Statistics

Division Types and Equipment

 

Infantry Divisions (Early)
  France U.K. U.K. U.S. U.S.S.R Germany Germany Italy Japan Japan
  1940 1939 1941 1942 1941 1939 1941 1940 Std Str
Strength 17,500 13,863 17,298 15,514 9,619 17,200 12,352 14,300 20,000 29,400
                     
Pistols   1,486 1,946 ?   1,100 1,503      
Rifles ? 10,222 12,064 6,233 ? 15,500 9,069 ? 9,000 10,000
Sub-M.G.s   - -     700 1,503      
Auto Rifles and Light M.G.s 360 644 819 714 647 527 566 270 382 405
Other M.G.s 154 56 48 133 - 116 90 80 112 112
Anti-Tank Rifles - 361 444   212 90 - - 18 75
Flamethrowers     -   - 20 20 - - -
Grenade Dipensers - - -   -   - - 340 460
                     
Light Mortars (<60mm) 27 108 162 81 56 84 - 126 - -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) - 18 56 57 83 58 48 30 - -
Heavy Mortars 51 - -   21 - 28 - - -
                     
Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers - - - - - - 108 - - -
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) 34 75 48 109 50 75 - 24 22 40
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<75mm) 6 - - - - - - - - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns - - - - - - 21 (14) - - -
                     
Light Artillery (<105mm) 36 72 72 (18) 32 20 18 32 66 72
Medium Artillery (<150mm) 12 - - 36 (6) 12 40 42 12 - 24
Heavy Artillery 12 - - 12 - 14 12 - - 12
                     
Anti-Aircraft (<20mm) - - -   - 11 (12) - - -
Anti-Aircraft - - 48   - - - - - -
                     
Armored Cars - - 6 - - 3 - 45 7 13
Light Tanks - 28 - - - - - - - 20
Medium Tanks - - - - - - - - - 48
Motorcycles - 670 1,064 - - 452 168 71 - -
Carriers/Half-Tracks - 140 256 - - - - - - -
Motor Vehicles (Other) - 1,708 2,158 2,149 180 942 615 86 - 500
Horse-drawn Vehicles - - - - 640 1,133 1,466 - - -
Horses - - - - - 5,375 4,656 - ~8,000 10,000

 

Infantry Divisions (Late)
  British U.S. U.S. U.S.S.R Germany Germany
  1944 1943 1945 1943 1944 V.G.
Strength 18,347 14,253 14,037 9,619 12,352 10,072
             
Pistols 1,011 ? ? ? 1,503 1,536
Rifles 11,254 6,518 6,349 ? 9,069 6,504
Sub-M.G.s 6,525 - - - 1,503 2,064
Auto Rifles and Light M.G.s 1,262 400 616 647 566 369
Other M.G.s 48 236 237 - 90 54
Anti-Tank Rifles - - - 212 - -
Flamethrowers - - - - 20 12
Grenade Dipensers - - - - - -
             
Light Mortars (<60mm) 283 90 90 56 - -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) 60 54 54 83 48 42
Heavy Mortars 16 - - 21 28 24
             
Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers 436 557 558 - 108 216
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) 110 - - 50 - 9
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<75mm) - 57 57 - - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns - - - - 21 (14) 9 (14)
             
Light Artillery (<105mm) 72 - - 32 18 56
Medium Artillery (<150mm) - 54 54 12 42 24
Heavy Artillery - 12 12 - 12 12
             
Anti-Aircraft (<20mm) 71 - - - (12) (9)
Anti-Aircraft 54 - - - - -
             
Armored Cars 31 - - - - -
Light Tanks - - - - - -
Medium Tanks - - - - - -
Motorcycles 983 - - - 168 119
Carriers/Half-Tracks 595 - - - - -
Motor Vehicles (Other) 2,142 2,012 2,114 180 615 426
Horse-drawn Vehicles - - - 640 1,466 1,142
Horses - - - - 4,656 3,002

 

 

Armored Divisions
  French British U.S U.S. U.S.S.R. German German Italy
  1940 1940 1942 1944 1942 1943 1944 1944 S.S. 1940
Strength 6,510 10,750 13,235 14,964 14,620 10,937 10,980 13,725 17,262 7,750
                     
Pistols - - - 2,324 ? ? - 3,317 4,064  
Rifles ? ? ? 6,689 1,628 2,063 ? 9,186 11,513 ?
Sub-M.G.s - - - 6,204 2,160 2,803 - 1,543 2,050  
Auto Rifles and Light M.G.s - 475 860 1,376 6,333 5,751 517 1,157 1,465 165
Other M.G.s - - - 22 103 404 - 64 100 78
Anti-Tank Rifles - 254 - - - - 207 -   -
Flamethrowers         - -   68 74  
Rocket Launchers                 18  
                     
Light Mortars (<60mm) - 364 60 132   63 - - - -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) - - 18 24   30 52 46 58 -
Heavy Mortars       4   - 42 16 24 -
                     
Portable Anti-Tank - - - 302   607 42 - - -
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) 96 - 220 78   27 46 41 41 8
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<75mm) 71 - - 30   - 15 (21) - - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns - - - 24 (24)   - - -   -
                     
Light Artillery (<105mm) - 16 48 24 (24) - - - (12) (12) 24
Medium Artillery (<150mm) 25 - - - (54) (54) (21) 12 (12) 12 (12) -
Heavy Artillery - - - -   - (21) 12 (18) 24 (18) -
Rocket Launchers - - - -   - 8 -   -
                     
Anti-Aircraft (<20mm) - - 52 - - - - 74 114 8
Anti-Aircraft - 24 36 36 (18) - - - 8 (8) 12 (8) -
                     
Light Tanks - 2 - 63 158 77 - - - 61
Medium Tanks 158 304 ~200 246 232 186 208 103 126 -
Tank Destroyers - - - -- - - - 44 47 -
Other Tanks - 36 - 57 - - - - - -
Total Tanks 158 342 ~200 366 392 263 208 147 174 61
                     
Motorcycles 400 649 956 853 - - - 480 530 431
Armored Cars - - 64 3 - - - 357 359  
Carriers/Half-Tracks - 88 151 261 733 501 - - -  
Motor Vehicles (Other) ~1,100 1,460 1,468 2,242 3,630 2,653 1,610 2,328 2,970 641
Horses - - - - - - - -   2,012

 

Mechanized Divisions
  French U.S.S.R. German
  1940 1944 1944
Strength 10,400 15,020 13,876
       
Pistols ? ? 3,222
Rifles ? ? 9,455
Sub-M.G.s -   1,441
Auto Rifles and Light M.G.s - 895 1,019
Other M.G.s - 82
Anti-Tank Rifles - 375 -
Flamethrowers - - 26
       
Light Mortars (<60mm) - - -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) - 100 52
Heavy Mortars - 42 24
       
Portable Anti-Tank - - -
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) 180 52 38
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<75mm) 90 - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns - 4 (12) 38 (44)
       
Light Artillery (<105mm) 24 - -
Medium Artillery (<150mm) 12 (17) 12 (12)
Heavy Artillery - (21) 24 (6)
Rocket Launchers - 8 -
       
Anti-Aircraft (<20mm) - - 63 (3)
Anti-Aircraft - - 8
       
Light Tanks 60 21 -
Medium Tanks 160 176 48
Other Tanks - - -
       
Motorcycles 1,500 - 469
Armored Cars 40 - -
Carriers/Half-Tracks - - -
Motor Vehicles (Other) ~1,800 2,120 2,637

 

Airborne Divisions
  British U.S. German
  1944 1942 1944
Strength 12,148 8,505 15,976
       
Pistols 2,942   3,810
Rifles 7,171 ? 6,689
Sub-M.G.s. 6,504   3,026
Auto Rifles and Light M.G.s 966 187 930
Other M.G.s 46 105 80
Flamethrowers 38 27 20
       
Light Mortars (<60mm) 474 75 -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) 56 36 125
Heavy Mortars 5 - 63
       
Portable Anti-Tank 535 182 250
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) - - -
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<75mm) 84 - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns 16 - 21 (14)
       
Light Artillery (<75mm) 27 36 20
Medium Artillery (<105mm) - - 24
Heavy Artillery - - 12
       
Anti-Aircraft (<20mm) 23 - 27 (12)
Anti-Aircraft - 24 12
       
Light Tanks 11 - -
Medium Tanks 11 - -
       
Motorcycles 1,233 - 389
Carriers/Half-Tracks 25 -  
Motor Vehicles (Other) 1,497 385 2,141
Horse-drawn Vehicles - - -

 

Marine Divisions
  U.S. Japan
  1944 1941
Strength 17,465 10,060
     
Rifles ? 800
Auto Rifles an Light M.G.s 464 55
Other M.G.s 161 12
Flamethrowers 267 10
Grenade Dispensers   33
     
Light Mortars (<60mm) 117 -
Medium Mortars (<82mm) 36 -
Heavy Mortars - -
     
Portable Anti-Tank 172 -
Light Anti-Tank Guns (<47mm) 36 -
Medium Anti-Tank Guns (<76mm) - -
Heavy Anti-Tank Guns - -
     
Light Artillery (<75mm) 24 4
Medium Artillery (<105mm) 36 -
Heavy Artillery - -
     
Light Tanks - -
Medium Tanks 46 -
     
Motor Vehicles 1,056 -

 

Notes:

(1) Specifies official allotments; German units by 1944-45 were considerably understrength.

(2) Numbers in parenthesis are self-propelled guns of their respective type and caliber.

(3) Russian Tank and Mechanized formations were known as Corps. German V.G. is Volksgrenadier. Japanese Marines are Naval Landing Force.

(4) Portable Anti-Tank includes all man-portable rocket-propelled anti-tank weapons such as Bazookas (U.S.), P.I.A.T. (British), and Panzerfaust (German).

(5) German authorized tank strengths varied from divisions and some had unique structures (ex: Panzer Lehr division)

(6) Imperial caliber conversions to metric:

2-pdr (47-mm), 3-pdr (50-mm), 6-pdr (57-mm), 17-pdr (76.2-mm), 25-pdr (87.6-mm), 2-in (50.8-mm), 3-in (81-mm), 4.2-in (106.7-mm)

Source: Adapted from John Ellis, The World War II Databook.

Last modified: 10 December 2022