Kampfgruppe Kutzen August 1944 Pays de Loire

 Laval 1944

During Pattons 3rd armies breakout from Normandy first through Brittany then into Pay’s de Loire in early August 1944 the first real defensive line it met was along the Mayenne River, only three bridges remained along its 200klm length, one at Ville Mayenne (captured by task force Weaver) and another south of Laval at Houssay and the third near Chateau Gontier (captured by the 2e Demi brigade).

  Laval is the regional capital of the department of Mayenne in Pays de Loire. The city sits astride the river Mayenne a tributary of the Maine then Loire river. The city is a major transport rail and road link for western France.  The Laval rail infrastructure was the main east west corridor between east and western France. Consequently the city was frequently bombed by the allies, the rail viaduct bridge was damaged twice and finally destroyed allied bombing in late July of 1944 cutting the route west to Rennes and Bretagne. Laval also had important rail centre it had two large rail yards (one east and one west of the river) it was also the junction for 6 light railway lines in the region for moving iron, stone, food, linen, livestock and troops east and west and north and south.

Laval also is the crossroads of two main highways, the N157 east west Paris, Le Mans to Rennes and coast, and a huge number of Main departmental roads south to Nantes and Angers,  Tours - Orleans east, and N12 Alençon - Caen- Paris to the North.

The city also had a major airfield that was built by the Armee de l’Air in 1914 and used in 1940. Captured by the Germans it was used as a luftwaffe base hosting bombers of ZG76, KG2 and two fighter sqaudrons of FW190 from JG2, and Me109 JG27. Consequently the southern part of the city was heavily bombed by the allied air forces 7 times in 1944 leading up to June.  

The Borel (Société Générale des Constructions Industrielles et Mécaniques) aircraft factory was in the central city right beside the railway bridge. The factory built radiators and seaplane hulls for Dornier 24 seaplanes were assembled for the Luftwaffe, then floated down the river for further assembly in Angers. It was damaged twice in the June 1944 bombing of the centre of the city. 

The three road bridges that crossed the river in the city were destroyed by the retreating German units on the 6th, the morning the Americans arrived, how ever both weir walls were traversable on foot after the FFI had opened the sluice gates draining the river.

Defending Laval

 Kampfgruppe Kutzen was commanded by Oberst Hans Kutzen, tasked to create a blocking line to allow the retreating supply units  in front of the American breakout to gain safe refuge. 9th Panzer, 1st Sicherung and 708th infantry division were rushing to the Pay’s de Loire area to join the river defensive line also but would not be in position fully until the 8th of August.  

The kampfgruppe consisted of elements of 

91st Infantry Division, retreating elements 

17th SS anti tank Abteilung (who were not in position fully when the Americans arrived and fought in the rear guard action, jadgpanzer IV )

266 Infantry division, retreating elements 

319th infantry division, retreating elements 

708 Fusilier Abteilung, cycles, buses, pak 40 part of the rear guard action 

Heavy Flak Abteilung 842 & 124 (842 at Laval airfield) 

Luftwaffe feld defence unit depot laval ( laval airfield )

Retreating Luftwaffe elements, formed a alarm company

V &VI companies of Sicherungs Regiment 195. 

Sicherungs Regiment

5th Fallschirmjager replacement battalion and various rear elements. 

Cheers

Matt

Yom Kippur Syrian Order of Battle

Syrian Order of battle Yom Kippur

Organised along Soviet lines the highly motivated and well disciplined Syrians again prepared for war against Israel to take back the territory lost in the six day war. The Syrian front was the most crucial to the success of the operation against Israel. The Syrian operation was to recapture the Golan heights, reach the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. The first four days of the operation lead to the largest armour clash since ww2. The non flexible highly centralised command structure really affected the performance of the Syrian army with division commanders directly reporting to the president leading to a total breakdown by day three. Once momentum was lost and the Israelis stabilised then counterattacked, punching to within striking distance of Damascus before the ceasefire. 

9th with T-54/ 55 tanks. 

5th and 7th Divisions each had two infantry brigades, one mechanized brigade and one armored brigade, as well as an Artillery Group and Division units. 

9th Division did not have a mechanized brigade. 

•  Two armored divisions— the 1st and the 3rd, with T-62 tanks, each with two tank brigades, a mechanized brigade, an Artillery Group and Division units
• Two independent armored brigades— the 51st and the 47th, and an independent mechanized brigade— the 62nd • 1500 tanks • 1000 artillery gun barrels •
•  Seven commando and paratrooper battalions 
• Rifaat al-Assad Force— assigned to secure the regime that included two tank battalions and elite infantry forces 
• “FROG” SS rocket. launchers 
• Thirty-six SAM batteries, half of them SA-6 
• 30 SA4 anti aircraft batteries 

Air Force

178 MiG-21 fighter jets

SU 7

114 other fighter jets

forty-five helicopters Mi-8

Panzers in Normandy - SS Panzer Abteilung 17 Götz von Berlichingen

 SS Panzer Abteilung 17 Götz von Berlichingen

The next unit I want to complete is my 17th SS Götz von Berlichingen, as I collect information a recently released book for the 80th anniversary of DDay arrived on pre order and this week I finally sat down for a read on a very wet Mayenne day. 

The book was published by Maranes Editions Bayeux, authored by Stephan Cazenave & Stephane Neuhaus. I met the authors at the Normandy military Book Festival at Chateau d’Audrieu in June this year. 

Chateau d’Audrieu

The book has a lot of great photos relating to panzers of the unit, ideal for modelers and Normandy military historians. I suspect a number of the vehicles will enter my collection over the next 6 months. 

16th Luftwaffe Felddivision part Two

16th Luftwaffe Felddivision. 

Completed my luftwaffe field division  infantry regiment using SHQ figures which are closer to 1/76 rather than 1/72 but are lovely figures never the less. I have a regimental HQ stab coy, two Stab HQ for the two battalions, 6 rifle companys and support coy of MMG and Mortar, plus anti tank battalion assets. I need to add a motorcycle Feld Gendarmerie platoon, a regimental Kitchen platoon, Sanits platoon, sniper and supply wagons to the Regiment HQ. 

For the remainder of the division I am currently working on the supply, medical, anti armor regiment, Anti aircraft regiment, artillery regiment and support vehicles and wagons at the moment, hopefully complete them over the coming two weeks. 

1st Battalion Luftwaffe Felddivision

2nd Battalion Luftwaffe Felddivision 

Really happy how the luftwaffe camo smocks have come up and the anti tank gun colours also.  I have built the division so they can be used in Normandy, Russian Front and Holland. 

Regimental Stab (still requires medic, kitchen wagon and field police) 

1st battalion Stab HQ

1st Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

2nd Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

3rd Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

2nd Battalion  Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

6th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

7th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

8th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

9th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

10th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

10th Company Luftwaffe Felddivision 16

Cheers

Matt

The Strivsvagen 103 Swedish army project

The S Tank 

Possibly the most recognisable cold war tank the Strivsvagen 103 or S tank. Work on improving the Strv S finally ended in March of 1966. A year later, in September of 1967, the tank was accepted into service. It received the index Strv 103, although Bofors documents kept calling it Strv S for some time. Ten years of work were not wasted: the army received an unusual, but technically excellent vehicle, ideally suitable for fighting in Scandinavia.

A big Cold War favourite of mine, I have six S Diecast tanks in my collection and one plastic with dozer blade, I have given them a repaint then gloss varnish, wash and weathered them so they all match. 

Photos to come! 

Cheers

Matt

Able Archer - Algerian Army list 1962-1990

 Algerian Armed Forces 1962-1990

The Algerian Armée National Populaire (ANP) came to into existence in 1962 after the independence movement was a success against France. The Algerian nation supported a number of liberation movements in Africa during the 70s and 80s and was a major contributor to the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) and sent advisors and money to support the rebel movements all over Africa. The government also openly supported terrorist organisations such as the PLF, PIJ and PLO up until 1990s. The government also sent troops and equipment to support Arab countries during the 67 and 73 Arab Israeli wars. 

My Army lists only commence after the independence of Algeria. Tactical doctrine is based on the soviet model. 

Algerian involvement in local and international Wars, Sand War (63-64), October war (Yom Kippur) 1973, Western Sahara (75-76), 

Main Battle Tanks 

T34/85  (1963)

T54 (1964) 100mm D10T

T55 (1967) 100mm D10T KTD2 laser range finder (1982)

T62 (1977)  115 U5-TS + 12.7mm AA gun

T72M (1979) 125mm 

Armoured vehicles 

M8 Greyhound A/C

Saladin 

BDRM 2 

BTR 40 (1964)

BTR 50 (1964)

BTR 60PB (1970)

BTR 152 (1964)

OT-64

BMP 1 (1970)

BMP 2

Panhard M3 APC 

SU 100 

Man handled AT system

157 x Zis2 57mm AT HEAT 3 crew

37 x D44N 85mm AT infa-red sight, HEAT, 4 crew

3 x T12 100mm AT gun HEAT 4 crew 

AT 3 Sagger missile 

AT4 spigot 

AT5 Spandrel 

Milan 

Recoilless gun 

120x B10 82mm 

58x B11 107mm

Artillery systems 

Towed 122mm howitzer D74

Towed 122mm howitzer M37

Towed 122 howitzer D30A APHE, APBC, HEAT, APFSDS (1990) illumination, smoke 4 crew 

Towed 130mm howitzer M46 APHE, APBC, HEAT illumination, smoke 6 crew 

Towed 152 howitzer ML 20S APHE, APBC, HEAT illumination, smoke 6 crew 

Self propelled 2s1 (Gvozvika) 122mm howitzer APHE, APBC, HEAT

Self propelled 2s3 152mm howitzer APHE, APBC, HEAT

Mortar 82mm BM37 (max range 30 inches)

Mortar 120mm M43

Mortar 160mm M43

Rocket propelled artillery 

BM 21- 122mm Ural-357 mounted 40 tubes  HE, smoke, illuminate, phosphorus chemical smoke, crew 3 (1980)

BM14/16 Zis 151 mounted 8 tubes - 140mm rocket HE, smoke, phosphorus chemical smoke, crew 6 (1962)

30x BM24 - 240mm Zis-151 12 tubes  HE, smoke, phosphorus chemical smoke, crew 6 (1962)

Missile artillery systems 

SA2 guideline 

SA3 Goa 

SA6 Gainful

SA13 Gopher 

Anti air systems 

60x ZPU-2 twin barrel 14.5

40x ZPU-4 4 barrel 14.5mm 

20mm 

23mm 

37mm

57mm 

ZU -23-4 23mm twin crew 4

ZSU-23-4 23mm twin Shilka crew 4 

85mm AA gun (KS 12) 

100mm AA gun (KS 19)

140mm AA gun  (KS 30)

Missile Anti Air 

Sa7 man portable 

SA8 Gecko

SA9 Gaskin 

SA14

SA16 

Aviation 

MiG 15

MIG 21

MIG 23

SU 25 

28 x Mi 2 helicopter 

Mi 24 helicopter 

Mi171 (Mi-8AMT) troop carrier 

Alouette II

Alouette III

References 

https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Algeria%20Study_4.pdf