[烛光生存狂]-德国第171装甲歼击营简史

http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=28707

Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 was created in August 1939 as part of the 71. Inf.Div. Initially its three combat companies were equipped with 12 towed 3,7 cm anti-tank guns. The first combat experience was gathered in the Campaign against France and the Benelux countries in May/June 1940. In the spring of 1941 one platoon per company converted to the new 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun. From June until October 1941 Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 fought with its parent division under Heeresgruppe (= army group) Süd on the southern sector of the Eastern Front, were it suffered considerable losses when confronted with the heavily armoured Russian T 34 and KV 1 tanks, which had come as a nasty surprise for the German anti-tank units.

Already in early November 1941 the whole 71. Inf.Div. was pulled out of the front lines and sent to Belgium for rest and refit. In January 1942 the division was transferred to France, and the three combat companies of Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 were reorganized into one platoon with 3,7 cm and two platoons with 5 cm anti-tank guns each. In April 1942 the 71. Inf.Div. was sent back to H.Gr. Süd on the Eastern Front again. Here in became encircled in Stalingrad in November 1942, where the divisional units, including Pz.Jg.Abt. 171, were completely destroyed until February 1943.

Only a few days later orders were issued for the full recreation of the 71. Inf.Div., which then was carried out from March until July 1943 in German occupied Denmark. The new Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 once again consisted of three companies: The 1.(Sf.) Kp. was created by renaming the 2.(Sf.)/Pz.Jg.Abt. 295 and received 13 Marder III Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. 138) in April 1943. One was given to the company commander, while the others were distributed into four platoons with three Marders each. At the end of June 1943 a 14th Marder III H arrived, which was taken over as command vehicle by the battalion commander. The 2.(Pz.Jg.) Kp. initially received 12 7,5-cm Pak 40 anti tank guns with Raupenschlepper Ost (RSO) fully tracked towing vehicles. The 3.(Fla) Kp. was equipped with 12 2 cm Flak 38 light anti-aircraft guns. Of these six were mounted on Sd.Kfz. 10/5 half-tracks and six on ‘Maultier’ type half-tracks.

So equipped Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 moved from Denmark to Austria (Kärnten) in August 1943. On September 9, the day after the Italian surrender to the Allies, the units of the 71. Inf.Div. crossed the border into Italy and began disarming Italian troops in the Treviso - Gorizia - Trieste - Fiume area. Here on September 14 the 1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 was involved in a tragic friendly fire incident at Fiume, when one of its Marders knocked out the leading Panzer IV Ausf. H of a column of tanks from the I. Abt. Pz.Rgt. 1 approaching the city from the direction of Trieste. The Pz IV H (Ofw. Schäfer, 2./Pz.Rgt. 1) was completely destroyed and one member of the crew died.

After that Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 was engaged in guarding the coast and fighting partisans in the area between Monfalcone and Fiume. In October or November 1943 the anti-tank guns of the 2. Kp. were replaced by eight Italian assault guns of the M 42 da 75/18 and 75/34 type, and in February 1944 the designation of the company was changed to Stu.G.Abt. 1171. In February or March the number of assault guns was also increased to a total of now four M 42 da 75/18 and ten M 42 da 75/34.

Meanwhile in January 1944 the 71. Inf.Div. had quickly been transferred to the area south of Rome, and beginning in February 1944 it was in action in the Monte Majo mountain area during the battle for Cassino. After suffering severe losses and barely escaping encirclement by Allied troops several times during the 3rd battle for Cassino (German counting) the division was practically destroyed until May 20, 1944. Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 had lost almost half of its Marders and assault guns.

Thereafter followed more combats near the Adriatic coast at Chieti, which led to further heavy losses in the area of Esperia. The remnants of the 71. Inf.Div. withdrew to the Ancona sector. The next engagement followed in September 1944 during the Battle for the city of Rimini. After that the badly depleted 71. Inf.Div. was transferred to Trieste for an urgently necessary rest and refit.

By August 1, 1944 the number of operational Marder III H in the 1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 had shrunk to only one. The total number of available Marders could not be established exactly, but was probably about five. Additionally the company by then had one platoon outfitted with towed heavy anti-tank guns. The 2. Kp. - or Stu.G.Abt. 1171 - still could field nine Italian assault guns. At the end of August 1944 wies the Gen.Insp.d.Pz.Tr. had allocated five new Marder III Ausf. H or M from factory maintenance to the 71. Inf.Div. These vehicles were actually shipped from an ordnance depot on September 19, but none of them ever reached the 1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171. Instead they were distributed among the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Div. (three) and the 26. Pz.Div. (two).

The reason for this probably was the decision to transfer the 71. Inf.Div. from Italy to H.Gr. Süd in Hungary. The first rail transports left from Undine in mid October 1944. The 1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 gave up the remaining Marder III H to other units in Italy (a common practice for German units leaving for another theatre of war), and was converted to towed anti tanks guns when arriving in Hungary.

At the end of November 1944 the 2./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 still reported four M 42 da 75/18, four M 42 da 75/34, and six M 43 da 105/25 in its inventory. But due to the chronical shortage of spare parts the operational status of these vehicles remained very poor. At the end of December 1944 or in early January 1945 the 2./Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 (meanwhile renamed to Pz.Jg.Kp. 1171) finally gave up its Italian assault guns. Only three newly delivered M 43 da 75/46 assault guns were kept by Pz.Jg.Abt. 171. The personnel of the 2. Kp. moved to Milowitz near Prague for training on the Jagdpanzer 38. The company rejoined the 71. Inf.Div. with 10 of these Jagdpanzers in late March 1945.

After arriving in Hungary Pz.Jg.Abt. 171 was engaged with the 71. Inf.Div. under the 2. Pz. Armee in defensive battles around Fünfkirchen and Szigetvar. The 71. Inf.Div. then withdrew via Nagyatad, Kutas, Nagybayom into Kärnten (Austria), where it finally surrendered in early May 1945.

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