In reality four of the battalions had improvised motor transport (partly Italian), two being equipped with bicycles. The reduction from nine infantry battalions to six was partly alleviated by the substitution of a Füsilier battalion for the old reconnaissance unit. guns. In practice, however, the tank strength at the time of mobilization was clearly below this TOE strength and was on average around 320 vehicles strong. Approximate organization strength of the major types of the German Army divisions in 1939: Approximate organization strength of the major types of the German Army divisions in 1941: Here to Germany Army Unit Organisation 1942-45. In addition to division artillery, which could differ in equipment and organization in each division, armies and corps also had their own additional batteries of medium and heavy artillery. The army was led by the Army High Command Oberkommando des Heeres – OKH for short – with its general staff. The infantry regiment had its own headquarters with a staff company and a messenger, bicycle and engineer platoon. See also: German Orders of Battle for the campaign in the West, May 1940. mortars which the tables of an organization called for, but in the 3rd Parachute Division, weaponing was miscellaneous, including 100-mm. General Guderian, at last, pointed out that there was little sense in producing more tanks and guns if they were to be thus recklessly sacrificed. 19 tank divisions These batteries could appear in the caliber size from the 88 mm gun Flak gun to the gigantic 60 cm siege mortar on self-propelled mount, the Karl mortar. The fact was quite different. Army planners rejected this sleight of hand as impossible and contented themselves with a further cut from 13,656 to 12,769. The parachute division had only one battalion of light artillery (twelve 70-mm. The “tank” battalion had thirty-seven assault guns, five less than authorized. The Infantry Battalion existed in two forms. The brigade consisted of two mounted cavalry regiments and a battalion with mounted artillery. The Panzer division during the Polish and Western campaigns consisted of two tank regiments with two battalions each to four companies with 32 tanks each. In the case of the 77th Division, this organic lack was partly made up by the attachment of an 0st battery and a Volga-Tatar rifle battalion. Rifle strength in the German division was about 1,200 less than in the American but the total division firepower was superior. They lacked the reconnaissance battalion and had only three battalions of artillery. guns as well as guns of smaller caliber, but lacked almost a fifth of its personnel.