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I have been questioning the deployment of LMGs in the Pzgrndr TO&Es from WWII. It seems that all state that there are 2 LMGs (MG34 or MG42) per squad. On paper and in actuality that sounds good, but did they really always deploy 2? It seems that that is alot of ammo to carry. I know that the grenadiers are supposed to have organic vehicles but this was not always the case.
Would anybody have real info about this?

Lots of info here.
http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/Ger ... n_army.htm

Thanks Schäferhund
I've had that site for years I looking for info beyond TO&Es. For wargaming TO&Es are OK but I would like to know what was really used and info pertaining to it.
Thanks again

Pretty much what sfmac said... from what I've found the allotment was 2 MG's per section. I got curious as to whether the 2 MG's included the one mounted on the halftrack, but no, lorry borne squads have 2 as well.

The German squads were centered pn the LMG. Even if reduced in action they always kept their LMG's.

The Panzergrenadier squad had 2 LMG's since its birth. At this level the difference between armored and motorised units was the transportation only: an amroured halftrack or a wheeled transport. At start of the war the typical transport was the Protze (wheeled) which could carry only half a sqaud and there were few halftracks.

In any case "armoured" is often misleading. In the panzer division there was only one battalion on armoured halftrack The other battalions (3 or 5, dependeding if Heer or SS) were on trucks. One exception was the Panzer Lehr Division.

The difference in transportation influenced the place where the infantry went on foot in an assault but in defence it was less important and the firepower of 2 LMGs was preferable to the hevier load to carry.

piersyf wrote:I got curious as to whether the 2 MG's included the one mounted on the halftrack, but no, lorry borne squads have 2 as well.

My understanding is that the squad was allocated 2 LMGs, and the vehicle (the SdKfz 251) also had one LMG, allocated to the forward shielded mounting.

The expectation was that the vehicle's gun would continue to provide fire support after the squad had dismounted.

There was a second, unshielded high-angle LMG mounting in the rear of the vehicle. One of the squad's LMGs would often be mounted here, to provide AA defence on road marches. But this gun was one of the squad's guns, not the vehicle's gun. It dismounted with the squad, as it was not used for fire support in ground operations.

That, at least, is my understanding.

Oh, and HIYA JB!!! Gosh we missed you around here. Nice to have you back!

jb wrote:I have been questioning the deployment of LMGs in the Pzgrndr TO&Es from WWII. It seems that all state that there are 2 LMGs (MG34 or MG42) per squad. On paper and in actuality that sounds good, but did they really always deploy 2? It seems that that is alot of ammo to carry. I know that the grenadiers are supposed to have organic vehicles but this was not always the case.
Would anybody have real info about this?

What time frame(s) and division(s) are you interested in?

Tanker Mike

Mk 1 wrote:Oh, and HIYA JB!!! Gosh we missed you around here. Nice to have you back!

Thanks Mk1
Tanker mike, any and all...

Tanker mike, any and all...

Ah...well....that would take a lot of work. Be more specific and I will try to help. Pick a time frame and a division or two. I don't have that much info but I do have some

Tanker Mike

OK, How about for starters the 3rd Motorised Infantry and 16th panzer around August '42-January'43. Anything around the summer of '43 in the east would also be great.