Sam Wren wrote:Olá e Feliz Natal Rui!
Unfortunately, the published Gliederungen were not always (and perhaps rarely) absolutely accurate and/or complete, at least those related to the units that fought in Normandy that I have studied. There are omissions of vehicles/weapons that were known to exist (photographic evidence) and inclusions of weapons/vehicles that did not exist (or at least should not have).
In the case of 21.PD, the Raketenwerfer (Vielfachwerfer) - Somua MCL halftracks with an armored, enclosed body with rocket launchers on top simliar to the Panzerwerfer 42 - are known to exist due to Becker's records (as published in Spielberger's book), due to photographic records and due to 21.PD records, but they are not included in the Gliederungen. While I don't know if the number that were incorporated in 21.PD is recorded anywhere (I am away from home, at my parents' house for Christmas), the photographic and archival records indicate that there was a Zug of these records attached to the Stab of SturmGeschutz-Abteilung 200. There is no record of them being included in Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 155.
The Gliederungen of the 21.PD includes a special symbol for the Reihenwerfers, which were Somua halftracks with an open backs in which were mounted a double row (from whence the name comes - Reihen being German for "row") of French Brantdt 81mm (approx) mortars. There were two versions: the Somua MCG was used with two rows of 8 tubes (total 16 mortar tubes) and the Somua MCL, which had a stronger chassis and motor, was used for the heavier load of two rows of 10 tubes (total of 20 tubes). The lighter Reihenwerfers (MCG chassis, 16 tubes) were included in the Panzergrenadier-Regiments while the heavier (MCL chassis, 20 tubes) were used to equip the 10./Pz.Art.Rgt. 155 (if I recall correctly). It is very frequently and incorrectly published that these Reihenwerfers in 10./Pz.Art.Rgt. 155 were Raketenwerfers, but the Gliederungen and other primary sources clearly do not support this but, rather, contradict it.
As far as the various support vehicles that were created on the Renault UE and Lorraine chassis, I don't think we will ever find out for sure any absolute numbers, but I know that Niels Henkemans is working on the UE Wurfrahmen mystery. I though I had solved it for him but it turns out that I did not read the report correctly and it turns out that it was referring to Renault UEs towing Werfers rather than having them mounted directly onto the vehicle. Sigh.
Obrigado, Sam. Espero que tenhas tido um Feliz Natal e boas entradas no Novo Ano, Sam (Thanks, Sam. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a good start in the New Year)
In a photo, we have in the Walter Spielberger's book ("
Beute-Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der deutschen Wehrmacht", page 89), a Raketenwerfer with the tactical symbol of Stab/Stug Abt., with Major Becker in StuG uniform near Rommel. We know that Major Becker, was given the command of the StuG.Abt. 200 in the summer of 1943, by Edgar Feuchtinger, the commander of the unit
Schnelle Division West (the predecessor of the 21. PD). In "
Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck", is mentioned that Becker provided the division with rocket carrying armoured half-tracks, (could be any kind of unit, we only know that, at least one of these vehicles existed, and had one time, the tactical symbol, representing that it belonged to Stab of StuG.Abt.).
Accordingly with, the 2004 book of Karl Hoffman, "
Erwin Rommel", on 21 November 1943, Rommel and Army Group B moved to Normandy in France with responsibility for defending the French coast against the long anticipated Allied invasion. And with the photographic evidences (
Das Bundesarchiv), of the presence of Rommel, in
Riva-Bella, (north of Caen in the area that would become Sword Beach), in May 1944, inspecting the 21.PD and observing the artillery exercises.
So we can conclude that the photo of a Raketenwerfer with the tactical symbol of Stab/Stug Abt., with Major Becker in StuG uniform near Rommel, is after November 1943 and before 06.June.1944. And that vehicles, don't have winter camouflage, we can assume that photos we taken in the Spring 1944. Specially to the photos, that have a
7,5 cm PaK40(Sf) auf Geschützwagen 39H(f) (Bild 101I-300-1865-05)
and a
10,5 cm leFH18(Sf) auf Geschützwagen 39H(f) (Bild 101I-300-1865-06), of the 21.PD, with tactical symbol of the 1./StuGAbt. 200.
Would the great to know the number of the series of the photos used by Spielberger in his book, using the
Das Bundesarchiv, we could narrow the window of time, when they were taken.
Photos from
Das Bundesarchiv in larger dimensions and without watermark (the links are from Wikipedia):
Bild 101 I - Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht - Heer und Luftwaffe
Propaganda Unit: PK 698
Photographer:
Speck
Signature:
Bild 101I-300-1863-04 - Rommel in Riva-Bella
Bild 101I-300-1863-07 - Riva-Bella
Bild 101I-300-1863-09 - Rommel and other officers
Bild 101I-300-1863-14 - Reihenwerfer 20 mortar tubes
Bild 101I-300-1863-15 - Reihenwerfer 20 mortar tubes
Bild 101I-300-1863-17 - Reihenwerfer
Bild 101I-300-1863-18 - Raketenwerfer 24 Rockets rails (48 rockets)
Bild 101I-300-1863-21 - Rommel, Feuchtinger, Dollmann
Bild 101I-300-1863-26 - Rommel in Riva-Bella
Bild 101I-300-1863-29 - Rommel in Riva-Bella
Bild 101I-300-1863-30 - Raketenwerfer 24 Rockets rails (48 rockets)
Bild 101I-300-1863-33A - Rommel in Riva-Bella, and a Raketenwerfer 24 Rockets rails (48 rockets)
Bild 101I-300-1863-35 - Rommel in Riva-Bella, and a Raketenwerfer 24 Rockets rails (48 rockets)
Bild 101I-300-1865-04 - Rouen, 18. 5.1944, 10,5 cm leFH18(Sf) auf Geschützwagen 39H(f) (Hotchkiss tank), 21. PD
Bild 101I-300-1865-05 - Rouen, 18. 5.1944, 7,5 cm PaK40(Sf) auf Geschützwagen 39H(f) (Hotchkiss tank), 1./StuGAbt. 200, 21. PD
Bild 101I-300-1865-06 - Rouen, 18. 5.1944, 10,5 cm leFH18(Sf) auf Geschützwagen 39H(f) (Hotchkiss tank), 1./StuGAbt. 200, 21. PD
Bild 101I-300-1865-08 - Rouen, 18. 5.1944, Armored Half-track, 21. PD
Bild 101I-300-1865-09 - Rouen, 18. 5.1944, Armored Half-track, 21. PD
It is "logical" that, the ReihenWerfers were allocated to the Pz.Gren. units, in the end they were SP Multiple Mortar launchers, a heavy infantry support weapon, mounted on half-track vechicles. Using the same "logic thinking", a SP Multi Rocket launcher, could be part of an assault unit like a StuG unit or in an artillery unit, as saturation fire artillery asset.
