The reverberations caused by the defeat at Kursk meant that German forces in the south bore the brunt of the heaviest Soviet drive. Both the Russian Voronezh and Steppe Fronts possessed massive local superiority against everything the Germans had on the battlefield, and this included their diminishing resources of tanks and assault guns. The Panzerwaffe were now duty-bound to improvise with what they had at their disposal and try to maintain themselves in the field, and so they hoped to wear down the enemy’s offensive capacity. But in the south where the weight of the Soviet effort was directed, Army Group South’s line began breaking and threatened to be ripped wide open. Stiff defensive action was now the stratagem placed upon the Panzerwaffe, but they lacked sufficient reinforcements and the strength of their armoured units dwindled steadily as they tried to hold back the Russian might.
During the first uneasy weeks of August 1943 the 1st Panzer Army and Armeeabteilung Kempf fought to hold ground along the Donets River whilst the final battle of Kharkov was fought out. Further north near the battered town of Akhtyrka the 4th Panzer Army was also fighting a frenzied battle of attrition. Along the whole Russian front massive Soviet artillery bombardments would sweep the German lines and inflict considerable casualties on both infantry and armoured vehicles. Throughout August and September the Panzerwaffe tried frantically to hold on to the receding front line. With just over 1,000 Panzers operating in southern Russia the Germans were seriously under strength and still further depleted by vehicles being constantly taken out for repair. Along many areas of the front, high losses resulted from inadequate supplies rather than the skill of the defenders.
In other areas of the Russian front the situation was just the same. Both Army Group Centre and Army Group North were trying desperately to hold the Soviets from breaking through their lines. Replacements continued to trickle through to help bolster the understrength Panzerwaffe. But in truth, the average new Panzer soldier, freshly recruited, was not as well trained as had been his predecessors during the early part of the campaign in Russia. Nevertheless, as with many Panzer men they were characterised, by high morale and a determination to do their duty.
In almost three months since the defeat at Kursk, Army Group Centre and South had been pushed back an average distance of 150 miles on a 650-mile front. Despite heavy resistance in many sectors of the front the Soviets lost no time in regaining as much territory as possible. In Army Group South where the front lines threatened to cave in completely under intense enemy pressure, frantic appeals to Hitler were made by Field Marshal Manstein for permission to withdraw his forces across the Dnieper River. What followed was a fighting withdrawal that degenerated into a race with the Russians for the river. Whilst the Panzer divisions covered the rear, the army group’s columns withdrew on selected river crossing points at Cherkassy, Dniepropetrovsk, Kiev, Kanev and Kremenchuk, leaving behind a burnt a blasted wasteland during their retreat.
Kursk Order of Battle, July 1943
Army Group Centre (Günther von Kluge)
2nd Panzer Army (R. Schmidt)
XXXV Corps (Lothar Rendulic)
34th Infantry Division
56th Infantry Division
262nd Infantry Division
299th Infantry Division
LIII Corps (F. Gollwitzer)
208th Infantry Division
211th Infantry Division
293rd Infantry Division
25th Panzergrenadier Division
LV Corps (E. Jaschke)
110th Infantry Division
134th Infantry Division
296th Infantry Division
339th Infantry Division
Army Reserve
112th Infantry Division
9th Army (Walther Model)
XX Corps (R. von Roman)
45th Infantry Division
72nd Infantry Division
137th Infantry Division
251st Infantry Division
XLVI Panzer Corps (H. Zorn)
7th Infantry Division
31st Infantry Division
102nd Infantry Division
258th Infantry Division
XLI Panzer Corps (J. Harpe)
18th Panzer Division
86th Infantry Division
292nd Infantry Division
XLVII Panzer Corps (J. Lemelsen)
2nd Panzer Division
9th Panzer Division
20th Panzer Division
6th Infantry Division
XXIII Corps (J. Freissner)
216th Infantry Division
383rd Infantry Division
78th Assault Division
Army Reserve
4th Panzer Division
10th Panzergrenadier Division
12th Panzer Division
2nd Army (W. Weiss)
VII Corps (E.-E. Hell)
26th Infantry Division
68th Infantry Division
75th Infantry Division
88th Infantry Division
XIII Corps (E. Straube)
82nd Infantry Division
327th Infantry Division
340th Infantry Division
Army Group Reserve
5th Panzer Division
8th Panzer Division
Army Group South (Erich von Manstein)
4th Panzer Army (Hermann Hoth)
LII Corps (E. Ott)
57th Infantry Division
255th Infantry Division
332nd Infantry Division
XLVIII Panzer Corps (O. von Knobelsdorff)
3rd Panzer Division
11th Panzer Division
Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland
167th Infantry Division
II SS Panzer Corps (P. Hausser)
1st SS Panzergrenadier Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division Das Reich
3rd SS Panzergrenadier Division Totenkopf
Army Group Kempf (W. Kempf)
III Panzer Corps (H. Breith)
6th Panzer Division
7th Panzer Division
19th Panzer Division
168th Infantry Division
Raus’ Corps (E. Raus)
106th Infantry Division
320th Infantry Division
XLII Corps (F. Mattenklott)
39th Infantry Division
161st Infantry Division
282nd Infantry Division
Army Group Reserve
XXIV Panzer Corps (W. Nehring)
5th SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking
17th Panzer Division
Luftwaffe
Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet)
VIII Air Corps
Luftflotte 6
1st Air Division
Red Army
Western Front (V. Sokolovsky)
50th Army (I. Boldin)
38th Rifle Corps
17th Rifle Division
326th Rifle Division
413th Rifle Division
49th Rifle Division
64th Rifle Division
212th Rifle Division
324th Rifle Division
11th Guards Army (I. Bagramjan)
8th Guards Rifle Corps
11th Guards Rifle Division
26th Guards Rifle Division
83rd Guards Rifle Division
16th Guards Rifle Corps
1st Guards Rifle Division
16th Guards Rifle Division
31st Guards Rifle Division
169th Rifle Division
36th Guards Rifle Corps
5th Guards Rifle Division
18th Guards Rifle Division
84st Guards Rifle Division
108th Rifle Division
217th Rifle Division
1st Air Army (M. Gromov)
2nd Assault Air Corps
2nd Fighter Air Corps
8th Fighter Air Corps
Front assets
1st Independent Tank Corps
5th Independent Tank Corps
Bryansk Front (M. Popov)
3rd Army (A. Gorbatov)
41st Rifle Corps
235th Rifle Division
308th Rifle Division
380th Rifle Division
269th Rifle Division
283rd Rifle Division
342nd Rifle Division
61st Army (P. Belov)
9th Guards Rifle Corps
12th Guards Rifle Division
76th Guards Rifle Division
77th Guards Rifle Division
97th Rifle Division
110th Rifle Division
336th Rifle Division
356th Rifle Division
415th Rifle Division
63rd Army (V. Kolpakty)
5th Rifle Division
41st Rifle Division
129th Rifle Division
250th Rifle Division
287th Rifle Division
348th Rifle Division
397th Rifle Division
15th Air Army (N. Naumenko)
1st Guards Fighter Air Corps
3rd Assault Air Corps
25th Rifle Corps
186th Rifle Division
283rd Rifle Division
362nd Rifle Division
1st Independent Guards Tank Corps
Central Front (Konstantin Rokossovsky)
13th Army (N. Puchov)
17th Guards Rifle Corps
6th Guards Rifle Division
70th Guards Rifle Division
75th Guards Rifle Division
18th Guards Rifle Corps
2nd Airborne Guards Rifle Division
3rd Airborne Guards Rifle Division
4th Airborne Guards Rifle Division
15th Rifle Corps
8th Rifle Division
74th Rifle Division
148th Rifle Division
29th Rifle Corps
15th Rifle Division
81st Rifle Division
307th Rifle Division
48th Army (P. Romanenko)
42nd Rifle Corps
16th Rifle Division
202nd Rifle Division
399th Rifle Division
73rd Rifle Division
137th Rifle Division
143rd Rifle Division
170th Rifle Division
60th Army (I. Chernyakhovsky)
24th Rifle Corps
42nd Rifle Division
112th Rifle Division
30th Rifle Corps
121st Rifle Division
141st Rifle Division
322nd Rifle Division
Independent 55th Rifle Division
65th Army (P. Batov)
18th Rifle Corps
69th Rifle Division
149th Rifle Division
246th Rifle Division
27th Rifle Corps
60th Rifle Division
193rd Rifle Division
37th Guards Rifle Division
181st Rifle Division
194th Rifle Division
354th Rifle Division
70th Army (I. Galanin)
28th Rifle Corps
132nd Rifle Division
211th Rifle Division
280th Rifle Division
102nd Rifle Division
106th Rifle Division
140th Rifle Division
162nd Rifle Division
354th Rifle Division
2nd Tank Army (A. Rodin)
3rd Tank Corps
16th Tank Corps
16th Air Army (S. Rudenko)
3rd Bombing Air Corps
6th Mixed Air Corps
6th Fighter Air Corps
Independent 9th Tank Corps
Independent 19th Tank Corps
Voronezh Front (N. Vatutin)
6th Guards Army (I. Chistiakov)
22nd Guards Rifle Corps
67th Guards Rifle Division
71st Guards Rifle Division
90th Guards Rifle Division
23rd Guards Rifle Corps
51st Guards Rifle Division
52nd Guards Rifle Division
375th Rifle Division
Independent 89th Guards Rifle Division
7th Guards Army (M. Shumilov)
24th Guards Rifle Corps
15th Guards Rifle Division
36st Guards Rifle Division
72nd Guards Rifle Division
25th Guards Rifle Corps
73rd Guards Rifle Division
78th Guards Rifle Division
81st Guards Rifle Division
Independent 213th Rifle Division
38th Army (N. Chibisov)
50th Rifle Corps
167th Rifle Division
232nd Rifle Division
340th Rifle Division
51st Rifle Corps
180th Rifle Division
240th Rifle Division
Independent 204th Rifle Division
40th Army (K. Moskalenko)
47th Rifle Corps
161st Rifle Division
206th Rifle Division
237th Rifle Division
52nd Rifle Corps
100th Rifle Division
219th Rifle Division
309th Rifle Division
Independent 184th Rifle Division
69th Army (V. Kruchenkin)
48th Rifle Corps
107th Rifle Division
183rd Rifle Division
307th Rifle Division
49th Rifle Corps
111th Rifle Division
270th Rifle Division
1st Tank Army (M. Katukov)
6th Tank Corps
31st Tank Corps
3rd Mechanised Corps
2nd Air Army (S. Krasovskii)
1st Bombing Air Corps
1st Assault Air Corps
4th Fighter Air Corps
5th Fighter Air Corps
35th Guards Rifle Corps
92nd Guards Rifle Division
93rd Guards Rifle Division
94th Guards Rifle Division
Independent 2nd Guards Tank Corps
Independent 3rd Guards Tank Corps
Steppe Front (Ivan Konev)
5th Guards Army (A. Zhadov)
32nd Guards Rifle Corps
13th Guards Rifle Division
66th Guards Rifle Division
6th Airborne Guards Rifle Division
33rd Guards Rifle Corps
95th Guards Rifle Division
97th Guards Rifle Division
9th Airborne Guards Rifle Division
Independent 42nd Guards Rifle Division
Independent 10th Tank Corps
5th Guards Tank Army (Pavel Rotmistrov)
5th Guards Mechanised Corps
29th Tank Corps
5th Air Army (S. Gorunov)
7th Mixed Air Corps
8th Mixed Air Corps
3rd Fighter Air Corps
7th Fighter Air Corps
Panzer-Divisions, Kursk, July 1943
Panzer Divisions that participated in the battle of Kursk in July 1943:
2.Panzer-Division
Formed: Wurzburg, October 1935.
Divisional Insignia: For the invasion of Russia the division used a new inverted ‘Y’ with one mark. This was used during the first two years of the campaign in Russia. During mid-1943 a white trident sign replaced this emblem. The trident was used for the remainder of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiment 2, 304; Panzer Regiment 3; Panzer artillery Regiment 74; Panzer Aufkl Abt (Reconnaissance) 2.
Theatres of Operation: Army Group Centre (Smolensk, Orel, Kiev, Kursk) 1942–1943; France and Germany 1944–1945.
3.Panzer-Division
Formed: Berlin, October 1935.
Divisional Insignia: For the invasion of Russia a new sign was introduced and was regarded as the official sign. It was an inverted yellow ‘Y’ with two marks. In spite of the new sign, units of the division could use the bear in a white shield, and the tanks in Panzer-Regiment.6 also used the standing bear without a shield. The bear was often painted in various colours that included, white, yellow, blue and red. In 1943 Panzer-Regiment.6 adopted a regimental emblem that comprised of a black shield that was round on the bottom and flat on top, with the 1939–1940 divisional sign of the 4.Panzer-Division, and a pair of crossed swords below this.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 3, 394; Panzer Regiment 6; Panzer Artillery Regiment 75; Panzer Aufkl Abt 3.
Theatres of Operation: Central Russia 1941–1942; Kursk, Kharkov, Dnepr Bend 1943; Ukraine and Poland 1944; Hungary and Austria 1944–1945.
4.Panzer-Division
Formed: Wurzburg, November 1938.
Divisional Insignia: In 1941 for the Russian campaign the division used the inverted ‘Y’ with three marks, and used this for the remainder of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiment 12, 33; Panzer Regiment 35; Panzer Artillery Regiment 103; Panzer Aufkl Abt 4.
Theatres of Operation: Central Russia – Caucasus 1942, Kursk 1943 and Latvia 1944; Germany 1945.
5.Panzer-Division
Formed: Oppeln, November 1939.
Divisional Insignia: On the Eastern Front Panzer-Regiment.31 adopted the red devil’s head as a regimental symbol. This emblem, together with the yellow ‘X’, was used until the end of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 13, 14; Panzer Regiment 31; Panzer Artillery Regiment 116; Panzer Aufkl Abt 5.
Theatres of Operation: Central Russia – Kursk, Dnepr, Latvia, and Kurland 1941– 1944; East Prussia 1944–1945.
6.Panzer-Division
Formed: Wuppertal, October 1939.
Divisional Insignia: For Kursk it used the letter symbol ‘X’ in yellow.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiment 4, 114; Panzer Regiment 11; Panzer Artillery Regiment 76; Panzer Aufkl Abt 6.
Theatres of Operation: Russia 1941–1944; Hungary and Austria 1944–1945.
7.Panzer-Division
Formed: Weimar, October 1939.
Divisional Insignia: For the Kursk operation the armoured vehicles had a yellow ‘Y’. The division fought mercilessly in Russia and retained the yellow ‘Y’ until the end of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 6, 7; Panzer Regiment 25; Panzer Artillery Regiment 78; Panzer Aufkl Abt 7.
Theatres of Operation: Central Russia 1941; Refit in France 1942; Southern Russia 1942; Kharkov 1942; Kursk 1943; Baltic Coast and Prussia 1944–1945.
8.Panzer-Division
Formed: Berlin, October 1938.
Divisional Insignia: In Russia the division used a new sign, a yellow ‘Y’ with one yellow mark. It was used until the end of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 8, 28; Panzer Regiment 10; Panzer Artillery Regiment 80; Panzer Aufkl Abt 8.
Theatres of Operation: Southern Russia 1941; Central Russia 1942; Kursk 1943.
9.Panzer-Division
Formed: January 1940.
Divisional Insignia: The divisions sign during the Kursk operation was a yellow ‘Y’ with two tick marks. This was used until the end of the war.
Units: Panzer Regiment 33; Panzer Grenadier Regiment 10, 11; Panzer Artillery Regiment 102.
Theatres of Operation: Russia Army Group South Ukraine, 1941–1942; Kiev 1941; Bryansk 1942; Kursk 1943; Odessa, Dnieper 1943–1944.
11.Panzer-Division
Formed: August 1940 at Breslau.
Divisional Insignia: This division received the official sign of a yellow circle divided by a vertical bar. The division’s personal emblem was a white-stenciled figure of a ghost brandishing a sword. Because of this emblem the division became known as the ‘Ghost’ division, and fought until the end of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 110, 111; Panzer Regiment 15; Panzer Artillery Regiment 119; Panzer Aufkl Abt 11.
Theatres of Operation: Russia 1941–1944 (Orel, Belgorod, Krivoi Rog and Korsun); Northern France 1944.
12.Panzer-Division
Formed: October 1940.
Divisional Insignia: Its symbol was a yellow circle divided into three equal segments by ‘Y’. The division did not modify its insignia and it carried it through the rest of the war.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 5, 25; Panzer Regiment 29; Panzer Artillery Regiment 2; Panzer Aufkl Abt 12.
Theatres of Operation: Russia Army Group Centre 1941–1944; Russia 1941 – Minsk and Smolensk; Leningrad 1942; Orel and Middle Dnepr 1943; Kurland 1945 (captured by the Red Army).
17.Panzer-Division
Formed: October 1940.
Divisional Insignia: This division’s emblem was entirely seen on the Eastern Front and was applied with a yellow ‘Y’ with two bars across the shaft.
Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 40, 63; Panzer Regiment 39; Panzer Artillery Regiment 27; Panzer Aufkl Abt 17.
Theatres of Operation: Russia (central and southern sectors) 1941–1945.
18.Panzer-Division
Formed: October 1940.
Divisional Insignia: The division’s emblem was a yellow ‘Y’ with three bars across its shaft. Panzer-Brigad.8 had a special marking, but this was not a divisional emblem. It had a shield edged white, with a white skull and lines of water in white. The division was disbanded in 1943 and was reorganised as an artillery division, but continued using the same divisional sign.
Major Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 52, 101; Panzer Regiment 18; Panzer Artillery Regiment 88; Panzer Aufkl Abt 8.
Theatres of Operation: Russia (central and southern sectors) 1941–1943.
19.Panzer-Division
Formed: October 1940.
Divisional Insignia: Because of the area where the division was formed it adopted a yellow wolf-trap insignia. This emblem was seen on Panzers primarily on the Eastern Front, but did serve in Poland, notably in the Warsaw uprising in August 1944.
Major Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 73, 74; Panzer Regiment 27; Panzer Artillery Regiment 19; Panzer Aufkl Abt 19.
Theatres of Operation: Russia 1941–1944 (Central and Southern Sectors).
20.Panzer-Division
Formed: October 1940.
Divisional Insignia: Its symbol was a yellow ‘E’ on its side, arms down, identical to the early 3.Panzer-Division emblem. In late 1943 the division received a new divisional insignia, which was a yellow arrow breaking through a curved borderline.
Major Units: Panzergrenadier Regiments 59, 112; Panzer Regiment 21; Panzer Artillery Regiment 92; Panzer Aufkl Abt 20.
Theatres of Operations: Russia 1941–1944; Moscow 1941; Orel 1943; Rumania 1944; East Prussia 1944; Hungary 1944.
Waffen SS Order of Battle, Kursk 1943
II.SS-Panzerkorps – SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser
1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte ‘Adolf Hitler’
SS-Brigadeführer Wisch: 1.SS-Panzer-Regiment, 1.SS-Panzer Grenadier-Regiment, 2.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment, 1.SS-Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment, I.SSPanzer-Reconnaissance-Battaillon, I.SS-Panzer-Engineer-Battaillon, I.SS-Flak-Battaillon.
Strength: 106 tanks and 35 assault guns.
2.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division ‘Das Reich’
SS-Grupppenführer Kruger: 1.SS-Panzer-Regiment, 3.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment ‘Deutschland’, 4.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Der Führer, 2.SS-Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment, 2.SS-Panzer-Reconnaissance-Battaillon, 2.SS-Flak-Battaillon, 2.SS-Panzer-Engineer-Battaillon, 2.SS-Flak-Battaillon
Strength: 145 tanks and 34 assault guns.
3.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division ‘Totenkopf’
SS-Brigadeführer Priess: 3.SS-Panzer-Regiment, 5.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment ‘Thule’, 6.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment ‘Theodor Eicke’, 3.SS-Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment, 3.SS-Panzer-Reconnaissance-Battaillon, 3.SS-Flak-Battaillon, 3.SS-Panzer-Engineer-Battaillon, 3.SS-Flak-Battaillon.
Strength: 139 tanks and 35 assault guns
122.Artillerie-Command (Arko)
1.Feld-Howitzer-Detachment, 861.Artillerie-Regiment (mot); 1.Feld-Howitzer-Detachment, 3.Battaillon, 818.Artillerie-Regiment (mot); 3.Smoke-Truppen; 55.Werfer-Regiment; 1.Werfer-Lehr-Regiment; 680.Pioneer-Regiment; 627.Poineer-Battaillon (mot), 666.Pioneer-Battaillon (mot)
Strength: 390 tanks and 104 assault guns.
Armoured Crew Uniforms
Wearing their special black Panzer uniforms the Panzertruppen were very distinctive from the German soldier wearing his field-grey service uniform. The uniform was first issued to crews in 1934, and was the same design and colouring for all ranks of the Panzer arm, except for some of the rank insignia and national emblem worn by officers and Generals. The colour of the uniform was specially dyed in black purely to hide oil and other stains from the environment of working with the armoured vehicles. Across Europe and into Russia these black uniforms would symbolise a band of elite troops that spearheaded their armoured vehicles and gained the greatest fame, or notoriety, of being part of the once powerful Panzerwaffe.
The black Panzer uniform itself was made of high quality black wool, which was smooth and free of imperfections. The uniform comprised of a short black doublebreasted jacket worn with loose fitting black trousers. The deeply double-breasted jacket was high waisted and was specially designed to allow the wearer to move around inside his often cramped vehicle with relative comfort. The trousers were designed to be loose also in order to enable the wearer plenty of movement.
The 1934 pattern Panzer jacket was only in production until it was replaced in 1936 by the second pattern. This pattern was very popular and remained in production throughout the war. It was very similar to that of the first pattern. It had the short double-breasted jacket, which was normally worn open at the neck, showing the mouse-grey shirt and black tie. But with this design it did not lack the provision for buttoning and hooking the collar closed for protection against weather.
On the jacket the shoulder straps, collar patches and around the death head skull were piped in rose pink Waffenfarbe material. The rose pink piping was worn by all ranks around the outer edge of the jacket collar, but this design was discontinued by 1942. However, members of the 24th Panzer-Division did not wear the rose pink piping, theirs were gold yellow. This colour piping was purely for commemorative wear, originally worn by the 1st Kavallerie-Division, and was the only cavalry division in the German Army to be converted to a fully-fledged Panzer division.
The German national emblem on the double-breasted Panzer jacket was very similar to that worn on the German service uniform. It was stitched on the right breast in heavy white cotton weave, but the quality and colour did vary according to rank. For instance, they were also manufactured in grey cotton yarn or in fine aluminum thread. For officers and Generals of the Panzertruppen they were normally heavily embroidered in heavy silver wire.
The jacket was specially designed in order to limit the number of buttons worn on the outside of the coat, except for two small black buttons positioned one above the other on the far right side of the chest. These were stitched into place to secure the left lapel when the jacket was closed up at the neck.
The trousers worn were identical for all ranks. There was no piping used on the outer seams of the trouser legs. Generals of the Panzertruppen did not wear the red stripe on the trousers, as they did with the German army service uniform. The trousers did have two side pockets with button down pocket flaps, a fob pocket and a hip pocket. The trousers were generally gathered around the tops of the short leather lace-up ankle boots.
The headgear worn by the Panzer crews in 1941 was the Panzer enlisted mans field cap or Feldmütze and was worn by all ranks. It was black and had the early type national emblem stitched in white on the front on the cap above a woven cockade, which was displayed in the national colours. The field cap had a pink soutache.
For the next three years of the war the Panzer arm extensively wore the Panzer field cap. However, in 1943, a new form of head dress was introduced, the Einheitsfeldmütze, or better known as the Panzer enlisted mans model 1943 field cap. The M1943 cap was issued in black, but when stocks run low troops were seen wearing field-grey field caps. Both colours of the design were worn universally among Panzer crews and the cap insignia only slightly differed between the various ranks. The field-grey German Army steel helmet was also issued to the Panzertruppen as part of their regulation uniform. Generally the steel helmet was not worn inside the cramped confines of a tank, except when crossing over rough terrain and normally when the crewmember was exposed under combat conditions outside his vehicle. Many crews, however, utilised their steel helmets as added armoured protection and attached them to the side of the tank’s cupola, and to the rear of the vehicle.
Another item of headgear worn by the Panzer arm was the officer’s service cap or Schirmmütze. Although this service cap was not technically an item designed for the Panzer arm, it was still none the less an integral part of the Panzer officer’s uniform and was worn throughout the war.
The Panzer uniform remained a well-liked and very popular item of clothing and did not alter extensively during the war. However, in 1942 a special two-piece reed-green denim suit was issued to Panzer crews in areas of operations where the climate was considered warmer than normal theatres of combat. The new denim suit was hard wearing, light and easy to wash, and many crews were seen wearing the uniform during the summer months. The uniform was generally worn by armoured crews, maintenance, and even Panzergrenadiers who were operating with half-tracked vehicles, notably the Sd.Kfz.251 series. This popular and practical garment was identical in cut to the special black Panzer uniform. It consisted of the normal insignia, including the national emblem, Panzer death head collar patches and shoulder straps.
Apart from the uniforms worn by the Panzer crews, a special uniform was introduced for both Sturmartillerie and Panzerjäger units. The uniform was specially designed primarily to be worn inside and away from their armoured vehicles, and for this reason designers had produced a garment that gave better camouflage qualities than the standard black Panzer uniform. The uniform worn by units of the Panzerjäger was made entirely from lightweight grey-green wool material. The cut was very similar to that of the black Panzer uniform. However, it did differ in respect of insignia and the collar patches.
The Panzerjäger uniform was a very practical garment and it was identical to the cut of the Sturmartillerie uniform, but with the exception of the colour. The uniform was made entirely of field-grey cloth, but again differed in respect to certain insignia. The collar patches consisted of the death’s head emblems, which were stitched on patches of dark blue-green cloth and were edged with bright red Waffenfarbe piping. However, officers did not display the death head collar patches, but wore the field service collar patches instead. No piping on the collar patches were used either.
Like the summer two-piece reed-green Panzer denim suit worn by Panzer crews, both tank destroyer and self-propelled assault gun units also had their own working and summer uniforms, which were also produced in the same colour and material.
Apart from the basic issued items of clothing worn by crews of the Panzer, tank destroyer and self-propelled assault gun units, crews were also issued with various items of clothing to protect them against the harsh climates. By the winter of 1942/43 the German Army had developed a new revolutionary item of clothing for the armoured crews called the parka. The parka was a well-made item of clothing that was well-padded and kept crews warm. Initially the parka was first designed in fieldgrey with a reversible winter white. But by late 1943 a new modification was made by replacing the field-grey side with a camouflage pattern, either in green splinter or tan water. The coat was double-breasted with the interior set of buttons being fastened to provide additional protection.