German Organization in Italy



ARMY GROUP C
Order of Battle
Anzio/Cassino campaign, February 1944.

    By the end of 1943, a reinforced German army consisted of 23 divisions; 215,000 troops engaged in the south and 265,000 in reserve in the north.  This table represents the organization in February 1944, which was just after the II Corps of the 5th US Army landed on Anzio beaches and 6 months after the initial landing in Italy.  So, the Germans had time to strengthen their forces to oppose both the Anzio attack and the 5th US Army at Cassino and the 8th British Army in eastern Italy.
       This list represents a general order of battle.  Since the units were constantly being changed there is no way to accurately represent the command structure.  For example, one division was listed in both German Armies.  Only active combat units are listed.

    ARMY GROUP C
    Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring
    February 1944

    TENTH ARMY
    Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff

    XI V Panzer Corps
    General der Panzertruppen Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin

        15TH PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION
                104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
                115th Panzer Battalion
                115th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
                33d Engineer Battalion
                33d Artillery Regiment
                315th ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Battalion
                33d Antitank Battalion

        94TH INFANTRY DIVISION
                267th, 274th, and 276th Infantry regiments
                194th Engineer Battalion
                194th Artillery Regiment
                194th Antitank Battalion
                194th Field Deployment Battalion

        71ST INFANTRY DIVISION.
                191st, 194th, and 211th Infantry regiments
                171st Fusilier Battalion
                171st Engineer Battalion
                171st Artillery Regiment
                171st Antitank Battalion
                171st Field Deployment Battalion

    LI Mountain Corps
    General der Gebirgstruppen Vaentin Feuerstein

        44TH INFANTRY DIVISION
                131st, 132d, and 134th Infantry regiments
                44th Reconnaissance Battalion
                46th Antitank Battalion (SP)
                96th Artillery Regiment

        1ST PARACHUTE DIVISION
                1st, 3d, and 4th Parachute Infantry regiments
                1st Parachute Machine gun Battalion
                1st Parachute Antitank Battalion
                1st Parachute Artillery Regiment

        5TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION
                85th and 100th Mountain Infantry regiments
                85th Reconnaissance Battalion
                85th Antitank Battalion
                95th Mountain Artillery Regiment

        114TH LIGHT DIVISION
                72lst and 74lst Light regiments
                114th Reconnaissance Battalion
                114th Antitank Battalion
                661st Artillery Regiment

    Group Hauck
    Generalleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Hauck

        334TH INFANTRY DIVISION
                754th, 755th, and 756th Infantry regiments
                334th Fusilier Battalion
                334th Antitank Battalion (self-propelled)
                334th Artillery Regiment

        305TH INFANTRY DIVISION
                578th, 577th, and 578th Infantry regiments
                305th Fusilier Battalion
                305th Antitank Battalion (self-propelled)
                305th Artillery Regiment

    FOURTEENTH ARMY
    Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen

    I Parachute Corps
    General der Fallschirmtruppen Alfred Schlemm

        4TH PARACHUTE DIVISION
                10th, 11th, and 12th Parachute Infantry regiments
                4th Parachute ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Battalion (motorized)

        29TH PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION
                15th Panzer Grenadier Regiment (3 motorized battalions)
                71st Panzer Grenadier Regiment (3 motorized battalions)
                129th Panzer Assault Battalion (assault guns)
                129th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
                313th ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Battalion (motorized)
                29th Artillery Regiment (3 motorized battalions)

        65TH INFANTRY DIVISIONS
                145th, l46th, and 147th Infantry regiments
                165th Fusilier Battalion
                165th Antitank Battalion (motorized)
                165th Artillery Regiment (4 battalions, including 1 motorized)

        715TH INFANTRY DIVISION (MOTORIZED)
                725th and 735th Infantry regiments
                671st Artillery Regiment

        114TH JAGER DIVISION (Formerly 714th Infantry Division)
                721st & 741st Jager regiments
                661st Artillery Regiment
                114th Reconnaissance Battalion
                114th Antitank Battalion
                114th Engineer Battalion
                114th Signal Battalion

    LXXVI Panzer Corps
    General der Panzertruppen Traugott Herr

        3D PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION
                8th Panzer Grenadier Regiment (3 motorized battalions)
                29th Panzer Grenadier Regiment (3 motorized battalions)
                103d Panzer Battalion (assault guns)
                103d Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
                312th ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Battalion (motorized)
                3d Artillery Regiment (2 motorized battalions, 1 self-propelled battalion)

        26TH PANZER DIVISION
                9th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
                67th Regiment
                26th Panzer Regiment
                26th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
                304th ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Battalion (self-propelled)
                93rd Panzer Artillery Regiment (2 motorized battalion 1 self-propelled battalion)

        HERMAN GORING PARACHUTE PANZER DIVISION
                1st Parachute Panzer Grenadier Regiment (2 motorized battalion 1 mechanized battalion)
                2nd Parachute Panzer Grenadier Regiment (3 motorized battalions)
                Parachute Panzer Regiment H.G. (1 tank battalion, 1 assault gun battalion)
                Parachute Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion H.G.
                Parachute ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA Regiment H.G. (3 motorized battalions)

    INDEPENDENT REGIMENTS
            Infantry Lehr Regiment
            1027th Reinforced Panzer Grenadier Regiment (2 battalions)
            1028th Reinforced Panzer Grenadier Regiment (2 battalions)

    By February 16, the Fourteenth Army consisted of
                     2 Armored divisions
                     4 Infantry divisions
                     1 Motorized divisions
                     1 Parachute divisions
    Total         8 Divisions

    Including the independent units, there were 9 full divisions operating within Anzio beachhead by Feb 16.
    

ARMY GROUP C
Order of Battle
GOTHIC Line campaign
25th August 1944

    After the fall of Rome, the Germans pulled back into the natural defenses of the Appenine Mountains.  They were able to hold the Allied advance and prevent them from entering the Po Valley before the fall rains and winter came.  This is the organization of the Corps and Divisions during the fall of 1944.  The commander’s names are listed in (paranthesis).

    ARMY GROUP C
    (Kesselring)

    TENTH ARMY
    (von Vietinghoff)

        76TH PANZER CORPS  (Herr)
          1ST PARACHUTE DIVISION  (Heidrich)
          71ST INFANTRY DIVISION  (RAncient Astronautpke)
          5TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION  (Schrank)
          162ND INFANTRY DIVISION
          278TH INFANTRY DIVISION  (Hoppe)

        LI MOUNTAIN CORPS    (Feurstein)
          114TH JAEGER DIVISION  (Ehlhert)
          44TH INFANTRY DIVISION
          308TH INFANTRY DIVISION  (Hauck)
          334TH INFANTRY DIVISION  (Bohlke)
          715TH INFANTRY DIVISION

        ARMY RESERVE
          98TH INFANTRY DIVISION  (Reinhardt)

    FOURTEENTH ARMY
    (Lemelsen)

        I PARACHUTE CORPS
        356TH INFANTRY DIVISION (Faulenbach)
        4TH PARACHUTE DIVISION
        362TH INFANTRY DIVISION (Greiner)

        14TH PANZER CORPS
        (von Senger und Etterlin)
        26th PANZER DIVISION    (Crasemann)
        65TH INFANTRY DIVISION    (Pfeiffer)
        16TH SS PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION

        ARMY RESERVE
        29TH PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION   (Polack)
        20th LUFTWAFFE DIVISION      (Crisolli)

        Other Formations

        ARMY LIGUARIA
        Monte Rosa (Italian) Mountain Division
        42nd Jaeger Division
        San Marco (Italian) Infantry Division
        34th Infantry Division

        75TH CORPS (Italo-French frontier)
        148th Infantry Division
        90th Panzer Grenadier Division     (BAncient Astronautde)
        157th Mountain Division

        Adriatic Coast Command
        94th Infantry Division       (Steinmetz)
        188th Reserve Mountain Division

Spring Offense - 1945
By end of 1944, the Germans had 27 divisions in Italy, including the re-organized Italian units under their control.  But in the beginning of 1945, four divisions were pulled out of Italy:  356th, 710th, & 715th Infantry Divisions and the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division.  During this same period, just prior to the Spring Offensive, the Allies moved the 1st Canadian Corps to France in February.  However, by April the Allies had reinforced with more fresh troops from various countries.

So, just before the Spring Offensive, the total number of troops available were 24 normal German divisions and Marshal Graziani's Ligurian Army, consisting of 5 Italian Divisions.  Some divisions were placed in reserve and others, such as the Italians, were used to guard the coast and police the partisans.  The following units were in defensive positions at the front lines.

    Opposing the US 5th Army
    65th Infantry Division
    8th Mountain Division (was the 157th Mtn Div)
    94th Infantry Division
    344th Infantry Division
    114th Jaeger Division
    232nd Infantry Division
    Italia Infantry Division
    148th Infantry Division

    Opposing the British 8th Army
    162nd Infantry Division
    42nd Jaeger Infantry Division
    362nd Infantry Division
    98th Infantry Division
    26th Panzer Division
    4th Parachute Division
    278th Infantry Division
    1st Parachute  Division
    305th Infantry Division

    Mobile Reserve
    90th Panzer Grenadier Division
    24th SS Division

2 comments:

  1. Good material. The MTO is almost as ignored as the PTO. Apparently, there are a number of folks who seem to view it as a skirmish.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can you explain what "ANCIENT ASTRONAUTA" is? Did the Germans have aliens fighting for them? Or is it a mis-translation of an artillery unit?

    ReplyDelete