Armoured cars and support half tracks of the 116th Panzer Division in Normandy ?

[Barkman44]

So if anyone saw my previous post of what units had the Jagdpanzer IV in Normandy since I was trying to use it in a wargame called Bolt Action for a upcoming league. Decided to try and portray elements of the 116th panzer divisikn. This is some follow up questions on the lighter vehicles.

What armoured cars did the 116th panzer recon battalion use in Normandy ? I presume they didn't have the Sdkfz 234/2 at all. And would the panzergrenadiers have had access to the 251/9 half tracks armed with the 75mm L/24 gun.

[yantaylor]

I am sure that I read somewhere that the 116th Pz Recce Bn had the following;

13 x Sd.Kfz 234/1s
3 x Sd.Kfz 234/3s

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

The 1 June report is really difficult to read, but the half-tracked battalion is listed as having 75 mm guns in each company.

The tank destroyer battalion had six assault guns, three self-propelled 76.2 mm anti-tank guns and three self-propelled 75 mm anti-tank guns.

The reconnaissance battalion had several wheeled, armored cars (can't tell the armament, but it looks like two different types of guns in addition to the machine guns) in its headquarters company, three half-tracked infantry companies (one of which had six 75 mm guns and another two 75 mm guns), as well as a half-tracked reconnaissance company (with two machine guns and one heavy gun of some king - probably two le S P W).

[spannermann]

hI,

As the information quoted above is from a Gliederung of the 1st June 44, it should be noted that at this date the 116 Pz Div is still in the process of forming up, and was not to see action for approx another 7 weeks (late July 44).

Consequently much could change as regards their vehicle content in that time.

The Aufkl Abt described is very much a Type 44 OOB, with the wheeled armoured cars in the Stab Kompanie, the 1st kompanie with Sdkfz 250/9 and /3 or /5, the 2nd and 3rd kompanie with 250's and likely to include the 250/8, which explains the "7,5 kanone" vertical arrow sign. The 4th Heavy Kompanie would be equipped with various SdKfz 251 SPW, six of them very likely the 251/9, again explaining the "7,5 Kanone" vertical arrow sign.

All quite normal vehicle types and quantities for a Type 44 Pz Aufkl Abt.

A 250/9 ausf B, tactically numbered 146 is a well known vehicle in photographs, unfortunately ther are few others of this unit.

cheers leonard paul

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

Sadly, the 1 August report is missing for the 116. Panzer-Division. The 1 July report is virtually identical.

[Alanmccoubrey]

Page 15 of this thread shows the 116 PD as having received its full armoured car company's worth of 13 x 234/1 and 3 x 234/3 in June 1944, confirming what yantaylor said.

http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic ... 1f0b1d96dc

[Alanmccoubrey]

And this thread shows the division being issued the vehicles for its Pz.Späh-Kp. c in May/June 1944.

http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28700