Kampfgruppe Hauck

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Lupo Solitario
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Kampfgruppe Hauck

#1

Post by Lupo Solitario » 18 Dec 2017, 23:09

Hi

I'm looking for infos about composition of Kampfgruppe Hauck. This formation operated on eastern side of 10.Armee front in the first half of 1944 and was largely based on 305.ID but I'd like to know the exact OOB. More I'd like to know if it included armored units

Thanks for any help

Lupo

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#2

Post by Sheldrake » 19 Dec 2017, 02:41

According to the CAB history Group Hauk (under command GenLt. F. W. Hauck) reported direct to AOK 10 and had the following formations under command:-
305. ID: GR 576, 577 and 578
334. ID: GR 754, 755 and 756
There was some uncertainty about whether 114. JD (JR 721 & 741) was part of Group Hauck or LI. Geb.K.

There was no panzer units but there may have been some SP anti tank guns in the Panzerjäger battalions.

I also note that it is likely that there were detachments from these divisions
"The GR 576 and the II./AR 305 were used in the Cassino area near San Angelo on the Gari and Senger line near Pontecorvo."
http://www.balsi.de/Weltkrieg/Einheiten ... 305-ID.htm


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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#3

Post by Lupo Solitario » 19 Dec 2017, 21:11

ehmmmm, excuse me, CAB stands for....?

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#4

Post by Sheldrake » 19 Dec 2017, 21:33

Lupo Solitario wrote:ehmmmm, excuse me, CAB stands for....?
Committee of Imperial Defence, Historical Branch and Cabinet Office, Historical Section: War Histories: Draft Chapters and Narratives, Military.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.u ... /r/C628258

These are the classified narratives from which the official histories were written. It is what the British government understood happened not what they later told the public :)
It was written by Major F Jones with access to all the war diaries and message logs after WW2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Jones_(historian) It isn't 100% reliable with respect to German orbats. It missed the regimental sized battlegroup detached to the Gari front.

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#5

Post by jwsleser » 23 Dec 2017, 17:36

Saluto Lupo!

US Green Book Cassino to the Alps page 18 states
A composite Kamfpgruppe made up of a regimental group detached from the 305th Infantry Division and a regiment from the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division lay between the 71st Division and the Liri River.
This is in February 1944.

On page 232 it states
On the Adriatic flank another provisional corps, Group Hauck, controlled the 114th Jaeger and the 305th Infantry Divisions. Not yet hard pressed in that sector, these divisions could be expected to provide reinforcements to the sectors west of the Tiber.
This was June 1944. Of course this is larger than a kampfgruppe, but indicates that Hauck is no longer commanding a KG.

I'm afraid it is not much help .

Pista! Jeff
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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#6

Post by Sheldrake » 23 Dec 2017, 18:15

jwsleser wrote:Saluto Lupo!

US Green Book Cassino to the Alps page 18 states
A composite Kamfpgruppe made up of a regimental group detached from the 305th Infantry Division and a regiment from the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division lay between the 71st Division and the Liri River.
This is in February 1944.

On page 232 it states
On the Adriatic flank another provisional corps, Group Hauck, controlled the 114th Jaeger and the 305th Infantry Divisions. Not yet hard pressed in that sector, these divisions could be expected to provide reinforcements to the sectors west of the Tiber.
This was June 1944. Of course this is larger than a kampfgruppe, but indicates that Hauck is no longer commanding a KG.

I'm afraid it is not much help .

Pista! Jeff
The Germans used the term "Kampfgruppe" KG to refer to an organisation smaller than a division comprising a mixture of units (Regiments/ battalions or companies) - under the command of a named commander with an ad hoc staff from his own unit. It will be smaller than a division and will not have dedicated administrative and logistic units. The term "Gruppe" was used to refer to an ad hoc grouping of formations of at least divisional size with ad hoc command and control and logistic support. If it was a proper army corps or Army it would have the artillery logistic and communications units established for that level of command. Sometimes Gruppe's became armies once the supporting units were added. Thus Pz Gruppe West became 5th Panzer Armee

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#7

Post by jwsleser » 23 Dec 2017, 19:35

Interesting comment, but to whom are you addressing this bit of info?

As I fully understand the difference between a kampfgruppe and a gruppe, that is why I stated
Of course this is larger than a kampfgruppe, but indicates that Hauck is no longer commanding a KG.
If KG Hauck still existed in June 1944, it would not be called KG Hauck as General Huack now commanded a Gruppe. It is unlikely KG Hauck still existed.

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#8

Post by Sheldrake » 23 Dec 2017, 21:43

jwsleser wrote:Interesting comment, but to whom are you addressing this bit of info?

As I fully understand the difference between a kampfgruppe and a gruppe, that is why I stated
Of course this is larger than a kampfgruppe, but indicates that Hauck is no longer commanding a KG.
If KG Hauck still existed in June 1944, it would not be called KG Hauck as General Huack now commanded a Gruppe. It is unlikely KG Hauck still existed.

Pista! Jeff
Where does it say that this former KG was called KG Hauk? The two battalions of 305 ID deployed in the southern Liri valley was called KG Bode in May 1944 not Hauck.

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#9

Post by jwsleser » 23 Dec 2017, 22:06

Sheldrake
Where does it say that this former KG was called KG Hauk? The two battalions of 305 ID deployed in the southern Liri valley was called KG Bode in May 1944 not Hauck.
Thank you for that clarification. I now understand the issue you were trying to address.

Pista! Jeff
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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#10

Post by Lupo Solitario » 24 Dec 2017, 20:23

Ok thanks

some explanation: I'm trying to find which German and Allies units operated on ADRIATIC (eastern) side of Gustav Line in Winter-Spring 1944. It seems it was some sort of "forgotten front" and there are no many infos about it. It seems that KG Hauck (Hauck was formally CO of 305. ID) held the central part of the front in winter months. The KG seems having been formed by 305. and some unspecified mountain unit. As much as combat improved at Cassino, attention was driven there and Hauck became practically responsible of entire Sector. In some way, he had to took control of 334.ID and 114.JD too becoming practically an unofficial Corps command... BTW in some moment they sent a detachment on Cassino front, too....

I'm trying to make a bit of order...

PS Ciao Jeff! How do you do? Merry Christmas

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#11

Post by jwsleser » 24 Dec 2017, 20:34

Boun Natale Lupo! It is good to read your posts again. I wish you and your family a great Christmas!

Before Sheldrake cuts in and becomes upset, do you have a source that states (uses the term) KG Hauck? Sheldarke's point was that Hauck commanded a Gruppe, which is a corps/army level organization, not a KG which is a regimental/battalion organization (raggruppamento). It is an improper use of the term. If you have a source that specifically states 'KG Hauck', could you please cite it?

Let me look through my books and see what I have for the eastern side of peninsula.

Pista! Jeff
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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#12

Post by Lupo Solitario » 25 Dec 2017, 22:58

Jeff I gave a deeper look at sources. W.G.F. Jackson defines it simply a "Gruppe".

Looking at this Lagekarte, the correct definition seems to be KorpsGruppe

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#13

Post by jwsleser » 26 Dec 2017, 00:17

Salve Lupo

That does clear-up a lot. The unit you are trying to pin down is Gruppe Hauck, not a kampfgruppe. Sheldrake posts has some info, but as he stated there is some uncertainty of the complete organization of Gruppe Hauck.

The US and UK official histories agree that the 305th and 334th Infantry divisions were part of Hauck at some point of its existence. The US history also includes the 114th Jäger Division in Jan-Feb (ibid above pg 18), but only has the 305th and the 114th in May (ibid pg 232).

The UK history (The Mediterranean and Middle East vol. V) states that Hauck was only the 305th and one GJ battalion in December (pg 502). In January, the volume lists only the 305th (pg 586 fn 2), which again is restated on pg. 596.

I will quote the passage on page 596 as it can be interpreted in two ways.
The German 76th Panzer Corps held an opposing line from, roughly speaking, Torre Mucchia on the Adriatic coast to the neighborhood of Alfedena, 50 miles inland. 1st Parachute Division lay nearest the coast; then came 26th Panzer Division from Crecchio to Arielli; then 334th Infantry Division in the sector Orsogn-Guardiagrele; and then 305th Infantry Division (the ad hoc Korpsgruppe Hauck) in the sector Palena-Alfedena.
The challenge is how to read the semi-colon’s in this passage. The passage is listing the units of the 76th Pz Korps, yet Hauck is listed as part of the 76th. Is the 334th part of Hauck, or is Hauck merely a single division? If a single division, why is it a Korpsgruppo? I am sure there is an explanation, but I will not speculate.

Volume VI part 1 has Hauck with the 305th and the 334th in April (pg. 52), and again in May (pg. 69). This appears to be unchanged later in May (pgs. 127-128).

RE: 114th Jäger. The UK history vol V has the division in the Balkans with orders to Italy in Jan (pg. 586 fn 2 and 588). It was transferred to AOK 14 for operation against Anzio in February (pg. 664 and fn 1). In March it was transferred back to AOK 10 and assigned to the LI GJ Corps (pg. 762).

As you can read, the US and UK histories don’t agree on whether the 114th Jäger Division was with Hauck.

I hope this helps a little.

Pista! Jeff
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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#14

Post by MarkN » 26 Dec 2017, 18:32

Those unable to access a copy of the British and/or US official histories, the following - albeit far less detailed - may be of some interest.

The Allied Armies in Italy from 3 September 1943 to 12 December 1944,
by Field Marshal the Viscount Alexander of Tunis (former GOCiC, 15th Army Group)

Page 44 mentions Hauck Group for 11 May 1944 and it also appears in a couple of the orbats in the annexes.

Please also note references to 305. Inf-Div. Especially those where they refer to a regimental sized force separated from the division and Hauck Group.

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Regarding 114.Jag-Div.
The Division's surviving documentation is fragmentory for 1944. Nevertheless some documents remain and, without doing a line-by-line scrutiny of 2,000+ pages I have, I saw no mention of Hauck Group. Periodic reports covering February to July 1944 all seem to have been submitted to LI.GK. That does not of course preclude the possibility of 114.Jag-Div being subordinated to Hauck Group for temporary periods.

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Re: Kampfgruppe Hauck

#15

Post by Tom Gale » 31 Dec 2017, 23:25

The 90 plus pages MarkN has given us (thanks MarkN) can be found here in one pdf

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/iss ... 9/data.pdf

and if you go here

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/

there are shed loads of other useful documents. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY

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