The decisive influence on the shaping of the organization and tactics of the German infantry before the outbreak of World War II was, on the one hand, the experience of the previous World War, but also theoretical works created in the 1920s and 1930s, which often emphasized the need to perceive the German infantry as a tool waging an offensive war. This affected both the equipment and the organization of the German infantry division, which during the September campaign of 1939 consisted of 3 infantry regiments, each of which was divided into 3 infantry battalions, an artillery company, and an anti-tank company. In addition, there were numerous support units, including an artillery regiment with 4 artillery squadrons (including one heavy), an anti-tank battalion, a sapper battalion, and a communications battalion. In total, the so-called infantry division in the first mobilization wave had approximately 17,700 people and had a significant artillery component, but it was also abundantly equipped with machine guns. It also had modern and efficient—for those times—means of communication and command. In the course of the war, infantry divisions underwent transformation; in 1943, some of them were transformed into armored grenadier divisions. However, from 1943, the standard division of the "traditional" infantry consisted of approx. 12,500 men (and not approx. 17,700 as in 1939), and its artillery component, especially heavy artillery, was also reduced, while its anti-tank defense was significantly improved. It is assumed that during the entire Second World War, about 350 infantry divisions served in the Wehrmacht.
In the front units of the Red Army, during the German-Soviet war of 1941–1945, there were reconnaissance units called Razwiedczikami (in Russian, written in Latin script, Voyennaya Razvyedka). These units were assigned primarily to infantry units in the strength of the battalion per division, company per brigade, and platoon per regiment. The organizational structure of the Razwiedczik units did not differ significantly from that of the regular infantry. However, their role on the battlefield was radically different. These formations were treated as specific "eyes and ears" of the commander of the formation to which they were subject. It is worth adding that their soldiers were much better trained than regular infantry units, and their tasks were to collect information from the enemy's rear or observe his movements and marches. It is worth adding that after 1943, the Razwiedcziki used uniforms covered with camouflage stains, and their equipment was dominated by light machine guns, such as the PPsZ submachine gun and the 7.62 mm Diegtarev light machine gun. Often, however, they also fought with captured equipment.
Due to the limitations of the Versailles Treaty of 1919, the German army could not develop many means of reconnaissance or communication, and for this reason, among others, in the 1920s, they put emphasis on the development of heavy motorcycles with good or very good road and off-road performance. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the process did not stop, but it actually accelerated. He led to the introduction in the 1930s and during World War II of such successful designs as the BMW R-12, BMW R75, or Zündapp KS 750. It is worth adding that motorcycles in the German army very often had a sidecar, intended for a soldier with a machine gun. Motorcycles in the German army proved themselves particularly well in the initial period of World War II, especially in the course of fighting in Poland (1939), France (1940), and also in North Africa (1941–1943). They were used primarily for reconnaissance operations, sometimes in the rear of the enemy army, and for liaison tasks.