Kharkov 1942 – German Order of Battle

Next up in my grand scheme to refight the whole of the Battle of Kharkov 1942, on a table using Megablitz, is the historical German order of battle.


Soviet perceptions of German strength

The Soviets underestimated the German order of battle. At the beginning of May the Southwestern Front headquarters thought that the German Sixth Army had these formations operating against them:

  • 12 x infantry divisions
  • 1 x panzer division
  • 10 x medium-calibre artillery regiments
  • 2 x heavy-calibre artillery regiments

Southern Front headquarters thought the the Germans had these formations operating against them:

  • Front line:
    • 24 x infantry divisions
    • 3 x panzers divisions
    • 2 x motorised divisions
  • In operational reserve:
    • 6 or 7 x infantry divisions
    • 1 x panzer division
    • 1 x motorised division

By 11 May 1942 these estimates were very out dated.


Sixth Army

By 11th May Sixth Army had 15 infantry divisions and two panzer divisions operating against Southwestern Front.

Sixth Army

  • XXIX Army Corps – on left of Sixth army from Pselets to Belgorod
    • 57th Infantry Division
    • 168th Infantry Division
    • 75th Infantry Division
  • XVII Army Corps – from Maslova Pristan’ to Peschanoe
    • 79th Infantry Division
    • 294th Infantry Division
    • 1 x Regiment of 71st Infantry Division
  • LI Army Corps – from Pechenegi through Balakleia to Cherkasskii Bishkin, and main forces defending the Chuguev bridgehead
    • 297th Infantry Division
    • 44th Infantry Division
  • VIII Army Corps
    • on Krasnograd axis
      • Hungarian 108th Light Infantry Division
      • German 62nd Infantry Division
      • German 454th Security Division
    • German 113th Infantry Division – in Berestovaia, Kazachii Maidan and Andreevka region
    • Units of Romanian 4th Infantry Division of Romanian VI Army Corps of Seventeenth Army- from Mironovka to Pokrovskoe
  • In Kharkov
    • 3rd Panzer Division
    • 23rd Panzer Division
    • Units of 71st Infantry Division – one regiment with XVII Army Corps and two regiments marching to Balakleia region
  • 305th Infantry Division – approaching Kharkov

Seventh Army and Panzer Group Kleist

The German forces facing the Southern Front consisted of 24 infantry divisions, three panzer divisions, five motorised divisions and two cavalry divisions (34 total). Divisions were at 70-80% of authorised levels so each infantry division had 12-13,000 men.

Seventh Army and Panzer Group Kleist

  • On security service on northern coast of Sea of Azov, from Osipenko to Taganrog
    • Romanian 5th Cavalry Division
    • Romanian 6th Cavalry Division
  • defending western bank of the Mius River from Taganrog Estuary to Debaltsevo
    • XIV Motorised Corps
      • ‘Adolf Hitler’ SS Motorised Division
      • ‘Viking’ SS Motorised Division
      • 13th Tank Division
      • 1 x Slovak Motorised Division
      • 1 x Italian Motorised Corp
        • 3 x Italian Motorised Division
    • XXXXIX Mountain-Rifle Corps
      • 73rd Infantry Division
      • 125th Infantry Division
      • 198th Infantry Division
      • 4th Mountain-Rifle Division
  • defending from Debaltsevo to Bondari
    • LII Army Corps
      • 111th Infantry Division
      • 9th Infantry Division
    • IV Army Corps
      • 94th Infantry Division
      • 76th Infantry Division
  • XXXXIV Army Corps – defending from Bondari through Maiaki to Varvarovka
    • 295th Infantry Division
    • 257th Infantry Division
    • 97th Light Infantry Division
    • 1 x Regiment of 68th Infantry Division
  • III Motorised Corps – defending from Varvarovka through Aleksandrovka to Vishnevyi.
    • 100th Light Infantry Division
    • 60th Motorised Division
    • 1st Mountain-Rifle Divisioin
  • Romanian VI Army Corps – defending from Vishnevyi through Petrovka to east of Sakhnovshchina in front of the uncture between Southern and Soutwestern Fronts
    • German 68th Infantry Division
    • Romanian 1st Infantry Division
    • Romanian 2nd Infantry Division
    • German 298th Infantry Division – one regiment in front of Southwestern Front
    • Romanian 4th Infantry Division – in front of Southwestern Front
  • Operational reserve facing the southern face of the Barvenkovo salient
    • German 389th Infantry Division – one regiment reinforced LII Army Corps
    • German 384th Infantry Division – two regiments reinforced XXXXIV Army Corps
    • German 101st Light Infantry Division
    • Romanian 20th Infantry Division
    • German 16th Panzer Division

Typical German Tables of Organisation and Equipment in 1942

German Infantry Division

German Infantry Division

  • 3 x Infantry Regiment
    • 3 x Infantry Battalion
      • 3 x Infantry Company
      • 1 x Machine gun or Heavy Weapons Company
    • 1 x Artillery Company
    • 1 x Engineer Battalion
  • 1 x Repair
  • 1 x Recce Battalion
  • 1 x Signal Battalion
  • 1 x Transport
  • 1 x Antitank Battalion
  • 1 x Medical
  • 1 x Engineer Battalion
  • 1 x Suppy
  • 1 x Artillery Regiment
    • 3 x Artillery Battalion
      • 3 x Artillery Battery
        • 4 x 105mm Howitzers
    • 1 x Artillery Battalion
      • 3 x Artillery Battery
        • 4 x 150mm Howitzers

Panzer Division

Panzer Division

  • 1 x Panzer Regiment
    • 3 x Panzer Battalion
  • 2 x Panzer Grenadier Regiment
    • 3 x Motorised Battalion
      • 3 x Infantry Company
      • 1 x Machine gun or heavy weapons company
    • 1 x Motorised Artillery Company
    • 1 x Engineer Battalion
  • 1 x Motorcycle Battalion
  • 1 x Motorised Recce Battalion
  • 1 x Panzer Artillery Regiment
    • 2 x Artillery Battalion
      • 4 x 105mm Howitzer1
    • 1 x Artillery Battalion
      • 4 x 150mm Howitzer1
  • 1 x Transport
  • 1 x Supply
  • 1 x Medical

Notes:
(1) I believe this is a typo and the Artillery Regiment probably resembled that in the Infantry Division with battalions of three batteries of four guns.


References

Glantz, D. M. (1998). Kharkov 1942: Anatomy of a military disaster through Soviet eyes. Ian Allan.

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