"DAK 8th MG BN." Topic

The Afrika Korps 8th machine gun battalion was mounted on motorcycles? Need your input.

The KStN for the MG Bns shows the MG Pls in the three MG Coys being carried by Kfz70 light trucks, one per firing detachment, while the Platoon's 5-cm mortar team is carried by two m/c combinations.

The two MG Pls in HQ Coy are shown with 4 solo and 12 combinations for the four MG teams in each Platoon. The Heavy Coy has Kfz12 vehicles for the Atk and Mortar Pls.

Whether they received an extra allocation of four wheelers before going to North Africa I don't know.

Gary

8th MG battalion also had a companies worth of Sdkfz 251s (10), as did its sister 2nd MG battalion.

Most of the motorcycle mounted troops in the DAK were in the 15th Motorcycle Battalion and the 3rd and 33rd Recon battalions. link

I'd forgotten about the halftracks issued for the two Africa bound MG Bns. On Leo Niehorster's site he has the second MG Pl in HQ Coy as armoured, but they wouldn't need 10 SdKfz 251s for a Platoon.

Is it certain the MG Bns had ten halftracks each, as opposed to ten between them? Five halftracks would easily transport a single MG Pl.

Gary

The strength returns for both battalions show 10x251s on strength each, although they weren't all operational at any one time.

Perhaps the company COs grabbed them for their personal rides:)