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