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Any answers out there? ANY help along these lines would be appreciated.

Thanks again!

Be Seeing You,

Chris

Dunno. Interesting question. Looks like you already know a lot more about it than I do. From what I've read, the Germans overbuilt later models of tank in a pointless attempt to match the Soviets, and the most reliable model (perhaps uncharacteristically) was the one they built the most of. Sooo, wild, uneducated guess, is that this division you mentioned eschewed the newer, larger models.

I just finished (read over a period of months, on the weekends) the old memoirs of Omar Bradley, "A Soldier's Story" (1951) and it's thick, goes into minute detail about a lot of things, and has an excellent index. Naturally he discusses St Lo, and the Falaise Gap, but I can't recall what German units he singles out (if any).

Hope this helps, and good luck with your novel.

Chris:

My data on Panzer Lehr is limited to the Ardennes campaign, but there were a few things I noted:

1) The division's command cohesion was phenomenal. Being destroyed during the Bulge was no kidding - their combat power was reduced to 54 tanks for the whole division, but they maintained their identity AS a division, largely due to Bayerlin's influences.

One ORBAT link I found was this:

Wacht am Rhein

It mentions Panzer Lehr's ORBAT down to the Brigade/Regiment level.

The division was formed on two Panzer-grenadier Regt's (901 PzGR and 902 PzGR), and one Panzer regiment (130 PzR). These were backed up by a tank destroyer formation (130 PzJgr), and a fairly large DIVARTY (130 PzArty and 130 FLAK Arty). These unit ID's might help you further.

Gute Jagd!

According to Steel Inferno - 1st SS Panzer Corps in Normandy Michael Reynolds (Dell)pg 123

SS Major Hien Von Westernhagen 101st SS Heavy Tank Battalion (Tiger I's) arrived June 12 1944 from Beauvais. 27 men were killed in the move from air attack. Third Company with only one operational tank remained at Falise. First Company SS Captain Mobius with 9 tanks took up position near Noyers-Bocage behind the Hitlerjugend Division. SS Lieutenant Michael Whittman, famous German Tank ace with 119 kills (by April 1944) Commanded 2nd Company with 5 Tiger Ones. The Company took up Position Behind Panzer Lehr on
Point 213 (a hilltop)in a small wood. This is 2km NE of Villers-Bocage where he would make history the next day. (See Battle of Villers-Bocage) Five Tigers stopped the entire 7th Amormed Division with heavy British losses. Panzer Lehr had no Tigers of its own.

Chris,
It was not normal practice to have the Tiger battalions attached to panzer divisions in the German army, they were under the direct control of the relevant corps. In mid-war the ss attached their tiger battalions to the 1st and 2nd ss panzer divisions but even these had been separated by early '44. On rare occasions when a panzer division had its panther battalion detached it may have had a tiger battalion subordinated for a short period of time but as I said this was very rare.

For this reason it was quite normal that panzer lehr had no tiger battalion.

have a look at the following website under German OB
http://web.telia.com/~u18313395/normandy/index.html

Regards mark Andrews