Wolf - LeaderThe Wehrmacht Heer had element''s from 21.Pz. Div. - Panzer Lehr & 2.Panzer Div in the Falaise Pocket.
Pz.Lehr & 21.Pz. Div had Ausf J's but probaly not until July ( read on below ) Now mind you that there were also many other Heer & Luftwaffe Field Unit's there also, and they were all just about decimated. There also were those ( not many ) Waffen SS & Wehrmacht troop's who escaped to fight another day . All in all, there was something like element's of 23 division's that were trapped in the Pocket and more than 3000 armor vehicles, soft skin's and artillery gun's left behind or destroyed. ......50, 000 POW's were taken ...........and though there is much controversy on the number, 10,000 DEAD !
bear12.SS had Ausf J's but not until early July. So not during the initial Invasion or first month.
Plus they probably didn't have many, for just about every photo seen of 12.SS Pz.IV's are Ausf H's
BELOW IS
OFFICIAL REFERENCE FROM A FRIEND OF MINE WHO POST'S ON MISSING LINKS & IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ON W.W.2 GERMAN ARMOR ...... READ ON;
The first Panzer IV/Js were completed in June 1944. The IVs brought to the battle field at Normandy was a total of 841. Between 6 July and 2 August a total of 11 BefelsIVs were sent and then on 8 July another 45 IVs were shipped from the depot to the front at Normandy. This brought the total number of IVs to participate at Normandy to 897.
Of these totals the 12SS was at the front on 7 June 1944 with 98 Panzer IVs. Now these had been delivered in the winter of 1943/1944 so it is not possible for any of these to be Js but rather Hs. This would also be true for the other units at Normandy. The best bet for any Js would have to be in the July 8 shipments of 45. Now these were from the depot so it does not mean that all of these were Js but there is a good possibility that most were. Of these 45 eleven went to Panzer Lehr, seventeen to the 21.PD and seventeen to SSPD. 12. Also these 45 that were shipped from the depot on 8 July most likely did not arrive until the first week of August 1944.
I would say that there were very few early Js at Normandy and they would have been in action after say 8 August 1944 with Panzer Lehr, 21.PD and 12SSPD.
That about covers my knowledge on this subject. I hope this helpsAND ABOUT THAT BEER ................ AMPS 2003 IS ONLY 8 WEEK'S AWAY - I HOPE EVERYONE WILL BE THERE ????????????????????
- ralph
