26 July 1943

26 July 1943 Proposed replacement training organisation Annex 33

Secret. To Seventh Army. 1. The 389th Division is to form a field replacement battalion: headquarters; 1st–4th course companies for rifle training; 5th for heavy infantry weapons; 6th for reconnaissance, antitank, artillery and engineer specialists. Accommodation north and west of Vire: Étouvy, Landelles-et-Coupigny, Saint-Sever-Calvados and Saint-Martin-de-Tallevende. Weapons and equipment are in Appendix 1. Formation cannot occur before mid-August because the division itself is still forming.

2. The 319th Division forms one mixed company each on Guernsey and Jersey, directly under the division and Commander Jersey respectively. Weapons and equipment are drawn as needed from island reserve battalions. A common battalion headquarters is not planned, to avoid unnecessary shipping.

3. The 709th and 716th Divisions reorganise reserve-battalion companies. The 709th uses one Montebourg company for rifle training and one for heavy infantry weapons. The 716th uses one Caen company for rifle training and one Bayeux company for heavy infantry weapons. Reserve battalions provide leaders, weapons and equipment.

4. Coastal-defence requirements already entail numerous detachments within corps: motor-driver training company, Reconnaissance Squadron 84, equipment batteries, static weapons and courses. Transfers to the assault battalion and 21st Panzer Division have not yet been replaced. Roughly 250 detached men per division already substantially reduce combat strength.

Forming full replacement battalions in the strength envisaged by Seventh Army, using existing personnel of the 709th and 716th Divisions, would unacceptably weaken the combat and labour strength of these two-regiment divisions. Corps requests approval for the training-company scheme within reserve battalions instead. It saves a separate battalion headquarters and administrative apparatus, weapons and equipment. The purpose of continuously improving training is achieved without withdrawing additional leaders, personnel and material from the coastal divisions.

T-314 Roll 1604, T314_R1604_English_Translation.docx. 26 July 1943 | Source PDF pages 727–728. Selected island-related text; document or report date governs placement.