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?

[Palg]

Hello Max,

Very interesting post, thank you very much! I have been researching the same the last few weeks, and I have found the same results as you have.

I have found one interesting document for the 3. Welle: For the 212. ID from 3.2.40 The Schützen Kompanien were ordered to use KStN 131 d Behelf from 20.12.39. This I haven´t found anywhere. This is from T-315 Roll 1629 W5768i page 80. There is also a gliederung showing 12 lMG per Company with 12 sMG in the 4th Company of each battalion (page 46). No mortars.

You can find this document on my Google Drive in the folder T-315 212. Infanteriedivision: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... share_link

The same order can be found for 208. ID in T-315 Roll 1609 W1889b page 121 (also in my Google Drive)

I hope this is useful to you,

regards,

Pål

[Palg]

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).

Hi again Max,

I am unfamiliar with the documents RDP 12451 and 12454, where are these to be found? are the Bundesarchiv or NARA?

Regards,

Pål

[Max104740]

Thank you Pål,
this information is very useful, I found in BAMA (RH 14/42 p 297) an April 40 doc with this organization for third welle Div, your February 40 doc seems to represent the moment of the passage to the new organization, that I did not know.
The RDP files are the germandocs project, the first number (12XXX) represent the inventory, the A XXX the "Akte" or Case, this is the link for 12451 A 440
https://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/de/ ... rid/zoom/1
All the best
Max

[Palg]

Hi Max,

Thank you for the explanation, very interesting documents

I have made a list of the documents I have found regarding this, maybe you have some use of it?:

57 ID change to KStN 131 c (30.11.39): T315R978 W942-3 page 54 (also on page 99 is the KStN 196 (behelf) Inf.Pi.Züge 30.12.39)
263 ID change to KStN 131 c (1.11.39): T315R1835 W013b page 70
93 ID Authorized KStN (5. Welle)(14.9.39): T315R1162 W493b page 394
83 ID Authorized KStN (6. Welle)(Nov 39): T315R1126 W4668b page 14
60 ID Authorized KStN (no Welle)(11.10.39): T315R1004 W1503b page 3
167 ID Authorized KStN (7. Welle)(22.10.39): T315R1477 W4663a page 6
199 ID Authorized KStN (7.Welle)(21.9.40): T315R1579 18145-2 page 11
126 ID Authorized KStN (11. Welle)(18.10.40): T315R1350 9016-2 page 240
132 ID Authorized KStN (11. Welle)(12.10.40): T315R1384 8568-2 page 58
111 ID Authorized KStN (12. Welle)(Oct 40): T315R1260 13044 page 33
306 ID Authorized KStN (13. Welle)(14.11.40): T315R2027 9792-2 page 36
385 ID Authorized KStN (18. Welle)(Jan 42): T315R2193 23834-1 page 10
370 ID Authorized KStN (19. Welle)(24.2.42): T315R2164 23168-1 page 59
334 ID Authorized KStN (Kriemhilde)(16.11.42): T315R2084 28880-2 page 210
714 ID (114 JägerD) Change into Jäger Div Authorized KStN (1.4.43): T315R1294 37291-4 page 51

Regards,

Pål

[Max104740]

Thank you Pal,
Very interesting material, I at the moment am working on other issues, but as soon as I am back on this material I will give you a feed back.
In general terms the problem with the lists of authorized KStN for Welle is that only until Barbarossa these were issued for each welle to update the organization, after I found them only for the new formed welle, whereas for the existing ones there was no homogeneity for welle, each division changed organization in a specific way when refitted.
All the best
Max

[Max104740]

Hello Max,

Very interesting post, thank you very much! I have been researching the same the last few weeks, and I have found the same results as you have.

I have found one interesting document for the 3. Welle: For the 212. ID from 3.2.40 The Schützen Kompanien were ordered to use KStN 131 d Behelf from 20.12.39. This I haven´t found anywhere. This is from T-315 Roll 1629 W5768i page 80. There is also a gliederung showing 12 lMG per Company with 12 sMG in the 4th Company of each battalion (page 46). No mortars.

You can find this document on my Google Drive in the folder T-315 212. Infanteriedivision: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... share_link

The same order can be found for 208. ID in T-315 Roll 1609 W1889b page 121 (also in my Google Drive)

I hope this is useful to you,

regards,

Pål

Pål
I found other versions of the letters you found in germandocs 12477 A 696 p 101-128, in T 78 R 866 H 37-102 p 140, the germandocs version seems to be the most complete, all of these order a riorganization of third welle divisions from 15 February 40, with 3 companies KStN 131 d with 12 LMG and one MG comp KStN 151 c (O) with 12 HMG for Battalion. A letter in BAMA RH 14/42 p 297 orders the introduction in these organization of a light mortar for Platoon in KStN 131 d companies and a medium mortar Platoon in each MG company. I think that this happened because in this way these divisions were more effective in fighting, as other welle Divisions.
All the best
Max

[Max104740]

Hi to everybody
after Pål suggestion I controlled again something and I must change some point.
In Kriegsgliederung of April 40 in NARA roll T78 R403 third Welle divisions are all passed to the new organization present in 12477 A 696 p 101-128 and in T 315 docs reported by Pål, with 3 companies with 12 LMG and one MG company with 12 HMG for battalion. In Kriegsgliederung of April 40 all 21 third welle divisions have this organization, not only the 12 cited in 12477 A 96 letter. All the divisions have added mortars, as in RH 14/94 p 297 and 307, even if mostly seems to have only one medium mortars for MG company and one light mortar for rifle company, the target in RH 14/94, 6 medium mortars for MG company and 3 light mortars for rifle company, is not reached by any Division.
I hope this was useful
Max.