East German Panzer Regiment

Having made significant progress with three Soviet regiments I now searched for some way to use a number of spare models which had been collected from various sources over the years. 

After some considerable thought I decided to model an East German panzer regiment.

During the Cold War East Germany maintained two panzer divisions. Each division contained three regiment maintained a similar organisation to the Soviet model. That is each regiment consisted of three panzer battalions and in MSH terms  each battalion is modelled by seven T-55 tanks, for a total of 21 tanks for the regiment.

Interestingly a significant portion of my T-55 models had actually been purchased in the early 1980s. So here they were now over 20 years later being formed up for the very same war that was at its height when they were cast. 

East German Panzer Divisions (1980 - 1989)
9th Panzer Division "Heinz Hoffmann":
  • Panzer Regiment 21 ""Walter Empacher"
  • Panzer Regiment 22 "Soja Kosmodemjanskaja"
  • Panzer regiment 23 "Julian Marchlewski"
  • Motorised Schützen Regiment 9 "Rudolf Renner"
  • Artillery Regiment 9 "Hans Fischer"

7th Panzer Division:

  • Panzer Regiment 14 "Karol Swierczewski"
  • Panzer Regiment 15 "Paul Hornick"
  • Panzer Regiment 16 "Leo Jogiches"
  • Motorised Schützen Regiment 7 "Max Roscher"
  • Artillery Regiment 7 "Albert Höbler"

Above, a T-55 panzer battalion, perhaps Panzer Regiment 21 "Walter Empacher", advances between fields and a wood. 

In the 1970s and for early 1980s the T-54 and T-55 was to be the standard front line East German tank. Some 2,500 were in service during this period. Some sources indicate that in the late 1970s some 600 T34/85s remained in storage.

Between 1984 and 1989 East Germany, along with Poland and Czechoslovakia, began an upgrade program that was similar to the Soviet T-55M/AM program. This program included equipping vehicles with additional armour and upgraded fire control (T-55AM2). Some vehicles were also fitted with Bastion (T-55AM2B).
Starting in 1978 T-72 tanks were introduced to the East German army. Initially, only one battalion of the 9th Panzer Division was equipped with these vehicles. Progressively additional battalions were converted, but at a relatively slow rate. 

Interestingly, the T-72 was delivered to 9th Panzer in preference to all other formations. Even in 1987 the 7th Panzer Division only fielded one battalion of T-72s. I could see a dual role here for my T-72 Regiment. While the normal Panzer Regiment is equipped with T-55s having a full regiment of T-72s in my Soviet army I could model the regiment with T-55s only, or potentially a mix of T-55 and T-72 tanks depending on the regiment and year.
East German T-72 Service Dates 
1978: 35 T-72
1981: 31 T-72
1982: 5 T-72
1983: 69 T-72M and 35 T-72
1984: 79 T-72
1985: 9 T-72M and 100 T-72
1986: 53 T-72M
1987: 63 T-72M1
1988: 43 T-72M1
1989: 30 T-72M1

I decided to support the panzer regiment with a motorised schützen battalion. This battalion is equipped entirely with BMP-1s. Between 1983 and 1985 only twenty four BMP-2s were delivered with all being allocated to the 9th Panzer Division. The BMP battalion is supported by a single stand of towed 120mm mortars and one stand, transported in a BMP, armed with SA-7 surface to air missiles. The BMP-1P was not introduced until 1987.


Above, PT-76s light tanks of Panzer Regiment 21 advance with T-55 tanks in support.		 The panzer regiment is of course supported by additional units. Spare PT-76s have found a new lease of life as reconnaissance vehicles for the panzer regiment. These elderly vehicles are somewhat slow compared to their more modern replacements, however they seem to adequately support  the older and slower T-55.

Other support elements of the East Germans include regimental flak weapons. Like most WARPAC armies of the period East Germany operated the modern ZSU-23-4 and SA-9 Gaskins. However, buried within my spares box were some older vehicles.

Specifically the very old ZSU-57-2. Long since removed from front line Soviet formations the ZSU-57 remained in limited East German service into the 1980s. While I do not have details on which formations they were attached the design history made them almost a critical component of the forming panzer regiment. 

The ZSU-57-2 was introduced to service in 1957 and is armed with twin 57mm cannons. In fact these 57mm guns are  derived from the German 5.7cm Flakgerat 58 designs captured at the end of World War II. Certainly a fitting addition to the East German units! 

Each vehicle has two Soviet artillery crew cut and mounted in the open topped fighting compartment. This is a simple, though reasonably effective conversion, which adds some life to the vehicle. Like my East German infantry I have painted the crew in a medium grey uniform to represent the German grey splinter camouflage.
Above, two ZSU-57-2s move along the banks of a river.

[Return to the Modern Spearhead Page] This article is compiled by Keith McNelly.