Panzergrenadier
Encyclopedia
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
term for motorised
Motorised infantry
In NATO and most other western countries, motorised infantry is infantry which is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers, infantry combat vehicles, or infantry fighting vehicles...
or mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
, as introduced during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
, Germany
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
and Switzerland.
Forerunners
The term Panzergrenadier was not adopted until 1942. Infantry in panzer divisions from 1937 onwards were known as Panzerschützen Regiments; they wore the same rose pink piping on their uniforms as the tank crews (with an "S" cypher that distinguished the Schützen from the tank and anti-tank units that also wore that colour). Soldiers in special Motorized Infantry units wore the standard white piping of the Infantry. In 1942, when Infantry Regiments were renamed as Grenadier Regiments by Hitler as a historical homage to Frederick the Great's Army, the Schützen regiments (and the soldiers in them) began to be redesignated as Panzergrenadier regiments, as did Motorized Infantry units and soldiers. Their WaffenfarbeWaffenfarbe
Waffenfarbe is a means the German military uses to distinguish between different corps or troop functions in its armed services...
was also changed from either white (in the case of Motorized Infantry) or rose pink to a meadow-green shade previously worn by motorcycle troops. Some units did not change over their designations and/or waffenfarbe accoutrements until 1943, and many veteran Panzerschützen ignored regulations and kept their rose-pink until the end of the war.
Panzergrenadier Units
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
s as well as the new divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
known as Panzergrenadier Divisions. Most of the Heer's
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
PzGren. divisions evolved via upgrades from ordinary infantry divisions, first to Motorized Infantry divisions and then to PzGren. divisions, retaining their numerical designation within the series for infantry divisions throughout the process. This included the 3rd, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 25th, and 29th divisions. Others, such as the Großdeutschland Division
Großdeutschland Division
The Großdeutschland Division was an elite Heer combat unit of the Wehrmacht. The Großdeutschland was considered to be the premier unit of the German Army and as such it was one of best-equipped unit of the German Armed Forces, receiving equipment before all other units.- Early history -...
, were built up over the course of the war by repeatedly augmenting the size of an elite regiment or battalion. The Waffen SS also created several PzGren. divisions by the same methods, or by creating new divisions from scratch later in the war. A number of PzGren. divisions in both the Heer
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
and Waffen SS were upgraded to Panzer divisions as the war progressed.
The Panzergrenadier divisions were organized as combined arms
Combined arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different branches of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects...
formations, usually with six battalions of truck-mounted infantry organized into either two or three regiments, a battalion of tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s, and an ordinary division's complement of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
units, combat engineers, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, and so forth. All these support elements would also be mechanized in a PzGren. division, though most of the artillery, anti-tank, and anti-aircraft elements were equipped with weapons towed by trucks rather than the relatively rare armored and self-propelled models. In practice the PzGren. divisions were often equipped with heavy assault gun
Assault gun
An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....
s rather than tanks, due to a chronic shortage of tanks throughout the German armed forces. A few elite units, on the other hand, might have the tanks plus a battalion of heavy assault guns for their anti-tank element, and armored carriers for some of their infantry battalions as well.
On paper a Panzergrenadier division had one tank battalion less than a Panzer division, but two more infantry battalions, and thus was almost as strong as a Panzer division, especially on the defensive. Of 226 panzergrenadier battalions in the whole of the German Army, Luftwaffe and Waffen SS in September 1943, only 26 were equipped with armoured half tracks, or just over 11 percent. The rest were equipped with trucks.
Missions and Concepts
In the BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
, Panzergrenadiere act as mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
and escort of armored vehicles and tanks.
According to the German central army regulation HDv 100/100 (State of 2000), the Panzergrenadiertruppe and their co-operation with other armoured troops is characterized as following:
According to the HDv 231/100, the fighting of a Panzergrenadier-Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
is characterized by the following aspects:
"Das Gefecht des Bataillons ist gekennzeichnet durch:
- die Verbindung von Feuer und Bewegung,
- den angriffsweisen Stoß im Verbund mit Kampfpanzern,
- den schnellen Wechsel der Kampfweise zwischen auf- und abgesessenem Kampf,
- das enge Zusammenwirken der auf- und abgesessenen Kräfte,
- das vor allem beweglich geführte Gefecht, [...]"
"The fighting of the battalion is characterized by:
- the combination of fire and movement,
- attacking in conjunction with main battle tanks,
- swift changes between mounted and dismounted combat,
- close cooperation between mounted and dismounted forces,
- the particularly mobile combat, [...]"
Bundeswehr Panzergrenadier units
Due to the transformation process of the Bundeswehr starting in 2002, the number of Panzergrenadier battalions is going to be reduced. An armoured brigade in the intervention forcesIntervention forces
The intervention forces are one of the three categories of force within the German Armed Forces or Bundeswehr, the others being stabilisation forces and support forces...
(Eingreifkräfte) will include one Panzergrenadier battalion, while Mechanized Brigades of the stabilization forces (Stabilisierungskräfte) will include two Panzergrenadier battalions. Panzergrenadier battalions typically consist of one headquarters company, three combat companies, and one additional training company. The German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
will be fielding eight active Panzergrenadier battalions:
- Battalions of the Intervention Forces (Eingreifkräfte):
- Panzergrenadier Demonstration Battalion 92 (Panzergrenadierlehrbataillon 92, MunsterMunster, Lower SaxonyMunster, also called Munster , is a small town in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany almost equidistant from Hamburg and Hanover. The town is home to the German Army's largest garrison and is situated between the two training areas of Munster North and Munster South. It is also...
) - Panzergrenadier Battalion 212 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 212, AugustdorfAugustdorfAugustdorf is a municipality in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has an area of 42.21 km² and c. 10,000 inhabitants.-External links:*...
)
- Panzergrenadier Demonstration Battalion 92 (Panzergrenadierlehrbataillon 92, Munster
- Battalions of the Stabilization Forces (Stabilisierungskräfte):
- Panzergrenadier Battalion 112 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 112, RegenRegenRegen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district of Regen.-Division of the town:Originally the town consisted of 4 districts, Bürgerholz, Grubhügel, Riedham and St...
) - Panzergrenadier Battalion 122 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 122, OberviechtachOberviechtachOberviechtach is a town in the district of Schwandorf, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 31 km southeast of Weiden in der Oberpfalz, and 27 km northeast of Schwandorf....
) - Panzergrenadier Battalion 371 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 371, Marienberg)
- Panzergrenadier Battalion 391 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 391, Bad SalzungenBad SalzungenBad Salzungen is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wartburgkreis district. It is situated on the river Werra, 5 km east of Tiefenort and 20 km south of Eisenach. Near the town, there's a Bundeswehr barrack, the Werratal-Kaserne, which was built in 1972 for the GDR Army....
) - Panzergrenadier Battalion 401 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 401, HagenowHagenowHagenow is a German town in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, 30 kilometers south of Schwerin...
) - Panzergrenadier Battalion 411 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 411, ViereckViereckViereck is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-History:Viereck was founded in 1748 in the course of the repopulation policy under King Frederick II, the Great, of Prussia...
)
- Panzergrenadier Battalion 112 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 112, Regen
- Additionally, in 2008 two inactive Panzergrenadier Battalions were formed:
- Panzergrenadier Battalion 908 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 908, Viereck) with Panzergrenadier Battalion 411 as supplying and maintaining unit
- Panzergrenadier Battalion 909 (Panzergrenadierbataillon 909, Marienberg) with Panzergrenadier Battalion 371 as supplying and maintaining unit
Training and development of the Panzergrenadiertruppe is usually performed by the Armoured Corps Training Centre
Armoured Corps Training Centre
The Armoured Corps Training Centre in Munster is one of the German Army's training centres with particular responsibility for the basic and continuation training of armoured troops, including the armoured and the mechanized infantry corps of the German Army...
(Ausbildungszentrum Panzertruppen) in Munster, its commander holding the rank of General der Panzertruppen. Some essential training courses, especially for urban warfare
Urban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
and fighting in forested terrain, are held at the Infanterieschule (Infantry School) at Hammelburg
Hammelburg
Hammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt...
.
Second World War equipment
The use of armoured half-trackHalf-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
s was exceedingly rare in the German Army, and even the elite Großdeutschland Division
Großdeutschland Division
The Großdeutschland Division was an elite Heer combat unit of the Wehrmacht. The Großdeutschland was considered to be the premier unit of the German Army and as such it was one of best-equipped unit of the German Armed Forces, receiving equipment before all other units.- Early history -...
, with two panzergrenadier regiments, only mustered a few companies' worth of the vehicles, generally SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
troop carriers. The vast majority of Schützen/Panzergrenadier soldiers were mounted in trucks. Additionally, vehicles in the early war period suffered from poor off-road performance.
In 1944 a couple of Panzer Divisions based in France had more than the standard one battalion mounted in SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
troop carriers. Panzer Lehr's infantry and engineers were entirely mounted in SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
troop carriers, while the 1st Battalion in both Panzergrenadier regiments in 2. Panzer Division and 21. Panzer Division were half-equipped with armoured halftracks (SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
troop carriers for 2. Panzer, U304(f) light armoured personnel carriers for 21. Panzer).
Austria
The two existing Panzergrenadier battalions of the Austrian Bundesheer use the armoured fighting vehicle Ulan.Germany
Marder (IFV)
The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere from the 1970s through the present day. Developed as part of the rebuilding of Germany's armoured fighting vehicle industry, the Marder has proven to be a successful and solid...
which is going to be replaced by the Puma IFV
Puma (IFV)
The Puma is a German infantry fighting vehicle, the mass production has started on the 6th July 2009. It will replace the aging Marder IFVs, from 2010 through 2020. Governing company is PSM Projekt System Management, a joint venture of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall Landsysteme. The Puma is...
beginning in 2010.
The G36
Heckler & Koch G36
The Heckler & Koch G36 is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch in Germany as a replacement for the 7.62mm G3 battle rifle. It was accepted into service with the Bundeswehr in 1997, replacing the G3...
assault rifle is the standard weapon of German infantrymen and also used by Panzergrenadier units. To fight armored vehicles or other hard targets the Panzerfaust 3
Panzerfaust 3
The Panzerfaust 3 is a modern and disposable recoilless RPG anti-tank weapon developed between 1978 and 1985 and put into service by the Bundeswehr in 1992...
rocket-propelled grenade and the MILAN
MILAN
MILAN " is French and German for "kite bird") is a European anti-tank guided missile. Design of the MILAN started in 1962. It was ready for trials in 1971, and was accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided SACLOS missile, which means the sight of the launch unit has to be aimed at the...
Anti-tank guided missile
Anti-tank guided missile
An anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....
are in use. The MILAN-ATGM is used by dismounted Panzergrenadier fireteam
Fireteam
A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. It is the smallest unit in the militaries that use it and is the primary unit upon which infantry organization is based in the British Army, Royal Air Force Regiment, Royal Marines, United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Air...
s (which consist of six soldiers due to the number of soldiers carried by the Marder and Puma IFVs), as well as attached to the Marder turret to provide the IFV with enhanced anti-armour capabilities. While the Marder IFVs are replaced by the Puma, the MILAN will similarly be replaced by the Spike
Spike (missile)
Spike is a fourth generation man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile with tandem-charged HEAT warhead, developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and in service with a number of nations....
-ATGM for mounted and dismounted use.
Each dismounted fireteam usually also deploys a MG3
Rheinmetall MG3
The MG3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 universal machine gun that fired the 7.92x57mm Mauser round....
machine gun
General purpose machine gun
A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...
.
As part of the Future Soldier
Future Soldier
Future Soldier is the overall name given to a multi-nation military project by the United States and its allies launched in the late 1990s. A Future Soldier is also a Soldier who has enlisted in the United States Military, but is delayed in shipping...
-program, the German Infanterist der Zukunft
IdZ
Infanterist der Zukunft is the German Bundeswehr's program as part of the Future Soldier project. It is a modular, integrated fighting system designed to provide significant lethality, survivability, mobility, battle command, and training to the German infantryman...
-program is also intended to be introduced into Panzergrenadier-units and is already deployed with German soldiers in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Switzerland
Combat Vehicle 90
The Combat Vehicle 90 or Stridsfordon 90 is a Swedish infantry fighting vehicle designed by Hägglunds where the first generation was fitted with a Bofors turret. It is currently produced by BAE Systems Hägglunds.-Background:...
infantry fighting vehicles from Hägglunds of Sweden. They are in use with Panzergrenadier troops.