Germany WWII Army, lessons learned on the eastern front 1944

Flanking:

During 1944 several measures were taken to avoid flank attacks and to make use of flanking themselves.
The Russians used batallions with anti tank, artillery and tankdestroyers to protect their flanks when attacking.
The Germans also learned from these tactics.
tankcrews were tought to allways try to outmanouvre enemy armor and engage them at the weaker points, side or reararmor.
This was more effective and lesser ammo was used to gain results in destroying enemy tanks.
Tankdestroyer and antitank (PaK) units had to work closely with the Aufklarungsbatallion to prevent Russians from flanking armored units.
Aufklarungsplatoons were to be used at the flanks of every tankbatallion in order to prevent enemy attacks in the flanks or rear.
These units were under control and in radiocontact with the tank units commander.

Camouflage:

Guderian was shocked by the total lack of camouflage and disregard of the danger of airattacks by armored units.
He named it astounding thoughtlessness, he wrote that more attention had to be payed to this danger.
He saw on his tours tanks simply parked next to houses without any form of camuflage, convoys without measures against airattacks.
Convoys travelling during daylight in large numbers, when halted they often stood still close to eachother.
Radiosilence was ignored too in most cases.
Every commanding officer should be aware of traveling at night, camouflaging his vehicles and be prepared to defend against airattacks.
The Germans continually forced their men to have guards up looking for aircraft. (which is clearly visible on pictures taken during 44, you always see men looking up)

General measures for anti aircraft defense:

Guderian wrote:
In addition to dropping bombs planes now use automatic canons with armor piercing ammo.
These tankhunting aircraft pose a greater danger on the battlefield.
Usually they approach a unit from the rear.

We are equipping the armores units with special Flakpanzers but this takes a while. (Wirbelwind,Mobelwagen)
All formations should use this tactic which proved to be effective in the past.
The last group of tanks should fire into the air with all its weapons to lay a wall of fire in the sky in case of an attack.
Repeatedly aircraft were shot down, or aborted the mission due to this effective use of fire.

Cooperation with infantry on defense and offensive :

The Russians used small units of volunteers to ride on tanks for assaults.
Such a unit was better to lead and because all of them were volunteers they were more dangerous.
Each unit also received a well drawn map of the area were they fought in.
Panzerunits were stressed out of this importance.
A tankcommander always had to look for the best spot for defense, knowing the terrain was equally important in defense as well for (counter-)attacking the enemy.
A commander had to study terrain and maps before conducting his operation.
A lot of tanks were lost due to bad tactics or during sudden retreats which occured after succesful Russian attacks.
Another major problem was infantrysupport, infantry often saw armor as gods on the battlefield, indestructable machines.
After the disaster at Kursk the heavy tanks were not to be used under control of infantrydivisions anymore.
Often tanks attacked without infantrysupport, resulting in heavy losses.
Guderian couldnt adress this more, infantry could guard the armor during the advance.
Spotting antitank guns and other threats and facing of enemy infantry close assaults.

Heavytankbatallions:

Offensive operations
These batallions were to be used as sledgehammers on the attack.
Usually in a V shaped wedge, presenting their thick armor towards the enemy.
Their thick armor could withstand most of the enemies AT fire.
They were to be used to smash through the first lines of defense, using massed firepower and mobility.
Lighter tanks such as Mk IV and III could then exploitgaps and swarm out in the enemies rear.

Defensive operations
Heavy tanks were often used wrong, piecemeal in defensive positions stretched out along the front.
When operating this way they were vulnerable.
If bypassed by the enemy, they had to retreat causing breakdowns and writeoffs.
Therefore they had to be held in reserve, this way they could attack en masse breaking any defensive lines.