"Das Reich" SPs during Barbarossa

[Abwehr]

In James Lucas' book on SS Div. Das Reich, he mentions that a battery of SPs was incorporated into the division for the first campaign in the east.

Since the term SP could apply to anything from vehicle-mounted artillery to tank destroyers to StuGs, does anyone have any clarification on what type of SPs would have been in the division in summer 1941?

[Jason Long]

These were short-barreled StuG IIIs. 7 of them to be exact

Jason

[Abwehr]

Jason,

Thanks! Any idea how the unit was organized (i.e. was it part of the artillery battalion, one of the infantry regiments, or its own formation within the division?).

[Jason Long]

IIRC, and I don't have the divisional history at hand, it was independent.

Jason

[tigre]

Hello to all ; a query...................................

StuG III delivered to SS-Das Reich before Barbarossa 1941.

AFAIK by general order dated 7 May 1941 every independent assault gun battery (sturmgeschütz-batterie) were to be reorganised under K.St.N.446 dated 18 April 1941. This organisation authorized every previously created independent assault gun battery to posses a seventh assault gun for the Battery Cdr before tha attack on Russia. https://reibert.info/attachments/stugiii-jpg.2375286/

Nigel Askey in his work also stated Das Reich had on hand seven StuG III (see below). But others sources (several) stated that the first unit created is a simple Battery formed at the beginning of February 1941. It includes 6 StuG.III Ausf.B instead of the 8 planned, it is subordinated to SS-Art.Ersatz.Rgt. in Berlin.

The unit is operational in mid-March and is under the command of SS-Haupsturmführer Joseph Günster. The Battery is made up of 3 Züge (platoon) and includes a total of 8 guns. Each StuG III bears a baptism name painted on the sides as follows: "Seydlitz", "Schill", "Prinz Eugen", "York", "Lützow", "Ziethen", "Blücher", and "Derfflinger", the first being that of the Battery Cdr. One of them "in black"??

The battery commander was SS-Hstuf. Günster, being the platoon commanders.
I.Zug: SS-Ostuf. Telkamp
II.Zug: SS-Ostuf. Mäder
III.Zug: SS-Ostuf. Kneissl



Source: http://did.panzer.pagesperso-orange.fr/ ... Reich.html
Operation Barbarossa: the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis, and Military Simulation, Volume I Operation Barbarossa. Nigel Askey
https://reibert.info/threads/divizija-s ... 749/page-4

TIA. Cheers. Raúl M .