West German OOB Numbering System

[JohnOsb]

Germans do neither use "traditional numbers", nor do they use letters for their unit numbering, so there are no old regimental numbers, nor is there a "B-company" or something like that.

They plainly count their units with numbers behind the name or ordinals before, to prevent this being too simple, they sometimes use Roman numbers…

Generally, in the German language ordinals are designed by adding a period behind the number, thus writing "125." rather than "125th", or "III." for Roman numbers.

Germans do use the word "Panzer" to designate "tank", but to show being armoured too, for example "TPz Fuchs" is a wheeled APC which is called "Transportpanzer" for that reason, and artillery having the M109 SP howitzer is called "Panzerartillerie".
So we will start at the Korps level and work down to plt.

Korps Level
----------------
There are three Korps numbered by Roman Numbers, being the "I. (GE) Korps", the "II. (GE) Korps", and the "III. (GE) Korps", the GE being added to designate Germany and to enable the Korps to be supplied in a multi-national contingent.

Division Level
-------------------
Each of the 11 divisions (the airborne div was special) was either a "Panzerdivision"/ "PzDiv" or a "Panzergrenadierdivision"/ "PzGrenDiv", numbered by an ordinal, say for example "7. PzDiv", and consisted of division units plus three brigades.

Numbering of division units was easy: take the division number, and if necessary add a "sub number", "7. PzDiv" had an engineer battalion " Pionierbataillon 7" or "PiBtl 7", had an artillery regiment " Artillerieregiment 7" or ArtRgt 7" and had several kinds of infantry battalions " Jägerbataillon 76" or "JgBtl 76" for example.

Each divisions three brigades matched their division's number "Panzergrenadierbrigade 19"/ "PzGrenBrig 19", "Panzerbrigade 20"/ PzBrig 20", "Panzerbrigade 21"/ "PzBrig 21" in it.

Brigade Level
-----------------
At the time, every brigade had four "fighting battalions" plus one artillery battalion, numbered by their bde's number plus a 1 to 5, so "PzGrenBrig 19" had battalions 191 through 195, example:

"Panzergrenadierbataillon 191"/ "PzGrenBtl 191"
"Panzergrenadierbataillon 192"/ "PzGrenBtl 192"
"Panzergrenadierbataillon 193"/ "PzGrenBtl 193"
"Panzerbataillon 194"/ "PzBtl 194"
"Panzerartilleriebataillon 195"/ "PzArtBtl 195"

In addition to this, brigade units had the brigade number plus an "0", so in "PzGrenBrig 19" there were an armoured engineer company "Panzerpionierkompanie 190"/PzPiKp 190", a transport/supply company "Nachschubkompanie 190"/"NSchKp 190", an Antitank company "Panzerjägerkompanie 190"/"PzJgKp 190" and so on.

Battalion Level
-------------------
Each fighting battalion had four (Pz) or five (PzGren) companies, simply numbered by ordinals:
PzGrenBtl 192 = 1./PzGrenBtl 192, or short 1./192, 2./192, 3./192, 4./192, 5./192
PzBtl 194 = 1./194, 2./194, 3./194, 4./194

First coy always is an HQ and Support company, named "Stab-und Versorgungskompanie"/""StVersKp", 2nd to 4th companies in tank battalions are pure tank companies. In a PzGrenBtl, it is a little more complicated again, 2nd and 3d coys are PzGrenKp having the IFV Marder (called "Schützenpanzer" or "SPz") where's the 4th company was equipped with M113s (being called "Mannschaftstransportwagen" or "MTW"); 5th coy in PzGrenBtl was a mortar company with M1064.

Company Level
--------------------
Each company having platoons (some hadn't) numbered them with Roman numbers (not ordinals), thus 3./PzGrenBtl 192 having three platoons I/3./192, II/3./192, and III/3./192. Company units did not have numbers, but were called by their function only "HQ squad" or "support squad" for example.

Platoon Level
-----------------
Platoon HQs was called "Zugtrupp"/ "ZgTrp", thus having ZgTrp II/3./192, plus say, 2 squads called "Gruppe", e.g. "1.Grp/II/3./192 and "2.Grp/II/3./192.

Some companies, however, counted all their groups throughout the company, making it thus:
"3./192" = "I/3./192", "II/3./192", and III/3./192,
"I/3./192" = "ZgTrp I/3./192", "1.Grp/3./192", "2. Grp/3./192",
"II/3./192" = "ZgTrp II/3.192", "3.Grp/3./192", "4.Grp/3./192",
"III/3./192" = "ZgTrp III/3./192", "5.Grp/3.192", "6.Grp/3./192"

So for an example if I was numbering and labeling my West German units they would look like this:

7. PzDiv
PzGrenBrig 19
StabKp/PzGrenBrig 19
PzJgKp 190
PzPiKp 190
NSchKp 190
InstKp 190
1./192
I/1./192
ZgTrp I/1./192
1.Grp/1./192
2.Grp/1./192
II/1./192
ZgTrp II/1./192
3.Grp/1./192
4.Grp/1./192
III/1./192
ZgTrp/III/1./192
5.Grp/1./192
6.Grp/1./192

I hope this will help in some way.

Panzeraufklärungsbataillon = Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Flugabwehrregiment = Air Defense Regiment
ABC-Abwehrkompanie = ABC Protection Company
Jägerbataillon = Hunter Battalion
Pionierbataillon = Engineer Battalion
Radarzug = Radar Platoon
Instandsetzungbataillon = Repair Battalion
Feldartillerbataillon = Field Artillery Battalion
Raketenartilleriebataillon = Rocket Artillery Battalion
Beobachtungsbataillon = Observation Battalion
Nachschubkompanie = Supply Company
Instandsetzungskompanie = Repair Company
Zug = Platoon
Kompanie = Company
Bataillon = Battalion
Gruppe = Squad/Group

[CapnDarwin]

Good information. Thank you for posting.