Hitler's army: the evolution and structure of German forces

730 Pages·1996·7.21 MB·English

by  Chris Perello

Hitler's Army : The Evolution and Structure
title:
of German Forces
author:
publisher: Combined Publishing
isbn10 | asin: 0938289551
print isbn13: 9780938289555
ebook isbn13: 9780585100159
language: English
Germany.--Heer--History, Germany.--Heer--
Organization, World War, 1939-1945--
subject
Campaigns, Germany--Politics and
government--1933-1945.
publication date: 1996
lcc: UA712.H52 1996eb
ddc: 940.54/1343
Germany.--Heer--History, Germany.--Heer--
subject: Organization, World War, 1939-1945--
Campaigns, Germany--Politics and
government--1933-1945.
Page 3
Hitler's Army
The Evolution and Structure of German Forces
By the Editors of Command Magazine
COMBINED BOOKS
Pennsylvania
Page 4
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Combined Books, Inc., is dedicated to publishing books of distinction
in history and military history. We are proud of the quality of writing
and the quantity of information found in our books. Our books are
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art of bookmaking.
We call ourselves Combined Books because we view the publishing
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We would like to hear from our readers and invite you to write to us at
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For information, address: Combined Books, Inc. 151 East 10th Avenue
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The chapters in this book have appeared previously in Command
magazine. This edition copyright © 1996 by Command magazine. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hitler's army: the evolution and structure of German forces, 1933-
1945 / by the
editors of Command magazine.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-938289-55-1
1. Germany. HeerHistory. 2. Germany. HeerOrganization. 3. World War,
1938-1945Campaigns. 4. GermanyPolitics and government1933-1945.
I. Command magazine (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
UA712.H52 1995
940.54´1343dc20 95-45509
CIP
Printed in the United States of America.
Page 5
Contents
I 7
Introduction
II 11
Building the Beast
The World War II Training and Replacement Systems of the
German Army
Dirk Blennemann
III 17
German Infantry on the Eastern Front in 1941
Chris Perello
IV 25
German Corps Organization in World War II
Dirk Blennemann
V 29
Armored Battle Group Friebe
Dirk Blennemann
VI 33
The German Volksgrenadier Division, 1944-45
Dirk Blennemann
VII 37
General Principles
Attack and Defense in the German Army During World
War II
Dirk Blennemann
VIII 51
Tactics on the Eastern Front, 1944-45
John Desch
IX 59
The First Panzer of World War II
Michael S. Burrier
X 63
World War II German Assault Guns
Dirk Blennemann
XI 71
German Tank Destroyers in World War II
Michael S. Burrier
XII 75
German Rocket Artillery
Dirk Blennemann
XIII 79
The 1941 German Army/The 1944-45 U.S. Army
A Comparative Analysis of Two Forces in Their Primes
John Desch
XIV 95
The Luftwaffe's Field Divisions A Study in Failure
Steven H. Sandman
Page 6
XV 103
A Combat History of 1st SS Panzer Division
Blaine Taylor
XVI 119
Proud Monster: The Barbarossa Campaign Considered
Ty Bomba
XVII 137
Death & Destruction: 1942-1944 on the Russian Front
Ty Bomba
XVIII 153
Blitzkrieg Army, Siege Führer: A Reinterpretation of
World War II in Europe
R.H.S. Stolfi
XIX 165
Czechoslovakia '38: What If They'd Fought?
Dr. Peter H. Gryner
XX 197
Poland '39
Pat McTaggart with contributions by L. Dean Webb
XXI 225
Counterattack at Arras
Michael K. Robel
XXII 235
Smolensk-Yelnia: Blunting the Blitzkrieg
Pat McTaggart
XXIII 253
Krim: The War in the Crimea, 1941-42
Pat McTaggart
XXIV 275
The Demyansk Pocket
Milton Goldin
XXV 287
The Battle of Narva, 1944
Pat McTaggart
XXVI 309
Aachen '44
Dirk Blennemann
XXVII 343
Budapest '45
Pat McTaggart with contributions by Peter B. Zwack
XXVIII 375
Berlin '45: The Potential for World III
John Desch
Index 389
Page 7
Chapter I
Introduction
Every book needs a framework around which it can be organized, and
for that we've selected four major themes that, we feel, taken together
will give the reader a thorough understanding of Hitler's army. Those
themes are: 1) weaponry, tactics and organization; 2) politics; 3)
strategy; and 4) operational studies.
Weaponry, Tactics and Organization
"Building the Beast" begins this section by describing the role and
workings of the Germans' training and replacement army.
"Infantry on the Eastern Front" analyzes the organization of the
German infantry divisions, the changes wrought in them by the
expansion of the army for Barbarossa, and the deterioration caused by
the huge losses suffered in the east.
"Corps Organization" provides a brief but detailed analysis of this
flexible higher-level command structure, using the 46th Motorized
Corps as its model.
"Battlegroup Friebe" gives insight into the kind of units the Germans
put together (literally) in order to fight the war at the operational level.
The description of the organization of this brigade-sized formation
illustrates the German penchant for, and mastery of, the ad hoc battle
group.
"Volksgrenadier Divisions" discusses the critical role of these
emergency units raised late in the war, telling how the Germans
increasingly had to try to substitute firepower for manpower.
The two articles, "General Principles: The Offense and Defense in