On the Back Foot: Kriegsmarines

[DarkElf27]

I've been more or less convinced to dabble in a WWII table-top skirmish game called Bolt Action. I have 20 German infantry, just enough to put together a rough, small platoon.

Considering the historical side of the game, I've been inspired to find a historical basis for my little band, and have landed on the 2nd Naval Infantry Division. I have an affinity, being a Navy type myself, and also because I want my unit to have the late-war, last-ditch desperation theme to it.

In the final months of the war, the German navy started converting their sailors whose ships were sunk into front-line infantry in a last-ditch effort to defend the northern-most parts of the German homeland. These were largely led by their own officers (with some senior Army officers infused), and armed with captured Russian or european weapons rather than the better and more familiar German weapons.

The 2nd Naval Infantry Division was very short-lived, seeing only about 3 months of combat action between March and May of 1945, mostly a fighting retreat in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany against the British advance.

While German naval infantry divisions were only created very late-war, there were some instances where they were used in earlier conflicts, though these were temporary, and these veterans were reverted to sailors onboard ships as soon as the fighting reached a lull. The most notable example is in April of 1940, when the crews of several destroyers took up captured Norwegian arms to successfully defend the port of Narvik alongside German mountain divisions.

German Naval Infantry; formation led by Petty Officer 2nd Class


Now with the backstory decided for my unit, on to the models! I don't have paints handy just yet, but I've finished assembling my platoon, excluding any Naval conversions I'm able to pull off once putty arrives.

Full platoon


Rifle Squad w/LMG


Sniper Team


Command Element with StG44 Assault Rifles


MMG Team


Veteran SMG team
 

[Lady Blodwynn]

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?  

[DarkElf27]

Lady Blodwynn

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?

Aye, I'm still trying to find some good reference photos for uniforms, which is difficult because it was such a short-lived unit. I could also see about tossing some non-German weapons in as well, to represent their ill-equipped status.  

[Lady Blodwynn]

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?

Aye, I'm still trying to find some good reference photos for uniforms, which is difficult because it was such a short-lived unit. I could also see about tossing some non-German weapons in as well, to represent their ill-equipped status.

Uniforms should be easy enough, I'm sure there are plenty of colour plates and guides out there on the uniforms sailors wore during the war.

Weapon-wise I would go with more non-automatic weapons and more outdated weapons such as the Gewehr 98 and bulkier machine guns left over from the Great War, ad-hoc units were more often than not worse off than regular army units and had access to equipment on the same level as the Volkssturm and other last ditch formations.  

[DarkElf27]

Lady Blodwynn

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?

Aye, I'm still trying to find some good reference photos for uniforms, which is difficult because it was such a short-lived unit. I could also see about tossing some non-German weapons in as well, to represent their ill-equipped status.

Uniforms should be easy enough, I'm sure there are plenty of colour plates and guides out there on the uniforms sailors wore during the war.

Weapon-wise I would go with more non-automatic weapons and more outdated weapons such as the Gewehr 98 and bulkier machine guns left over from the Great War, ad-hoc units were more often than not worse off than regular army units and had access to equipment on the same level as the Volkssturm and other last ditch formations.

Yes, and there's a lot of references to them armed with captured Russian rifles or other, less-renowned European weapons.  

[Lady Blodwynn]

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?

Aye, I'm still trying to find some good reference photos for uniforms, which is difficult because it was such a short-lived unit. I could also see about tossing some non-German weapons in as well, to represent their ill-equipped status.

Uniforms should be easy enough, I'm sure there are plenty of colour plates and guides out there on the uniforms sailors wore during the war.

Weapon-wise I would go with more non-automatic weapons and more outdated weapons such as the Gewehr 98 and bulkier machine guns left over from the Great War, ad-hoc units were more often than not worse off than regular army units and had access to equipment on the same level as the Volkssturm and other last ditch formations.

Yes, and there's a lot of references to them armed with captured Russian rifles or other, less-renowned European weapons.

But where to find Mosin–Nagant, MAS-36 and Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 rifles. ninja  

[DarkElf27]

Lady Blodwynn

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

DarkElf27

Lady Blodwynn

If I may point out a wee goof with the second guy who is about to shoot his Panzerfaust: He's going to lose an arm to the blast from said weapon. wink Unless the camera angle is obscuring it. sweatdrop

But, an interesting choice and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Maybe give a few models sailor hats instead of their standard steel helmets?

Aye, I'm still trying to find some good reference photos for uniforms, which is difficult because it was such a short-lived unit. I could also see about tossing some non-German weapons in as well, to represent their ill-equipped status.

Uniforms should be easy enough, I'm sure there are plenty of colour plates and guides out there on the uniforms sailors wore during the war.

Weapon-wise I would go with more non-automatic weapons and more outdated weapons such as the Gewehr 98 and bulkier machine guns left over from the Great War, ad-hoc units were more often than not worse off than regular army units and had access to equipment on the same level as the Volkssturm and other last ditch formations.

Yes, and there's a lot of references to them armed with captured Russian rifles or other, less-renowned European weapons.

But where to find Mosin–Nagant, MAS-36 and Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 rifles. ninja

Aye, Warlord games only sells German, American, and British weapon sprues so far.  

[Hoxtalicious]

Personally I wouldn't bother, just giving them K98 rifles and MG's is late-war enough, plus sailors could draw on their own stockpiles for weapons and whatnot, which while not as extensive as those of the Wehrmacht, still had plenty of rifles and light machine guns for a few thousand men.

Also, the metal weapons they do sell are a bit thicker and bigger than the plastic weapons, so if you want to fit them onto the plastics, some conversion will be required.  

[DarkElf27]

Lt. Brookman

Personally I wouldn't bother, just giving them K98 rifles and MG's is late-war enough, plus sailors could draw on their own stockpiles for weapons and whatnot, which while not as extensive as those of the Wehrmacht, still had plenty of rifles and light machine guns for a few thousand men.

Also, the metal weapons they do sell are a bit thicker and bigger than the plastic weapons, so if you want to fit them onto the plastics, some conversion will be required.

Are the US and brit weapon sprues metal? It looked plastic on the website...  

[Hoxtalicious]

DarkElf27

Lt. Brookman

Personally I wouldn't bother, just giving them K98 rifles and MG's is late-war enough, plus sailors could draw on their own stockpiles for weapons and whatnot, which while not as extensive as those of the Wehrmacht, still had plenty of rifles and light machine guns for a few thousand men.

Also, the metal weapons they do sell are a bit thicker and bigger than the plastic weapons, so if you want to fit them onto the plastics, some conversion will be required.

Are the US and brit weapon sprues metal? It looked plastic on the website...

Ah, don't mind me, I keep on forgetting that they phased out the old armoury range, which had metals for most rifles and whatnots, it's just heads now.  

[DarkElf27]

Lt. Brookman

DarkElf27

Lt. Brookman

Personally I wouldn't bother, just giving them K98 rifles and MG's is late-war enough, plus sailors could draw on their own stockpiles for weapons and whatnot, which while not as extensive as those of the Wehrmacht, still had plenty of rifles and light machine guns for a few thousand men.

Also, the metal weapons they do sell are a bit thicker and bigger than the plastic weapons, so if you want to fit them onto the plastics, some conversion will be required.

Are the US and brit weapon sprues metal? It looked plastic on the website...

Ah, don't mind me, I keep on forgetting that they phased out the old armoury range, which had metals for most rifles and whatnots, it's just heads now.

Ah, that'd explain their whole thing about the swappable heads on the flyer...  

[Van Evok]

Trivia: one of the very first battles of the world war 2 , german assault at Polish outpost westerplatte at Danzig on Sep 01 1939 was spearheaded by Marine Infantry company brought under the guise of "Courteous visit" by old pre-WW1 battleship "Schleswig-Holstein"... So it would be from beginning at "Schelzwig-Holstein" to the end in Schleswig-Holstein...  

[DarkElf27]

Interesting note. I'd heard that they used the Marine companies very early-war, but they'd been pretty unsuccessful and earned a poor reputation.  

[Lady Blodwynn]

DarkElf27

Interesting note. I'd heard that they used the Marine companies very early-war, but they'd been pretty unsuccessful and earned a poor reputation.

I think that's because unlike the United States (USMC), Great Britain (Royal Marines) and Russia (Naval Infantry or "Black Death"), Germany did not maintain and develop their Marines alongside the rest of their armed forces, unlike the others who kept using them as an actual fighting arm throughout the war instead of disbanding them or using them as garrison units. This of course also has to do with the German Navy abandoning almost all of their surface fleet in favour of U-boats.

I think that's the main reason Kriegsmarine units are rated as Inexperienced Infantry in the Armies of Germany book: A lack of fighting experience, formations made up of actual sailors with little to no combat training and a general unwillingness to be used as cannonfodder to postpone the fall of the Fatherland by a few days.  

[Hoxtalicious]

Lady Blodwynn

DarkElf27

Interesting note. I'd heard that they used the Marine companies very early-war, but they'd been pretty unsuccessful and earned a poor reputation.

I think that's because unlike the United States (USMC), Great Britain (Royal Marines) and Russia (Naval Infantry or "Black Death"), Germany did not maintain and develop their Marines alongside the rest of their armed forces, unlike the others who kept using them as an actual fighting arm throughout the war instead of disbanding them or using them as garrison units. This of course also has to do with the German Navy abandoning almost all of their surface fleet in favour of U-boats.

I think that's the main reason Kriegsmarine units are rated as Inexperienced Infantry in the Armies of Germany book: A lack of fighting experience, formations made up of actual sailors with little to no combat training and a general unwillingness to be used as cannonfodder to postpone the fall of the Fatherland by a few days.

Marry me oh banshee of the Highlands. heart

It's all nice and well, but you're forgetting about the '42 raid on Dieppe, or maybe you don't know about that one? wink German marines (Garrisons from the coastal towns and naval facilities) saw limited action during that operation as they tried to fend off the rather elite Allied raiding forces in form of the combined might of three commando forces (which included Army Rangers and Free French) and a Canadian infantry division. Okay, the operation was a failure for many reasons, but the forces involved all gained precious experience there. Might be a long shot, but some of the veterans from that force might have ended up in Northern Germany around the end of the war, lending their expertise to their lesser experienced brethren.

But that along with Evok's example and the Norwegian situation aside, Germany didn't maintain the same level and quality of marines as other armies, possibly because unlike the other armed forces they were more focused on land battles with a bare minimum of amphibious operations. Plus yes, U-boats were the best option at that point and you can't really shove marines on board of subs.