WW2- Compiling Research

StuG Life!

As some of you may have seen,  I've started moving really heavily into WW2 gaming, first with Flames of War and soon to be with Bolt Action as well.  In a previous post I outlined my long term ideas/plans for the armies I'd like to start in each of those gaming systems, all of which are based around the allied invasion of Sicily and Italy.  One of my favorite things about Historical Wargaming is all the research that comes along it, and here I've decided to compile some of the images I've been looking at as reference for future painted models.

I should note, one of things I've started noticing is some of the conflicting accounts and data from one resource to the next.  Some sources say this, some say that.  Some list the Panzer Kompanie compositions as being this, some list it differently.  What I have chosen is to choose a given resource, and rightly or wrongly so, just to stick by it!  If someone says "hey, that Kompanie didn't have Panzer IV's" or whatnot, I can easily shrug it off as "well, resource X says they did, so blame them for being wrong".  Finally, I should also note that for the time being, all of these pictures are based on the Hermann Goring Panzers and Grenadiers, mainly because they will be my first armies in FoW and BA, as well as my Ranger force won't require the same amount of visual reference and finding suitable info on Italian forces is proving to be a bit of pain...

One of the first issues I ran into is which Battalion/Kompanies contained the Panzer IV's.  One of my resources lists it as the second Battalion (Kompanies 5-8) and makes a personal notation of the 7th Kompanie in particular.  To me, this makes sense as after the Invasion of Sicily it is said that the first Battalion was recalled to be refit with Panthers due to heavy losses.  You would think (at least in my mind) they'd recall primarily the Panzer III's as the IV's were more useful, which is why I have an issue with some of these first battalion Panzer IV images.  To further back my claim that 7th Kompanie had Panzer IV's, I have seen similar images depicting Panzer IV's from the 7th.  As I mentioned above, I'm picking a resource to follow along with, and sticking to it whether right or wrong.  Maybe some one more knowledgeable than myself can set me straight on it, but I'm hoping I'm not too far off, or won't get called out on it. (I doubt that I would)

 Another image I'm not sure on.  For my HG Panzergrenadiers, I've been told (online) they utilized more of the trucks than anything, with the half-tracks being limited to a single Kompanie or used mostly by the Flak regiments and/or staff.  Again, maybe someone smarter than myself can set me straight...

 I'm thinking of running Panzer III's from the 5th or 6th Kompanie, so these will be my main reference for the III's...

 I find the lack of Schurzen pretty interesting.  Mine are modeled WITH it however...

In regards to the arty, I'll have to figure out which camo spec to use, if any.  I'll really like the brown/dunkelgelb swirls, just not sure if that was used in Sicily/Italy or not.

For my Grenadiers in both FoW and BA, I'll probably be looking to use the middle #2 guy for the main paint scheme...

Tank Crews and Gun Crews, just for reference...
















There you have it! My research is far from complete on these guys, so I'm sure I'll be finding some additional reference material and pictures for some time to come, but this gives me a good starting point to begin building and painting from.  If you have any extra resources or info on the Hermann Goring units in Sicily/Italy that you wouldn't mind sharing or any corrections, please don't hesitate to pass em along!  It will be much appreciated!

- PANZER VOR!