German Orders of Battle before the summer offensive in Russia (Operation Blue) of June 24, 1942.
The German Orders of Battle and distribution of the divisions from the Wehrmacht and subordinated units of allies shortly before the summer offensive in Russia (Operation Blue, starting June 28, 1942) and the tank inventory from the beginning of the year with known numbers of tank models in the summer of 1942.
Schematic layout of the German Wehrmacht from June 24th, 1942
Table of Contents
Army Group South:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| located in southern Russia | (Reserves: 323 Inf, 340 Inf, 371 Inf, Hungarian 10 light, Hungarian 12 light, Hungarian 13 light, Hungarian tank-div, Italian Inf div Ravenna, Sforzesca, Cosseria) | |
| 11th Army | LIV Corps | 132 Inf (parts), 46 Inf, 22 Inf, 73 Inf (parts), 50 Inf, 46 Inf (parts), 4 Romanian Mountain div |
| Romanian Mountain-Corps | 18 Romanian Inf, 1 Romanian Mountain div | |
| XXX Corps | 72 Inf, 170 Inf, 28 light, 213 Security (parts), 444 Security (bulk), 125 Inf div (parts) | |
| XXXXII Corps | 8 Romanian Cav, 10 Romanian Inf, 19 Romanian Inf, Romanian fast Reg, 22 Panzer (parts), 132 Inf div (bulk) | |
| Romanian Cavalry Corps | 6 Romanian Cav, 5 Romanian Cav, Security-Reg 4, 298 Inf div | |
| XIV mot Corps | 1 SS-Panzer AH, 73 Inf (bulk), 13 Panzer, 125 Inf (bulk), 5 SS-Panzer Wiking, Slovak fast div | |
| 17th Army | XXXXIX Mountain-Corps | 4 Mountain, 198 Inf div |
| Italian fast Corps | Italian Celere, Torino, Pasubio div, 6 Bersagleri Reg | |
| LII Corps | 111 Inf div | |
| IV Corps | 94 Inf, 9 Inf, 76 Inf, 295 Inf, 370 Inf div | |
| 1st Panzer Army | XXXXIV Corps | 257 Inf, 101 light, 97 light, 68 Inf div, Walloon 373 ´battalion |
| XI Corps | 1 Mountain, 1 Romanian Inf, 454 Security div | |
| Romanian VI Corps | 4 Romanian Inf, 20 Romanian Inf, 2 Romanian Inf | |
| III mot Corps | 14 Panzer, 16 Panzer, 22 Panzer (bulk), 60 mot Inf div | |
| LI Corps | 384 Inf, 62 Inf, 44 Inf, 71 Inf, 297 Inf div | |
| 6th Army (Reserves: 100 light div, Croat 369 Inf Reg) | XVII Corps | 294 Inf, 79 Inf, 113 Inf div |
| VIII Corps | 305 Inf, 389 Inf, 376 Inf div | |
| XXXX mot Corps | 336 Inf, 3 Panzer, 23 Panzer, 29 mot Inf div | |
| XXIX Corps | 75 Inf, 168 Inf, 57 Inf div | |
| 2nd Army (Reserves: 88 Inf, 383 Inf div) | LV Corps | 95 Inf, 45 Inf, 1 mot SS-Inf Brig, 299 Inf div |
| Hungarian 2nd Army | Hungarian III Corps | 7 Hungarian light, 9 Hungarian light div, 16 mot Inf div |
| VII Corps | 6 Hungarian light Inf, 387 Inf div | |
| 4th Panzer-Army | XXIV mot Corps | 377 Inf, 9 Panzer, 3 mot div |
| XIII Corps | 82 Inf, 385 Inf (bulk), 11 Panzer div | |
| XXXXVIII mot Corps | mot Inf div Grossdeutschland, 24 Panzer div | |
| Commander of the Army Group South | 444 Security (parts), 213 Security (parts), Hungarian 105 Security div |
Army Group Center:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| located in Byelorussia | (Reserves: Hungarian 108. Security div) | |
| 2nd Panzer Army (Reserves: 707 Inf (bulk), Hungarian 102 light Inf div) | XXXV Corps | 262 Inf, 221 Security, 293 Inf, 4 Panzer div |
| LIII Corps | 25 mot Inf, 112 Inf, 296 Inf, 56 Inf, 134 Inf div | |
| XXXXVII mot Corps | 211 Inf, 208 Inf, 216 Inf (parts), 18 Panzer, 17 Panzer, 339 Inf (bulk), 707 Inf div (parts) | |
| 4th Army (Reserves: parts 34 Inf div | LVI mot Corps | 331 Inf, Luftwaffen battle-groups, 10 mot Inf, 267 Inf, 19 Panzer, 403 Security (parts), 52 Inf, 131 Inf, 216 Inf div (parts) |
| XXXXIII Corps | 31 Inf, 201 Security (parts), 34 Inf, 137 Inf div | |
| XII Corps | 263 Inf, 260 Inf, 98 Inf, 268 Inf div | |
| 3rd Panzer-Army (Reserves: 20 Panzer div) | XX Corps | 255 Inf, 183 Inf, 292 Inf, 258 Inf div |
| IX Corps | 7 Inf, 78 Inf, 252 Inf, 35 Inf div | |
| XXXXI mot Corps | 342 Inf, 46 mot Inf, 161 Inf div | |
| 9th Army | VI Corps | 6 Inf, 339 Inf (parts), 26 Inf div |
| XXVII Corps | 251 Inf, 14 mot Inf, 206 Inf, 86 Inf div | |
| XXIII Corps | 253 Inf, 129 Inf, 110 Inf, 1 Panzer, 102 Inf div | |
| XXXXVI mot Corps | 87 Inf, 328 Inf (bulk), 5 Panzer div | |
| Group General Esebeck | 246 Inf, 2 Panzer, 197 Inf div | |
| LIX Corps | 330 Inf, 205 Inf, 83 Inf, 328 Inf (parts), 218 Inf div (parts) | |
| Commander of the Army Group Center | 286 Security, 201 Security (parts), 203 Security div, French Inf battaillon 638 |
Army Group North:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| in northern Russia | ||
| 16th Army | XXXIX mot Corps | 218 Inf (parts), 121 Inf (parts), 122 Inf (parts), 8 Panzer div, 329 Inf div (parts) |
| II Corps | 218 Inf (parts), 123 Inf, 225 Inf (parts), 32 Inf, 12 Inf, 30 Inf, 281 Security (parts), 290 Inf, 3 SS-Panzer Totenkopf, SS-Freikorps Danmark | |
| X Corps | 329 Inf (bulk), 8 light, 5 light, 7 Mountain (parts), 122 Inf (bulk), SS-Police Reg Nord, 18 mot Inf, 81 Inf div (bulk), several Luftwaffen Field regiments | |
| 18th Army (Reserves: parts 12 Panzer div) | XXXVIII Corps | 250 (Spanish) Inf, 58 Inf, 126 Inf, 2 mot SS inf brigade, 265 Security div (parts) |
| I Corps | 254 Inf, 291 Inf, 115 Inf, 61 Inf, SS-Police div, 121 Inf div (bulk), 9 SS inf reg, 81 Inf (parts), 212 Inf (parts), 20 mot Inf, 225 Inf (parts), 1 Inf, 217 Inf div (parts) | |
| XXVIII Corps | 269 Inf, 11 Inf, 21 Inf, 93 Inf, 12 Panzer (bulk), 217 Inf (bulk), 96 Inf, 5 Mountain div (parts), 2 Paratroopers reg | |
| XXVI Corps | 223 Inf, 227 Inf, 207 Security (parts) | |
| L Corps | 5 Mountain div (parts), SS regiment Norway, 385 Inf (bulk), 285 Security (parts), 225 Inf (bulk), 212 Inf div (bulk), Inf Reg 322 | |
| Commander of the Army Group North | 207 Security (parts), 281 Security (parts), 285 Security (parts) |
subordinated to OKW (Headquarter of the Wehrmacht):
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| located in Norway, Lapland and Finland | ||
| 20 Mountain Army | III Finnish Corps | 3 Finnish Inf, SS-Di North, provisional inf div (2 Mountain + 1 Inf Reg) |
| XXXVI Mountain Corps | 169 Inf, 163 Inf (bulk) | |
| Mountain Corps Norway | 6 Mountain, 214 Inf (parts), 2 Mountain, 69 Inf div (parts) | |
| AOK_Norway (Reserves: 3 Mountain, 25 Panzer div) | LXXI Corps | 230 Inf, 270 Inf, 199 Inf div |
| XXXIII Corps | 196 Inf, 702 Inf, 181 Inf div | |
| LXX Corps | 69 Inf (bulk), 280 Inf, 214 Inf (bulk), 710 Inf div |
Army Group D, Commander of the West:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| in France, Belgium and Netherlands | (Reserves: 23 Inf div) | |
| Wehrmacht Commander Netherlands | LXXXVIII Corps | 167 Inf, 719 Inf div |
| 15th Army (at Pas-de-Calais, Reserves: 10 Panzer div) | LXXXII Corps | 304 Inf, 306 Inf, 106 Inf, 321 Inf, 712 Inf div |
| LXXXI Corps | 302 Inf, 332 Inf, 711 Inf div | |
| LXXXIII Corps | 337 Inf div | |
| 7th Army (Normandy and Brittany, Reserves: 7 Para div, Panzer Brig 100, 6 Panzer div, Para Reg Hermann Goering) | LXXXIV Corps | 716 Inf, 319 Inf, 320 Inf div |
| XXV Corps | 709 Inf, 335 Inf, 17 Inf, 333 Inf div | |
| 1st Army (southwest France, Reserves: 7 Panzer div) | LXXX Corps | 327 Inf, 708 Inf, 715 Inf, 15 Inf div |
Commander Southeast:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| in the Balkans | ||
| 12th Army (Reserves: Inf Reg 440) | Commander of Fortress Crete | Fortress div Crete |
| Commanding General in Serbia | 718 Inf, 714 Inf, 704 Inf, 717 Inf div |
Africa:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| Western Desert | ||
| Panzer Army Afrika (Reserves: bulk 90 light div) | DAK | 15 Panzer, 21 Panzer div |
| Italian mot. Corps | Italian tank div Ariete, Italian mot Inf div Trieste | |
| Italian X Corps | Italian Inf div Pavia, Brescia | |
| Italian XXI Corps | ital Inf div Trento, Sabrata, 90 light div (parts) |
Reserve Army and Commander of the army armament:
| Army | Corps | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| Commander of the German units in Denmark | 416 Inf div | |
| 7 Mountain div (parts) |
Overview of fully established and operational divisions of the Wehrmacht,Waffen-SS,Luftwaffe and allied units under operational control:
| Tank | mot.Inf | Inf | Mt | Sec | AF | Allied | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Group South | 12 | 8 | 47 1/3 | 2 | 4 | - | 28 | 101 1/3 |
| Army Group Center | 8 | 4 | 49 | - | 4 | - | 2 | 67 |
| Army Group North | 3 1/3 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 2 1/3 | 1 1/3 | - | 45 |
| Norway, Finland | 1 | - | 13 | 3 | - | - | 1 | 18 |
| OB West | 3 1/2 | - | 23 | - | - | 1 1/3 | - | 28 |
| OB Southeast | - | - | 5 1/3 | - | - | - | - | 5 1/3 |
| Africa | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 9 |
| Denmark | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| TOTAL | 27 | 17 | 170 2/3 | 7 | 10 1/3 | 2 2/3 | 37 | 274 2/3 |
Tank = armoured division; mot.Inf = motorised infantry; Inf = Infantry; Mt = mountain division; Sec = security division; AF = Air Force (Luftwaffe) divisions (Air landing, Paratroopers, Luftwaffe Field); Allied = allied units
Approximate organization strength of the major types of the German Army divisions in 1942:
Germany Army Unit Organisation 1942-45
Tank strength
Inventory of armored fighting vehicles on January 1, 1942:
| Type | Figures |
|---|---|
| Panzer I | 723 |
| Panzer II | 837 |
| Panzer II (flame-thrower) | 89 |
| Panzer 35(t) | 197 |
| Panzer 38(t) | 381 |
| Panzer III | 1,849 |
| Panzer IV | 513 |
| Armoured Command Vehicles | 307 |
| Assault gun StuG III | 625 |
| TOTAL | 5,521 |
Known quantities of tanks along the whole Eastern Front at the beginning of the summer offensive (June) and in Africa (July):
| Type | Figures |
|---|---|
| Panzer III (E-J) short 5cm gun L/42 | c.500 |
| Panzer III (J-L) long 5cm gun L/60 | c.600 |
| Panzer IV (B-F1) short 7.5cm gun L/24 | 208 |
| Panzer IV (F2-G) long 7.5cm gun L/48 | c.170 |
| StuG III (B-E) short 7.5cm gun L/24 | 619 |
| other Armored fighting vehicles | c. 1,884 |
| Russian Front TOTAL (May) | 3,981 |
| Panzer II combat ready with Africa Corps (July 6) | 4 |
| Panzer III (E-J) combat ready with Africa Corps (July 6) | 33 |
| Panzer IV (B-F1) combat ready with Africa Corps (July 6) | 3 |
| Armoured Command Vehicles combat ready with Africa Corps (July 6) | 4 |
| Armored fighting vehicles in West, reserves, under repair or in transit | 1,822 |
| TOTAL armoured fighting vehicles (May) | 5,847 |
References and literature
Der Grosse Atlas zum II. Weltkrieg (Peter Young)
Krieg der Panzer (Piekalkiewicz)
Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, Band 1-8 (Percy E. Schramm)
Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr (Werner Oswald)
Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two (P.Chamberlain, H.L.Doyle)
Totenkopf (or Death’s head ) was formed in Oct 1939 mainly from what was then the ‘Totenkopfverbande’ -concentration camp guards, Selbstschutz, and men from the SS Heimwehr Danzig.
Initially formed from concentration camp guards of the 1st (Oberbayern), 2nd (Brandenburg), and 3rd (Thüringen) Standarten (regiments) of the SS-Totenkopfverbände.
The division had officers from the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT).
The unit’s insignia dates back to Frederick the Great’s (1712-86) grenadiers – troops of exceptional quality, vigour, and bravery.
Correct, more here: SS-Totenkopf Division !
To be accurate, LAH was ordered to France. 9th and 11th Panzer and GD went to Army Group Center, while 11th Army was sent to AGN. Don’t know about the three infantry divisions though.
This is the official OKW Order of Battle, created at ‘Führerhauptquartier’ at this date.
Let’s not forget Hitler ordered 11th army, plus 1st SS, Grossdeutchland, and another 2 panzer and 3 infantry divisions to either HGN, or HGC.
This constituted 25% of Army Group South’s mechanised and motorised strength.
Also Luftflotte 4 could only cover one army group. Hitler should have either ramped up production after the failure at Moscow, introducing more standardisation, or split Luftflotte 4 into two separate organisations.
Ironically, Army group A became stranded when Hitler ordered Luftflotte 4 North to Stalingrad, and prioritised supply to Army group B.
He ought to have remained calm and patient and allowed the original Fall Blau plan to run its course: Voronezh to Astrakhan with 1st and 4th Pz armies in the Vanguard, 11th Army lay’s siege to Stalingrad, 17th army guards the Northern flank of Stalingrad, 8th Italian Army is held in reserve for the drive to the Caucasus, 6th army is reduced to a regular size army and guards Astrakhan.
1st and 4th Pz are pulled back, rested and refitted whilst in mobile reserve during the inevitable soviet winter offensive, II SS Pz Corps is rushed into being by early ’43.
Given that the line from Voronezh – Astrakhan holds, OKH now must form an Army group ‘Kaukasus’ to drive south in April ’43 to take Maykop, Grozny and Baku, with the soviets having been deprived of any of the resources south of the Volga-Don land bridge, which means they have little fuel, a food crisis, but still massive manpower reserves, the Wehrmacht can expect a hell of a lot of rifle divisions to be thrown at them along the Volga, and from the Caucasus.
the II SS Panzer Corps was made up of 1st LSSAH, 2nd Das Reich, & 3rd Totenkopf, constituted in early ’43.
1,2,3 were no panzerdivisions nor Panzergrenadierdivisions. The were somewhat of a mot. Inf. Division in June 1942.
Which is 1,2,3 ? The SS divisions ? In this case: In mid-1942 the Leibstandarte, Reich, Totenkopf and Wiking received Panzer IV tanks, so that they could be classified as panzer grenadier divisions.
Nice job; usefull. Gives a sense of how dysfunctional German organization was becoming after 1941-42 Soviet Winter Offensive. Was SS Totenkopf a pz or pzg in June, 1942?
3 SS Totenkopf reorganized from Oct 42 – Jan 43 to a Panzer Division.
We want order of battle 1944!!! PLZ!