Spielberger's Sturmgeschütz & Its Variants

[Piet Duits]

Hi all,

I wonder if someone over here can tell me the list that can be found in Walter Spielberger's Sturmgeschütz & Its Variants (german version) of Infanterie units that received the Sturmgeschütz III & IV is correct.
Especially the Sturmgeschütz III element is of interest to me.

According to the list on page 249, from July 43 to January 1945 712 StuG's III were delivered to Infanterie units (read: Infanterie-, Jäger-, Gebirgs-, Luftwaffe-Feld-Divisionen), against 744 StuG IV's from February 1944 to January 1945.
This is surprising, at least to me, as I have always thought the StuG III was more common than the StuG IV in the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilungen of the divisions.

My question is: which divisions did receive their portion of StuG III's in the above given timeframe?

Thanks a lot in advance,


Piet

[Ron Klages]

Piet,

Here is the monthly issue of StuG IIIs to infantry units. This represents all the deliveries made to infantry outfits. While Spielberger shows a total of 712 StuG IIIs I have a total of 754. My data comes from the Zuführung RH 10/349 and RH 10/350. I will also caution one that they are difficult to read and can contain many errors. The month represents the month of issue not the month of transport or receipt by the unit.

StuG IVs were almost always issued to infantry units whereas the StuG IIIs were issued everywhere.



ISSUE OF STUG IIIS TO INFANTRY UNITS
July 43 issue
5.JD=14
3GD=14
28.JD=14

September 1943 issue
21.ID=14
102.ID=14

October 1943 issue
1.ID=14
8.JD=14

January 1944 issue
6.ID=10
7.ID=10
17.ID=10
46.ID=10

February 1944 issue
243.ID=10
326.ID=10
344.ID=10
346.ID=10
348.ID=10
349.ID=10
352.ID=10
353.ID=10

April 1944 issue
326.ID=10
348.ID=10
346.ID=10

June 1944 issue [Spielberger shows 10 I have 23]
16.Lw Feld Div.=8
17.Lw Feld Div.=8
18.Lw Feld Div.=7

July 1944 issue [Spielberger shows 114 I have only 104]
541.ID=10
544.ID=10
545.ID=10
122.ID=14
546.ID=10
547.ID=10
548.ID=10
549.ID=10
550.ID=10
168.ID=10

August 1944 issue [Spielberger shows 110 I have 120]
551.ID=10
552.ID=10
553.ID=10
558.ID=10
559.ID=10
69.ID=10
11.ID=10
58.ID=10
208.ID=10
291.ID=10
132.ID=10
Korps Abt. D=10 [this is 2./PJA 156]

September 1944 issue
30.ID=10
320.ID=10
371.ID=10
252.ID=10
73.ID=10
292.ID=10
342.ID=10
35.ID=10
561.ID=10
562.ID=10
254.ID=10

November 1944 issue [Spielberger shows 50 I have 53]
712.ID=10
344.ID=10
346.ID=10
Nachschub Inf.Div. West=23

December 1944 issue [Spielberger shows 40 I have 56]
126.ID=10
218.ID=10
227.ID=10
58.ID=4
95.ID=6
256.VGD=4
361.VGD=2
559.VGD=10

January 1945 issue
31.ID=10
227.ID=10
21.Lw.Feld Div=10


March 1945 issue
4.Kav.Div=10

[Piet Duits]

Ron,

Great data!
I have some remarks though.

1) In February and in April 44 the 346. and 348. ID received 10 StuG III's each? Seems not to be correct, as both divisions were with the 15. Armee and not in action, so either one of those 10 were delivered somewhere else.

2) It could very well be that the authorised strength of a Sturmgeschütz-Batterie/Abteilung in the Luftwaffe-Feld-Divisionen were smaller than in the Heer (like the old KStN 446).
The KStN is also different for such divisions.
If nothing was changed in 1944, a Luftwaffe-Feld-Division had 4 Kompanien in the Panzerjäger-Abteilung:

Panzerjäger-Abteilung
Stab (KStN 9451 (L) as of 15.5.43)
Nachrichtenzug (KStN 3367 (L) as of 1.12.42)
1. Kompanie (tmot.) (KStN 9461 (L) as of 15.5.43)
2., 3. Kompanie (tmot.) (KStN 9463 (L) as of 15.5.43)
Sturmgeschütz-Batterie (KStN 9426 (L) as of 15.5.43)
(Source: RH 2 / 1311; Sollgliederung 1. Luftwaffe-Feld-Division, berechnet nach der Soll-Gliederung vonm Stande 1.8.43)

3) The core for the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilungen of the Grenadier-Divisionen of the 29. Welle came from: Sturmgeschütz-Brigaden 395 and 396, StuG-Abt. 1246, 1296, 1383 and 1260 as well as some other unnamed units (source: OKH/GenStdH/Org.Abt. Nr. 18015/44 g.K. v. 10.7.44) (T78 R418)

For now, thanks again Ron!!!

[Martin Block]

Some answers to your remarks, Piet:

1.) Stu.Gesch.Abt. 1346 and 1348 were renamed to Stu.Gesch.Abt. 1214 and 1601 in early April 1944 and send to the Eastern Front. Immediately afterwards Stu.Gesch.Abt. 1346 (neu) and 1348 (neu) were created. That explaines the spipments of 2x 10 StuG III each to the 346. and 348. Div.

2.) Not long after the Lw.Feld-Div. had been transfered from the Luftwaffe to the Heer in Nov 1943 the Stu.G.Bttr. of these divisions was enlarged into a Stu.Gesch.Abt. to which the standard K.St.N. 1149 v. 1.2.1944 Ausf. A applied. For instance the 16., 17. and 18. Lw.Feld-Div. had received a few StuG III already in the summer/fall of 1943 and the allocations of 8/8/7 StuG III in June 1944 were simply intended for bringing the former Stu.G.Bttr. now Stu.Gesch.Abt. to full authorised strength.

Martin Block

[Piet Duits]

Martin,

Thanks for that.
Are you familiar with the KStN 1159 as of 20.6.43 and 1.11.43? That's the Panzer-Sturmgeschütz-Kompanie, and it has 2 Ausführungen. Ausf. A is a regular Kompanie in a Panzer-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung, Ausführung B however is a Kompanie in a Panzerjäger-Abteilung (mot.).
It is reinforced, and to me it was replaced some 3 months later by the KStN 1149 as of 1.2.44. In an early 1944 AHM (I don't know for sure as I don't have it handy), this Ausführung B is deleted.
To me, it seems the KStN 1159 was used for the early Sturmgeschütz-Abteilungen from the 1. Rate.

Piet

PS: do you, or Ron, or anyone over here have any information on the StuG-Abt. 1346? This unit fought in Oktober 1944 near my hometown, and made it very hard for the US 104th Infantry Division to cross the river Mark.

[Martin Block]

Piet,

I can't come up with a combat history, but here's some organisational data on 1346 from my Pz.Jg. database. Maybe it helps giving you a general impression about the unit.

2 Jan 1944 OKH/GenStdH/Org.Abt. orders the creation of Pz.Jg.Abt. 346 under H.Gr.D. (Ob. West). The 2. Kp. is authorised as Stu.Gesch.Kp. (10 Geschuetze) according to K.St.N. 446a dated 1.11.1942
11 Jan 1944 OKH/GenStdH/AHA orders Gen.Kdo. LVIII. Res.Pz.K. to provide a P.E. Pz.Jg.Stu.Gesch.Kp. from Res.Pz.Jg.Abt. 9 for 346. Inf.Div.
3 Mar 1944 First 5 out of 10 allocated StuG (III) shipped from H.Za.
9 Mar 1944 Authorised Stu.Gesch.Abt. (in Pz.Jg.Abt.) according to K.St.N. 1149 Ausf. A dated 1.2.1944.
27 Mar 1944 OKH/GenStdH/Org.Abt. orders transfer of Stu.G.Abt. 1346 from the area of H.Gr. D to H.Gr. Nord on the Eastern Front. Unit is assigned to 214. Inf.Div. and renamed to Stu.Gesch.Abt. 1214. At the same time the creation of a new Stu.G.Abt. 1346 for 346. Inf.Div. is ordered.
28 Mar 1944 Remaining 5 StuG (III) shipped from H.Za.
3 Apr 1944 OKH/Chef H Ruest u BdE/AHA orders W.K. (VIII, XIII, XX or XXI?) to provide a P.E. for Stu.G.Abt. 1346 (neu) according to K.St.N. 1149 v. 1.2.1944 Ausf. A from Stu.Gesch. Ers.u.Ausb.Abt. (200, 300, 500 or 600?) and transfer it to area of H.Gr. D (Ob. West) until 15.4.1944.
17 May 1944 10 StuG (III) shipped from H.Za. to Stu.G.Abt. 1346 (neu).
18 Sep 1944 Gen.d.Pz.Tr. West asks for refit of Stu.G.Abt. 1346 in Burg
6 Oct 1944 Stu.Gesch.Abt. 1346 renamed to Pz.Jg.Kp. 1346
18 Oct 1944 Remnants of Pz.Jg.Kp. 1346 arrive in Burg for refit.
9 Nov 1944 10 StuG III shipped from H.Za. (arrived on same day).
10 Dec 1944 Pz.Jg.Kp. 1346 leaves Burg to join 346. Inf.Div. on the Western Front (H.Gr. H).
15 Jan 1945 K.Gr. 346. Inf.Div. (H.Gr. H, AOK 25) reports 10 StuG III and 1 Bergepz. III
27 Feb 1945 Pz.Jg.Kp. 1346 renamed to Jagdpz.Kp. 1346
15 Mar 1945 346. Inf.Div. (Ob. Niederlande) reports 10 StuG III and 3 Jagdpz. 38
Note: IMHO the Jagdpz. 38 are probably a transcription error in the original document and actually were the Pz.Jg. 38t (Sf.) - i.e. Marder III M - of the 1. Kp.
2 Apr 1945 346. Inf.Div. (Ob. West) reports 10 StuG III and 1 Bergepz. III

All data based on copies of original documents obtained from the BA/MA and NARA.

Martin Block

[Piet Duits]

Martin,

This is very great data!!!
I was wrong in my statement that the StuG-Abt. of the 346. Inf.Div. attacked the 1st Battalion/ 415th US Inf.Rgt. (104th US Inf.Div.).
Also, with the dates you mentioned, it was impossible as well that it was this unit, as my hometown was liberated at Monday, 30 October 1944.

It was the 857. Gren.Rgt. of the 346. Inf.Div. who defended the Mark-river, with the help of the 244. H-StuG.Brig. (Ritm. Fritz Jaschke?).
The commander of the 3. Batterie, Oberleutnant Heinrich Specht got wounded and died later in a hospital in Utrecht. The Brigade lost several StuG's during the counterattack.

The 346. Infanterie-Division was ordered to destroy the catholic church in my hometown, but the divisional commander, Generalleutnant Steinmüller refused to follow this order "im Hinblick auf der kulturhistorischen Wert".

(source: Operation Rebound, bevrijding van de Westhoek, ISBN 90-802126-I-X)

[Kelvin]

Hello, regarding StuG, did StuG Brigade had monthly status report like Panzer division in orignial document ?