Royal Model di R. Reale 821 Blacksmith

As in many other armies from the period of World War II, the role of field workshops in the German army and the possibility of restoring damaged or broken vehicles to service was considerable. At the level of the infantry division in 1939, this role was played by the unit supply consisting of 9 columns of trucks, a workshop company and a motorized supply company. In the armored division (post from 1939), this role was played by a quartermaster battalion consisting of 6 light supply columns, two field workshops and a quartermaster company. Due to the large variety of machinery (off-road vehicles, trucks, tracked vehicles, etc.) that existed in the Wehrmacht, these subunits were very important to ensure the efficient operation of an infantry division or an armored division. It is also worth adding that the workshop units in the German army were mostly motorized or mechanized, and also - in mechanized units - had quite specialized equipment, such as tanks of technical facilities (German: Bergepanzer).