German Orders of Battle December 1943

German Orders of Battle from December 26, 1943.

The German Orders of Battle and distribution of the divisions of the Wehrmacht and subordinated units of allies at the end of the year 1943 and tank strength at the beginning of 1944.

The Orders of Battle include also shattered divisions (described as remnant) as well as divisions under preparation.
Fortress divisions are officially designated ‘not mobile’ divisions, designated for the defense of the Atlantic Wall of the so-called Fortress Europe in the west.
Luftwaffe field divisions were now transferred to the army to increase their fighting capabilities.
Security divisions were used for the guarding and defense of bridges, railway lines and other important objects against partisans. Jaeger (hunter) divisions were light and mobile units for difficult terrain and were especially active in the struggle against partisans.

Schematic layout of the German Wehrmacht from December 26th, 1943

Listed on the Eastern Front from south to north:

Army Group A:

Army Group South:

Army Group Center:

Army Group North:

subordinated to OKW:

Army Group D, Commander of the West:

Army Group C, Commander Southwest:

Army Group F, Commander South East:

Reserve Army and Commander of the army armament:

Overview of fully established and operational divisions of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, Reserve Army and allied units under operational control:

Pz = Panzers; Gren = Panzer Grenadiers; Inf = Infantry (including 1 Artillery div with Army Group South); Jag = Jaeger, Mt = Mountain; Sec = Security; AB = Training and Reserve, Lw = Luftwaffe div (Airborne, Paratroopers, Field); Allied = subordinated allied divisions

See also: Germany Army Unit Organisation 1942-45

Tank strength – Inventory of armored fighting vehicles on January 1, 1944:

References and literature

Krieg der Panzer (Piekalkiewicz)
Der 2. Weltkrieg (C. Bertelsmann Verlag)
Zweiter Weltkrieg in Bildern (Mathias Färber)
A World at Arms – A Global History of World War II (Gerhard L. Weinberg)
Der Grosse Atlas zum II. Weltkrieg (Peter Young)
Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, Band 1-8 (Percy E. Schramm)
Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr (Werner Oswald)