The German Army Order of Battle 1939-1945: Ground Troops of the Army, Navy, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS, and Police

   This series, often referred to by the title on the dustjackets of the books, German Army 1933-1945: An Order of Battle, has been underway for several years but remains one of the lesser known parts of the line-up offered by Military Press. The publisher continues to add new titles to the series while at the same time preparing revised editions of some earlier titles, and the editorship of the books continues to evolve.
   The first five books in the series covered the German high command, army groups, armies, and corps. All five of those volumes are currently out of print pending revision. Beginning with volume six, each book began covering German infantry divisions. Of those, volumes six, seven, and eight were edited by Nick Terry and Lowry Cole. Volume nine, the most recent volume and the fourth one covering divisions, introduced well-known OB specialist Leo Niehorster as co-editor with Cole. Volume ten, we're told, is in preparation.
   Of the four books published so far on divisions, all take the same basic approach, but the first three also offer some additional material:

Volume six
Divisional staff: Command staff
Divisional staff: Quartermaster staff
Divisional staff: Adjutant staff
Divisional staff: Artillery

Volume seven
Origins and evolution of the infantry division
TOEs of infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht

Volume eight
The Waves of divisions
Recall of furlough divisions and creation of security divisions
Planned reorganization of the Army after Barbarossa
Losses and replacements on the Eastern Front, June 1941-March 1942
The field replacement battalions after July 1941
Disbandments

   Volumes six, seven, and eight all contain the same set of appendices:

Status of officers and other personnel in the German forces
German surnames
German titles
German army ranks

   All four volumes offer a color code chart for unit formation badges and an index of personal names.
   The heart of each book, however, comprises a sequence of approximately fifty divisional entries. Volume six includes 1st Infantry Division through 50th Infantry Division. Volume seven covers 52nd Infantry Division through 110th Infantry Division. Volume eight examines 111th Infantry Division through 199th Infantry Division. And volume nine details 203rd Infantry Division through 258th Infantry Division. Note that these four books include only infantry divisions, with panzer divisions, mountain divisions, etc still to come.
   All four of the divisional volumes contain more or less the same set of information for each division:

   Name of unit
   Years in existence
   Divisional symbol: Black and white sketch, with color code in the back of each volume.
   Narrative history: Ranging from a few paragraphs to a full page or more.
   Cited in Wehrmacht Communique: Giving date and which formation (sometimes a subordinate unit of the division).
   Commander: Chronological list of names and ranks of unit commanders with dates served.
   Operations Officer: Likewise, a chronological list of names and ranks of officers serving as divisional 1a with dates served.
   Footnotes: For many of the commanders and operations officers, further details are provided about their service and other positions held.
   Operational movements, superior formations, operational areas: A chronological table of the corps, army, army group, and theater to which the division was subordinated, the sector in which it was deployed, and the dates during which it served there.
   Divisional Troops: An extensive listing of the forming, comings, goings, reorganizations, redesignations, and deactivations of subordinate units.
   Notes: Miscellaneous remarks, including Wehrkreis and home station.
   Division's Knight's Cross Recipients: Alphabetical listing with name, rank, subordinate formation, date, and sometimes additional details. This section was not added to the divisional listing until volume nine, so the first three divisional volumes (1st Infantry Division through 199th Infantry Division) don't include this information.

   Here's an example of a short divisional listing from volume nine:

242. Infantry Division
(242. Infanterie-Division)
1943-1944

History
Constituted on 9 July 1943 at the Gross-Born Troop Training Grounds in Wehrkreis II as a static division by redesignated as the 298 Infantry Division, including recovered wounded from 209 Infantry Division, which had been disbanded. Sent to the West in August. In September was transferred to the South of France. The Division was located between Marseilles and Toulon with elements on the Hyeres Islands to defend that area from an invasion. The Division faced the US amphibious assault and fought a defensive battle in the area behind the beachheads at Pierrefeu, Collabrieres and Grimaud. Then it retreated through Le Luc, Brignoles and Pignans to Fortress Toulon, where it surrendered in late August 1944.

Commander
1943 Jul-1944 Aug: LtGen Baessier, Johannes¹

Operations Officer
1943 May: LtCol Blanke, Friedl²
1943 Dec: LtCol Leder
1944 Feb: Maj/LtCol Miltzow, Hermann³
1944 May-Aug: LtCol Blanke, Friedl

Footnotes
1. Previously Operations Officer 1 XVI Corps, CoS XI Corps, GoC 9 & 14 Pz Divisions. Died of wounds 1944.
2. Previously on Staff of 20 Mountain Army, also Operations Officer 344 Infantry Division.
3. Later Operations Officer with 344, 719 Divisions & 19 Volksgrenadier Division.

0perational Movements, Superior Formations, Operational Areas

	Corps	Army	Army Group	Theatre	Area
1943 Aug	organising			Germany
1943 Sep	in reserve		D	West	Southern France
1943 Oct	in reserve	19	D	West	Southern France
1943 Dec	Kneiss1	19	D	West	Toulon
1944 Apr-Jul	LXII	19	D	West	Toulon

Footnotes
1. Kniess - Corps Command GoC Gen (Inf) Kniess, retitled LXXXV Corps July 1944.

Divisional Troops
1943 Jul
Grenadier Regiment 917 - 3 battalions - 1-8 + 13, 14 & 15 Companies
Grenadier Regiment 918 - 3 battalions - 1-8 + 13, 14 & 15 Companies
Grenadier Regiment 919 - 3 battalions - 1-8 + 13, 14 & 15 Companies
Artillery Regiment 241 - 3 battalions
Reconnaissance Squadron 242
Antitank Squadron 242
Engineer Battalion 242 - 2 companies
Signals Battalion 242 - 2 companies
Divisional Services 242

1943 Sep
2 Battalion Artillery Regiment 242 became 2 Battalion Artillery Regiment 669 with 709 Infantry Division

Oct
Grenadier Regiment 919 transferred to 709 Infantry Division

Nov
Grenadier Regiment 765 transferred to Division - 1-8 + 13, 14 & 15 Companies
3 light and 2 heavy artillery battalions (with Italian equipment) were added to the Division, the Regiment now had 7 artillery battalions

1944 Mar
Artillery Regiment 242 reorganised into 4 battalions with 12 batteries
Field Replacement Battalion 242 organised

Apr
II/9 Armenian Field Battalion -ex 9 Infantry Division became 4 Battalion Grenadier Regiment 917 - Regiment now had 19 companies
I/198 Armenian Field Battalion -ex 198 Infantry Division became 4 Battalion Grenadier Regiment 918 - Regiment now had 19 companies
807 Azerbaidzhan Battalion Mohammedan Caucasian Legion became 4 Battalion Grenadier Regiment 765 - Regiment now had 19 companies

Oct
Division destroyed in debacle at Toulon
Signals Battalion 242 escaped the debacle at Toulon, became Signals Battalion 189 with 189 Infantry Division

Notes
Wehrkreis II. Replacement Infantry Battalion. Stargard
6 May 1944: Wehrkreis II. Replacement Infantry Battalion 222. Wismar

Division's Knight's Cross Recipients
LtCol Keil, Gunther. Award Date 27 June 1944. Commander 919 Grenadier Regiment
Capt Simoneit, Max. Award Dale 23 June 1944. Commander HQ Company 919 Grenadier Regiment

   So how do these divisional listings stack up to Tessin and Schmitz? In the first place, the series is written in English, unlike the German books. Beyond that, for infantry divisions, the Military Press series includes everything contained in the two German series, with the exception of the extensive maps found in the Schmitz books. (And of course, so far only the newest volume includes recipients of the Knight's Cross.) In short, speaking strictly of divisions, these volumes are a very attractive English-language alternative to Tessin and Schmitz.
   We highly recommend German Army 1933-1945: An Order of Battle and encourage Military Press to expedite production of the series. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from The Military Press.
   Thanks to Military Press for providing this review copy.