A NOTE ON MILITARY UNITS AND RANKS
Wherever possible in this account, German military units and forma- tions have been given in their original form, rather than being translated (except when they occur in direct quotations of wartime documents). For clarity, and in keeping with UK military historical practice, Axis formations are rendered in italics thus: Heeresgruppe B, 6. Armee, XLVII. Panzer-Korps, 3. SS-Panzer-Division, Grenadier-Regiment 920. Where unit types are not readily understandable, translations are provided (e.g. Fallschirmjäger – ‘paratrooper’).
GERMAN ARMED FORCES RANKS AND THEIR APPROXIMATE EQUIVALENTS IN ENGLISH
Generalfeldmarschall Field marshal (commanding an army group) Generaloberst General (commanding an army) General der Infanterie/ Lieutenant general (commanding a corps) Kavallerie/Artillerie Generalleutnant Major general (commanding a division) Generalmajor Brigadier general (commanding a brigade) Oberst Colonel (commanding a regiment)
xxvii A NOTE ON MILITARY UNITS AND RANKS
Oberstleutnant Lieutenant colonel (commanding a battalion) Major Major (battalion second in command) Vizeadmiral Vice admiral (naval equivalent to Generalleutnant) Kapitänleutnant Lieutenant (navy) (commander of smaller naval vessels)
xxviii German Army Dispositions Dawn, 6 June 1944 North Sea GHQ OB WEST Infantry Division, Field 352 Army Group B Panzer Division 21 Army 15 Parachute Division 3 Emden Infantry Corps LXXXIV Static Division 709
Panzer Corps 1SS GAF Division, Infantry 18LW
Parachute Corps II Refitting 11 347 E Reserve Corps LXIII Forming 5 m C in C s Boundaries Armoured Reserves Amsterdam NETH. 16LW Army Group xx In OKW Reserve 12SS Hilversum LXXXIII 719 Army x In Army Group Reserve 116 Essen x Sc heldt 165 London 712 Antwerp 1SS 48 LXXXIX 19LW Cologne Calais LXIV Portsmouth 18LW 15 47 Brussels R Tourcoing h Plymouth 331 182 in S e om 49 to Italy m 326 LXXXII e 344 English Channel 85 Dieppe 348 Amiens 245 Cherbourg 346 2 243 17LW 84 LXXXI XLVIII 709 Le Havre 319 91 716 Rouen B x 352 711 116 OB WEST St-Lô XLVII Reims M Caen e LXXXIV Panzer Group West u 21 s 12SS 1SS Paris e 266 St-Malo x 243 Strasbourg Brest LXXIV 77 353 II rear boundary 3 eine 7 Lehr S of OB West XXV 5 265 Le Mans Orléans
275 St-Nazaire xx Loire Nantes 17SS Pz Gren xx
158 Poitiers LXXX Vichy 189
708 Lyon 1SSLXVI 157 1 11 e n Bay of Bordeaux ô h Biscay R 159 G 19 aro 2SS nne 9 Kneisz x G 1SSLXIII LXXXVI 1SSLVIII Avignon 338 148 271 276 Toulouse IV LW 244 242 277 Marseilles
x 272
Mediterranean
0 100 miles Sea
0 100 km
xxix
G.R. xx G.R. 352 Pz.R. Le Havre Le P.G.R. Para. R. 736 Pz xx 21 Dives 6 June 1944 Defensive Area Normandy, Pz.R. Panzer Regiment P.G.R.
G.R. 22
Parachute Regiment Grenadier Regiment e
n r O 125 Divisional HQ location Falaise 736 Approximate Regimental Showing German Defensive Positions Panzer-Grenadier Regiment xx 716 Caen 192
P.G.R.
n
o
d
O
G.R. s
e l
l
u e S 915 Arromanches G.R.
726
e
m
Bayeux ô r D 916 G.R. xx 352 English Channel
e
r
u
A
St-Lô e ir V G.R. 914 Carentan
G.R.
e
e t
919 v u
u
G.R. o a D T Para. R.
6
729 e
n
et n e
xx r e i
709
L-L d S
r xx e G.R.
M 91 Coutances 1058 G.R. Lessay Valognes 1057 G.R. G.R. Cherbourg 739 921 xx 243 922 G.R. G.R. 920 Ocean 10 km Atlantic 0 10 miles 0 Jersey
xxx