FORMATIONS (TO&E), PART 7

World War II, Antitank Formations

 

Finnish antitank warfare was developed in 1930's. Second emergency program made in 1935 listed the at-weaponry that Finnish Army needed, but actual buying of weaponry was slow to start. With 37-mm antitank guns domestic manufacture was preferred, which delayed getting them and argument concerning calibre of at-rifle delayed also at-rifle introduction. When Winter War started Finnish Army had less then half of the at-guns it needed and practically no at-rifles at all. Molotov cocktails and satchel charges were the main Finnish antitank weapons during Winter War. As there were very little troops trained to use antitank-rifles and antitank-guns Antitank Training Centre (Panssarintorjuntakeskus) was promptly established in town of Hämeenlinna and it started training reservists in October of 1939. Shortage of all types of weaponry (including even rifles) delayed forming battle units leaving large amount of reservists waiting in training centres of infantry and artillery. From those reservists Antitank Training Centre got its trainees, offering possibility for getting to front very soon proved good incentive in this. Training of gun crews in the centre lasted only week or two. Aiming of the gun got very much focus in training, everybody in the gun crew got training for that, but only best one of the crew got the job. During Winter War at-gun crews from the front send feedback to Captain Lehtinen sharing their experiences about antitank-warfare and offering ideas for improving training, this proved very valuable, as methods of best using the at-guns were still somewhat unclear at that point. The introduction of panzerschreck and panzerfaust in Finnish use went poorly in summer of 1944 because of too much secrecy. The Germans wanted Finnish military to keep these new weapons top secret, even if the Russians had already captured them in numbers. Finnish military following German wishes kept them warehoused and trained only handful of people to their use. When the Soviets started their offensive against the Finns in Karelian Isthmus in June of 1944 Finnish soldiers didn't have these new weapons and when first deliveries to frontline arrived the men who got typically had no training for using them. Those Finnish soldiers that got at least some training before their first shot usually survived it and soon learned to use these new weapons very successfully.

Basic Finnish antitank gun formations of Winter War were called:

Basic antitank gun formations of Continuation War was called:

From the Gun Companies of Continuation War the ones belonging to infantry regiments were typically horse-towed, while the ones belonging to Divisions were typically motorised or mechanised. Motorised gun companies were towed with trucks, but early on also passenger cars were (quite unsuccessfully) used as towing vehicles. Those gun companies, which could be considered mechanised used captured A-20 Komsolets armoured tractors as towing vehicles.

Notice: Basic field artillery unit of similar size was "Patteri" (Artillery Battery) and artillery units were never companies. Also infantry gun companies were called "Tykkikomppania" if they were not part of field artillery. The actual difference between infantry guns and antitank guns was quite flexible in Finnish military. The small calibre (37mm - 45mm) at-guns, which had lost their edge against improving Soviet tanks, were mainly appointed to tasks in which they were used against easier targets such as enemy infantry and field fortifications.

Practical unit sizes that were used (unit send to specific mission):

When it came to issuing of at-rifles to Finnish infantry formations during Continuation War Antitank Platoons of Machinegun Companies had higher priority then Antitank Squads of Rifle Companies. Year 1941 the difference was between the two was quite clear:

Around 1942 - 1943 weaponry of Rifle Company AT-Squads improved and especially in 1943 large number at-rifles (all 20-mm L-39) remaining in use of frontline infantry units were transferred to them of AT-Platoons of MG-Companies. But still many of these AT-units officially being armed with at-rifles had either less at-rifles or no at-rifles at all.

 

Antitank-gun platoon (horse-towed, armed with 37 PstK/36 at-guns), 1939 - 1940:

Platoon Leader

Messengers (2 men)

Scouts + observers (1 NCO + 3 men)

1st Gun Squad (one antitank gun)

2nd Gun Squad (one antitank gun)

Vehicles:

Manpower:

 

(Separate) Antitank Company / Gun Company, 1939 - 1945:

Company Commander

Office (Supply Unit)

1st Gun Platoon

2nd Gun Platoon

3rd Gun Platoon

Close Defence Platoon

Notice: During Winter War Antitank Company or Separate Antitank Company sometimes had only 2 Gun Platoons. Around 1942 - 1943 Close Defence Platoon was sometimes used to form 4th Gun Platoon.

 

Gun Company of Infantry Regiment (horse-towed), 1942:

Company Commander (pistol)

Company HQ

3 Gun Platoons

Close Defence Platoon

Supplies Platoon

(*) Notice: NCO + 8 men in a gun-crew was standard crew size for 37-mm and 45-mm at-guns. Larger at-guns had larger crews.

 

Divisional Gun Company, 1941 - 1942:

Company Commander (pistol)

Company HQ

3 Gun Platoons

Close Defence Platoon

Supplies Platoon

(**) Notice: NCO + 8 men crew was standard crew size for 37-mm and 45-mm at-guns. Larger at-guns had larger crews.

 

Divisional Gun Company (armed with 50 PstK/38 at-guns), 1943:

Company Commander (pistol)

Company HQ

3 Gun Platoons

Close Defence Platoon

Supplies Platoon

(***) Notice: NCO + 10 men gun crew was standard size for 50 PstK/38 at-gun. Other at-guns had crews of different size.

 

Divisional Gun Company (armed with 75-mm at-guns), 1944:

Company Commander (pistol)

Company HQ

3 Gun Platoons

Supplies Platoon

(****) Notice: NCO + 12 men gun crew was standard size for 75 PstK/97-38 and 75 PstK/40 at-guns. Other at-guns had crews of different size. In this case two men of the each gun crew had also training as driver of towing vehicle.

Notice: In August of 1944 orders were given for changing 75-mm at-gun armed Gun Companies so that they had only two Gun Platoons. At least some went through this change in August or September of 1944.

 

AT-rifle unit, Winter War 1939 - 1940:

Unit Commander

1st Antitank rifle Squad

2nd Antitank rifle Squad

 

Separate AT-rifle Company of Division from Winter War, 1939 - 1940:

Company Commander

Supply Unit

1st Antitank rifle Platoon

2nd Antitank rifle Platoon

3rd Antitank rifle Platoon

 

Panzerschreck Platoon, 1944:

Platoon leader (officer, SMG + pistol)

1st Squad

2nd Squad

3rd Squad

4th Squad

(Notice: This is official TO&E, the actual units were often somewhat improvised. However the 3-men panzerschreck crew seemed to work: 1st man had panzerschreck and shot with it, 2nd man acting as loader carried extra rockets and possibly also panzerfaust as back-up weapon, 3rd man had SMG and he concentrated keeping enemy infantry from getting too close).

 

"Panssarijääkäripataljoona" (Panzer Jaeger Battalion = AT-gun Battalion), June 1944:

Notice: This unit was antitank-gun unit of Jaeger Brigade / Armour Division and was one of a kind.

Battalion Commander

Battalion HQ

HQ Company

1st Gun Company

4th Gun Company

6th Gun Company

7th Gun Company

Last updated 6th of November 2003
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