3 November 1942 Part 7

3 November 1942 Army requests retained heavy weapons for an island reserve battalion

Date note: Army request of 3 November, following the corps objection already recorded on 28 October. Equipment requests are not evidence of delivery.

Seventh Army Headquarters. Ia No. 4791/42, secret command matter. Army Headquarters, 3 November 1942. Four copies; copy 4.

Reference: Commander-in-Chief West, Army Group D, Ia No. 3212/42, 18 October 1942.

Subject: Reorganisation of 319th Infantry Division and the fifteenth-wave divisions.

To Commander-in-Chief West, Army Group D Headquarters.

Under the referenced order, all heavy machine guns, light mortars and anti-tank rifles are to be removed from the Grenadier regiments of 319th Infantry Division and the fifteenth-wave divisions. Apart from heavy mortars, the infantry will therefore lack all heavy weapons for a counterattack or local counterthrusts.

Army Headquarters considers it necessary to equip at least one Grenadier battalion in each division so it can perform these tasks as a battalion held at the commander's disposal. For one Grenadier battalion in each of 319th, 709th and 716th Infantry Divisions, Army Headquarters requests:

Three heavy-machine-gun mounts per rifle company, twelve mounts per battalion; one small flamethrower per rifle company, four per battalion.

As the engineer battalions of these divisions must also be expected to serve as reserve battalions, the following additional armament is requested:

Each engineer company of 709th and 716th Infantry Divisions: three heavy-machine-gun mounts, six per engineer battalion.

Each engineer company of 319th Infantry Division: three heavy-machine-gun mounts, nine for Engineer Battalion 319; and one small flamethrower, three for Engineer Battalion 319.

For Army Headquarters, Chief of the General Staff: signed Sixt.

Distribution as amended: Commander-in-Chief West copy 1; Seventh Army Ia 2; Senior Quartermaster 3; Ia war diary 4. Corps information copies are struck out.

[These are requested equipment allocations, not confirmation of delivery.]

German Seventh Army records, T-312 Roll 1548. T312 Roll 1548 English translation REVIEWED EDITION 4.docx. Local source scans: 0871.jpg.