KStN 131 1939-1940

[Max104740]

Hi to everybody,
In this post I am trying to outline the evolution of the organization of the Schutzen company in the 1939-40, when the various Infantry Divisions Welle used different KStN. In this post I focus only on Welle from 1 to 6, I will follow with another post on Infantry Divisions of Welle 7-10 as soon as I have finished the analysis.
In 1939, at the outbreak of the war, the organization of Schutzen companies is clear and we have all the detail information we need. The four types of ID (Welle) in 1939 had the following organization:
• Welle 1 divisions have three companies in each of the three battalions of every regiment, total 27 companies, with KStN 131 b (R) or 131 b (O), the second type used for the divisions raised in East Prussia. Each company has three platoons with one light mortar and three squads each with one LMG. The platoons were supported by a HMG half platoon with 2 HMG, for a total of 9 LMG, 2 HMG and three light mortars in each company.
• Welle 2 divisions have the same number of rifle companies of first Welle divisions, total 27 companies, with KStN 131 a (R) or 131 a (O), these companies don’t have light mortars and HMG, the squads were the same of type b companies, total 9 LMG.
• Welle 3 divisions have four rifle companies for battalions, total 36 companies, with KStN 131 (Lw), these companies had 4 platoons with 3 LMG and no mortars, and a platoon with 4 HMG, total 12 LMG and 4 HMG.
• Welle 4 divisions have the same number of rifle companies of first and second Welle divisions, total 27 companies, with KStN 131 a (R) as in Welle 2 Reich divisions, total 9 LMG.
In T 78 R 866 at p 6 of H 37/100 we find a letter about the institution of the last Schutzen company KStN active at the start of the war: 131 (erg), an erganzung organization of the Ersatz Heer, with 155 men in total, of which 121 complement
In RDP 12451 A 440 p 68 is present a doc of September 39 on the organization of Welle 5 ID (5 Divisions), in the KStN list at p 89 KStN 131 a(O) is present with 9 LMG, with 27 companies in 4 divisions and one division with only two regiments with 18 companies in total.
The organization of ID changes with the introduction of KStN 131c in October 39. In RDP 12454 A 3 p 93 is present a letter of October 39 on the introduction of this new 4 gruppen organization, with 12 LMG and 3 light mortars, no HMG but 16 MP and 3 ATR are introduced in the organization . At page 104 (and in 12477 A 733 p 39) another order defines that the new KStN must be adopted in the rifle companies of Welle 1, 2 and 4. A table at page 107 shows no light mortars in the new org for Welle 2 and 4, but the manpower, 186 men in total, is the same of the standard one. KStN 131 c (T) will be used in Welle 5 and 6, no MP, ATR and light mortar is present in this KStN, but 4 gruppen for platoon, 12 LMG total.
I have found no letters about the organization of Welle 6 (5 divisions) ID but they are surely formed or in formation in the last months of 39 and both Welle 5 and 6 are using the new KStN 131 c (T).
And I have not found any document on the organization of third Welle divisions between the Poland and the France campaign, anybody can help me?
KStN 131 c (T) is worth some words more. We have its first version of 23 October 39, a Behelf (we can translate in makeshift) KStN, I have KStN list for 5 and 6 Welle division that use a November 39 version of this KStN, whereas Tessin list has a December 39 version after the Behelf one, never found in any original document. I think that this date is a typo and that the correct one is November 39 and probably this KStN is about the same of the Behelf version issued a week before this.
This organization was not immediately implemented, in the Kriegsgliederung of april 40 in NARA roll T78 R403, you can find it in Sturmpanzer site and I think that the 1940 organization in Leo’s site are from this source. Here we can see that about six month after these dispositions the actual organization of the divisions was slightly different:
• All first Welle divisions (with the exception of 22 Luftlande division) show infantry companies with 12 LMG and 3 light mortars, no ATR (MPs were not present in these documents), perhaps in this period ATR were not present in these documents? Has anyone some information that can confirm the presence of ATR in first welle divisions in the France campaign?
• Second Welle divisions are mostly still with only 9 LMG for company, only 4 have 12 LMG: 3 have the same organization of first welle, one seems to have only one light mortars, as most of the divisions with 9 lmg companies, but many divisions show an organization as in 1939.
• Third Welle divisions seem to be with the same organization of 39, with 12 LMG for company, but this totals are present in other KStN as in 131 T.
• Only one fourth Welle division has 12 LMG, and no mortars, the others has 9 LMG, some of them with only one mortar but most without any of them.
• All fifth and sixth Welle divisions show only 12 LMG, as in 131T KStN, the only divisions coherent with the theorical organization.
I hope to have reported in a useful way the information I have. Has anyone any information that can help to complete, correct or explain the evolution of these organizations?