Chapter II
To carry out the German attack against Poland the Germans had planned for two Army Groups – Army Group North, consisting of the Fourth and Third Armies, under the command of General Fedor von Bock, and the Southern Army Group, consisting of the Eighth, Tenth and Fourteenth Armies, commanded by General Gerd von Rundstedt.
A large part of this huge army was the Panzer, which was to spearhead the attack into Poland. Army Group South had the strongest armoured formations, with over 2,000 tanks and 800 armoured vehicles.
On 1st September 1939, from north to south all five German Army Groups crashed over the frontier. The light Panzers pushed forward with speed, leaving devastation in their wake.
Over the next few days, both the North and South groups continued to make furious thrusts on all fronts. The campaign had taken on the character that was to remain for the few weeks that followed. Everywhere north, south and east, the fronts were shrinking, cracking slowly but surely under the massive German pressure. In this unparalleled armoured dash, some units had covered 40 miles – 60 road miles in just twenty-four hours. For many soldiers it was an exhilarating experience, Panzers bucketing across the countryside, meeting, in some places, isolated pockets of resistance, and destroying them. Despite the determination of the brave Polish soldiers, fast and devastatingly efficient Blitzkrieg had arrived.
The withdrawing Polish Army were being mauled almost to death by constant air attacks and pounded mercilessly by tanks and artillery. The Poles were faced with the finest fighting army that the world had ever seen.
The quality of the German weapons – above all the Panzers – was of immense importance in Poland. Their tactics were the best: stubborn defence; concentrated local firepower from machine-guns and mortars; rapid counter attacks to recover lost ground. Essentially, everything in the invasion went according to plan, or even better than the plan, in the unfolding both of strategy and tactics. Hitler and his generals were overjoyed at the lightening speed and extent of their gains. By the end of September the war in Poland had been won.
Hitler had been so impressed by Blitzkrieg that the following year, in May 1940, he adopted the same tactics against the Low Countries and France. He was resolute that if he was going to win the war rapidly in the west the new Blitzkrieg tactic would be instigated quickly and effectively. Whilst he had been aware that his forces had overwhelming superiority in modern equipment against a country like Poland, he knew that France and her allies had a slight advantage in terms of both numbers of troops and material. Yet, in spite of pessimism from many of his Western Front commanders, he was sure that by adopting the Blitzkrieg tactics of highly mobile operations involving the deployment of motorized infantry, air power, and armour in coordinated attacks, his forces would gain rapid penetration followed by encirclement of a bewildered and overwhelmed enemy.
For the attack against the west the German Army were divided into three army groups – Army Groups A, B and C. The main strike would be given to Army Group A, which would drive its armoured units through the Ardennes, then swing round across the plains of northern France and make straight for the Channel coast, thereby cutting the Allied force in half and breaking the main enemy concentration in Belgium between Army Group A advancing from the south and Army Group B in the north. The task of Army Group B was to occupy Holland with motorized forces and to prevent the linking up of the Dutch army with Anglo-Belgian force. It was to destroy the Belgian frontier defences by a rapid and powerful attack and throw the enemy back over the line between Antwerp and Namur. The fortress of Antwerp was to be surrounded from the north and east and the fortress of Liege from the north-east and north of the Meuse.
Distributed between the three army groups was the armour, which would lead the drive through Belgium, Holland and then into France. In total there would be a staggering 2,072 tanks: 640 Pz.Kpfw.I, 825 Pz.Kpfw.II, 456 Pz.Kpfw.III, 366 Pz.Kpfw.IV, 151 Pz.Kpfw.35(t) and 264 Pz.Kpfw.38(t). The reserves comprised some 160 vehicles to replace combat losses and 135 Pz.Kpfw.I and Pz.Kpfw.II, which had been converted into armoured command tanks, which resulted in them losing their armament. The vehicles that had been distributed among the ten Panzer divisions were not distributed according to formation of the battles they were supposed to perform. The 1 Panzer Division, 2 Panzer Division and 10 Panzer Division each comprised thirty Pz.Kpfw.I, one hundred Pz.Kpfw.II, ninety Pz.Kpfw.III and fifty-six Pz.Kpfw.IV. The 6 Panzer Division, 7 Panzer Division and 8 Panzer Division consisted of ten Pz.Kpfw.I, 132 Pz.Kpfw.35(t) or Pz.Kpfw.38(t) and thirty-six Pz.Kpfw.IV. A further nineteen Pz.Kpfw.35(t) were added to the 6 Panzer Division due to the compliment of a battery of sIG mechanized infantry guns. The 3 Panzer Division, 4 Panzer Division and 5 Panzer Division each consisted of 140 Pz.Kpfw.I, 110 Pz.Kpfw.II, fifty Pz.Kpfw.III and twenty-four Pz.Kpfw.IV.
Yet again, as in Poland, the battle of the Low Countries and then France ended with another victory for the Germans, by June 1940. They had reaped the fruits of another dramatic Blitzkrieg campaign. France had proven ideal tank country to undertake a lightening war, and its conception seemed flawless. It seemed to many of the tacticians that Blitzkrieg would ensure future victories. The Panzer was the key to this success.
A Pz.Kpfw.I tank is being prepared for transportation during manoeuvres in Poland in August 1939. On a peace footing Germany’s armoured strength consisted of five armoured motorized divisions, four motorized divisions and four light divisions. An armoured division was made up of 345 heavy and medium tanks, and a light division was half that amount. It was these armoured machines that were going to lead the first lightning strikes into Poland.
Pz.Kpfw.II and Pz.Kpfw.I are seen here just prior to the invasion of Poland. Note the white crosses painted on the turrets for ground and aerial recognition. Each Panzer division had a tank brigade totalling some 324 tanks, of Pz.Kpfw.I through to Pz.Kpfw.IV types.
A long column of Pz.Kpfw.I. Although the Pz.Kpfw.I was under-armed and under-powered it was more than capable of combating Polish armoured vehicles.
A Horch cross-country vehicle passes a stationary Pz.Kpfw.I. Contrary to popular belief, during the first week of the invasion of Poland a number of German tank attacks were poorly coordinated with the accompanying infantry. It was not entirely easy for German commanders to put the new doctrine of Blitzkrieg into practice.
A Pz.Kpfw.II advances along a road bound for the front. Poland was found by German soldiers to be a land whose sprawling territory contained every type of terrain: hot, dry sandy areas, fertile plains as well as swamps, extensive forests, high mountain ranges and the main rivers that generally flowed north-south of the country and constituted a natural barrier against an east-west assault.
A Pz.Kpfw.35(t) advances through a Polish village during the furious armoured drive in Poland. Note the Panzer man is wearing his distinctive black Panzer uniforms and beret. The beret remained in service with the Panzer crews until January 1941.
Panzermen pause during the advance through Poland during the latter stages of the campaign. A P.zKpfw.I and a Pz.Kpfw.II can be seen parked in a field. Note the solid white cross on the Pz.Kpfw.II, which has been crudely removed by the crew. These white crosses were first ordered to be applied in August 1939. However, once these vehicles reached Poland, vehicle crews soon felt that the crosses were too prominent, and were providing a too easy aiming point for Polish anti-tank gunners even at longer than normal ranges.
A Pz.Kpfw.II can be seen on a dusty road somewhere in Poland. The Germans continued throughout the invasion to crush enemy defences, disrupting the logistic network and not being slow to use terror as an additional weapon. For the Poles, however, it was the beginning of the end. They were slowly withdrawing into a long, narrow pocket, within which they were eventually to be encircled, isolated and then destroyed.
A Panzer man perched in the turret of a Pz.Kpfw.I as it moves through a newly captured Polish town. In spite of these tanks being used extensively during the invasion it was soon obvious that the light tank did not have any combat potential. It suffered from an underpowered engine, uncompetitive armament, and was prone to heavy damage from antitank shells because of its thin armour plating.
A nice photograph showing Panzer men in the turret of their Pz.Kpfw.I advancing along a dusty road. Although these tanks were used in relatively large numbers against lightly armed opponents it suffered from very thin armour and had an inadequate main gun.
Two photographs during the victory parade in Warsaw in early October 1939. Here Hitler takes the salute as his armoured vehicles, comprising Pz.Kpfw.II, move past the podium. This victory parade symbolized the might of the German Army and its conquest over Poland in little more than a month. They had won their battle against Poland by implementing a series of overwhelming, rapid penetrations. These penetrations were followed by the encirclement of an enemy that, in contrast to its German counterparts, was bound by static and inflexible defensive tactics.
Two Pz.Kpfw.II advancing across a field down a steep gradient on the Western Front in 1940. These vehicles belong to the 1st Panzer Division. Both in Poland and on the Western Front the new tried and tested Blitzkrieg strategy of warfare owed much to the German light tanks, in spite them being intended primarily for training and light reconnaissance work.
Two Pz.Kpfw.I advance through a destroyed town during the campaign on the Western Front in May or June 1940. During the Western campaign, in tank-versus-tank combat, the deficiency of the Pz.Kpfw.I soon became apparent. However, fortunately for the Wehrmacht, the light Panzers succeeded in destroying the bulk of the enemy armour using Blitzkrieg techniques.
A column of support vehicles and tanks, including a motorcyclist, advance through a captured French town. Divisional transport in a typical Panzer division in 1940 amounted to some 452 motorcycles, and 452 light and 1,133 heavy lorries. Each division relied heavily on wheeled transport in order to supply the armoured spearheads quickly and effectively.
A stationary Pz.Kpfw.I can be seen with its commander and Wehrmacht troops. An intrigued child from a local village clambers onboard the vehicle to take a look at this new revolutionary light tank.
Spread out in a field are stationary Horch cross-country vehicles and a halftrack. In the distance smoke rises in the air suggesting that the area has probably been attacked either by ground or aerial bombardment, before the column moved forward again.
A command vehicle moves forward, probably through the wooded area of the Ardennes in May 1940. For the Western Front campaign, the main German strike would be given to Army Group A, which would drive its armoured units through the Ardennes, and then swing round across the plains of northern France and make straight for the Channel coast, thereby cutting the Allied force in half and breaking the main enemy concentration in Belgium between Army Group A advancing from the south and Army Group B in the north. The task of Army Group B was to occupy Holland with motorized forces and to prevent the linking up of the Dutch Army with the Anglo-Belgian force.
On the Western Front, vehicles including troops move a PaK35/36 anti-tank gun advance through a field. The PaK35/36 became the standard anti-tank gun of the German Army during the early part of the war. It weighed only 432kg and had a sloping splinter shield. The gun fired a solid shot round at a muzzle velocity of 762m/s (2,500ft/s) to a maximum range of 4,025m.
Sitting with his commanders with maps in a field, Erwin Rommel can be seen. Behind him is a stationary Pz.Kpfw.38(t). His panzer force soon earned the name of the Gespensterdivision (Ghost/Phantom Division) because of its speed and the fact that not even the German High Command knew exactly where it was on the situation maps. Rommel had a ‘lead from the front’ attitude and would sometimes purposely cut communications with the High Command if he wished not to be disturbed. The 7th Panzer Division was one of the most successful divisions in the German arsenal in the Western Front campaign and covered vast distances in a short period of time. Hitler saw such tactics as showing complete confidence in the Blitzkrieg concept. However, Rommel was criticized by staff for being difficult to contact and locate.
Spread across a field on the march are various vehicles carrying troops towards the front during the Western Front campaign.
A PaK35/36 anti-tank crew preparing their gun for action, while a Pz.Kpfw.IV passes by at speed during some intensive action against an enemy contact.
Two copies of German post cards depicting fighting on the Western Front in 1940. Advancing in columns are various supporting vehicles and light and heavy tanks.
Pz.Kpfw.38(t) advance through a field supporting Wehrmacht troops as they go into action against an enemy contact. This light Czech-built tank became the most widely used and important light tank incorporated by the Panzertruppe during the early years of the war. For the campaign against the West there were some 264 of these machines distributed between some of the most powerful panzer divisions.
A photograph taken from the port hole of a Pz.Kpfw.38(t) showing another Pz.Kpfw.38(t) advancing into action. The vehicle was armed with a 3.7cm cannon, known in German service as the KwK 37(t). It was a semiautomatic falling block weapon that fired AP shot muzzle velocity of 750 metres per second and could easily penetrate 3.2cm of French or British armour at 1,100 metres.
A variety of light and heavy tanks advance across a field bound for the front.
A Pz.Kpfw.38(t), which has been dug in beneath a tree, breaks cover during the invasion of France in 1940. Of the 2,702 tanks fielded against the British and French, there were 264 Pz.Kpfw.38(t) distributed among the ten Panzer divisions.
A group of tanks comprising Pz.Kpfw.III and II are seen stationary in a field.
Pz.Kpfw.I crew pose for the camera with their machine stationary on a road. Although the armoured spearheads on the Western Front had been a complete success, it was in France that the Pz.Kpfw.I was totally outmoded as a battle tank.
The crew of a Pz.Kpfw.II are seen stationary on a road with their vehicle. A motorcycle combination passes them at speed. The primary task of the Pz.Kpfw.II was intended to be support of infantry and to fight other tanks. But although it was a well-built tank, in terms of armour, armament and mobility, it was not outstanding. However, on the Western Front in 1940 it proved its worth and was a highly successful light tank.
A Pz.Kpfw.II returning to its home station somewhere in Germany. Both the Pz.Kpfw.I and the Pz.Kpfw.II represented the substantial majority of the Panzers fighting in the West in 1940.
A well-camouflaged Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B on the Western Front. A member of the Gebirgsjäger or mountain soliders can be seen standing on the right with a pair of 6x30 binoculars.
In the foreground is a stationary Pz.Kpfw.II whilst in the background are Pz.Kpfw.IV and Pz.Kpfw.II, motorcycles and support vehicles. For the battle against the West there were some 366 Pz.Kpfw.IV that saw operations. Originally, the panzer was designed as an infantry support weapon, but by the end of the campaign in the West the tank had proved to be so diverse and effective that it earned a unique tactical role on the battlefield.
A German soldier armed with an MG34 on a bipod has positioned himself in a field while a Pz.Kpfw.II moves past in support of the march.
Inside a captured French town in June 1940 are a collection of various tanks comprising the Pz.Kpfw.I, II, III and IV. The Panzerwaffe was undoubtedly the backbone of the Blitzkrieg in the West, and to support its furious drive through the Low Countries and into the French heartlands the Panzers were supported by the infantry divisions. In northern France the front lines were shrinking, cracking slowly but surely under the massive German pressure. German units seemed to be progressing with an increased determination and vigour, convinced of their ability to crush the enemy before it could prepare a secondary line of defence.
A tank commander preparing to climb into his Pz.Kpfw.I. Throughout the battle of France the strategic onus of ground movement lay totally with German armour, and troops relied almost invariably upon it. The light panzers were proving successful across the entire front, in spite of losses.
A column of light tanks stationary beside a road. In total there were 2,072 tanks that invaded France and the Low Countries in 1940. There were 640 Pz.Kpfw.I, 825 Pz.Kpfw.II, 456 Pz.Kpfw.III, 366 Pz.Kpfw.IV, 151 Pz.Kpfw.35(t) and 264 Pz.Kpfw.38(t). The reserves comprised some 160 vehicles to replace combat losses and 135 Pz.Kpfw.I and Pz.Kpfw.II, which had been converted into armoured command tanks, which resulted in them losing their armament. The vehicles that had been distributed among the ten Panzer divisions were not distributed according to the formation of the battles they were supposed to perform.
A Pz.Kpfw.38(t) advances along a road. For the campaign in the West the 1 Panzer Division, 2 Panzer Division and 10 Panzer Division each comprised thirty Pz.Kpfw.I, one hundred Pz.Kpfw.II, ninety Pz.Kpfw.III and fifty-six Pz.Kpfw.IV. The 6 Panzer Division, 7 Panzer Division and 8 Panzer Division consisted of ten Pz.Kpfw.I, 132 Pz.Kpfw.35(t) or Pz.Kpfw.38(t) and thirty-six Pz.Kpfw.IV. A further nineteen Pz.Kpfw.35(t) were added to the 6 Panzer Division due to the compliment of a battery of sIG mechanized infantry guns. The 3 Panzer Division, 4 Panzer Division and 5 Panzer Division each consisted of 140 Pz.Kpfw.I, 110 Pz.Kpfw.II, fifty Pz.Kpfw.III and twenty-four Pz.Kpfw.IV.
Two Pz.Kpfw.II roll along the road bound for the front.
An interesting photograph showing British POWs being transported to the rear on board the engine deck of a Pz.Kpfw.I.
The crew of a Pz.Kpfw.38(t) have festooned logs on the engine deck of the vehicle due to some of the terrain it had to contend with during the Panzerwaffe’s furious advance.
A crew member prepares to board his Pz.Kpfw.I inside a French village in June 1940. On the front lines in a number of areas German tank commanders reported that the enemy was simply brushed aside, thrown into complete confusion. In most cases the defenders lacked any force capable of mounting a strong coordinated counter-attack. British artillery eager to stem the tide of the German onslaught, poured a storm of fire into advancing German columns, but they soon found that the Germans were too strong to be brought to a halt for any appreciable length of time.
Two photographs showing the same decimated French town. Here light Panzers push forward. The quality of the German weapons, above all the tanks, was of immense importance to the Blitzkrieg. But also their tactics were the best: stubborn defence, concentrated local firepower from machine guns and mortars, and rapid counter-attacks by the panzers to recover lost ground. The invasion of the Low Countries and France was a product of great organization and staff work, and marvellous technical ingenuity.
Two Pz.Kpfw.II advance along a congested road during the campaign in the West. Note the national flags draped over the engine deck for aerial recognition.
A Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A has halted on a road after experiencing difficulties with the vehicle’s drive wheel. A civilian has come to the aid of the crewman with water. The tracks of the Ausf.A had a ground pressure of only 780 g/sq.cm and gave the vehicle sufficient off-road capability.
Pz.Kpfw.II on a training ground. Much was owed to training panzer crews for the ensuing campaigns ahead. In France, out of the 825 Pz.Kpfw.II that fought, only 10 per cent were lost.
A Pz.Kpfw.II during a training exercise demonstrates its power and versatility by driving through a building. In order to protect its armament the 2cm cannon and MG34 machine gun have been removed.
A Pz.Kpfw.I on a muddy road. Although under-powered, with uncompetitive armament, and too thin an armour plate, 640 of these vehicles performed well against both French and British tanks.
A Wehrmacht soldier poses for the camera with a Pz.Kpfw.I, which is at a training ground in the summer of 1940.
A Pz.Kpfw.38(t) rolls along a dusty road in the summer of 1940. This light Czech-built tank became the most widely used and important light tank incorporated by the Panzertruppe during the early years of the war.
During the invasion of France a group of Pz.Kpfw.I and II from the 1 Panzer Division arrive at the Channel coast. The 1 Panzer Division consisted of two Panzer regiments, 1 and 2. Each regiment contained one hundred Pz.Kpfw.II. This was the largest contingent of any one type of Panzer in the entire division.
A Pz.Kpfw.I tank destroyer armed with a 4.7cm PaK(t) advances along a road. This armoured vehicle is attached to the Panzerjäger-Abteilung 570 and can be seen moving parallel to the railway line near the canal between Pommeroeul and Hensies in France.
A column of Pz.Kpfw.38(t) advance along a road. The main armament of this vehicle was the improved Skoda A7 3.7cm cannon, known in German service as the KwK 37(t).
A column of Pz.Kpfw.38(t) advance through a French town in May 1940. The crew is wearing the Zeltbahn or waterproof shelter triangle capes issued to the armed forces. This form of waterproof protective clothing was not used widely by Panzer crews, for the cape was difficult to manoeuvre inside the small confines of the tank.
In a French village, Pz.Kpfw.38(t) has fallen foul to enemy tank gunners, which have brought the Panzer to a flaming halt. An anti-tank shell has penetrated the vehicle’s side with such considerable force it has immobilized it by blowing apart its track links. Black scorch marks over the wheels and hull suggest the vehicle may have had an internal fire.
A Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A is stationary in a field in 1940, more than likely on a training exercise.
Pz.Kpfw.I and II can be seen in a familiar Panzer column stationary in a field. These vehicles still retain their original old dark grey colour. However, by this period of the war the old white crosses painted on the tanks had been removed and replaced with the new Balkenkreuz.
A column of Pz.Kpfw.I advance along a mud track during the campaign in France in May or June 1940.
A column of Pz.Kpfw.II pass through a village in 1940. The German attack through France was swift and effective and the French forces were shocked by the speed and fire power of their enemy.
A Pz.Kpfw.II stationary in Paris following the fall of the capital in June 1940. It was during the early evening of 14 June 1940 that the first German troops, men of the 9 Infantry-Division, entered Paris.
A good view of a Pz.Kpfw.I during a training exercise in 1940. At these training garrisons, there were large firing ranges and vast open areas where these vehicles could be used.