I'm going to be VERY original and unique and do a 1/35 diorama of the Battle of Normandy! Well that's the plan at the moment... Anyways, before I can think of starting, I need to know a few things:

1) I've seen the newsreels of the Fallschirmjager fighting alongside the SS ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Jcl0Wmlk0&feature=plcp&context=C44a4dccVDvjVQa1PpcFMn9sRNVr52xSfGPsEJ25kiX4dleNzxkTY%3D&skipcontrinter=1 ), but I don't know what divisions they are, which would be a problem if I use and armor or IVF's, and depending on if I throw in the enemy, and so on.

2) What vehicles did they have at their disposal? I realize that's a very blatant question, but it can't hurt to know who had what where and when.

3) Was the joint FJ & SS combat fought against the US only? Or was it against all of the allied armies?

I don't have any books about the hedgerow combat, so I figured I would ask here before going to the bookstore.

Thanks in advance for any feedback, it's a very broad subject & it's very easy to get lost in all the stories and information.

-Conor

Conor,

You're talking about a very broad subject. The Battle of Normandy began on June 6 with Operation OVerload and ended with the breakout, or Operation Cobra on June 30. During that time, The Axis was engaged in combat with so many different units from the Allies.

A good online place to start your research would be
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Normandy

But to answer some of your questions, SS divisions in the area were
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
17th SS Panzergrenadier Division

You'll have to do some research on those armor divisions to find out exactly what vehicles they used. Pzr MkIV ausf H&J were used by the 12th SS. Some had Panthers, Tigers. There were Sdkfz 234's, Wespe's, Pzr III's. Sdkfz 7's mit 20mm flak....see where I"m going? To know what you want, you'll have to determine a setting then find out what units were in that area. That will help you narrow down what vehicles.

For example, if you're thinking of the Battle of Hedgerows, that would be primarily US forces. If you're thinking of Caen, then that would be Commonwealth.

Look what I found! http://www.thedropzone.org/axis/a_fallschirmj%C3%A4ger.htm

That's a gold mine, and maybe a diorama inspiration after I read it. Looks like it was the 6th Fallschirmjager and the 17th SS. I'll have to look a bit more at what they were packing with them, but this is a great start.
Thanks a lot,

-Conor

It was the 6th airborne and the 17th ss, not sure if all the pictures I have seen were the 17th ss division but they mainly used Early Tigers some panzer IV Ausf H and Marder’s. I believe some Panzer V’s (panthers) were also used by the 9th Hohenstaufen regiment. I remember reading that the 101st Heavy SS panzer division also operated in Normandy. Also a lot of captured french trucks were used.

Sorry couldn’t be more helpful, and be sure to post some pictures when u start working on this project!

Regards

I saw the 17th using StuG IV's too, I'll need to find a few more reference photos but I don't see why it wouldn't be fact. Thanks for the help!

-Conor

-Quick update-

http://www.wargamer.com/Hosted/Panzer/stug18.jpg

Funny what a quick google image search gets you.

If you are looking at the forces that were fighting the USArmy then it gets complicated. At the beginning of the invasion there were no Paras or SS in front of the GIs. The 6th Para Regt was engaged first and then the 17thSS joined in,followed in about 2 weeks by the 2nd SS. These were the only SS Divs to fight the GIs until"Luttich" when the Germans mounted a counterstrike to try to cut off the Carentan Peninsula. Then the GIs faced elements of the 1,2,9,10ss PzDiv plus the 17SS PzGrenDiv plus Army Panzers(all very understrengh). This failed attack resulted in the outcome that lead to it being a lot easier to encircle the whole German Army Group around Falaise.
So,as others have stated,you need to pick a time and place to depict or just get a picture that inspires you and go from there. HTH
J

The newsreel clip says its from July, so I'm probably going to be looking to the 17th SS and 6th Paras action similar to that. The photo of the two SruG IV's might come in handy as well. So far that photo is my best reference, because it's from exactly where and what I'm planning on building. If the paras fought along side the 17th SS, then they must have fought along side with the 17th's panzers as well. Right?

So far this as been a lot of help

-Conor

PS- Maybe I should watch the Carentan episode of Band of Brothers...

Most references I've seen on the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division state that the outfit was badly lacking in many different types of vehicles during the early Normandy battles due to the late formation of the outfit. While the division was supposed to have a battalion of panzers, they were instead equipped with 42 Stug assault guns. Most sources I've seen indicate these were Stug IVs, but others say they had some Stug IIIs as well. The 17th was also supposed to have a full panzerjager battalion, equipped primarily with Jagdpanzer IVs, but instead only had a dozen Marders of mixed versions.
The main mention I saw of the 17th SS operating alongside fallschirmjagers was during the fighting around Carentan about a week after the invasion against the 101st Airborne and 2nd Armored. The division fought numerous engagements against American forces during the Normandy campaign, and could have supported fallschirmjagers elsewhere, but their action at Carentan appears to be the most notable instance of such. It also appears that the 17th SS did not have any panzers on strength during the Normandy campaign, just the Stugs.
I don't claim comprehensive knowledge on the subject, and I wouldn't be shocked to be proven full of whooey, but I hope what info I have found can be of help to you.

I might end up using two Stug IV's. If there s proof that they had any Tigers or other panzjagers (besides the Marder) I might use one of those too. But for now I'm thinking I'll try to replicate that photo, with additional infantry of course. What about soft skins? I'm thinking of throwing in a Horch with a flak that's fallen victim to the Air Corps. But only if they were in use by the 17th.

...I've never been so particular about this sort of thing before ...

Thanks!

-Conor

Based on what I've read, each panzergrenadier regiment of the division had an attached anti-aircraft company, with single barrelled 20mm AA guns being the most common weapon, although a handfull of 20mm flakvierling were also used. It appears than any flak heavier than those was left behind at their staging areas around Saumur.
As far as SS tigers are concerned, the only ones in Normandy at that early stage of the invasion belonged to SS101, which was engaged fighting the British. I haven't seen any mention of the 17th fighting alongside tigers in Normandy for any length of time, if at all.
Like I said before, I could be wrong, but what references I've seen seem pretty definitive.

You are correct. No Tigers with the 17SS. The vast majority of the German tanks were deployed against the Brits and Canadians around Caen.
J

Well then it appears my Horch's fate is set. That means the same for the flak 38 too. As far as figures go I'm looking at the DML Hedgerow tank Hunters, perhaps their Monte Cassino kits & the Drvar kit. Not all four of them though, maybe 1 or 2 FJ kits. For the SS I've ordered Fighting Elite in the East, and I'm hopefully gonna be getting the Hohenstaufen Div. to use. But at this point anything can happen...

Found one of my Stug IV's: DML 6576. I know there's a bunch of Stug IV and III kits by Dragon out there, and by most other manufacturers, but this one (thankfully) has DS tracks. I'll never be able to build a kit with magic tracks. It's a lot, as most DML armor is, but I've got an ebay giftcard and I'll see what I can do...

Note: your StuG lV should have zimmerit!