Looking for info on 1.Armoured Division/Italy 44

[Panzer_M]

I'm in search of To&E for the US 1.Armoured, mainly for Anzio and later Rosigano(July 44) battles.

I ordered the Osprey book on US armour in N.Africa and Italy but I was wondering if there is a online source for the info, like AxisHistory for the germans.

working on some CombatMission battles this weekend, which involve the 1. Armoured and that's why I need the info.

[ostketten]

I'm in search of To&E for the US 1.Armoured, mainly for Anzio and later Rosigano(July 44) battles.

This is pretty esoteric stuff, a very tall order indeed. I doubt even the official divisional history has what you're looking for, although it might have a generic TO&E. The Nafziger collection is probably your best bet.... http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/ It's highly unlikely you'll find this anywhere for free on the web unless you want to do like I have and spend years browsing the US Army Center for Military History, AHEC, the USGPO, and other repositories for obscure downloadable WWII documents....

[Panzer_M]

The new TOE for light ADs was effective 15 September 1943, and 1st AD eventually did convert, but not until after Rome as Steve says. By then it was reduced anyway and had to be rebuilt. Steve no doubt knows the rest below, I am just fleshing out his comments.

The old heavy structure was 2 armor regiments each 1 light and 2 medium battalions, 1 armored infantry regiment of 3 battalions, and 1 artillery regiment with 3 battalions (SP). The other organic units include an armored cavalry squadron, armored engineer battalion, and the usual support (medical signals ordnance etc).

The armored battalions of the old heavy divisions were triangular, in other words 3 uniform companies each - all Stuart in the light battalions, all Sherman in the medium battalions. There was an additional Stuart company in the armored cavalry squadron. Thus a heavy pattern division had 7 Stuart and 12 Sherman companies all told. The new light pattern had only 3 armored battalions but each of 4 companies, 1 Stuart and 3 Sherman, plus the cavalry's extra Stuart battalion. Thus 4 Stuart and 9 Sherman companies all told. The amount of armored infantry and field artillery was the same in either case.

2nd and 3rd AD kept the heavy pattern to the end of the war, 1st was the only other one that ever used it, and didn't keep it.

Even the light pattern didn't have enough infantry, in practice, for sustained combat. Besides cannabilizing inessential subunits for extra riflemen, the typical organizational expedient was to cross-attach a full infantry regiment from an infantry division in the same corps. At Anzio for 1st Armored, that was a regiment of the 34th ID, usually.

Other attachments that floated and were not permanent were TDs (SP) and AAA. I have seen reports of SP TDs working with 1st AD during the Anzio breakout fighting, but I don't have a unit designation.

After the reorganization to light (post Rome), the former regiments became battalion sized, and the division structure was 1, 4, and 13 tank battalions, 6, 11 and 14 armored infantry, throughout it had 27, 68, and 91st armored field artillery battalions, 81st cavalry squadron, and 16th armored engineer battalion.

I hope this helps.

got that from JasonC at Battlefront..normally a good source of Grog info.