Learning the Lehr: Panzergrenadiers in D-Day German Forces in Normandy, 1944
By Tom Burgess
The Panzer Lehr Panzer Division has been brought into the realm of Version 4 Flames of War with the new D-Day German Forces in Normandy, 1944 army book. The elite Lehr has always been a FoW favorite with its Panzergrenadier platoons beefed up with extra Panzerschreck teams. Now there is, even more, to look forward to for veteran and beginning Panzer Lehr players. As the Panzer Lehr’s Panzer Regiment was a fairly standard German Panzer formation, this article will focus on the infantry of the Lehr Division where it was far more unique.
The Panzer Lehr Division was formed out of instructional cadre and demonstration units. Notably, all four the Panzergrenadier battalions of division rode in SdKfz-251 half-tracks. In other divisions, including the SS, only the first battalion of the first regiment had half-tacks while the other three battalions rode in trucks. The Panzer Lehr Division also was one of their first to be equipped with the new Puma armored cars during the Normandy campaign it had 316th Remote Control Panzer company with Tiger tanks and Borgward tracked demolition carriers.
The Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadier company formation is organized almost the same as what we saw in the Fortress Europe Panzergrenadier formation. The differences are that the second mandatory unit of the formation can be an Armored Panzergrenadier platoon, dismounted Panzergrenadier platoon, or new the new Reconnaissance platoon. The 8cm mortar platoon and the 7.5 gun platoon can only take the half-tack mounted versions. The Anti-tank Platoon can only take the 7.5cm PaK -40 with the 5cm PaK-38 no longer being an option.
The main reason why Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadiers have been so popular is their ability to add three additional Panzerschreck teams. That ability is retained in the D-Day German books version of the platoon. The cost is the same for the HQ, full platoon, and reduced platoon as the Armored Panzergrenadiers from Fortress Europe. The unit no longer has the ability to take the 2.8cm anti-tank rifle, but for 2-points each, it can add up to three small based Panzerschreck teams. The 2-point “floating” Panzerfaust unit upgrade is also available.
Even though all of the Panzer Lehr’s Panzergrenadiers were armored and equipped with half-tracks, the D-Day German Forces in Normandy, 1944 book allows you to leave the half-tracks behind and save a few points per unit. As with the half-track equipped Panzergrenadiers, the dismounted Panzergrenadiers have the exact cost for the full and small platoon as they did in Fortress Europe and they have the same ability to add up to three small base Panzerschreck and miss out on the 2.8cm anti-tank rifle. As with the mounted platoon, the dismounted platoon also has the 2-point “floating” Panzerfaust unit upgrade.
What is new is the Reconnaissance platoon where each MG42 team rides in its own, smaller, SdKfz-250 half-track. This platoon will cost 14-points for seven MG42 teams and seven SdKfz-250’s or 11 points for five MG42 teams and five SdKfz-250s. The 2 point “floating” Panzerfaust unit upgrade is also available but this unit does not have the option to add those three small base Panzerschreck teams.
If the one Reconnaissance platoon is not enough for you, you can take an entire Reconnaissance company as a formation. This formation will allow you to take up to three Reconnaissance platoons with the last two of them being able to be swapped out with mounted ort dismounted Panzergrenadiers. The unit can also take two platoons of Pumas or SdKfz-250 scout platoons, an SdKfz-234 (7.5) platoon, a SdKfz-250 (8cm) mortar platoon, a Sdfz-250 (7.5) platoon, a SdKfz-251 (7.5) armored gun platoon, and a PaK-40 Ant-tank gun platoon. This formation can have 12 short 7.5cm vehicles and four Puma’s. That’s a lot of AT9 all as core formation units.
My ideal formation from D-Day Germans would be the Reconnaissance Company. Mine might like this:
HQ – 2 x SMG teams – 2 points
Recon Platoon – 7 x MG42, 7 x SdKfz-250, Panzerfaust upgrade – 16 points
Panzergrenadier Platoon – 7 x MG42, 3 x Panzerschreck, Panzerfaust upgrade -17 points
Panzergrenadier Platoon – 7 x MG42, 3 x Panzerschreck, Panzerfaust upgrade -17 points
Scout Troop – 1 x Sdkfz-250(MG) and 2 x SdKfz-250/9(2cm) – 3 points
Puma Platoon – 2 x Puma – 4 points
SdKfz-234(7.5) Platoon – 3 x SdKfz-234(7.5) – 6 points
SdKfz-250(7.5) Platoon – 3 x SdKfz-250(7.5) – 6 points
SdKfz-251(7.5) Platoon – 6 x SdKfz-251(7.5) – 9 points
SdKfz-250(8cm) Platoon – 3 x SdKfz-250(8cm) – 5 points
Tank-Hunter Platoon – 4 x 7.5cm PaK-40 – 15 points
Total 100 Points
These new infantry options the Panzer Lehr Division formations from D-Day German Forces in Normandy, 1944 will be very tough on the defense. If the player is careful, it’s going to take artillery bombardments a while to whittle these big units down. The multiple Panzerschrecks and “floating” Panzerfaust will really help keep enemy armor units from assaulting, and the MG42 teams and Half-tracks will provide more than shots to keep enemy infantry from moving in the open. These formations may just give real options to defensive-minded players.
Why do the Panzer Lehr panzer lists get Möbelwagen for SP AA when they had Flakpanzer 38 (t) in Normandy ?
As this article was about the Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadiers (901st and 902nd PzGren Regimnents) formations, the mobile AAA of the 130th Panzer Regiment is somewhat out of the article’s scope. We will address it nonetheless.
One might expect that the Panther and Panzer IV formations in the D-Day German Forces in Normandy, 1944 are representative for more the just the Panzer Lehr. In the mobile AAA slot, both the Mobelwagon and the SdKfz-10/4 can be used to help represent the majority of Panzer formations in Normandy. Fortunately for player who must have the Flakpanzer 38T to more accuratey depicted the 130th Panzer’s formations, there is a Command Card that upgrades the SdKz-10/4 to armored. This would be a good approximation of Flakpanzer 38T for many.
It might be that the answer to your question is flexibility for other Panzer formation representation. A bigger question might be why was the Panzer Lehr, being a more unique division, used as the “baseline” representation for Heer Panzer and Panzergrenadier formations in a Normandy book?
“A bigger question might be why was the Panzer Lehr, being a more unique division, used as the “baseline” representation for Heer Panzer and Panzergrenadier formations in a Normandy book ?”
Simples they can just use those as a base , then put in restrictions for other Divs , ie other Panzergrenadiers can only have a max of 2 PS teams ( like they did in V3 books like Atlantik Wall) on command cards .
Yet they have totally removed the Pz II Ausf L , so how can they do a proper 9. Pz Div Aufklärungsabteilung list ?
BTW only the 9. Pz Div Pz Coy got the Möbelwagen in Atlantik Wall , so they could have really just been a command card , unlike the Flakpanzer 38 (t) which was used by 7 Divs in Normandy .
Grest write up Tom. I’m super excited to get my hands on the new German D Day book, especially the Panzer Lehr formations! It’s been one of my ling time favorite lists.
Jon
Thank you Jon. I look forward to facing your Lehr formations.
I note that the SdKfz 250 has a cross of 4+ (the open day presentation pdf shows page 61 of the new book). Does the SdKfz 251 retain its MidWar cross of 3+?
Was their a difference in the ability of these two vehicles to navigate difficult terrain in favour of the larger one??
Yes. The SdKfz 251’s cross check is a 3+ in the D-Day Germans book.
I’m not sure, but it could be that the longer tracks of the SdKfz 251 generate less vehicle ground pressure than the short SdKfz 250 tracks. Or it could be a simple oversight. Someone with a lot more technical knowledge than I may have to wrestle that one.
Thank you Tom, great write up of my favorite Pz Lehr Formations.
Is there a command Card in for the early Pz Lehr Pz VI Königstiger in Normandy??
250 half-track has a shortened track so moving over obstacles would be harder, although going around them would, I think, be easier.
The recon unit option includes units from the division’s reconnaissance battalion. The heavy 234/3 would be from the recon battalion HQ & HQ Coy. The Puma would be 1st Coy with 22 of them. 2nd Coy would be 250 half-tracks – basically a panzergrenadier company with 2x the number of half-tracks; 3rd Coy is a 251 based Panzergrenadier company the same as in the PGR. 4th Coy is the heavy company with mortars, 6 251/9 and perhaps three towed Pak 40.
Ver 3 did not allow the 250/1 or 251/1 units in the Recon BN to perform reconnaissance. That wasn’t their mission or training. Their job was to operate as a Panzergrenadier company and probe for weak points in the enemy lines supporting the armored cars. The armored cars in the HQ and 1st Coy were the recon units. Strange they changed that.
Thanks for the information Mike. Keep in mind that the SdKfz-250 PzGren “Reconnaissance” platoon has neither Scout nor Spearhead. Their Transports have “Scout” so when mounted they are just a bit harder to hit when moving and not shooting in concealing terrain. I don’t this really turns then into true recon units without spearhead. It just makes them a tad more elite to me.