5th Panzer Regiment

[Blued]

Hi everyone,

I'm entering new territory of knowledge and am hoping to get your help. Can you point me to where I can find information on vehicle equipment used by the 5th panzer regiment, 2nd battalion?

It would be great to find out what tanks they had when they were with the 3rd Pz Division in Europe and later in Afrika with the 5th Pz Division.

If you know of websites (ideally) or books that might have it, I would be very thankful.

Thanks!

[Aiceman]

Little information can be found here:
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...menter/PR5.htm

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Thanks Andor. I did check out Lexikon, and they do have a nice tank type and quantity listing, but it is at a regiment level. Any idea if there is a place to find battalion level details?

[Blued]

Sorry, I realize I meant to say 2nd Kompanie

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Just wanted to give this a bump in hopes to get some additional info

[Simon O.]

During the French campaign, 2./Pz.Rgt.5 was equipped as a light panzer company with the PzKpfw.I and II, by 1941 at the start of the African campaign it was Pz.II and III.

You might like to get hold of Tom Jentz's excellent 2 volume 'panzertruppen'

http://www.amazon.com/Panzertruppen-...=panzertruppen

Alternatively, you can get these very useful PDFs with the key facts about verious divisions, which include scans of original TO&E's

http://www.wehrmachtdivisionen.de/

[Blued]

This is great info, thanks so much. I will start digging into the PDFs and also look to buy that book!

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Thanks guys, here is the reason for my questions:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=768621

I'll definitely be picking up the books to really understand more of this history

[Tim O'Keefe]

Very nice soldbuch.

2nd Co, 5th Pz Regt was armed with the Pz I the Pz II in France. When transfered to Afrika 2nd Co had a recon platoon of Pz II's and the balance were Pz III's.
No record has been found of the available panzer's in the initial DAK attacks in March 31, 1941 & the first 10 days of April. However the total available Pz were 25 Pz I, 45 Pz II, 60 Pz III & 17 Pz IV's in the 5th Pz Regt. One can assume most of the AFV were available. But when the Afrikakorps reached Tobruk on April 11-14th there were only 38 operational Pz (Mostly Pz II's and Pz IV's. With the rest strung out over hundreds of miles of desert. Mostly Pz III's that had major problems with the air filters. 44 of the 60 Pz III's had to have their engines replaced before continuing...

In Afrika each Pz Bn in 5th Pz Regt had two Co's with a platoon of Pz II's and the rest Pz III's, & also a Hv Co of a platoon of Pz II's and the balance of Pz IV's.

Simon's spot on about Thomas Jentz, Recommend his book "Tank Combat in North Africa" the definative account of the DAK's first strike out into the desert.

Also might take a look at the 2 Vol set, "Geschichte des Panzerregiments 5" by Bernd Hartman. Loaded with great photos and unit history. Originally only in German but now released in English as well.

[Tim O'Keefe]

Bit of a followup as the solder arrived in Afrika in Jan '43.

In Tunisia the 2nd Co 5th Pz Regt was equipped with a combination of Pz IIIg & Pz IIIj's initially but did receive some Pz IIIn's as well in ' 43.

[Blued]

This is great info, thanks guys!

Very nice soldbuch.

2nd Co, 5th Pz Regt was armed with the Pz I the Pz II in France. When transfered to Afrika 2nd Co had a recon platoon of Pz II's and the balance were Pz III's.
No record has been found of the available panzer's in the initial DAK attacks in March 31, 1941 & the first 10 days of April. However the total available Pz were 25 Pz I, 45 Pz II, 60 Pz III & 17 Pz IV's in the 5th Pz Regt. One can assume most of the AFV were available. But when the Afrikakorps reached Tobruk on April 11-14th there were only 38 operational Pz (Mostly Pz II's and Pz IV's. With the rest strung out over hundreds of miles of desert. Mostly Pz III's that had major problems with the air filters. 44 of the 60 Pz III's had to have their engines replaced before continuing...

In Afrika each Pz Bn in 5th Pz Regt had two Co's with a platoon of Pz II's and the rest Pz III's, & also a Hv Co of a platoon of Pz II's and the balance of Pz IV's.

Simon's spot on about Thomas Jentz, Recommend his book "Tank Combat in North Africa" the definative account of the DAK's first strike out into the desert.

Also might take a look at the 2 Vol set, "Geschichte des Panzerregiments 5" by Bernd Hartman. Loaded with great photos and unit history. Originally only in German but now released in English as well.

Thanks Tim. Did you pull this from a combination of Jentz's book and 2 Vol set, "Geschichte des Panzerregiments 5" by Bernd Hartman?

[Tim O'Keefe]

This is great info, thanks guys!

Thanks Tim. Did you pull this from a combination of Jentz's book and 2 Vol set, "Geschichte des Panzerregiments 5" by Bernd Hartman?

Just off the top of my head really Been studing this stuff for many years....The amount of panzer's in Afrika has been published in a number of books. The first book i would get on North Afrika is Dal McGuirk's "Rommel's Army in Afrika".

Here are a couple threads you might enjoy, first a DAK solders story in Afrika...

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=340303

Then THE thread on the DAK here on the WAF

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=213638

Heia Safari !

[Simon O.]

By the way there's at least one photo of a Pz.II from this company on a ship heading for Africa in Jentz's book.

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Impressive! Thanks Tim. I will have to start digging into this book for his time in early 43 in Afrika.

As you and Ian helped out in the thread I created (linked above), I made the mistake as I knew I would and he was actually in central Russia with the 3rd Pz Division after fighting in France until he was wounded in Nov 41. He was sent to Afrika only in 43.

With that, I'd assume Jentz's book details the 3rd Pz's actions in central Russia? I'm curious on equipment (tank) issue there while he was with the 5th Pz Brig until Nov 41. I'm assuming he was still with a Mk II as Ian pointed out that the promotion signature was by a commander also in a II.

[Tim O'Keefe]

In some ways its more impressive that he first went to Russia, then went to Afrika. In Russia 1941-'42, the 2nd Pz Co would have a platoon of Pz II's and the balance would be Pz III's same as in Afrika. Some Stab platoons did use the Pz II & Pz III.