I note that the Waffen-SS had, by the war's end, seven (at least nominal) panzergrenadier divisions: 4th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, and 28th. What were their tank battalions equipped with? Assault guns only, or did some of them at times have at least a company of turreted tanks in their divisional tank battalions?
I accept, of course, that the 23rd and 28th, at least, may not have had divisional tank battalions, and may have counted themselves lucky to have had anything resembling a tank under command.
Thanks in advance.
Yours,
Paul
SS-Panzergrenadier Divisions: divisional tank battalions...
Paul
The 11th (Nordland) had a pz bn called "herman von Salza" which I believe started with tanks and ended with a mix of tanks and assault guns. They were also closely associated with 3rd SS sPz Bn.
I've read accounts of 4th SS have panzers but can't verify it or the times (and have my doubts)
17th SS had a pz jager bn which had SPs and I believe 16th SS had assault guns. Not sure on 18th.
I'm going off the top of my head - you might double check my answers on Feldgrau.com.
Its unlikely 23 and 28 had any panzers but I'd have to do a lookup to determine if they even had assault guns / pz jager. Those end of the war units are interesting because they are apt to have anything.
cheers
Reb
The 11th (Nordland) had a pz bn called "herman von Salza" which I believe started with tanks and ended with a mix of tanks and assault guns. They were also closely associated with 3rd SS sPz Bn.
I've read accounts of 4th SS have panzers but can't verify it or the times (and have my doubts)
17th SS had a pz jager bn which had SPs and I believe 16th SS had assault guns. Not sure on 18th.
I'm going off the top of my head - you might double check my answers on Feldgrau.com.
Its unlikely 23 and 28 had any panzers but I'd have to do a lookup to determine if they even had assault guns / pz jager. Those end of the war units are interesting because they are apt to have anything.
cheers
Reb
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Marc Rikmenspoel
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Note the the 28. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier Division Wallonien was not an armored division in any sense of the term, and had no armor.
Also note that the importance of a "tank" (or "Panzer") Abteilung compared to a Stug. or Panzerjaeger Abteilung is that the former, no matter what vehicles were assigned, had a structure of 4 companies, each of 3 platoons, giving a strength of roughly 76 vehicles. By comparison, a Stug. Abteilung had 31 vehicles divided into 3 batteries of 10 guns (in each case, command tanks figure into the final total). A PzJag Abteilung generally had only 1 or 2 batteries of Jagd Panzers (sometimes Stug instead, in either case, 14 vehicles on paper), along with 1 or 2 towed batteries of PAK, for a total of 3 batteries. So by any count, a Panzer Abteilung was much stronger than the others, and these formations were not interchangeable.
With that said, SS-Panzer Abt. 4 was equipped with Stug. IV during 1944. I'm not sure what vehicles were in SS-PJA 4.
SS-Panzer Abt. 11 HvS arrived at the front in late 1943 without armor, after training in Croatia on captured Italian tanks. On the Oraniembaum front, it took over roughly 30 broken down Panthers left behind by Panzer Regiment 29 when the 12. Pazer Division left the area. HvS then gradually received Stug to make up its numbers, and was fully reequipped with them at the end of 1944 (though around 5 Panthers were still in use too). SS-PJA 11 was equipped with Stug too.
SS-Panzer Abt. 16 was equipped with Stug. SS-PJA 16 also had these vehicles (in 2 batteries, along with 1 of PAK, I believe), and in February 1945 was reassigned to the 32. SS-Freiwilligen Grenadier Division 30. Januar, where it was retitled as SS-PJA 32.
SS-Panzer Abt. 17 had Stug in June 1944, and was fully reequipped with them for Nordwind in January 1945 (I believe, it may have had Hetzers instead at this stage.) The division suffered repeated enormous losses, and SS-PJA 17 used whatever it could get, so far as I know.
I believe SS-Panzer Abt. 18 had Stug only, and I have no idea what was in SS-PJA 18 (or even if that unit was fully formed).
The 5. SS-Panzer Division Wiking almost received a SS-Stug. Abt 5 during the autumn of 1943. But instead, the core battery for this unit was used as the basis to form SS-PJA 54 (later renumbered 23) for the 4. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland (which later became the 23. SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nederland). The brigade/division never had a Panzer Abteilung, and there was just a single battery of 14 or so Stug in PJA 54/23, along with towed PAK.
I hope this was helpful!
Edited because I remembered that SS-PJA 54/23 was brought up to a strength of 3 batteries of Stug in late 1944 and early 1945, and used them n action in Pomerania from February 1945.
Also note that the importance of a "tank" (or "Panzer") Abteilung compared to a Stug. or Panzerjaeger Abteilung is that the former, no matter what vehicles were assigned, had a structure of 4 companies, each of 3 platoons, giving a strength of roughly 76 vehicles. By comparison, a Stug. Abteilung had 31 vehicles divided into 3 batteries of 10 guns (in each case, command tanks figure into the final total). A PzJag Abteilung generally had only 1 or 2 batteries of Jagd Panzers (sometimes Stug instead, in either case, 14 vehicles on paper), along with 1 or 2 towed batteries of PAK, for a total of 3 batteries. So by any count, a Panzer Abteilung was much stronger than the others, and these formations were not interchangeable.
With that said, SS-Panzer Abt. 4 was equipped with Stug. IV during 1944. I'm not sure what vehicles were in SS-PJA 4.
SS-Panzer Abt. 11 HvS arrived at the front in late 1943 without armor, after training in Croatia on captured Italian tanks. On the Oraniembaum front, it took over roughly 30 broken down Panthers left behind by Panzer Regiment 29 when the 12. Pazer Division left the area. HvS then gradually received Stug to make up its numbers, and was fully reequipped with them at the end of 1944 (though around 5 Panthers were still in use too). SS-PJA 11 was equipped with Stug too.
SS-Panzer Abt. 16 was equipped with Stug. SS-PJA 16 also had these vehicles (in 2 batteries, along with 1 of PAK, I believe), and in February 1945 was reassigned to the 32. SS-Freiwilligen Grenadier Division 30. Januar, where it was retitled as SS-PJA 32.
SS-Panzer Abt. 17 had Stug in June 1944, and was fully reequipped with them for Nordwind in January 1945 (I believe, it may have had Hetzers instead at this stage.) The division suffered repeated enormous losses, and SS-PJA 17 used whatever it could get, so far as I know.
I believe SS-Panzer Abt. 18 had Stug only, and I have no idea what was in SS-PJA 18 (or even if that unit was fully formed).
The 5. SS-Panzer Division Wiking almost received a SS-Stug. Abt 5 during the autumn of 1943. But instead, the core battery for this unit was used as the basis to form SS-PJA 54 (later renumbered 23) for the 4. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland (which later became the 23. SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nederland). The brigade/division never had a Panzer Abteilung, and there was just a single battery of 14 or so Stug in PJA 54/23, along with towed PAK.
I hope this was helpful!
Edited because I remembered that SS-PJA 54/23 was brought up to a strength of 3 batteries of Stug in late 1944 and early 1945, and used them n action in Pomerania from February 1945.