From Hilary Doyle in an email dated 30 April 2009: Panzerwrecks 8, Page 82/83 caption –  Your tentative identification of a Sd.Kfz.251/2  turns out to be correct – but you are lucky as the missing Panzerschild and mount is definitely not a reliable identifier on its own.  I have scanned the picture on page 83 and outlined the definitive identifier – the special base for mounting the 8cm Gr.Wr.34.  I had no space include a drawings of this mount in the Panzer Tracts No.15-3 in the Sd.Kfz.251/2 but I did get them in to PT 15-1 on the SdKfz.250/7.

Normandy · Operation Cobra · Panzer-Lehr-Division · Sd.Kfz.251/2

Back in December of 2007, we received a letter from drs NCHM Heitman regarding various German AFVs identified as being in the Netherlands. Parts of his letter are reproduced here for the benefit of our readers:

“After having greatly enjoyed the 5 Volumes (so far) in the Panzerwrecks series I feel I should react to several photos and their captions regarding armoured and other vehicles in the Netherlands in May 1945. I will first list the pages of the various Panzerwrecks volume, alongside the contents of photo and/or caption. Then I will give some remarks.

Panzerwrecks Volume 1: Pages 42-47, showing vehicles in a dump in Utrecht. Marder III, Sherman (2 types), PzKpfw III N are shown amongst others, captions give as formations the I./PzJagAbt 346, 346 Infantry Division, and for the Shermans the Pz.Kp 224.

Panzerwrecks Volume 3 pages 60-61: shown are Renault R35 tanks near Rotterdam.

Panzerwrecks Volume 4, page 80: Marder III, Bergepanzer III (with transmission as cargo), 1 PzKpfw III N.
Page 82: 1 StuG III (kurzrohr) and 2 StuG III (L/48). In total visible are 5 PzKpfw III N. Page 82 also shows 2 Sfl Flak 2 cm, and a number Kettenkrad.

Panzerwrecks Volume 5 pages 18-19: shows 3 Shermans (two types) in German service.
Page 20 shows Zgkw, Marder III M and Mun Pz II amongst others.

Armoured vehicles are somewhat of a rarity in the Netherlands in May 1945, and most were concentrated in the 346. Infanterie Division.

The “Ist-Kriegsgliederung” of May 8, 1945, 1200 hour, shows that PzJagAbt 346 had the following composition:
-Staff
-StabsKompanie,
-Panzer-Aufklaerungszug (arm. Recce platoon)
-1.Kompanie
-2.(Sturmgeschutz) Kompanie
-3.(Panzer) Kompanie

The Armoured Recce Platoon has 5 wheeled armoured recce vehicles equipped with 2 cm guns (type not given). In the 1./PzJagAbt 346 are 4 drawn Pak-guns, alongside 6 self-propelled 2 cm Flak vehicles. The 2.(StuG)/PzJgAbt 346 holds 3 Sturmgeschuetze and 1 x 7.5cm PAK(sf). The 3.(Panzer)PzJagAbt 346 holds 5 PzKpfw III and 3 Sherman tanks.

The weapons overview (9.5.45) give the following within PzJagAbt 346:
-6 x 2cm Flak
-5 x Pak 40
-2 x 7.5cm StuKa L/48
-6 x 7.5cm StuKa L/24
-1 x 7.62cm Sherman
-2 x 7.5cm Sherman

The overview of general equipment (9.5.45) gives for the PzJgAbt 346 (Vehicles only)
-13 x Panjewagen und Landesublich (Horsedrawn vehicles)
-1 x gr. Feldkuchen (large fieldkitchen)
-1 x kl. Feldkuchen (small fieldkitchen)

The overview for the vehicles and equipment and fuels/oils (9.5.45) gives for the various subunits of the PzJgAbt 346 the following:
-Stab: 14 Kraeder (14 mc’s), 1 Kettenkrad, 23 Pkw, 1 KrKw (medical
vehicle/ambulance), 15 Lkw (trucks) and 6.PzSp.Wg
(Panzerspaehwagen=arm.recce vehicle)

-1(MotZ)Mp: 6 Kraeder, 1 Kettenkrd, 7 Pkw, 7 MTW
(Mannschaftstransportwagen, troop carrier), 13 Lkw, 1 Maultier, 1
Zgkw.sf. 2 cm, 3 Anhaenger 1-achs (single axle trailer), 1 Pkw.Gen
(Generator Pkw). 3 Lkw Gen (Generator Truck)
-2.Komp: 4 Kraeder, 8 Pkw, 14 Lkw, 1 Maultier, 2 x Kettenkrad, 3
Panzer(sturmgeschuetz), 1 Bergepanzer, 1 SF 7.5 cm PAK (also listed
Getriebe (transmission) fuer Pz III, 1 Motor for Pz III.

-3.Komp: 4 Kraeder, 6 Pkw, 3 MTW, 10 Lkw, 1 ZgKw (Zugkrftwgen), 5
PzKpfw III, 3 PzKpfw Sherman.

If one carefully looks at the data contained in these lists the following picture emerges:
The Marder III shown in the various pictures is indeed in the 1./PzJag Bat 346. The 2 StuKa 1/48 are the 2 longbarrelled StuG’s shown in PzWrecks 4. The 6 StuKa L/24 are in 1 StuG Kurzrohr (PW Vol 4) and the 5 PzKpfw III.
Perhaps you noted the inclusion of both the transmissions and engine in the overview of the 2.Kp. The picture of the Bergepanzer III shows clearly the Transmission (the same?????)
The Flak Sf in the picture are probably from the 1.Kp and so on.
The 3 Shermans are definitely from the 3.Kp as no other Shermans are reported in the various list for the other formations, in fact only a very few (mainly ex-French AFV’s) are listed.
So one strange vehicle remains, the Mun Pz II in the various pictures. As this is not listed within the 346 Inf Div, or within the various formations attached to it, it is probably from another formation.
The only formation which lists an armoured vehicle, not identified as a tank, is the Stab der Kuestenverteidigungsabschnitt Sued (20.Fallschirmjaegerdivision), which lists a Panzerfahrgestell in its inventory. Whether or not this is the Mun Pz II is unknown to me.

The Renault R-35 shown in PzWrecks 3 are also very interesting. As I had stated before, information on the vehicles in the Netherlands in May 45 is fairly well known to me. A logical candidate for the ownership of these Renault R-35 tanks is the Kampfkommandant Rotterdam (battle commander Rotterdam) which listed 6 Panzer mit je 1 3.7 cm Kanone und 1 MG (6 tanks with each a 3.7 cm gun and 1 machine gun) on 8.5.45.
This is a logical candidate as the troops of the Kampfkommandant Rotterdam were to assemble/concentrate in an area southeast of Rotterdam (Formations include III.Batillon/Sicherungsregiment 26, 7th and 8th Company of Festungsstamm truppen LXXXVIII).

The other candidate, which I feel is illogical, is the Kampfkommandant Amsterdam, which lists 8 French Tanks (1 x 4.7 cm gun, 7 x 3.7 cm gun, 1 Tank of 18 Ton, 4 tanks of 12 tons, and 3 of 10 tons, alongside 2 Pzspaehwagen und 2 armoured Raupenschlepper). These troops were to concentrate Ijmuiden and therefore should not be near Rotterdam.

So much for now.”

Many thanks to Mr Heitman for sharing this information with us. On page 80 of Panzerwrecks 4, we managed to incorrectly give the location as Armsfoot, it should read Amersfoort. That taught us not to copy the locations from the photo caption …

Amersfoort · Beute · Netherlands · Pz.Jg.Abt.346 · Sherman · Surrender

Here is another shot of the Panther turrets at the MNH factory taken by a USAF stills cameraman that did not make the final cut for Panzerwrecks X.

Photo: NARA

Factory · MNH · Panther turret

We received a message from David. R. Roy pointing out what should have been obvious to us; that the Panzer IV/70(V) on page 2 is actually a Befehlswagen. If the tactical number of ‘201′ (a company commander’s vehicle) did not give it away, it should have been the extra antenna mount clearly visible on the engine deck. Regular Pz.IV/70(V)s were fitted with an antenna mount on the right side of the engine deck, just behind the fighting compartment. This one is somewhat higher and set further back. The crop from the original Signal Corps shot below also shows to good effect the moulding seam on the spare roadwheel carried on the engine deck, modellers take note. Thank you to David for spotting this.

If you have extra information or corrections to any of our books please e-mail us via the Panzerwrecks website (link opens in a new window).

3 Panzergrenadier Division · Befehlswagen · Oberpleis · Panzer IV/70(V) · Pz.Jg.Abt 3

Pages 5-7 of Panzerwrecks 8 show an intact Lg.s.F.H.13(Sfl.) auf Lr.S as photographed by a Canadian officer. In fact it is so ‘fresh’ that it still has tree branches used for camouflage. The tactical number on the superstructure sides is difficult to make out, but by analysing the top part of the first digit, we concluded it was a number 6, making the tac number ‘615′. It would seem that we were correct, as a photo of the same vehicle appears on the website of the Benedictine University Library, taken by Master Sergeant Aloysius L. Hopkins. Other than the tactical number, the identifiers are the telegraph pole in the background and remainder of that distinctive camouflage pattern on the sides. See for yourself:

Click the image to enlarge or go to the Benedictine University Library website (opens in a new window)

21 Panzer Division · 6./Pz.Art.Rgt.155 · Lg.s.F.H.13(Sfl.) auf Lr.S · Lorraine Schlepper

Claude Gillono e-mailed us today with an observation about the Pz.Kpfw.M15/42 738 (i) halfway down the train on page 15 of Panzerwrecks X. He noticed that the M15, seen behind the two StuGs, has the turret of a Pz.Kpfw.38(t)! It goes to show yet again that no matter how long we look at the photos, we can overlook the obvious! Well spotted Claude, thank you.

Click to enlarge.

Ljubliana · Pz.Kpfw.38(t) · Pz.Kpfw.M15/42 738 (i) · Slovenia

Some photos show the devastating effects of warfare in an all too graphic way. We thought long and hard about whether to publish the image on page 52 of Panzerwrecks 9, as it shows a dead German crewman. In the end we decided that we would publish it as there was not much detail in the crewman. The motion picture sequence included a close-up of the Flakwagen which due to the nature of it being a close-up showed him in too much detail. This image is shown below, but with him carefully blacked out as some could find it distressing.

2cm Flakvierling auf Mercedes Benz · Flakpanzer · Flakwagen 4500A · Fsch.-Flak.Rgt.HG · Herman Goerring

When assembling the Pz.Kpfw.III (Fl) in focus feature in Panzerwrecks 9, which relied heavily on a technical intelligence report made by the US Army, we elected to leave out information relating to where best to shoot at the Flammpanzer & information on smoke grenades. Here are the two pages:

Click to enlarge.

Flammpanzer III · Italy · Pz.Kpfw.III · Smoke grenade · Sprengpatrone Z · Tech intell · Technical intelligence