90th Leichte Division

[Freiritter]

What was the ToE for the 90th Leichte Division and did it serve all two years of the German North Africa campaign?

Cordially,

Freiritter

[MG70]

The 90. Leichte Afrika-Division (90th Light Africa Division) was originally formed as Afrika-Division z.b.V. (zur besonderes Verfügung :- for special warfare) in August 1941 from units already in Africa and new troops ferried in by air transport.
On November 27, 1941 the division was renamed the 90. leichte Division, and in March 1942 was renamed 90. leichte Afrika-Division.

Regards,
MG70

[David W]

I have the following O.o.B for 90th Light.

1st Battalion 155th Motorised Infantry Regiment.
2nd Battalion 155th Motorised Infantry Regiment.

1st Battalion 200th Motorised Infantry Regiment.
2nd Battalion 200th Motorised Infantry Regiment.

1st Battalion 361st Motorised Infantry Regiment.
2nd Battalion 361st Motorised Infantry Regiment.

1st Battalion 190th Motorised Artillery Regiment. 8x10.5 4x10K17.
2nd Battalion 190th Motorised Artillery Regiment. 12x7.62(r).

190th Panzerjager Battalion. 18x5cm.

190th Mot FlaK Battalion. 12x20mm.
1st kompanie 613rd Motorised Lt FlaK Battalion. 4x20mm.

90th Feldersatz Battalion. 6Co.

900th Pioneer Battalion.

707th Heavy Art Co. 6xSig 33.
708th Heavy Art Co. 6xSig 33.

Elements of 580th Recce Battalion. 5Co.

I also have unconfirmed,


361st & 580th Artillery Batteries
All these units are present between Aug 1941 and September 1942.

I don't have any info on later arrivals.

Source Nafziger (except unconfirmed).

Edited for greater accuracy 11/06/04 & 14/07/04

Regards Dave W.

[Richard Murphy]

Bender & Law ( Uniforms, Organisation and History of the Afrikakorps p76 confirms the following;

Inf. Regt. (mot) 155
Inf. Regt. (mot) 200 (Formed by combining one btn. from Inf. Regt. 155 and III/Inf. Regt. 347 on March 24, 1942)
Inf. Regt. Afrika (mot) 361
Pz. Gren. Regt. (mot) Afrika (previously known as Sonderverbande 288: reorganised/renamed by Panzerarmee stab order Ia 5910/42 (secret) on August 6 1942, but not actually redesignated until October 31 1942)
Kolbeck Btn. (formed on November 25, 1942 from the 90. le.Div. transport and flak transport personnel; reinforced by 500 men from Infanterie-Regiment Afrika 361, who were released from a New Zealand P.O.W. camp and put under the command of Major Kolbeck on November 28, 90 le.Div. IIa.
Schw. Inf. Gesch. Ko. 707 (As of 14/8/42)
Schw. Inf. Gesch. Ko. 708 (As of 14/8/42)
Pz.-Jg. Abt. (mot) 190 (formed by combining III/Pz.-Jg.-Abt. 33, III/Pz.-Jg.-Abt. 39 & I/Flak-Abt. 613 on 24/3/42)
Art. Regt. (Mot.) 190 (formed from Art. Regt. 361 27/5/42)
Aufkl.-Ko. (mot) 580 (re-organised as Aufkl.-Abt. 580 on 23/5/42)
Nachrichten-Abt. (mot)
Pioniere-Btn. (mot) 900
Feldersatz-Btn.
Krankenkraftwagen Zug (mot) 638
Kraftwagenwerkstatt-Zug 566
Munitionsverwaltungs-Komp. (mot) 540
Bäckerei-Komp. (mot) 535
Schlächterei-Komp. (mot) 517
Divisions-Verplegungsamt (mot) 190
Feldgendarmerie-Trupp (mot) 190
Feldpostamt (mot) 190

So, no mention of the extra artillery! However Forty (The Armies of Rommel p128-9) says that

Initially, the Italian 'celere' Artillery Regiment was part of the division, and three Italian infantry battalions (2/255, 3/347 and 2/115 (mot) were attached.

Hope that helped a bit!

Regards from the Park,

Rich

[scruffy]

I wonder if anyone could tell me if the 90th PanzerGrenadier which was sent to Italy from Sardinia in 1943 was a descendent of the 90th Light from North Africa?
Thanks,
Scruffy.

[Leo Niehorster]

90. leichte Afrika Division (mot)
28.06.42

-- division headquarters
-- div mapping det

- Infantry Rgt 155
-- rgt hqs
-- rgt hqs co
---- signal plt
---- antitank plt (3x 50mm ATG; 3 LMG)
---- mcl plt (6x LMG)
-- Ist Motorized Infantry Battalion
---- 4 companies, (each with 18x LMG; 2x HMG; 3x 81mm mortars; 3x ATR; 3x 76.2mm ATG)
-- IInd Motorized Infantry Battalion (as Ist)
-- 707 SP'd Inf Gun Co

- Infantry Rgt 200
-- 708 SP'd Inf Gun Co

- Infantry Rgt 361

- 580 Mixed Reco Co
---- mot recon plt (9 LMG; 2 HMG; 3 ATR)
---- armd car plt (8 armd car)
---- mot antitank plt (3x 50mm ATG; 3 LMG)
---- mot antiaircraft plt (4x 20mm AA)

- I./190 Artillery Rgt
---- 2 bty (each 4x light FH)
---- 1 bty (4x 105mm gun)

- 900 Engineer bn
---- 2 co (each with 9 LMG; 3 ATR; 3x 50mm ATG)
---- 1 engineer col (2 LMG)

- 1./ 190 Antitank Bn (ex 3./PzJgAbt 33)
- 2./190 Antitank Bn (ex 3./PzJgAbt 39)
- 1./613 AA Co
Please note: 1st Company of the 613rd Fla-Bataillon.
NOT: I. Abt/FlakRgt 613

- 190 Signal Co

Divisional service units.

The diagram indicates that the following are to be raised by 01.08.42:
- one mot infantry gun company (for 361. InfRgt)
- 190. PzAbt (three light tank companies; 1 medium tank company)
- 190. Art Rgt hqs with hqs bty
- II./190 ArtRgt (same organization as I./190)
- 190. PzNachrAbt, to incorporate the 190. Signal Company.
- 190. PzJgAbt hqs (for 1./613 and the two cos)

Cheers
Leo

[Leo Niehorster]

The Division Sardinien had been raised on 23.04.43 from personnel and units originally destined for the Axis forces which had been stranded in Italy when the Axis forces capitulated in North Africa.

It was redesignated on 6.07.1943 as the 90. Panzergrenadier Division in memory of the former Afrika Korps formation. It only assumed the traditions of the division that had been lost in Tunesia, but it was a new division

Cheers
Leo

[scruffy]

Hi Leo. Thanks very much for the info. Would the 90th which came across the Brits. Irish, and Cdns. in Dec. 1943, on the Sangro and Moro River front have been a mixture of battle hardened troops from North Africa, and Russia, along with conscripts and new volunteers or would it have been made up of another combination?
I guess what I'm looking for is where did the troops come from to make up the new 90th?
I'm pretty lost when it comes to the recruitment background of a mid war German Infantry PanzerGrenadier Division.
Where I'm from the Regt's. were till late in the war pretty territorial. That is the front line folks were from the same or near same geographical area.
Thanks in advance Scruffy.

[David W]

I have seen T.o&E for II Abt 190 Art Reg, as either.....................

a) 8 x 10.5 le/FH18 4 x 10.5 K18.

Or

b) 12 x 7.62cm (r).

Can anyone confirm which was actually correct. I believe that (a) was supposed to be the theoretical establishment.

TA!!

[Skarn]

Hello Feldgrauians,

An additional question about this unit : could someone tell me when exactly it changed its denomination, from Afrika Division zbV (it means "zur besondere Verwendung", and not Verfügung) to 90. Panzergrenadier Division passing by 90. Leichte Division, 90. Leichte Afrika Division and maybe 90. Afrika Division ?

Thanks for your help !
Best regards,

Loïc

[Jason Pipes]

June 1941, Divisions-Kommando z.b.V. Afrika
August 1941, Division z.b.V. Afrika
November 1941, 90.leichte-Infanterie-Division
March 1942, 90.leichte-Afrika-Division

[Jason Long]

So, no mention of the extra artillery! However Forty (The Armies of Rommel p128-9) says that

Initially, the Italian 'celere' Artillery Regiment was part of the division, and three Italian infantry battalions (2/255, 3/347 and 2/115 (mot) were attached.

Forty's seriously confused. Celere may have been attached to the division at one point or another, but it was never formally assigned. And those three "Italian" infantry battalions were German! I believe, without bothering to confirm, that they eventually became part of either 90. leichte or 164. Infantry Divisions.

[Hansen]

Hello,

Leo Niehorster wrote:

It was redesignated on 6.07.1943 as the 90. Panzergrenadier Division in memory of the former Afrika Korps formation. It only assumed the traditions of the division that had been lost in Tunesia, but it was a new division

I am not questioning this, but wasn't General Fritz Bayerlein cited for bringing back a considerable number of troops of 90th.

Grtz, Hansen

[David W]

Do we have any confirmed dates for the arrival in North Africa of both 707 & 708 SP'd Inf Gun Cos?

[Leo Niehorster]

Hi David, still slugging away at the DAK. I see...

707. sIG Kp arrived 04.04.1942 at full strength as Heerestruppe,
708. sIG Kp arrived 28.02.1942 at full strength as Heerestruppe.

Cheers
Leo