Panzer Grenadier Battalion (Mechanized) (1940-1942)

Battalion HQ (5 Officers, 27 men)

o Battalion Commander, 2 Adjutants, Medical Officer, and a staff of around 27
runners and clerks.
Communications Platoon (22 men)
Battalion Supply and Maintenance Elements (32 men)
Heavy Weapon Company
o Company HQ (1 officer, 16 men)
o Pioneer Platoon
Machineguns, rifles, explosives and flamethrowers.
o Anti Tank Platoon
3 3.7cm Pak AT guns, later 5 cm guns (some made it into units by the
invasion of Russia).
o Infantry Gun Platoon (26)
2 7.5 cm guns. (12 each)
o Company Supply and Maintenance Elements (31 men)
Machinegun Company
o Company HQ (1 officer, 16 men)
o Mortar Platoon (1 officer, 53 men)
6 teams, each manning an 81mm mortar.
o 2 Heavy Machinegun Platoons, each containing:
Platoon HQ
Platoon Commander (Oberleutnant or Ober/Stabs/Feldwebel;
MP40 and pistol), Assistant Platoon Commander (Unteroffizier or
Feldwebel; MP40), 2 messengers (Kar 98k), driver (Kar 98k rifle,
plus a "spare" MP40 in the halftrack), assistant driver (pistol; fires
the vehicle-mounted MG), medic (pistol), and motorcycle orderly
(Kar 98k) on a motorcycle, the rest mounted in a Sdkfz 251
halftrack.
2 Machinegun Sections, each containing:
Squad Leader (Unteroffizier; MP40), Assistant Squad Leader
(Obergefreiter; Kar 98k), 2 gunners (pistol) and 2 loaders (pistol)
manning 2 MG34 machineguns, and a driver (Kar 98k rifle, plus a
"spare" MP40 in the halftrack) and assistant driver (pistol; fires the
vehicle-mounted MG) piloting a Sdkfz 251 halftrack.
o Company Supply and Maintenance Elements (31 men)
3 Rifle Companies
o Company HQ
Company Commander (Hauptman, Kar 98k or MP40 and pistol), 4
messengers (Kar 98k), messenger/bugler (Kar 98k), 4 bicycle messengers
(Kar 98k), and 1 driver (Kar 98k rifle, plus a "spare" MP40 in the
halftrack) piloting a Sdkfz 251 halftrack.
o Machinegun Section
Squad Leader (Unteroffizier; MP40), Assistant Squad Leader
(Obergefreiter; Kar 98k), 2 gunners (pistol) and 2 loaders (pistol) manning

2 MG34 machineguns, and a driver (Kar 98k rifle, plus a "spare" MP40 in
the halftrack) and assistant driver (pistol; fires the vehicle-mounted MG)
piloting a Sdkfz 251 halftrack.
3 Rifle Platoons, each containing:
Platoon HQ
Platoon Commander (Oberleutnant in the first platoon in the
company, Ober/Stabs/Feldwebel for other platoons; MP40 and
pistol), Assistant Platoon Commander (Unteroffizier or Feldwebel;
MP40), 2 messengers (Kar 98k), driver (Kar 98k rifle, plus a
"spare" MP40 in the halftrack) and assistant driver (pistol; fires the
vehicle-mounted AT gun), medic (pistol), and motorcycle orderly
(Kar 98k) on a motorcycle, the rest mounted in a Sdkfz 251
halftrack. The Platoon HQ halftrack normally had it's front MG
replaced with a 3.7 cm Pak AT gun (Although a 37L45 gun, it has
equivalent stats to a 37L21 gun firing AP rounds - it got the
nickname "Armor Doorknocker" due to it's lack of penetrating
power) to give the platoon some anti tank punch (this model was
known as the Sdkfz 251/10, and was produced through 1943 and
saw action even longer).
3 Rifle Squads, each containing:
Squad Leader (Unteroffizier; MP40), Assistant Squad Leader
(Obergefreiter; Kar 98k), one rifle element with 4 riflemen (rifles),
a machinegun element with 2 gunners (pistol) and 2 loaders
(pistol) manning 2 MG34 machineguns, and a driver (Kar 98k
rifle, plus a "spare" MP40 in the halftrack) and assistant driver
(pistol; fires the vehicle-mounted MG) piloting a Sdkfz 251
halftrack (although at this time it was more likely to be armed with
a MG34s than MG42s).
Company Supply and Maintenance Elements
Each company had (optimally) 3 50mm mortars and 3 PzB 39 Anti tank
rifles, distributed amongst the platoons/squads as desired. The PzB 39 was
often carried in the platoon HQ's 251/10 halftrack.
One of the riflemen in each rifle squad may have been armed with a Kar
98k with schiessbecher, 10 HE and 5 AT grenades as the squad's rifle
grenadier. I am hesitant to put it in the squad layout above, however, as
rifle grenades were more appropriate to infantry dug in to a position or
slowly advancing by foot towards the enemy; the tactics of the panzer
grenadier units called for quick advancement over the battlefield and
deployment as closely to the enemy as possible, which I just don't see
involving extremely explosive, long-range grenades. Include them in your
panzer grenadier formations as you wish.
It was common during the earlier years of the war for only the first rifle
company of the battalion to be equipped with halftracks. In such a case the
mechanized components would replace the halftrack with a truck, and the
platoon HQ would ride in 2 kubelwagons, replacing the motorcycle driver
with a second car driver.