
Following on from my D-Day game I have been busy painting my collection of 20mm Late War (North-Western Theatre) WW2 figures. To date I have focused on British and German figures. I will later add the Americans and will then dabble in the Eastern Front.
I am planning on refighting some or parts of the major battles the British were involved in from D-Day to Victory with a particular desire to have some mega games on Arnhem.
The next games I am looking to put on are the first German counter attacks after D-Day. The 21st Panzer which gained its fame in North Africa was the closest German armoured division to the beaches and was heavily involved in the initial counter attacks. It also has a fascination for me as it contained so many foreign armoured and non-armoured vehicles. A lot of it specially converted by Alfred Becker a German engineer and artillery officer.
The Organization of this Division which was refitting in France after its annihilation in North Africa was also quite different in structure from the prescribed divisional organisation of a 1944 Panzer division.
I fortunately had a few books at home that provided details on the division and its French equipment. There are also numerous on-line sources (Flames of war – do a great organisational chart). I can also recommend reading the memoirs of one of his senior commanders Hans Von Luck in Panzer commander.
A selection of some of my sources that I had at home
My WW2 games are usually aimed at divisional / Kampfgruppe level. To date I have used a modified version of Spearhead to play my larger WW2 games and plan to use them for some of the larger key battles. I will also use Battlegroup for smaller engagements such my recent refight of Pegasus bridge. This means the table-top units are somewhat scaled down – one model gun / tank represents approx. 3-4 real life. A platoon is represented by 4 – 6 figures.
I have not bought the entire division (in terms of a scaled down version for Spearhead) but have collected significant parts of it to enable to refight key actions where the division was involved in 1944-45. I will be able to add missing bits from my standard Heer Panzer Division and in due course my SS Panzer Division when this gets painted.
I started with the core Infantry units. The Division had 2 Panzer-Grenadier regiments each of 2 battalions of infantry with supporting arms at regimental level.  I only acquired one regiment and naturally chose to base mine on Hans Von Lucks 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The other Regiment 192nd was under the command of Oberst Rauch. Unlike other Panzer Divisions the 21st had two battalions of their infantry in halftracks where other stand Heer divisions only had one. The other infantry battalions were transported in soft skin vehicles.

In addition, their halftracks were not the German Sdkfz 251 halftracks but were converted French Unic P107 Halftrack – the armoured version were designated by the Germans as leSPW U304(f). These French Halftracks were also produced in various variants (along similar lines to the Sdkfz 251) and included a HQ version mounting a 3.7cm Pak 36 (leSPW U304(f) 3.7cm PaK 36), a Flak variant mounting a 2ck Flak 36 (leSPW U304(f) 2cm FlaK 36) and command version (leSPW U304(f) Funk).
Some images of the converted Unic P107 half tracks into the leSPW U304(f)
Getting these and other specialised 21st Panzer vehicles in 20mm scale is quite straight forward as we are fortunately very well served in the hobby and every variant used can be acquired in this scale. Some of my vehicles are all metal from ranges no longer with us,  Raventhorpe and Skytrex’s old metal 20mm ranges.  However, these models can be bought from Rapid Fire / Valiant miniatures in their Ready to Roll range, Britannia miniatures, Mad Bob Miniatures, Early War Miniatures as well as conversion kits by S and S models.
Whilst pulling together the 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment I also read that the division had over 50 different types of trucks, including many French trucks and some Italian trucks! What a nightmare for the quartermaster getting spare parts.
My soft skin battalion has a lot of French trucks. My French trucks in the regiment were all metal from Raventhorpe and Skytex but they can also be bought in resin and plastic. My models are a Citron U23 light truck, Citroen T45 heavy truck, Renault AHN truck and a Renault AHN ambulance version. There is also the odd German Opel Blitz truck added to mix.

My Model Citroen U23 light Truck, a Citroen U45 Heavy truck and a Renault AHN

Renault AHN Ambulance (Plastic Kit)
The basic infantry battalion comprises of 4 companies and HQ. There are 3 rifle companies of 3 platoons which also had machine guns platoon with the MG42 on tripod for more sustained fire. I therefore had 3 rifle companies of 3 platoons and a HMG platoon each having its own vehicle – half tracks in the armoured battalion and lorries in the other battalion. In the armoured battalion one half track per company was armed with 3.7cm PaK gun.

An armoured company of 4 platoons in their French halftracks
The 4th company provided the Battalion with additional support weapons which included 6 mortars (reduced to 2 models in my battalions). In my armoured battalion I used Morserträger 35R(f) (8cm GrW) (basically a converted French AMR35) to transport these.

Morserträger 35R(f) (8cm GrW) (basically a converted French AMR35)
The AT platoon on both battalions was provided by converted French Somua mounting a 75mm PaK 40 – German designation - mSPW S307(f) (7.5cm PaK 40).
The SP AT platoon a converted Somua half track - mSPW S307(f) (7.5cm PaK 40).
Also, in the 4th Company there was a armoured SP Flak Platoon. Finally, the HQ was either represented by a French staff car or French armoured Halftrack with Pak 36. The signal platoon represented by Horsch radio van in the lorried battalion and a HQ version of the U304 in the armoured battalion.
Each battalion also has a LAD team with a Workshop Truck and Famo 18 ton halftrack for the lorried and armoured battalion respectively.
At Regimental level there was a lot of additional firepower. A Gun platoon of 2 x 15cm sFH 13 auf Lorraine Schlepper along with a FOO using a converted Lorraine armoured carrier (Pzbeobw auf Lorraine Schlepper (f)).

A Gun platoon of 2 x 15cm sFH 13 auf Lorraine Schlepper along with a FOO using a converted Lorraine armoured carrier (Pzbeobw auf Lorraine Schlepper (f))

15cm sFH 13 auf Lorraine Schlepper
A Mortar platoon using converted Somua halftracks with banks of French 81mm mortars on the back. I have 2 models the mSPW S303(f) (8cm Reihenwerfer) which had 16 mortars and mSPW 307(f) (8cm Reihenwerfer) which had 20 mortars. This also had a FOO in converted Hotchkiss (Panzerbeobachtungswagen 39H(f)).

The mSPW S303(f) (8cm Reihenwerfer) which had 16 mortars and mSPW 307(f) (8cm Reihenwerfer) which had 20 mortars.

mSPW S303(f) (8cm Reihenwerfer)
Additional support was provided by an AT platoon with 50mm Pak 38 gun towed by a Unic P107 half track (304(f),  a Pioneer / engineer platoon transported in a converted Somua MCL half track mSPW S303(f) (Pionier)) which carries an infantry assault bridge, a Recce platoon with motorcycles, SP Flak Platoon and  finally the HQ was represented by various halftracks and staff cars. Medical support provided by a French truck Ambulance.

The full Regiment of both battalions and Regimental support
I then painted the armoured recon battalion (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 21) which was different to a standard Heer battalion due to the fact a lot of French equipment was drafted into this too. This battalion was made up of 5 companies and a HQ. This was commanded by Major Waldow.
The first company was more standard using the Sdkfz 250 halftrack in their reconnaissance roll. Variants here are the 350/3 & 250/12 HQ / FOO versions along with 250/9 with a open top turret mounting a 2cm KwK autocannon.
The 2nd company had 4 wheeled Sdkfz 222 armoured cars (Airfix kits), two 8 wheeled Sdkfz 221 armoured cars mounting 2cm autocannons and two 8 wheeled Sdkfz 233 mounting a 75mm L24 infantry support gun (Britannia miniatures).

1st and 2nd Companies of various armoured cars which also included a Workshop truck and the 5th company SP gun Platoon.
The 3rd and 4th companies were infantry companies based along the lines of an armoured infantry company but with an additional support of an armoured SP Flak Platoon and a mortar platoon in Sdkfz 251 halftracks.
The 5th company had additional battalion support weapons and included a SP gun platoon of 2 Sdkfz250/8 mounting a 75mm L24 infantry support gun, a Recce platoon with motorcycles, an infantry gun platoon of one 75mm IG gun towed by a Sdkfz 251 and a towed AT platoon of one 75mm Pak 97/38 (The gun was a combination of the barrel from the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 fitted with a Swiss Solothurn muzzle brake and mounted on the carriage of the German 5 cm Pak 38), again towed by a Sdkfz 251. The HQ is represented by a U304 command version and one mounting the Pak 36 3.7cm gun.

3rd & 4th companies , 5th Company support weapons and HQ

The full armoured recon battalion (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 21)
I am hoping to refight Hans Von luck’s Kampfgruppen attack on the Paras on the Eastern flank of the beaches on the 7th / 8th June 1944 this February, but I need to crack on with my painting. This is based around his Panzer Grenadier Regiment with additional support from the Reconnaissance battalion, a company of tanks and armoured engineers. The 200th Assault Gun battalion was under his command, but I believe this was still training and did not get involved in combat until operation Goodwood.
Part 2 will cover the other parts that I have acquired for the division which are different from the standard Heer Panzer Division. This will include the 200th assault Gun Battalion, 22nd Tank Regiment, 200th AT Battalion, AA battalion and some of artillery batteries.
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