I did not realise quite how small the Saurer SdKfz 254 was in relation to the sIG 33 auf PzII until I bought them both to fill in the orbat gaps for Motor Artillerie Regiment 33, 15th Panzer Division, and Schwere Schützen-Regiment 155 /200 North Africa, 1942. I should have done – the 254 is essentially a 4-wheeled armoured car with the extra weight of a set of tracks, so it would have to be pretty small not to burst the tyres …. Oops, see the photo below for a vehicle living on the limits of evolution before it became extinct!
We are still talking about signature equipment here, but it brings some modelling variety into DAK, and highlights the rag-tag nature of the forces that the Axis deployed into Nord Afrika. The Bright Blue items are not present in NQM CSO Orbats
So here is the orbat for:
- 33rd Artillery Regiment {Comd Saurer SdKfz 254 or SdKfz 253* (C3)}, FOO (R1), {SdKfz 11 (or 6) Limber (L3) + 10.5cm Gun (S3)}, {PaK 38 (r) 7.62cm or PaK 38 5cm (S3) + SdKfz 11 (or 10) Limber (L3)}.
- Schwere Schützen-Regiment 155 /200 SiG 33 (S1) + Limber (L1) [you could, of course, just use the SiG as an S2 stand]
*Thanks to Andreas for pointing me to a very useful forum for this orbat.
Not Quite Mechanised 
Have a look here: http://www.deutsches-afrika-korps.de/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=6245
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Dear Andreas,
Thanks, excellent! So it would seem reasonable for the 254s to have been replaced later by 253s, as the 4s became worn-out and unusable? I have amended the orbat to reflect this.
Regards, Chris.
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Do you distinguish between a 10.5(S3) and an (S2)? I know the S2 will have less ammo and could be destroyed easier, but most of these units will be out of harms way. Seems like an edge to the artillery bn with 3 small batteries instead of 2 larger ones. I see the logic in the front line units (firepower vs staying power) and am used to having units that maintain their firepower even with losses.
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Dear Jim,
Most players start off thinking that lots of small units is the way to go. We found that lots of expendable hordes are fine if you phase your atttacks by reinforcing them with fresh units at the mid point of the attack. If you do not have that luxury though, the advantage goes to the unit with greater staying power.
The same is true for artillery – smaller batteries can put a greater weight of fire down initially to support an attacking unit, but they then run out of ammo, and cannot continue to give support against counterattacks.
Regards, Chris.
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