The Volksgrenadier divisions met this need by using only six line infantry battalions instead of the normal nine for infantry divisions - already a common reality for many existing divisions. The strategic emergency and concomitant manpower shortage resulting from the losses in mid-1944 required the creation of infantry divisions that economized on personnel and emphasized defensive strength over offensive strength. Volksgrenadier divisions were professional military formations with effective weapons and equipment, unlike the unrelated Volkssturm militia. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to nationalism ( Volk) and Germany's older military traditions ( Grenadier). Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The Volksgrenadier Squad is an anachronistic unit, based partially on the historical Volksgrenadier regiments.
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