We will continue or analysis of unit organization with a look at the German Army, Corps, Divisions and Kampfgruppe involved. The German Nineteenth Army was responsible for defending the entire Mediterranean coast of France. The Army was comprised of three corps, the LXII, LXXXV and IV Luftwaffe. In the diagram below, the divisions comprising each corps are shown. In the east, LXII defended the coast from the Franco-Italian border west to Toulon. In the center, XXXV Corps defended the area from Marseilles to just across the Rhone River delta. In the west, IV Luftwaffe Corps covered the beaches all the way to the Spanish border. The allied invasion would be unleashed upon the center of LXII Corps.

By August 1944 German infantry division structure varied widely. The 242^nd and 244^th Grenadier Divisions each had three regiments of three German grenadier battalions each. Each regiment of the 242^nd Division also had an ost battalion of Armenians or Azerbaijanis, and a division reconnaissance battalion. The 242^nd had thirteen maneuver battalions while the 244^th Division had nine. The 148^th Reserve Division had only seven maneuver battalions.

The 242^nd Division’s 765^th Grenadier Regiment was directly in the path of the US VI Corps amphibious invasion. That is why only the III Battalion, which was the division reserve, was able to oppose the paratroopers. The other three battalions were deployed on the beaches and quickly engulfed in the deluge of allied firepower. The 242 Reconnaissance Battalion was deployed in the division’s rear area specifically to deal with the airborne threat. Of course, it could not fulfil the its usual role of screening in advance of the division’s front, as the front was the shoreline. The Service & Support Alarm Company is high-lighted, as it was assigned to the Kampfgruppe von Schwerin counterattack force. The 917^th Regiment was engaged by landing forces on the left flank of the US invasion force, while the 918^th Regiment was held back to defend the vital port of Toulon.

The 244^th Division was located on the coast just to the west of the invasion area. Therefore, it was natural that elements of this division were the first to arrive from the west. Units of the 244^th Division formed the core of Kampfgruppe von Schwerin. The remainder of the 933^rd Regiment was also ordered to join the fight against the paratroopers, but arrived too late. The 934^th Regiment was held back to defend the major port of Marseille.

The 148^th Reserve Division had only seven battalions—two regiments of three grenadier battalions each and a fusilier battalion. The fusilier battalion combined the roles of reconnaissance and division reserve. The fusiliers were armed and organized the same as a grenadier battalion, with the addition of a company’s worth of bicycles. The main difference was that the fusilier battalion was usually better manned with the division’s best troops and led by the most capable officers. The 239^th Grenadier Regiment was also attacked by the invading troops of US VI Corps, and the 444^th Grenadier Battalion and 661^st Ost (Russian) Battalion were destroyed on the beaches. The 8^th Grenadier Regiment was located further east, and lacked transport to arrive at the battle by D+1. So, the main counterattack was delivered by the 327^th and 372^nd Battalions of the 239^th Grenadier Regiment.

Complicating re-construction of the German command structure even more, the 148^th Division was undergoing a major re-organization just as the invasion struck. Foreseeing that the allies would likely land in the 242^nd Division sector and not the 148^th Division’s area further east, Nineteenth Army had ordered LXII Corps in early August to have the 148^th Division create a third regiment, the 281^st Grenadier Regiment or Kessler Regiment, by taking a battalion from each of the existing regiments and adding the Fusilier Battalion. In this diagram the battalion moved in the re-organization are in green:

This new 281^st Regiment, the strongest in the division, would be located just to the east of Le Muy, north of St Raphael. From there it could provide a strong force to repel airborne landings and counterattack the amphibious troops as they landed. Fortunately for the allies, the Germans were slow to execute these orders, and only the new 281^st Regiment’s command post under Oberst Kessler and some advance planning parties and the new regiment’s 13^th Howitzer and 14^th Anti-Tank Companies were in position on 15 August. The 281^st was never completely formed, but what remains uncertain is who commanded the 148^th Division counterattack force (mainly the 327^th and 372^nd Battalions). It was probably Oberst Hahn of the 239^th Regiment. However, it is possible the Hahn was fully occupied directing the defense of his 444^th and 661^st Battalions against the landings, so that Oberst Kessler may have been designated to lead the counterattack against the British paratroopers. The sudden rout of the 148^th Division, and the death of many of the participants, has left no trail in the archives to answer this question.

Kampfgruppe von Schwerin

The best source for accurate order of battle information on the German forces comes from prisoner of war interrogations of key leaders conducted in the summer of 1946. In particular, the reports from Generals Botsch (B-696) and von Schwerin (A-878) and Colonel Bruendel (C-086) tell the most complete story of the formation and actions of the kampfgruppe.

Nineteenth Army received only fragmentary and conflicting information on the unfolding allied invasion, as all wire communications had been cut by the paratroopers and French resistance. Once the location and extant of the invasion could be ascertained, by late morning of D-Day, the Army staff put contingency plans into effect. The only mechanized force available, the 11^th Panzer Division, was ordered to the threatened area, but had a long way to go. To conduct a more immediate counter-attack from the west, General Botsch, the Nineteenth Army Chief of Staff, made a phone call the commander of the 189^th Division, General von Schwerin, ordering him to assemble a kampfgruppe and lead it into the attack. Von Schwerin was initially slated to receive three regimental headquarters overseeing eight infantry battalions, the III/244 Field Artillery Battalion and a flak battalion, drawn from four divisions of the LXXXV Corps and IV Luftwaffe Corps. For the most part, only one battalion was selected from each regiment, allowing for the consolidation of limited transportation assets and permitting the selected battalion to be brough up to strength with troops and equipment from the units left behind. As the scope of allied invasion became clearer, Botsch decided that there was little threat of a second allied landing in the Marseilles-Toulon area or further west. So, later on D-Day he added the 933^rd Regiment, located closest to the action, with its two remaining battalions to the planned kampfgruppe.  

The envisioned kampfgruppe was a robust reinforced division sized formation, with ten maneuver battalions in four regiments and a supporting artillery regiment. With this powerful force, von Schwerin was ordered to accomplish two major objectives: (1) crush the allied airborne force, thereby rescuing the German forces trapped at Draguignan and Le Muy; and (2) continue the attack to the beaches, driving the allied amphibious forces back into the sea, or at least pinning them in place as occurred at Anzio. Then the 11^th Panzer Division could arrive in time to deliver the coup de grace.

This ambitious plan foundered on logistic realities. The ten battalions of infantry and engineers could be made ready in short order, and all were within a short drive of the battle area. Unfortunately, there were neither sufficient vehicles nor fuel to move all these troops quickly. What few vehicles that were available were used to tow artillery, and to transport heavy weapons, equipment and ammunition. Only the 305^th Grenadier Regiment of the 198^th Regiment had sufficient vehicles to carry its battalions, but it became stuck on the wrong side of the Rhone River, with only one of five bridges in operation after repeated allied air attacks. So, the 305^th Grenadier Regiment had to compete with the 11^th Panzer Division for ferry boats—and the panzers, of course, had priority.

General von Schwerin quickly realized that most of the forces assigned to his command would never arrive in time. Instead of the planned ten battalions, he more realistically hoped to muster four infantry battalions of the 244^th Division’s 932^nd and 933^rd Regiments by the morning of 16August. Von Schwerin adjusted his mission to eliminating the American paratroopers in Les Arcs and Roche Rousseau and then advancing up National Highway 7 to Le Muy in order to rescue the beleaguered 242^nd Reconnaissance Battalion. If successful, he would set up blocking positions in the high ground around Le Muy to delay the advance of US VI Corps from the beaches. This is what the kampfgruppe was expected (or hoped) to look like by the morning of D+1, 16 August:  

Somehow, this organization shown above made its way into the official US Army Center for Military History’s Riviera to the Rhine, which describes a German attack by four battalions, and other histories of the campaign. Initial play-testing was conducted with such a four-battalion kampfgruppe, and the paratroopers were unable to stop this formation. Further research based on interrogation reports, as outlined below, corrected and reduced the order of battle for Kampfgruppe von Schwerin.

Around mid-day on D-Day General von Schwerin raced forward with a small kampfgruppe command post and assault company from his 189^th Division headquarters, and the headquarters of his 15^th Regiment under Colonel Rehbock. They arrived in the vicinity of Vidauban (just off the southwest corner of the game map). Leaving the Rehbock’s 15^th Regiment HQ to coordinate the reception and staging of the combat troops trickling in, von Schwerin met with General Baessler of the 242^nd Division for an intelligence update and to coordinate his attack. He also met with Colonel Bruendel of the 932^nd Regiment and Colonel Tyroler of the 18^th Flak Regiment (88-mm).

Bruendel had already consolidated all the bicycles of his regiment and the neighboring 933^rd Regiment to move the first two infantry battalions. These troops arrived during the evening and night of D-Day, after a grueling 100-kilometer bike ride in mountainous terrain, while enduring the August heat of the Riviera. The III/932 under Captain Matte and the I/933 under Captain Ebert arrived piecemeal and exhausted. Captain Kutscher’s III/244 Field Artillery Battalion, with 105-mm howitzers, and one 88-mm anti-tank battery of the 18^th Flak Regiment were the only fire support units to show up. An unidentified platoon of panzers was the final combat element. These were all the troops that arrived in time to fight on 16 August, organized as below. After a short night’s rest the much reduced Kampfgruppe von Schwerin kicked off its attack at 7:00 AM on D+1, August 16^th.

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Previous Articles:

Drop Zone: Southern France Organization – Part 1: Infantry Units from Squad to Battalion Level

Drop Zone: Southern France Organization – Part 2: Regiments and Brigades

Drop Zone: Southern France Organization of Units – Part 3: The 1st Airborne Task Force (ABTF)