Company Officer's Handbook Of The German Army - All Gauge Page

COMBAT TEAMS 71
regiment, two tank battalions, two light-artillery batteries, two
batteries of 88-mm antiaircraft guns, one engineer company, and
two antitank com)panies. As in the infantry divisions, the Germans
do not hesitate to mingle, if necessary, the troops of more than one
division in organizing an infantry-tank team.
Despite differences in composition, most German combat teams
have three elements in common: assault, support, and holding elements.
However, teams formed for purely defensive missions may
lack the assault element.
When the situation allows adequate time for forming teams, they
are likely to be strong, well-balanced organizations. Teams formed
to meet sudden emergencies are improvised with less discrimination
and may lack self-sufficiency; in battle the quality of their performance
may reflect difficulties due to dispersion, attrition, and inability
to bring up adequate reinforcements or replacements.
28. COMBAT TEAMS IN SICILY
During the Sicilian Campaign the combat teams of the Hermann
G6ring Panzer Division included troops from the 15th Panzer-
Grenadier Division, the 1st Parachute Division, march battalions, 1
and Italian units. Sometimes two combat teams, though retaining
their separate identities, are grouped under a single commander.
The table in figure 58, page 73, shows the organization of the combat
teams of the Hermann Giiring Division on 16 July 1943. The changes
that occurred within 5 days are shown in figure 59, page 74, which is
a German chart dated 21 July 1943.
The German method of forming and reorganizing these teams is
demonstrated in the following excerpt from an order dated 16 July
1943:
Regrouping. The following will be brought up and employed as whole battalions:
923d Fortress Battalion to Combat Team Ohring, Oria Panzer-Grenadier Battalion
to Combat Team Hahm, Reggio Battalion to Combat Team Rebholz. Combat. Team
Fihrmann will be dissolved as soon as a second company of Oria Battalion arrives
at Combat Team Hahlm.
1 A march battalion (Marschbataillon) is a temporary organization used for
transferring replacements to a combat zone, but in emergencies the Germans have
sent march battalions into combat as units.