) 75 mm gun

The Reg. Staff comprehended:

3 Befehl Panzer Wagen
a motorcycle Plat.
a Signal Plat. (on A.P.C.)
a Light Rec. Plat. of 5 Pz II

The Panzer Werkstatt Kie (Maintenance) deserves being represented with wreckers or recoveries.

The Aufklarung Abt. (Rec. Bat.) of 1941 had a very streamlined organisation:

Stabs. Kie.
1 or 2 Armed Car Cos
1 Motorcycle Co.
1 Heavy Co.

It is doubtful that the 1942 organisation which resulted of the fusion of the Rec. Bat. with the Motorcycle Bat. came into being in the Afrika Corps; the 5th Light Div. never had a motorcycle Bat., the 15th Motorcycle Bat. of the 15th Pz. Div. was incorporated in the 104th when this Reg. was reorganized in 1942.

It seems that the Rec. Bat. of the Afrika Korps in 1942 was organised with:

1 Armed Car Co.
1 Rec. Co. on light A.P.C.
1 Heavy Co.
and 1 Stabs Co.

It was only in 1943 that one Abteilung of Sturmgeschutz was incorporated in some Pz. Reg. There is no mention or pictorial evidence of such vehicles in Africa, up to 1942 they were organised in batteries served by artillerie and given as support to the infantry Div., the mechanised forces of the Afrika Korps had no reason to have assault guns.

The Self-propelled guns used by Rommel were:

in 1941: The 4.7 cms A.T. gun (tch.) on Pz. I chassis.
in 1942: The 7.62 cms A.T. gun (russ.) on Pz 38 (T) chassis.
The 15 cms S.I.G. (heavy infantry gun) on Pz II chassis.
The 15 cms Fe H (150 mm howitzer) on Lorraine chassis (Fr.)

Von Arnim brought with him in Tunisia some 75 Pak on Pz. II chassis (Marder II). The Italians had a certain amount of S.P. guns "Semevente" on light or medium chassis.

The Pz III of different Marks were mixed inside the companies or even the same platoons.

The composition of the Afrika Korps in the spring of 1941 was as follows:

5th Leicht Division (became 21st Pz. Div. in Oct. 1941 only): created with left- over elements of the 3rd Pz. Div.
5th Panzer Regiment (Olbtich)
8th M.G. Bat. (Ponath)
2nd M.G. Bat.
3rd Aufkl. Abt. (von Weichmar)
39th Pz. Jag. Abt.
1 and 2nd Kie of Pz. Jag. Abt. 605
Art. etc.

A M.G. bat. was organised as follows:

H.Q.
3 Cos with: 12 H.M.G., 3 light mortars (5 cms), 3 A.T. Rifles
1 Co. with: 6 medium mortars (81 cms), 6 3.7 cms A.T. guns.
2 Motorcycle plat., each with 4 H.M.G.

M.G. Bat. 8 had also:

1 Pionier Co.
1 Pak (A.T.) Co.

15th Panzer Division, organised with elements of the 33rd Infantry div. and a Panzer Reg, from the 10th Pz. Div., it had the regular composition of the Pz. Div. type 1941:

8th Panzer Reg. (Cramer)
104th Schutzen Reg.
115th Schutzen Reg.
33rd Panzer Aufklarung Abteilung
15th Krad-Schutzen Abt. (Motorcycle Bat., it had three Cos of 210 men with 66 motorcycles with "side cars", 25 V.W. and trucks, its two heavy Cos (M.G. and Mortar Co. and heavy weapons Co.) were still in Italy when it was engaged at Tobruk.
33th Pz. Jager Abt.
33th Pionier Bat.
33th Pz. Artillerie

Each of the Schutzen Reg. had two Bat., the title Pz. Grenadier dates from 1942. As the 5th Light Div. had not enough Infantry it received the 104th Schutzen Reg. whose place was taken in the 15th Pz. Div. by the 200th Reg.

In March 1942 the Reg. 104, of which one bat, had been Isot at Halfaia, was reorganised with three Bat.:

1st Bat with the remnants of the 8th M.G. Bat.
2nd Bat with the remnants of the 104th
3rd Bat with the remnants of the 15th Motorcvcle Bat.

The composition and equipment of the British units has been even more varied from one battle to the next than that of the German forces, one does not find the "Greys" in the list of British formations given the third issue; they were at Alam el Halfa.

I found in "The Tanks, History of the Royal Tank Regiment" by Liddell Hart the number of Rommel's tanks in Nov. 1941 (Operation Crusader):

5th Panzer Reg. (21th Pz. Div.):64 Pz III, 15 Pz IV, 32 Pz II
8th Panzer Reg. (15th Pz. Div.):75 Pz III, 20 Pz IV, 38 Pz II

More Panzer Armee Afrika

Panzer Armee Afrika Part I
Panzer Armee Afrika Part II
Panzer Armee Afrika Part III

Reply to Panzer Armee Afrika
Panzer Armee Afrika: References and Regiments