Overlord (Pan Military Classics) (62 page)
Read Overlord (Pan Military Classics) Online
Authors: Max Hastings
8th Polish Battalion
9th Polish Battalion
Divisional Troops
10th Polish Mounted Rifle Regiment
1st Polish Armoured Divisional Engineers
1st and 2nd Polish Field, 1st Polish Anti-Tank and 1st Polish Light Anti-Aircraft Regiments
1st Polish Armoured Divisional Signals
LINES OF COMMUNICATION AND REAR MAINTENANCE AREA
Headquarters Lines of Communication
Major-General R. F. B. Naylor
Nos. 11 and 12 Lines of Communication Areas
Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Lines of Communication Sub-Areas
Nos. 7 and 8 Base Sub-Areas
Nos. 101, 102 and 104 Beach Sub-Areas
Nos. 10 and 11 Garrison
Engineers
Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 Railway Construction and Maintenance Groups
No. 3 Railway Operating Group
No. 1 Canadian Railway Operating Group
No. 1 Railway Workshop Group
Nos. 2, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Port Operating Groups
Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 Port Construction and Repair Groups
Nos. 3 and 4 Inland Water Transport Groups
No. 2 Mechanical Equipment (Transportation) Unit
Signals
Nos. 2 and 12 Lines of Communication Headquarters Signals
No. 1 Canadian Lines of Communication Headquarters Signals
Infantry
5th and 8th Battalions The King’s Regiment
7th Battalion The East Yorkshire Regiment
2nd Battalion The Hertfordshire Regiment
6th Battalion The Border Regiment
1st Buckinghamshire Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
5th Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment
18th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry
UNITED STATES TWELFTH ARMY GROUP
Commanding General
Lieutenant-General Omar N. Bradley
Chief of Staff
Major-General Leven C. Allen
First Army
Commanding General
Lieutenant-General Courtney H. Hodges
(Succeeded General Bradley from 1.8.44)
Chief of Staff
Major-General William B. Keen
Third Army
Commanding General
Lieutenant-General George S. Patton, Jr
Chief of Staff
Major-General Hugh J. Gaffey
Corps
V. Major-General Leonard T. Gerow
VII. Major-General J. Lawton Collins
VIII. Major-General Troy H. Middleton
XII. Major-General Gilbert R. Cook (to 18.8.44)
Major-General Manton S. Eddy (from 19.8.44)
XV. Major-General Wade H. Haislip
XIX. Major-General Charles H. Corlett
XX. Major-General Walton H. Walker
Divisions
Armored: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th; 2nd French
Infantry: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 35th, 79th, 80th, 83rd and 90th
Airborne: 82nd and 101st
The composition of German armies and corps varied constantly during the campaign, but at different times part or all of the following were engaged:
Seventh, Fifteenth, Fifth Panzer (formerly Panzer Group West) and First Armies, embracing the following 13 corps and 15 divisions:
Panzer Corps: I SS, II SS, XLVII, LVIII
Infantry Corps: II Parachute, XXV, LXVII, LXXIV, LXXX, LXXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIV, LXXXVI
Panzer Divisions: 1st SS, 2nd SS, 2nd, 9th, 9th SS, 10th SS, 12th SS, 21st, 116th, Panzer Lehr
Panzergrenadier divisions: 3rd, 15th, 17th SS
Infantry Divisions: 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th Parachute; 16th, 17th, 18th Luftwaffe Field; 47th, 48th, 49th, 77th, 84th, 85th, 89th, 91st Airlanding, 226th, 243rd, 245th, 265th, 266th, 271st, 272nd, 275th, 276th, 277th, 326th, 331st, 343rd, 344th, 346th, 348th, 352nd, 353rd, 363rd, 708th, 709th, 711th, 716th
SS Panzer divisions were substantially larger and better-equipped than their Wehrmacht counterparts. All panzer divisions normally contained an armoured regiment of two battalions – one equipped with Mark IV tanks, the other with Panthers. Army panzer divisions also contained two infantry regiments, each of two battalions, but SS divisions mustered six infantry
battalions. The average panzer division went into Normandy with 160 tanks, 700 machine-guns, 70 mortars, 37 infantry guns, 40 field and medium guns, 33 anti-tank guns and over 100 anti-aircraft guns. Each division’s vehicle establishment was around 3,000. Wehrmacht divisions mustered almost 15,000 men at full strength, SS divisions up to 20,000.
Panzergrenadier divisions possessed no tanks but their infantry were fully motorized, and supported by a battalion of 45 self-propelled guns.
Of the 38 German infantry divisions that fought in Normandy, five were ‘static’ formations comprising nine battalions, the same organization as the parachute units. The other 30 were on ‘1944 establishment’ of six infantry battalions, with a fusilier reconnaissance battalion, often bicycle-mounted. Each division mustered, on average, 650 machine-guns, 76 mortars, 24 infantry guns and howitzers, 31 anti-tank guns and 48 medium and field guns. Transport was provided by 615 motor vehicles and 1,450 horse-drawn vehicles.
GHQ and army troops included III Flak Corps’ 160 88 mm guns in a dual-purpose role facing the British front. There were three heavy tank battalions, each containing up to 45 Tigers; two battalions of
Jagdpanthers
, 88 mm tank-killing self-propelled guns; several independent towed 88 mm gun battalions and 75 mm-mounted self-propelled gun battalions. The Germans possessed relatively few field or medium guns, and only one heavy regiment of 170 mm guns.
