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Oberst_Klink -> RE: Volksgrenadier Divisions (long) (12/15/2021 8:02:04 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Khanti
Thesis to demonstrate.
I think volksgrenadier divisions should have AT guns in their regiments (directly among the infantry). Probably with the support of horse-drawn carriages or trucks. Most German infantry used trucks to transport supplies, not soldiers (contrary to US or Brits).
In the game world, a separate AT battalion has to be supported by infantry to survive anyway. Since there is only one such battalion in division, it can only support one stack. So the remaining divisional infantry battalions remain without AT/AA cover. I think it would be easier to manage, if you split the AT battalion between 4 line infantry battalions.
As far as I remember they only have panzerschrecks (but not much) and not enough infantry attack power. I don't know why 1st batalion has 6 panzerschrecks and 2nd only 4. Still 10 units of panzerschrecks in regiment are too little. Maybe both should have 6. This will be 12 units in regiment (still not much). But there should be at least 36 units in division, so 18 panzerschrecks in regiment (9 in every battalion).
Sturmgewehr 44 should give similar offensive and defensive power for infantry. At least they should be better in attack than Allied units in defense. VolksGren Stg44 has soft power 12/18. GI Veterans 10/15. I suggest 15/18 for those grenadiers. But it can be controversial.
Volksgrenadier Divisions
with Wayne Turner
The Volksgrenadier divisions were formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the destruction of Army Group Centre by the Soviet Bagration Offensive in the east and of the Fifth Panzer Army in Normandy in the west. The new infantry divisions were designed to economise on personnel and to be primarily focused on defence. These new formations combined the names Volks (People’s), to inspire a sense of nationalism and fighting spirit, and grenadier, to invoke the traditions of the German military.
In an attempt to optimise their fighting power, while economising man-power, each Volkgrenadierdivision had three infantry regiments of two battalions (unlike an Infanteriedivision, which had three battalions in each regiment). To compensate the Volksgrenadier units were armed with a higher proportion of automatic weapons to create a higher volume of firepower.
The Sturmgewehr 44 (or StG 44) assault rifle was used to arm two of platoons in each Volksgrenadierkompanie, giving them devastating firepower, but only at short ranges.
They were also issued with a very large numbers of Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons, once again short-ranged, but still a powerful asset against Allied tanks. The highly efficient MG42 machine-gun still played an important role with the assault rifle armed Sturm (assault) platoons issued with two in the third squad, and three issued to the third Schützen (rifle) platoon to providing their main firepower.
The division’s supporting arms also economised on personnel. The artillery was organised into larger six-gun batteries (instead of four guns) to save on the number skilled artillery specialist required in each battalion, resulting in less batteries, but usually the same number of guns or more.
The Volksgrenadier divisions retained Panzerjäger (anti-tank), FlaK (Anti-aircraft), Pionier (combat engineer), and Füsilier (light infantry and recon) companies or battalions like the older Infanterie divisions.
The divisions were organised around a core of veterans from the divisions destroyed in the east or west and filled out with new conscripts or excess personnel from the Luftwaffe (air force) and Kreigsmarine (navy). The mix of recruits, size of the veteran cadre, and the time new division had to form meant the performance of the divisions varied considerably. However, the Volksgrenadier divisions played a vital role in the defence of Germany through 1944 and 1945.
Taken from: https://www.gf9.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3568
Read my earlier thread about the VG.Btl. TO&E. They defo need for PzSchrecks; they had 54 in the regiment.
Klink, Oberst
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