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Hello to all ; a little summary on this matter................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

As shown in the diagram below (Chart II), the infantry regiment was organized in three battalions, each with three companies of riflemen and one machine-guns company plus a infantry howitzers company and an anti-tank company.

The infantry company consisted of three Rifle Platoons and an anti-tank squad (anti-tank rifles). The machine-gun company (4., 8. and 12. Companies) consisted of three Platoons of machine guns (MG 34) and a mortar Platoon.

Plus its

13. Company, which was organized into three Platoons of 2 - 75 mm light howitzers and a Platoon of 2 - 150 mm howitzers.

14. Company, was organized into three Platoons of 4 - 37-mm anti-tank cannons.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

HAPPY EASTER FROM EVERYONE!

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Machine guns.

When placing their machineguns, the Germans emphasized the use of enfilade positions (flanking positions). The machine gun nest (the position itself) must be well hidden, deployed on the flanks (in order not to be beaten by fire weapons with flat trajectory) and always must have alternative positions.

At the same time the Germans placed the Machine guns in positions on the opposite slope (the other side of the hill considering the enemy's point of view) in order to either shot at the enemy infantry attacking another position, or when it looks out over the crest height.

The guns which were commonly used in the Heer (German Army) were: the MG 34 (Maschinengewehr 34) and the MG 42 (Maschinengewehr 42), both arms were multipurpose, air-cooled and had a caliber of 7.92 mm. (See the pictures below).

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Machine guns.

When used in its role as light machine gun, the MG-34 was essentially the German Army's squad automatic weapon. Depending on the year and squad type, German infantry units were generally equipped with 1 or 2 MG-34s per 8- or 10-man squad. German tactics called for the light machine gun to be the focal point of the squad's firepower. All fire and movement, the foundation for all modern infantry tactics, was centered around the squad's one or two MG-34s. When deployed with the squad as its light machine gun the MG-34 usually had a crew of two: a gunner and assistant (schütze 1 and schütze 2). The gunner carried the weapon on a Zweibein 34 bipod and several ammunition belts or drum magazines, while the assistant carried the spare barrels, more ammunition, and a secondary weapon such as a rifle or machine pistol. When firing, the assistant would help the gunner by performing barrel changes and keeping the gunner supplied with ammunition. In defense, particularly in the Eastern Front where German lines were stretched far apart and consisted of nothing more than strongpoints, the MG-34 was used on a bipod as a point defense weapon that could be quickly shuttled from one firing position to the next.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Machine guns.

There were two different tripods used for mounting the MG-34 for the heavy machine gun role: the Dreibein 34 and the more complicated MG-Lafette 34. The Dreibein 34 was a lighter and less complex design than the MG-Lafette 34, and could be fitted with extension posts to make it into an anti-aircraft mount. The MG-Lafette 34, a complicated design with a spring-buffered suspension weighed in at a hefty 23.6kg (51.92 lbs.) as compared to the 6.75 kg (14.85 lbs.) Dreibein 34. However, the MG-Lafette was much more suited for fixed-positions, and was the ideal mount for fixed point defense.

The lighter Dreibein 34 was used in the field when heavy machine gun teams need a lighter, less stable tripod mount. When used in the heavy role the 50-round ammunition belts could be combined to make 250-round linked chains that could be fed directly from the ammunition box. The MG-34 could also be fitted with dial and telescopic sights for long-distance fire. An MG-34, with the appropriate indirect fire sight, had a theoretical maximum range of 3,500m from a fixed tripod mount, while a maximum effective range of 2,000m was claimed for a bipod mounted MG-34. Practical engagement ranges, however, were much less for both configurations. Special anti-aircraft sights were also provided for use in the anti-aircraft role.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Machine guns.

As a heavy machine gun, the MG-34 typically had a crew of three – a team commander, usually an NCO, and a gunner and assistant. The commander, who also carried a secondary weapon, usually a machine pistol, was responsible for positioning and target selection and the team’s overall employment. The gunner and assistant had similar jobs as in a light machine gun team, except that the assistant usually had to carry the tripod mount as well as the extra ammunition and spare barrels.

A typical heavy machine gun team carried 3 spare barrels, a heat-resistant glove for barrel changes, a tool kit and small spare parts kit for repairs, and a canvas cover and dust caps to keep the gun covered and clean from dirt, in addition to the ammunition and tripod – altogether a rather heavy load.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Machine guns (some pictures).

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Infantry howitzers.

The light infantry howitzers of 75 mm (leichtes Infanterie-Geschütz 18) and the heavy of 150 mm (Schweres Infanterie-Geschütz 33), are weapons at regimental level and its function is basically to accompany the infantry and beat those targets located very close to their own troops and can not be beaten by the artillery, in addition to attacking targets of opportunity.

Normally in the attack are attached to the assault battalion in order to support its maneuver. Both types of howitzers, makes indirect fire from covered positions against personnel, guns’ emplacements and armored vehicles (with shaped charge projectiles). But they can also make direct fire changing frequently its position.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Good thread Raul

Thanks for your support John . Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Infantry howitzers.

In the defense the howitzers were utilized for supporting the front-line battalions and given its curved path beat the enemy positions on approach. The infantry howitzer of 75 mm is very suitable to be attached to the echelons which constituted the vanguard of the regiment (in a march) and are commonly used to destroy roadblocks, to neutralize the forces of protection and light armored vehicles (usually belonging to the enemy exploration).

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Mortars.

Mortar is a weapon of significant support within the infantry regiment. The two types of mortars available within the organization are the standard 50 mm light mortar (leichter Granatwerfer 36) and 81 mm heavy mortar (schwerer Granatwerfer 34).

Light Mortar Model 36 is the organic weapon of support at Platoon and Rifle companies level (one per Platoon), used to fight immediately in front of the main line of resistance to the enemy that can not be beaten with machine gun fire.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Mortars.

While the heavy mortar Model 34 of 80 mm was organic at battalion level (6 pieces per unit), being used preferably concentrated to exploit the principles of mass and surprise.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Antitank weapons.

The standard anti-tank weapon of the German infantry divisions was designed for maximum penetration at medium distances through relatively heavy shells and high muzzle velocity. For this and also providing some protection to its crew by shields, it was sacrificed a bit of mobility. Among the different types of anti-tank guns, we first find the light 37 mm Pak Mod 36, which was replaced by the 50 mm Pak Mod 38 and still later by the 75 mm Pak Mod 40.

At the rifle company level the weapon was an anti-tank rifle (panzerbuchse) or Pz B 38 with a length of 158.75 cm with a bipod and muzzle brake and an initial velocity of 1079 m / s. It had a maximum range of 275 meters and shot about 6 to 8 rounds per minute. Its nominal power of penetration was 19 mm at 90 ° to the maximum distance (275 m). Productions: 1939-1940 (PzB 38) and 1940-1941 (PzB 39).

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; more follows................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and their supports.

Antitank weapons.

As for the anti-tank gun assigned to the 14 Company (Atan) it was the Pak 36 of 37 mm and 50 calibers in length, recognizable by its low silhouette, train wheels with pneumatic tires, without a muzzle brake and rectangular shield. Its maximum range was up to 548 meters (600 yards) with an initial velocity of 1051 m / s. Its rate of fire was about 8 to 10 rounds per minute. It had piercing and high explosives projectiles and can pierce 26 mm of armor at 30 degrees to the maximum distance. Its weight ready to fire was about half a ton (970 pounds).

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; at last, two more pictures................

Tactical employment of the infantry support weapons.

The German Infantry Regiment and its supports.

Antitank weapons.

Sources: The German Foot Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. N. PHILLIPP, Cavalry, Instructor, Command and General Staff School. Military Review Vol XXI Nº 85.
http://www.angelraybooks.com/diewehrmac ... allery.htm (off line).
Tácticas de Infantería Alemana. Special Series Nº 22. USAMHI.

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .