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Author Topic: German OOB in France during D-day  (Read 1208 times)
stoffel
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« on: 14 January 2010, 22:36:21 »
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Divisions in the coastal area between Cherbourg and Caen:

716th infantrydivision: this division was of poor quality, it was formed of sick men not suited for duty and former Polish and Russian prisoners. It was earmarked to protect the eastern beaches (UK sector)
709th infantrydivision: this division was the same as the 716th: poor quality - with mixed nationalities. It defended the eastern and northern part of the Cotentin peninsula.
352nd infantrydivision: this division was well trained and equiped, it was formed out of Eastern front veterans. It defended the area between Bayeux and Carentan.
91st airlandingdivision: (Luftlande – air transported): this division was formed from the old 1057 and 1058 paratroop regiments, it was originally trained and equiped to be transported by air. Its task was the defense of the Cotentin peninsula.
6th Fallschirmjaegerregiment: a well trained and equiped regiment, its task was the defense of Carentan.
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« Reply #1 on: 14 January 2010, 22:44:53 »
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Divisions in the rear area of Caen

243rd infantrydivision: Generalleutnant Heinz Hellmich: with regiments 920/921 and 922, tasked with the defense of the western part of Cotentin peninsula.
711th infantrydivision: formed with regiments 731 and 744. This division defended the western part of the Pays de Caux / Le Havre area.
30th mobile brigade: Oberstleutnant Freiherr von und zu Aufsess: a mixed unit with at least 3 batallions infantry on bikes.

Army Group B Divisions in reserve

21st panzerdivision: Generalmajor Edgar Feuchtinger: This division was the only panzer-equiped and combat-worthy panzerunit in the invasion area, however just as all units it lacked (experienced) men.

OKW Reserve

12th SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend: Brigadeführer Fritz Witt: based around Caen, long-serving veterans, with junior soldiers which been recruited directly from the Hitler Youth movement at the age of seventeen in 1943.
Panzer Lehr division: General major Fritz Bayerlein: division formed from soldiers of the panzerschule, unusually high numbers of the latest and most capable armoured vehicles.
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« Reply #2 on: 14 January 2010, 23:00:53 »
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Divisions in the area around Brest and St Nazaire

77th infantrydivision near Rennes.
266th infantrydivision right of Brest.
343rd infantrydivision near Brest
353rd infantrydivision between Brest and Nazaire
3rd Paratrooperdivision between Brest and Nazaire
265th infantrydivision between Brest and Nazaire
275th infantrydivision around St Nazaire

All part of the 7th army
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« Reply #3 on: 14 January 2010, 23:07:23 »
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Divisions in the south of France

From St Nazaire down to the Spanish border
158th infantrydivision
708th infantrydivision
11th  infantrydivision
26th  infantrydivision
189th infantrydivision

11th  panzerdivision: at Bordeaux
2nd  SS panzerdivision
17th SS panzerdivision
: based 200km from the shores of Normandy. It lacked 2 ouf of its 5 officers and men. Their morale (before they met the airwar) was very good.

All units of Heeresgruppe B / 1st Army

From the eastern Spanish border to Italy
274th infantrydivision
277th infantrydivision
244th infantrydivision
: around Marseille
242nd infantrydivision
148th infantrydivision
157th infantrydivision


All units belonged to the 19th army
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« Reply #4 on: 14 January 2010, 23:16:16 »
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Divisions in the area between Paris and Calais

346th infantrydivision
85th infantrydivision
245th infantrydivision
348th infantrydivision
25th infantrydivision
326th infantrydivision
344th infantrydivision
49th infantrydivision
47th infantrydivision
331st infantrydivision
182nd infantrydivision

2nd panzerdivision
17th Luftwaffe fielddivision
18th Luftwaffe fielddivision
116th Luftwaffe fielddivision


all divisions were part of the 15th army
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« Reply #5 on: 14 January 2010, 23:30:59 »
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Rommel faced some serious problems when he took his new command.
He wanted the panzerunits closer to the beach, but this was rejected by Von Rundstedt who wanted them further inland.
This proved a fatal error when allied airpower destroyed a lot of the German equipment during the march to the beaches.

Another problem was lack of mobility.
Biggest part of Rommels 58 divisions were infantrydivisions, he had only a couple of panzerdivisions.
The SS divisions were well equiped and relatively well trained but far away from the front and not under Rommels direct control, but as for all other German formations they lacked sufficient manpower.
The only panzerunit nearby, the 21st, was badly lead by general Feuchtinger who wasn't capable of his task.
The 21st had a large number of foreign weapons from tanks to artillery, with the majority of its tanks being Pz IV's.

A lot of the infantrydivisions lacked mobility and still relied on horsepower for logistical tasks.
The 700 series of divisions were the worst of all.
They had no means of transportation at all and were just to be used to hold their "fortresses".
4 Of those divisions were stationed on the Normandy coast.
An exception for the problems faced by the divisions named above were the 3 paratrooperdivisions, all filled with volunteers and with a good morale, they too lacked sufficient transportation which meant they could not be moved to combat zones in time.
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« Reply #6 on: 18 January 2010, 20:03:36 »
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