Let's Build: Panssaridivisioona (Finland)

[Marcus]

In an effort to improve and expand the unit histories on the site, we will be launching a new series of "Let's Build" threads.
The object is to pool our collective knowledge and reconstruct these units. No contribution is too small, no fact too obscure, order-of-Battles, equipment, manpower strength, high award holders, biographical information, photographs or combat reports, everything is welcome, just remember to mention the source of your information.

This thread is dedicated to information on Panssaridivisioona.

/Marcus

[Hanski]

To get into the right atmosphere for the task, I suggest you first see video clips of wartime documentaries and listen to a brass band playing the Parola March, the honourary march of the Finnish Armoured Troops.
(Parola is the traditional training base for the Finnish armour.)

To do it, follow these instructions:
1. go to the website http://www.panssariprikaati.fi/#
(if you need it, first load Flash Player from the button)
2. click Panssariprikaatin multimedia
3. click "Perinteet" on the right
4. from "Valitse osion esittelyvideo", click the button with the resolution and sound you like
5. enjoy!

There will be a narrative spoken in Finnish, and if you look around this website, you will find further video clips of the present day. All the texts and speech are in Finnish only.

Cheers,
Hanski

[daveh]

Sword of Scandinavia R Tarnstrom

The Finnish High Command decided to organize their various tank battalions into a larger mobile unit on 23/7/42

Pansaar Division

1 Jager Brigade:
1 m/c co.
3 sub mg bns.
1 pzjg bn:
3 co. of 6 stz tractors towing 45mm k/32 AT guns
Pansar Brigade:
I. II Tank bns.
3 tank co:
hq with 1 tank
3 tank platoons
5 T26, T28

Assault Gun bn.
3 co.:
3 platoons of 3 BT42 each

Artillery Regt.
2 light bn each of 3 batteries with 4 guns
1 medium bn. each of 3 batteries of 4 howitzers

Armoured AA battery
3 platoons of 2 ITPSV 40

Armoured signal co:
4 T37, T38


Equipment included 120 T26, 7 T28.

Based at Petrozavodsk, undertook training exercises along the western shore of L Onega,

Spring 1943 division was in reserve on the Aunus Front. The soviets demonstrated along the Syvari river. This included armoured units which were faced by the Assault Gun battalion. The BT 42 s proeved ineffective.
The soviets were forced back and the finns recovered 7 T34 and 2 KV 1 to which the germans added 3 T34 later.

1/6/43 Mannerheim requested 50 T34 s but was informed none were available. 30 StuG were promised which arrived 1/12/43 with german trainers.

After over a year on the Aunus Front was moved to the Viipuri plateau on 13/2/44

as well as its T26 s it had 10 T34 2 KV1 and by now a total of 59 StuG III. 15 Pz IVJ were delayed by Hitler's order of 19/4/44 to curtail arms shipments to the Finns.

Soviet launched its attack in Karelia 9/6/44. Soviet armour forced its way through the Finnish IV Corps. The Pansar division moved against the soviet armour on 12/6/44, its assault guns destroying 29 soviet tanks.

tbc

[Andy H]

Excuse my ignorance but is this the same Division that Glantz's refer's to as the Lagus Armoured Division?

Andy H

[Hanski]

Yes, it is indeed. I believe in one of the web pages mentioned above there is a portrait of Gen. Ruben Lagus, the first Knight of Mannerheim Cross.

To be precise, the correct spelling in Finnish is Panssaridivisioona (written as one word, with two o's).

Hanski

[Marcus]

Thanks Hanski, I'll correct it in my post above.

/Marcus

[Andy H]

http://www.warlinks.com/memories/hyry.htm

Though not directly linked to the Division he fought in the 1944 Soviet offensive and his experiances seem very vivid.

Andy H

PS: Thanks Hanski for the clarification

[Hanski]

Check this link for some of the most important equipment and history of the Panssaridivisioona:

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/sturmi1.html


Hanski

[Mek]

Hi everybody,

There's a very good page with information about Finnish world war 2 armour at

http://www.andreaslarka.net

Lots of nice pictures too.

-Pete

[Andreas Lärka]

Spring 1943 division was in reserve on the Aunus Front. The soviets demonstrated along the Syvari river. This included armoured units which were faced by the Assault Gun battalion. The BT 42 s proeved ineffective.

Actually the BT-42's were used against pillboxes and fortifications and was thought of as very useful.

The soviets were forced back and the finns recovered 7 T34 and 2 KV 1 to which the germans added 3 T34 later.

Finland captured 4 T-34's during 1941 - 1943. Another 3 was bought from Germany in 1944 and 2 were captured during the summer of 1944. The ones captured during 1944 were used for spare parts and never put into service.

30 StuG were promised which arrived 1/12/43 with german trainers.

The StuG's arrived in several batches and the initial training took place in Germany. No german trainers came to Finland.

as well as its T26 s it had 10 T34 2 KV1 and by now a total of 59 StuG III.

The last StuG's arrived in Finland in August 1944.

Best regards,

Andreas Lärka
Pornainen, Finland

[Andreas Lärka]

Check this link for some of the most important equipment and history of the Panssaridivisioona:
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/sturmi1.html
Hanski

I am not trying to sound like a "besserwisser", but there are some errors in Mr. Greens Sturmi-articles - including the model itself - that makes them quite risky to use as reference.

Andreas Lärka
Pornainen, Finland

[Hanski]

There is nothing wrong in being critical, and discussion is always welcome. I am certainly no expert myself. Would you like to specify the errors?

Cheers,
Hanski

[von Adler]

I am rebuildign the Viipuri 1944 scenario for Pg2 and have researched the Finnish OoB extensively:

PsPr/PsD
-Armoured regiment. 80 T-26, 3 T-34, 8 T-28, 2 KV-1.
Pst/PsPr/PsD
-Assault gun batallion of the armoured regiment. 18 BT-42.
JPr/PsD
-Jaakari (Jäger, Light Infantry) brigade. 4 batallions.
Pst/JPr/PsD
-AT batallion of the Jaakari brigade. Probably equipped with 12 75mm PaK40.
RaskP 14/-/PsD
-Heavy Artillery batallion 14, probably 12 150mm M/40 (15 sFH18) howitzers.
RynnTP/-/PsD
-Assault gun batallion of the armorued division. Around 23 StuG IIIGs.
ItPsv/-/-/PsD
-SPAA company of the armoured division. 6 Landsverk Anti AA self-propellered 40mm bofors guns.
PionP 2/-/PsD
-Engineer batallion of the armoured division

By the way, if anyone has more information and OoBs of the Viipuri and Inthala battles, especially for the Soviet forces, I would be most grateful to see it.

[Andreas Lärka]

Would you like to specify the errors?

There are some factual errors regarding the StuG's, the numbers, arrivals, modifications etc. Otherwise Mr. Greens article seems to be quite OK.
I have tried to write a more accurate article about the Finnish StuG's. The article is on my homepage, as mentioned by "Mek" a couple of posts above.

The model Mr. Green have built is a mish-mash of early war, late war and post-war features. The model as it is in the article could never have existed!
For example, you can't mix concrete reinforcements with the spare-wheel holders still in place. The concrete was added after the wooden logs had been attached to the sides of the fighting compartment.
The saukopf / topfblende was never added to an 1943 batch Sturmi, the spare track rails on the lower side of the hull is a post-war feature etc. etc. etc.
I have pointed out these things to Mr. Green - yes, I was polite - but apparently he haven't got the time (or will) to change his article.

Andreas Lärka
Pornainen, Finland

[JTV]

There are some Panssaridivisioona TO&E in my website:

http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/FORMATIONS4.htm

For Jaeger Battalions of Jaeger Brigade check:

http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/FORMATIONS6.htm

For at-gun companies of Panzer-Jaeger Battalion check:

http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/FORMATIONS7.htm

The at-gun companies of Panzer-Jaeger Battalion used A-20 Komsomolets for towing their guns and were the first unit to get 50 PstK/38 [5,0 cm Pak 38] guns at 1942. At 1943 they got also 75 PstK/40 [7,5 cm Pak 40] at-guns, but some of their at-gun companies kept using 50-mm at-guns until end of the war.

Heavy Artillery Battalion 14, which was the organic artillery-part of Panssaridivisioona had twelve 150 H 40 [15 cm sFH 18] howitzers, which were towed with 7-ton McGormick TD-14 bulldozers.