Luftwaffe Praga RV

 Luftwaffe Feld Division Praga RV 

A project over summer was to complete my Luftwaffe  Felddivision 16 for Normandy. First I airbrushed my vehicles and guns then done the crews and infantry. This is the first vehicles off the deck are some resin Praga trucks from ready to roll range. 

Cheers

Matt

 Panzer Lehr Normandy 

Another big project this year is to complete my Panzer Lehr for Normandy, I have commenced reaserch and will be using Simons soldiers and Elhiem miniatures. Half tracks and tanks will be PSC from the stash plus a few other 1/72 plastic and resin kits. 

I have completed the first battalion infantry this week and hopefully will be done by early August. Research has commenced on vehicle camouflage and markings. 

The miniatures are from Simons Soldiers range, as usual built for Rapid Fire. 

Cheers

Matt

German Wehrmacht Horse harness

 I have been messing around with some German horse transport recently and I wanted to get some photos of some museum examples of German horse harness for the small trailers (jigs as we call them in Australia). So when I was on tour this week with guests I managed to snap a few at the DDay experience museum. I will pass these onto Dan who is adding 3d files for us crazy Wargamers so I can have the correct harness! 

Fallschirmjager support elements

  Off the desk actually more than two weeks ago but managed to get some photos today while packing away and cleaning up my desk for the next project. 28mm Warlord metal miniatures much better than the plastic offerings. 

Tripod MG 42

81mm mortar 

120mm mortar 

Cheers

Matt

 King Tigers last stand in France 

316 & 302 Funklenk-Panzerkompanie, France 1944

Borgward IV 

As always I like to research units before I build them, many people are unaware Tiger II seen combat against Americans in France in 1944.

The Funklenk-panzerkompanie 316 fought in Normandy with tiger I, StuG and the Borgward IV, leaving the 3rd company of Tiger II behind in Saint Denis. The 3rd company Tiger II reformed as Funklenk-panzerkompanie 302 in Eure de Loir. American troops advancing east after the collapse of the front after Pattons 3rd Army breakout and collapse of the 7th Army met the Tiger II on advance to Orleans and Chartres at Chateaudun. 

 I plan to build both units this coming year as I have spare StuG, Tiger I and Tiger II kits not assigned to units currently and I have a Borgward IV B also. 

Genesis

The 6th Company /Panzer-Versuchs-und-Ersatz-Abteilung 300 (Fkl) was raised April 1st 1943 with Field Post no. 56041. According to order no. 6039/43 of OrgAbt. I OKH/GenstdH on July 13, 1943, the company was renamed Panzerkompanie (Fkl) 316. The original equipment was to consist of 36 Borgward BIV and 10 StuGs. On September 21 it was transferred to Fallingbostel, where the unit was assigned to Panzer Lehr Regimental training grounds. This was followed by exercises and trials in the regimental context at the military training area there. 

On September 30th the PzLhrRgt. Received three Tigers I , and received eight more Tigers on October 8th
These were transferred to the PzKp. ( Fkl ) 316 , which used it to test the Tiger I in the lead control vehicle detonation role.

In mid-January 1944, the order came that the 316th should be equipped with Tiger II as an experimental company, it was renamed the 1st Heavy Tank Company (Fkl) . At the end of February 1944 it was transferred to Panzer Ersatz Abteilung 500 in Paderborn for training on the new tank. Since the Panzer Jager Lehr Regiment 130 had not yet received a PzJg IV, the company had to them hand over their 10 StuGs to them from the third company. On March 14th the five Tiger II arrived, on March 22nd the personnel sent to Paderborn for training returned to the unit. 

A status report from April 2, 1944 states the following vehicles: 

5 Tiger II 
3 Tiger Ie
51 SdKfz. 301 Ausf B and Ausf C borgward IV
4 3t tractors
1 1-ton tractor 
9 heavy trucks 
3 light trucks 
1 medium-sized truck 
3 staff cars 
6 sidecar motorcycles 
2 light motorcycles 

At the end of April 1944, the Panzer Lehr Division received the order to relocate to France and remain available there as an operational reserve, 316 FKL also moved by rail, the the HQ and radio control company moved into quarters at Saint Denis-les-Ponts, next to Chateaudun. 

On May 18th, the divisional HQ ordered that the 3./PzJgLhrAbt. 130 had to return the ten StuGs. As the 5 Tiger II were hardly operational due to technical problems.

When the Allied invasion began on June 6, 1944, the Tiger IIs of III coy was left at Saint Denis for ongoing repairs and also to be part of the operations reserve for the airfield at Chateaudun from airborne attack. The I and II company’s moved to Normandy attached to Panzer Lehr.  

Combat in Normandy  

On June 8th the StuGs supported panzer Lehr grenadier regiment 902 during a counterattack, it is unknown if the Tiger Is were involved in this counterattack.

On June 11, the company proved its worth as a radio control unit, repelling a heavy British attack in several counterattacks. In the days that followed, the StuGs were mainly used to support the counter attacks with the Panzer Grenadier Lehr Regiment 902, there were only a few attacks using the Borgward units driven in the radio control process. 

On June 19, the Kp. was involved in heavy fighting around Tilly-sur-Seulles , almost all StuGs in the unit were damaged, and one was a total loss. Company commander Meinhardt was killed, as was the leader of the 2nd platoon, Lt. Fisherman.

On June 22 the unit was no longer operational, the remaining vehicles three Tiger I and 4 remaining StuG and 40 PzIV Borgward units withdrawn to Reims for refitting and placed back in reserve. The AHA (Staff I (1)) issued the order No. 27220/44, according to which the first company was renamed as Panzerabteilung FKL 302 and remain in Chateaudun with 7th Armee reserve. The company of Tiger I, remaining II company of StuG control, Borgward IV and Headquarters deployed in Reims and remained as Panzerabteilung FKL 316. On August 19- 24th 316 is withdrawn and redeployed East to Warsaw for the uprising. 

Riecharbeitsdienst “Albert Speer” guard RAD Panzer Grenadier Abteilung 1945

 

 Albert Speer RAD Panzer Grenadier Abteilung 1945

I have commenced my kampfgruppe 1001 nights, part of the unit was Albert Speer’s RAD body guard Abteilung, which was made up of Reichsarbeitsdienst troops from Berlin, many of whom come from anti aircraft batteries around Berlin. One RAD motorcycle company plus the Armoured cars joined the Kampfgruppe 1001 nights to fight in the Seelow Heights. The remainder stayed in Berlin to man 88 gun batteries and to act as infantry in he Spree sector. 

The miniatures are from Simons Soldiers fall of Berlin range, the medic from FAA miniatures which are very perfect for the last days of the Reich wargaming 

HQ company

RAD commander

RAD panzerschrek

Rifle coy

RAD rifle company

RAD Rifle coy

MG Support Coy

RAD MG42

RAD MG team

Rapid Fire Organisation
Panzer-Aufklarungs-Abteilung Speer
HQ, Co + 3 car, medic, panzerschrek
2 x Motorcycle company (RAD uniform) 7 figs, two Fausts
Armoured car company 2 x Sd.Kfz 231 A/C, 1 x Sd.Kfz 263
Support Company Pak 38 Anti Tank mot tow, 4 crew
Sdkfz 7 quad 20mm flak 38, RAD 4 crew
Two kettenkrads plus trailers 2 x MMG 5 figs
It seems that this unit may of increased in size with infantry reinforcements and armoured cars or have been just renamed on the 3rd of April as the “Spree Panzer Grenadier Regiment” (this also may be a mistaken renaming as they were assigned the Wehrmacht Feldpost 43449 and posted to the Spree sector in Berlin).


I hope you found this an interesting unit, I have had a interesting time researching for it. If you have any notes, organisational mistakes or further information please let me know!


Cheers
Matt

“Salon de Guerre” Wargames room part III

Yesterday I had my premier game in the partially finished “Salon de Guerre” with our week long holiday guest Chris Pringle   (Author of Bloody Big Battles) and his wife. A very delightful visit and a great rapid fire game to bless the room.

We decided to play a battalion of British paras with a support company holding the village to prevent the Germans from exiting the table. The Wehrmacht forces were two battalions of infantry, one stug and a recon light armoured car coy, plus a coy of recon mechanised infantry, commands by a RHQ.

Chris really used his battalion artillery well along with his mortars first to lay smoke to make his assault on the defending Brits, then to pound the paras until they were pinned. Eventually he assaulted the village after losing two companies pushed or destroyed the remaining Brits out capturing before the allotted 15 turns.

 

Cheers

Matt

Sarthe, août 1944 Histoire d’un Libération

Sarthe, août 1944, Histoire d’un Libération, Fabrice Avoie

 email the author to order favoieauteur@hotmail.fr

Sarthe, Août 1944, Histoire d'un Libération, Fabrice Avoie 2009

Recently researching fighting around my house and the closure of the Falaise pocket from the south in August 1944 , and reference to this book kept coming up. This book fully covers the breakout from Normandy, through Brittany and Pays de Loire and the push east through, Mayenne and Sarthe to Chartres, then north to close the Falaise pocket. The author spent 15 years attending unit reunions in Germany, France and America, to discover first hand accounts and rare never seen before photographs.

Day to day strength reports for german units in the fighting retreat and trying to hold the Mayenne then Sarthe river lines,.

German units include 

• 7th Army HQ units
• 17th SS Division
• 9th Panzer Division
• Panzer Lehr division
• 352nd infantry division
•  708th infantry division
•  91st infantry division
•  77th Infantry division
• 5th fallschirmjager division
•  Sicherungs regiment 1, 194, 195 and 196
• flak elements defending the radar stations at Domfront, Madre, oisseau, 
• Luftwaffe and Flak elements at Laval and Chartres air bases, 
• plus scratch kamfgruppes from retreating SS, Wehrmacht, Fallschirmjager and Luftwaffe units

Allied units include

• US 2nd Armoured Division
•  5th armoured Division
• 79th Infantry division
• 90th infantry division
• 80th infantry division
• 106th cavalry division
•  la 2nd division Blindés Francaise. 
• Plus air support and ground support units and air communication units.

The hardback book has 440 pages and is well worth the €38 price tag.

Recommend for those interested in the southern flank of the Falaise pocket actions, lots of photos, small unit actions and after battle reports to wade through. Probably the best I have seen in English or French on the southern flank of the German army.

Cheers

Matt