Captured Tanks

[Chas]

Gentlemen,

Does anyone have any knowledge or sources of combat actions of German units using captured vehicles in combat? Other than the 2nd SS Div. having the "T-34 Battalion", information isnt easy to come by.

Thank you

[JeffF.]

There were three battalions using captured obsolete French tanks. the 2 BN, 22 Pz Reg (of 21st Panzer division) had mixed companies with one platoon of German tanks and the remainder French. The division also had a battalion of converted Lorraines made into assault guns (very effective in Normandy). There were also two independent battalions, the 100th and 206th. The French tanks were Somuas and Hotchkiss tanks. Information from Panzers in Normandy by Eric Lefevre.

[Chas]

Jeff,

Thanks for the information. I think the trickier part of this is what about Shermans, Valentines, SUs, etc. From some of what I have read, many of these were field modifications and probably not ever put on strength reports, as they may have been required to turn in to training and replacement units.

Chas

[JeffF.]

Skorzeny's 150th Panzer Brigade had two Shermans in the Ardennes campaign, I believe both broke down and neither saw action.

The problem with using captured tanks is the meantime between failures, 3.g. I believe a Sherman had a major break down every 45 miles which was excellent. Since it was easy to maintain/fix and spare parts were not a problem it had little impact. Using an enemy's tank without access to a reliable supply of repair parts means that you would only use thier tanks in an emergency and probably not as the assigned equipment. Undoubtedly it was sometimes done but probably not systematically.

[donwhite]

This is from an earlier thread about capture AFV's in german use posted by Mitch Williamson on the 29th August 2002. He quotes official OKH lists. Apparently there were 39x T-34's in use on the eastern front as at 30/12/1944 of which 29 were in service with the 100th Jag Div. Specifically they were serving in the 100th Pz.Jag.Abt of that division. There was not much on actual combat encounters but at the time the Division was with Army Group A/or 'Heinrici' and later Army group centre in Czechoslavakia.

Cheers

[big_buddha]

The Germans made wide use of French tanks in Russia, but not with frontline units. Many Char B1 and D2 tanks ended up as part of improvised armoured trains and were used by police dettachments behind the lines in anti-partisan duties. I have seen lots of pictures of Somua tanks on armoured trains, but not of French tanks in the field in Russia, although they were used against partisans, notably in the Minsk area in 1942.

French tanks were also widely used in Yugoslavia, again in anti-partisan duties. There are many pictures of French tanks in Yugoslavia.

[Mitch Williamson]

Thanks, Don for the acknowledgment, but my source had an error. It is not the 100 Jaeger division, but the 1st Ski-Jaeger Division. One of the under-acknowledged "elite' units of the German Army of WW II.

Best Wishes
Mitch

[Arne]

Using an enemy's tank without access to a reliable supply of repair parts means that you would only use thier tanks in an emergency and probably not as the assigned equipment. Undoubtedly it was sometimes done but probably not systematically.

I have the Spielbergerger Volume, but had no time to check out on this topic so far.

I just wanted to add to the above that not only spare parts where the problem. There is also the metric problem: no German Inst. unit carry any inch-scale tools...
When trying the metric tools for the first time they probably had the feeling of having to much booze the day before, because no German tool would fit on US-equipment.

So if you capture a tank from an alien race invading earth, make shure you also get a tool-kit...

[derGespenst]

Let's not forget the Char Bs in service with the Prinz Eugen Division in Yugoslavia.

[tjk]

In March 1942 the Panzer Abteilung 213 was sent to the Channel Islands. It was comprised of 36 Char B1bis but never saw combat.

[asiaticus]

I ran across quite a few of these in my investigations of the German forces in the Balkans. Quite a few captured French tanks were used there and after the Italian surrender some of their tanks were taken into German service. Captured Yugoslav armour was used too, some by the Serb Volunteer Corps.

In addition to the Char Bs in service with the Prinz Eugen Division there were these German or axis units I've found equipped with captured tanks:



12. Panzer Kompanie zur besonder Verwendung
In August 1941, German 65 corps formed 12. Panzer Kompanie zur besonder Verwendung (12th amour company for special assignments) - Pz.Kp.z.b.V.12 - with five platoons, one HQ platoon and four combat platoons with 5 tanks each, total of 25 PzKpfW 35R-731 (f) - Reno R-35. Unit headquarters was in Belgrade with operative group in Kragujevac and two platoons in Kraljevo.
Unit was used during heavy combat around Kraljevo and suffered heavy losses (70% of them were caused by breakdowns). At lest one tank was captured by partisans and used against the previous owner.
On April 15th, 1944 used to form Panzer-Abt.z.b.V.12 expanded to three Kp. I beleive these new compaines may have been equipped with German tanks some of which turn up as trophies of the Russians after the battle of Belgrade, in a photo I was sent. Ordered to be renamed II./Pz.Rgt. Brandenburg on 1 Feb 45.


Panzer-Abt.202

Formed from renamed I./Pz.Rgt.202 on 5 Jan 43 with three beutepanzer Kp. (French BeutePz 38H 735(f))
Served in the Balkans from Jan to Mar 43. Ordered to convert to Italian panzers on 14 Feb 44. (M14/41?)
Was with 22 Mtn Corps. in Hungary in Mar 44. Was transferred back to the Balkans by May 44. This unit was with the forces defending Belgrade in 10/44, presumably destroyed in that action, as I found no record of it afterward.

Serbisches Freilligen Korps, armored car battalion

Formed on 15 September 1941, by Dimitrije Ljotiæ from Chetniks and his Zbor Movement <../kingdom/zbor.asp> activists. It had twelve 120-150 strong detachments. In January 1943, it become Serbian Volunteer Corps (Srpski Dobrovoljaèki Korpus - SDK) with five 500 man battalions - four volunteer and one Chetnik Assault battalion and from 4 January 1943 it also had armored car battalion, cavalry squadron and 6 aircraft - strength is around 3,000 men. Formation was fully equipped by Germans who where impressed by its performance.

The armored car battalion (bornih kola) had some 20 different vehicles - some ex-YU which Germans considered obsolete, few French Renault tanks, some Czech, and maximum of three German half-tracks in very bad shape. This too disappears after the defense of Belgrade.

----------

Also some captrured armoured vehicles from Austria and Poland were given to the Axis Croatian state for its forces.

The 5000 man national police force (Redarstevna Straza) absorbed into the Ustasha in June, 1942 used Polish TK3 tankettes.

Polish wz.34 Armored Car and the Austrian ADGZ Armored Car were also used by Croatian forces, just who I dont know, but it may have been the Croatian Gendarmerie.

[tjk]

The Panzer Abteilung 211 had Hotchkiss H39 and Souma S35 tanks in Finland. They took part in the fighting around Salla and Alakurtti in 1941 and fought against the Finns in late 1944.

[Sandibar]

Here is s webpage I came across that discusses the use of the T-34 in German units.

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/t34.htm

[estonian]

T-34 pulled out from the lake by former battlefield of Narva 14.Sept.2000
http://www.diving.ee/articles/art035.html
This page is in russian. Do watch video clips about "tank pulling" click on the 3. 4. and 5.-th blue line.