NEW NOTES ON THE GERMAN ARMY. No.1 Armoured and Motorized Divisions. No.2 Chemical Warfare and Smoke No.3 Engineers.

This secret wartime War Office publication includes the set of three notes issued in 1942-43, dealing with the Wehrmacht’s armoured and motorised divisions, chemical and smoke units and engineers. They show by means of organisation charts and notes how the German Army organised these important combat units (engineers in the German Army were front line troops, not in support). The armoured and motorised infantry section gives details of the composition of the division, and also of its motorised reconnaissance unit, tank regiment, lorried infantry regiment, motor-cycle battalion, artillery regiment, anti-tank battalion and the divisional services, together with repair and workshop units. There is also a personnel and equipment table and a comparison between British and German armoured divisions.
The same treatment applies to the German motorised division, and there are notes on GHQ troops – the assault artillery, SP anti-tank, motorised anti-aircraft and Luftwaffe anti-aircraft units.
The second part of the publication looks at gas warfare and, more importantly the provision for smoke in the German Army. Engineers, the third section, looks in great detail at the infantry pioneers (combat engineers) as well as engineer units proper in the GHQ pool. There is also a wealth of detail on equipment: bridging, electrical and mechanical, anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacles, mines and mine detectors, demolition equipment, flame throwers and landing craft.
There are many organisation charts and weapons tables included throughout. As a ‘state of the art’ pamphlet this publication shows how the German Army was organised in 1942 and the equipment it had available.