AfrikaKorps heavy Arty

[K K Rossokolski]

The post #5 grouping may well have been a detachment of the ARKO established to support Cruewell

[JasonC]

Um, Gazala is in 1942. Crusader is in 1941. Tobruk is beseiged for months before Crusader, which relieves it. In the Gazala fighting on the other hand it fell very rapidly.

The Germans have several battalions of 150 howitzer, and the Italians very useful numbers of entirely capable 149mm howitzers, in the seige period.

The Germans formed Afrika Artillery Regiment 1 in April 1942 from the staff of the 221st artillery regiment. It had 10 batteries in 3 battalions, with the 10th independent. The armament was -

1 - 4 British 25 pdr
2 - 4 German 105 FK
3 - 3 German 210 Morser
4 - 4 British 25 pdr
5 - 4 German 105 FK
6 - 3 German 210 Morser
7 - 4 British 25 pdr
8 - 4 German 105 FK
9 - 3 German 210 Morser
10 - 6 76mm Russian (long L51 model, PAK role)

This formation definitely fought at El Alamein as a unit and was destroyed in Tunisia in May of 1943. May not have been available fully organized by Gazala, but its subunits would be present (see below).

A 2nd such Afrika artillery regiment - 2 - was organized in Italy in September 1942 from the staff of artillery regiment 623, and made it to the El Alamein battle as a unit, and was again destroyed in Tunisia in 1943. It had 4 battalions and a total of 12 firing batteries, plus an attached light Flak battery (1/612, with 11 20mm AA). These formations were already in theater for the most part, it was a reorganization and retasking that formed the independent regiment, not new guns shipped to Africa. The firing battery armament was -

1 - 3 German 170mm gun
2 - 3 German 170mm gun
3 - 3 German 170mm gun
4 - 4 French 155mm howitzer
5 - 4 French 155mm howitzer
6 - 4 French 155mm howitzer
7 - 4 British 4.5 inch gun
8 - 4 French 155mm howitzer
9 - 4 French 155mm howitzer
10 - 4 German 105mm FK
11 - 4 German 105mm FK
12 - 4 German 105mm FK

Most of the individual battalions in these formations were in Afrika as independent battalions. For instance, 2 of the 170mm gun and all of the 155mm French howitzer formations in the 2nd Regiment, were originally designated as coastal artillery when first sent to Africa in 1941.

The Italian corps level artillery and above included 4 battalions of 149mm guns in the 5th Army artillery group, a 16th corps artillery regiment with 3 battalions of 105mm howitzer, a 24th corps artillery regiment with 1 battalion of 105mm howitzer and 1 battalion of 100mm howitzer, and one motorized artillery regiment on the pattern of the Italian infantry divisions, which was 1 battalion 100mm howitzer and 2 battalions of 75mm howitzer (with some unit to unit variation, to be sure). Of these the most useful by far were the 149mm guns.

I hope this helps.

[K K Rossokolski]

Thank you, most helpful, esp the reference to the captured French tubes. One of the difficulties you get with this, as I am sure you are aware, is that there are about as many versions of OOBs as there are references. And it would be reasonable to believe that the info on the Allies side is more accurate than the Axis forces

Once again, VMT