The previous posting makes the case for researching Orders of Battle (OOBs) and Tables of Organization and Equipment to better understand the battles and campaigns in the ETO in 1944 and 1945. The goal of this posting is to provide leaders sources of reliable OOBs and TO&Es.
US Army
An essential reference is Shelby Stanton’s World War II Order of Battle — The Encyclopedic Reference to Ground Force Units from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946. Published by Galahad Books in 1984, this my “Go To” book on the US Army. Quoting its jacket: “The sum of information gathered here is not available anywhere else — in the private sector, the military, or in the government.” It provides both OOB and TO&E information. Eight chapters cover the US Army Structure, Infantry, Armor, Cavalry, Tank Destroyers, Field Artillery, Coast and Anti-Aircraft Artillery, and Engineers. Chapters on Armored, Infantry, and Airborne Divisions provide information on their organic units, overseas wartime assignments, and a combat narrative. Five chapters cover Infantry Brigades, Regiments, Battalions, Chemical Mortar Battalions, and Miscellaneous Infantry Organizations; Armored Brigade, Groups, Regiments, Amphibian Tank and Tractor Battalions; and Tank Battalions. Similarly structured sections address the other branches. I find especially useful the listing of artillery and anti-aircraft battalions to include their weapon and prime mover type; and the information on the huge number of engineer groups and battalions. Entries on every unit include when it arrived in theater; an incomplete but still useful listing of attachments and detachments and dates — invaluable information! Also provided are the Campaigns in which the units served, the corps to which they were assigned and when, and a casualty breakout.
The online counterpart to Stanton’s encyclopedia is the US Army Center of Military History’s https://history.army.mil/documents/eto-ob/etoob-toc.html. I find this site extremely useful as it also provides the names of commanders and key staff (G-1 through G-5) down to regiment and dates of their assignments; the locations of the division command post; days in combat; and casualties as percentage of their TO&E.
A third excellent reference is Yves J. Bellanger’s US Army Infantry Divisions 1943-45, Volume 1 — Organization, Doctrine, and Equipment, published by Helion & Company in 2002. It thoroughly examines each of the infantry division’s organic elements and sub-organization.
British Army
My favorite reference for the British Army and its OOB in the ETO is Jean Bouchery’s From D-Day to V-E Day, Volume II, The British Soldier — Organization, Armament, Tanks and Vehicles, published by History & Collection (Paris) in 1999, which provides both OOB and TO&E information. This extensively illustrated and well-organized book covers the principal British units; the organic units of the armored, infantry, and airborne divisions; the independent armored and infantry brigades; and artillery from troop to the Army Groups, Royal Artillery. The book also provides useful information on equipment, armament, tanks, and vehicles.
Appendix IV “The Allied Armies “ in the official British history of the ETO campaign, Victory in the West, Volume II, The Defeat of Germany, by Major L.F. Eillis, provides helpful OOB information on the organization of the British 21st Army Group, including Canadian forces and the Polish 1st Armored Division. Appendix V — The Allied Air Forces provides an air OOB for all Allied forces in the ETO.
Canadian Army
Also written by Jean Bouchery, The Canadian Soldier In Northwest Europe, published in 2003, provides a wealth of OOB and TO&E information in a format identical to his work on the British Army. Terry Copp’s A Canadian’s Guide to the Battlefields of Northwest Europe, published in 1995 by the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, includes an OOB appendix on First Canadian Army (to include commanders from army down to brigade levels) and another providing TO&E information on Canadian army units.
German Army and Waffen SS
Information on German OOBs and TO&E’s can sometimes be difficult to track down. However, more has become available over the years.
The US War Department’s 25 March 1945 “Handbook on German Military Forces” is a very useful TO&E reference that also provides a wealth of information on weapons and munitions, vehicles, communication equipment, tactics, fortifications, and doctrine. I often refer to it because it reflects what was known to Allied intelligence at the time.
American George F. Nafziger is internationally known for his range of books providing OOB information on conflicts going back to the Thirty Years War. He has compiled literally thousands of OOBs and historical studies, including 618 from WWII, that are highly regarded among researchers, historians, and wargamers. In 2010 he most generously contributed his entire collection to the Digital Library of the Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library, which is slowly placing them online. However, accessing them at https:/cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collectionis currently difficult.
I regularly refer to his 2 “German Order of Battle: Panzer and Artillery.” These volumes are particularly helpful as they show the organization and equipment of panzer divisions at various points over their combat history, and provide the best information available on army and corps level artillery, coast artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, and railway guns.
In 2007, the Stackpole Military History series published Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr.’s 3-volume German Order of Battle series that provides the composition and a short history of the numbered or named German Infantry Divisions (Volumes I and II), and Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS divisions (Volume III). Appendices provide chronologies of the wartime experiences of higher headquarters from High Command through corps.
Additional Sources of OOB and TO&E Information
Wargames
Rulesets for board and miniature wargaming often are a good source for OOBs; however, unless designed for solo play, they place a higher priority on equality between forces than historical accuracy. “Flames of War” has published numerous books that focus on specific Allied and German OOBs in the ETO.
Battle and Campaign Histories
The best histories often provide OOBs and, if not also TO&Es, at least some reference to the actual manpower and material strengths of both sides. Often, these OOBs include only major maneuver elements, which can be useful starting point, particularly in the case of Osprey Book’s Campaign Series.
An excellent reference on the German Army in Normandy is Niklas Zertterling’s Normandy 1944 — German Military Organization, Combat Power, and Organizational Effectiveness, published by Casemate Books in 2019. The core of this impressive work is an overview of all German military formations that fought in Normandy. For each unit, Zetterling provides a brief history, a listing of its components, and incredibly detailed listings of on-hand manpower and material, often at several points in the campaign. This includes general headquarters and separate formations, divisions, brigades and regiments.
British historian Martin Middlebrook’s Arnhem 1944 — The Airborne Battle, published by Westview Press in 1994, includes detailed OOBs, including the names of commanding officers down to the battalion level, in the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group. It also provides detailed OOB information on the air transport force. Trevor Dupuy’s Hitler’s Last Gamble — The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945, published in 1994, contains the most extensive Allied and German OOB and TO&E information, including that on the air forces, that I have found.
A series of books by French authors Georges Bernage, Stéphanie Jacquet, Dominique François, Henri Marie, and Philippe Bauduin, all published by Heimdal, also provide considerable insight into German and Allied OOBs and TO&Es over the complete course of the Normandy campaign. Most of these are available in English.
Official Histories
The US Army official WWII history series, known as the “Green Books,” on the Ground Forces in the ETO is another reliable source of information on both US and German orders of battle. The series is particularly helpful in providing information on both US and German manpower and material levels.
Military Unit Histories and Associations
Notable in this category is British Major General Michael Reynold’s series of books on Waffen SS units in Normandy and the Ardennes, all of which provide great detail on organization, manning levels, and numbers of armored fighting vehicles. In addition, these works provide much information on the personalities and their combat skills from corps down to battalions.
Most of the US Army divisions and many of the regiments that fought in the ETO published unit histories to capture their wartime experience. Although most of these were written rather quickly using unit records including the monthly-required operational summaries, some important dates and places, and other facts are incorrect or missing. Nonetheless, they offer information on OOBs and the unit leadership. A good number have been re-printed in recent years. This can be very insightful, particularly in identifying unit commanders.
Military Unit Associations
Many US Army divisions established associations that held regular reunions for the veterans and their families. As families increasingly became active in them, they began recording or documenting individual experiences. Some still maintain active websites that often provide useful information on the division’s organic units and attachments, links to their monthly operational division and regimental reports (a treasure trove of information!), and other sites with relevant information.
Battlefield Guidebooks
Virtually all ETO battlefield guidebooks that I know of include OOBs. Many list only major maneuver elements, but even this can come in handy while visiting a battlefield.
Future Postings
I will identify other such sources for OOB and TO&E information in future postings about specific battles and campaigns.
I would also appreciate your critique of the purpose, scope, form, content, and usability of this blog. So please take a few moments to share your thoughts with me and other readers.
Coming next — A Case Study on the Lorraine Campaign
Thank you for reading!