8th Panzer Division May 1940

[Whirlwind]

Does anyone which AFVs 8th Panzer Division had in May 1940?

And is there a good, detailed account of its activities, particularly from 19 May 40 – 26 May 40?

 

 

[Rod Robertson]

Whirlwind:

The 8th Pz Div started the Battle of France with a mixture of 58 Pz I B and Pz II C/D Lt tanks (most sources say all Pz II’s), 116-118 Pz 38(t) B/C Lt tanks (sources vary), 23 Pz IVD Med tanks and 15 assorted command tanks based on the Pz 1 chassis and Czech 38(t) chassis (some sources claim that all of 15 the command tanks were 38(t) based but others say that only 8 of the 15 were based on the Czech light tank chassis). These were divided into three battalions each with two light and one medium tank companies.

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=8th%20Panzer%20Division%20(Wehrmacht)&item_type=topic

and:

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/940GXPH.pdf

As to the operational history of the 8th Pz Div in France check out the Achtung Panzer or the Feldgrau websites or see the following book:

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

[MartinR]

I think you got your formation levels mixed up there Rod. 10th Panzer Regiment (8PD) had three light panzer battalions, each of two light companies and one medium company.

Medium panzer battalions were more of a mid-war thing, for battalions composed entirely of medium (Pz IV) companies.

Iirc the light companies were the standard 22 tank companies (HQ, three platoons of five Pz38 and one platoon of five PzII).

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Rod Robertson]

Rod Robertson wrote:

These were divided into three battalions each with two light and one medium tank companies.

Martin R.:

I think that’s what I said but maybe I was unclear? The division had the two battalions of the 10th Pz Regt and the 67 Pz Btn for a total of three batallions, no?

On a side note, maybe you can clear up something for me. The Nafziger TOE’s describe the company command vehicles of the light companies as having two Pz III’s instead of Pz 38(t)’s. This is not what I remember. I thought it was two Pz 38(t)’s for Coy HQ tanks and not Pz III’s in the 7th and 8th Division light tank company headquarters and two Pz 35(t)’s in light tank company HQ’s in the 6th Pz Division. I also was under the impression that the light tank companies had either 17 or 22 light tanks plus 5 or sometimes 6 Pz I B’s or Pz II C/D’s as a fourth or fifth platoon? The 22+5 tank companies I associate with Pz 35(t) and Pz 38(t) armed companies and the 17+5 companies with the Pz III armed companies of all other divisions.

My apologies if my post above was unclear.

Edit: Well, I guffed that up above. The 67 Pz Btn was not added until January of 1941. And the 10th Pz Regt had three batallions, not two. So still three batallions but all were subunits of the 10th Pz Regiment until the 67th was added on Jan. 1, 1941. Then the Division had four batallions of tanks.

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

[Rod Robertson]

Tim:

Thanks for clarifying the Pz II status for me. I will amend my nomenclature accordingly. Any ideas on the command tanks of the light companies?

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

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