Would Tank units have support, either AT/AA or Infantry for protection?
I'm thinking of the Panzer Grenadiers (British equivalents?) & maybe a Wirbelwind AA with my Tigers

Regards,

i

Panzer grenadiers, or armoured grenadiers. By late war, support would be whatever they could rustle together.

If you look at some of the PDFs on the 'Flames of War' site you'll get the general idea!

The British equilivant was the Motor Battalion, who were half-track mounted infantry (at least in the late war period). But there was only one of these in each armoured division alongside 3 normal lorried infantry battalions.

British tank regiments had a few integral Crusade AA tanks. But the majority of the AA was at Divisonal or higher level. With the armoured divisions having a number of lorry mounted 40mm bofers guns, as a kind of SP AA.

Both types of infantry battalions had 6 pdr anti-tank guns. With the division having dedicated anti-tank regiments which had towed and SP 17pdrs. With the armoured divisions getting more of the SP ones.

In an ideal world, tanks suppressed/ killed MGs and other heavy weapons to protect the infantry, infantry suppressed/ killed infantry AT squads and dealt with mines to protect the tanks, AT artillery dealt with enemy armour and AA artillery protected everyone else by driving off/ destroying aircraft.

All arms forces with each doing the job they are designed for was in theory what forces were designed around. Practice is rarely so neat as theory!

Tigers, if they have AA cover are more likely to have lorried/ half-track SPAA than the likes of the Biscuit Tin (aka Wirbelwind)  

Certainly later in the war, massive air superiority led to a scaling down of allies AA forces. The natural enemy of the Tiger was the Typhoon and the Thunderbolt, so the Germans would have as much AA as they could scrape up. Late war, I suspect German OOBs would be theoretical rather than actual, so chuck what you want together.

Throughout, the ratio of infantry to tanks was experimented with. I tend to go for a tank supported by a section, troop supported by a platoon, squadron by a company.

   

Initially FSN thought "Tank Support" referred to his favourite Centurion Print jockstrap 

Sometimes 105mm isn't that impressive. 

Quote from: fsn on 20 January 2016, 09:38:58 PM
Sometimes 105mm isn't that impressive. 

Quote from: fsn on 20 January 2016, 09:38:58 PM
Sometimes 105mm isn't that impressive. 

Girth 

Quote from: fsn on 20 January 2016, 09:38:58 PM
Sometimes 105mm isn't that impressive. 

But given your age it's only 84mm.

To answer the serious question: Until mid 42 The British did not practice combined arms in the armoured divisions, and these were far too tank heavy. The Americans did include armoured infantry but were also tank heavy until mid 43. The British added AA troops and platoons to both Infantry and Armour, but disbanded these in mid 44, due to lack of manpower. US formations had auto-weapons battalions, which were attached out, the battalions otherwise relying on their 50 cals. Russian Battalions were "vanilla", although tank descent infantry were often added to the tank battalions. By 44 the Germans had flak down to battalion level, in armoured formations. The infantry division only had 1 battery however, as part of the PaK battalion.

IanS