German Orders of Battle for the Battle of France of June 8, 1940.
The offensive started after Dunkirk Evacuation on June 5 with the attack of Army Group B.
From 9 April (when German troops invaded Denmark and Norway) to the armistice with France on 25 June, the German Army confirmed the superiority of its organization and tactics. Losses in Norway were 5,636 men; the invasion of France and the Low Countries cost 27,074 killed, 111,034 wounded and 18,348 missing. On some single days in World War One the losses were higher.
German Orders of Battle during the Battle of France
Schematic layout of the German Wehrmacht from June 8th, 1940
Schematic layout:
| Army Group | Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army Group B located in northern France at the Channel Coast (Reserves: 1, 11, 19, 30, 8, 28, 217 Infantry divisions) | 4 Army | II Corps | 11 Fast Brigade , 12, 57, 32, 31 Infantry Divisions |
| XXXVIII Corps | 6, 46, 27 Infantry, 1 Cavalry division | ||
| XV Corps | 5, 7 Panzer, 2 motorized Infantry division | ||
| 6 Army | XXXX Corps | 87, 44 Infantry division | |
| V Corps | 62, 263 Infantry, parts 94 Infantry division | ||
| XXXXIV Corps | 72 Infantry, 1 Mountain, parts 98., parts 83. Infantry division" | ||
| 9 Army (Reserves: parts 88, 96 Infantry division) | XVIII Corps | 25, 290 Infantry, parts 81 Infantry Division | |
| XXXXII Corps | 292, 50, 291 Infantry Division | ||
| Panzer Group Kleist | XIV Corps | 9, 10 Panzer, 9 Infantry, 13 motorized Infantry division, Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland (motorized) | |
| XVI Corps | 3, 4 Panzer division, 4., 33 Infantry, 1., 2 SS-divisions (motorized) | ||
| Army Group A located in Northeast France (Reserves: 7, 211, 253, 267, 269 Infantry division) | 2 Army | VI Corps | 5, 293, 15, 205 Infantry division |
| XXVI Corps | 45, 34 Infantry division | ||
| IX Corps | 294, 295 Infantry division | ||
| 12 Army (Reserves: 298 Infantry division) | III Corps | 3, 23, 52 Infantry division | |
| XIII Corps | 17, 21, 260 Infantry division | ||
| XXIII Corps | 73, 86, 82 Infantry division | ||
| XVII Corps | 10, 26 Infantry, SS-Police division | ||
| Panzer Group Guderian | XXXIX Corps | 1, 2 Panzer, 29 motorized Infantry division | |
| XXXXI Corps | 6, 8 Panzer, 20 motorized Infantry division | ||
| 16 Army (Reserves: 16, 76, 68, 212 Infantry division) | VII Corps | 24, 299, 36, 58 Infantry division | |
| XXXVI Corps | 71, 169 Infantry division | ||
| XXXI Corps | 183, 161, 162 Infantry division | ||
| Army Group C in the Saar and Rhine front in Southwest Germany | 1 Army (Reserves: 79, 168, 197, 198 Infantry division) | XXXXV Corps | 167 Infantry, parts 96 Infantry division |
| XXX Corps | 258 Infantry, parts 93 Infantry division | ||
| XII Corps | 75, 268 Infantry division | ||
| XXIV Corps | 60, 252 Infantry division | ||
| XXXVII Corps | 257, 262, 215, 246 Infantry division | ||
| 7 Army (Reserves: 213, 218, 221, 239 Infantry division) | XXV Corps | 557, 555 Infantry division | |
| XXXIII Corps | 554, 556 Infantry division | ||
| subordinated to OKW (Headquarter of the Wehrmacht), located in Poland and Norway | 18 Army (Poland, Reserves: 216, 227, 251 Infantry division) | X Corps | 208, 225, 254 Infantry division |
| AOK Norwegen (HQ Norway) | XXI Corps | 2, 3 Mountain, 69, 214, 163, 181, 196 Infantry division | |
| OKH Reserves | Group West | XXVIII Corps | 14, 18, 56, 61, 223, 255, 256 Infantry division, 3 SS-Infantry division Totenkopf (motorized) |
| Group East | XXIX Corps | 207, 297, 78, 170, 296, 35, 206 Infantry division; in transfer: 22, 164 Infantry division | |
| in Germany | 228, 231, 311 Infantry division | ||
| Oberost (East Prussia) | XXXIV, XXXV Corps | 209, 365, 372, 379, 393 Infantry division | |
| Reserve Army and Commander of the army armament | XXXII Corps | 351, 358, 386, 395, 399 Infantry division |
Overview of fully established and operational divisions of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe on June 8, 1940
Overview:
| Panzer | mot.Inf. | Cav. | Inf. | Mountain | Airborne | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Group B | 6 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 1 | - | 40 |
| Army Group A | 4 | 2 | - | 39 | - | - | 45 |
| Army Group C | - | - | - | 23 | - | - | 23 |
| Norway | - | - | - | 5 | 2 | - | 7 |
| Poland, East Prussia | - | - | - | 11 | - | - | 11 |
| Reserves | - | 1 | - | 24 | - | 2 | 27 |
| TOTAL | 10 | 8 | 1 | 129 | 3 | 2 | 153 |
Approximate organization strength of the major types of the German Army divisions in 1939-1940:
| Infantry Division | motorized Infantry Division (1939) | Mountain Division | Panzer Division (1939-40) | Light Division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units total | 87 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Officers | 500 | = | ? | 400 | 400 |
| Officials | 100 | = | ? | 100 | 100 |
| NCOs | 2,500 | = | ? | 2,000 | 1,600 |
| Privates | 13,400 | = | ? | 9,300 | 8,700 |
| Total men | 16,500-17,200 (35 divisions of 1st wave 18,000 | 16,500 | 13,056 | 11,800 | 10,800 |
| Infantry Regiments | 3 with 3,000 men each | = | 2 with 3,000 men each | 2 with 3,000 men each | 1 or 2 with 2,000 or 3,000 men each |
| Machine guns MG34 | 643 (116 heavy) | = | 569 | 220 | 460 |
| Anti-tank rifles | 90 | = | - | ||
| Mortars | 142 (84 x 5cm, 58 x 8.1cm) | = | 118 (60 x 8.1cm, 58 x 5cm) | 50 | 60 |
| Infantry guns | 24 (6 x 15cm, 18 x 7.5cm) | = | 4 (15cm) | 10 | 10 |
| Anti-tank guns | 75 (3.7cm Pak 36) | = | 51 (45 x 3.7 cm, 6 x 4.7cm) | 50 | 50 |
| Howitzers and guns | 48 (8 x 15cm, 36 x 10.5cm leFH, 4 x 10.5cm guns) | = | 36 (8 x 15cm, 12 x 10.5cm, 16 x 7.5cm) | 28 | 24 (10.5cm leFH) |
| Anti-aircraft guns (2cm) | 11 | = | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Armored Cars | 3 | 30 | - | 100 | 100 |
| Tanks | - | - | - | 324 | 86 |
| Trucks | 500 | 1,700 | - | 1,400 | 1,400 |
| Cars | 400 | 1,000 | - | 560 | 600 |
| Motorcycles | 452 | 1,300 | - | 1,300 | 1,100 |
| Sidecars | 200 | 600 | - | 700 | 600 |
| Horses | 5,375 | - | ? | - | - |
| Horse-drawn carriages | 1,133 | - | ? | - | - |
More about: Germany Army Unit Organization 1939-41.
References and literature
World War II – A Statistical Survey (John Ellis)
Der Grosse Atlas zum II. Weltkrieg (Peter Young)
Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, Band 1-8 (Percy E. Schramm)
Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr (Werner Oswald)
The Armed Forces of World War II (Andrew Mollo)
