In the military of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Wehrmacht (during World War II), the term Abteilung was generally a battalion equivalent in the armoured, cavalry, reconnaissance and artillery arms of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.
For example, Schwere Panzerabteilung refers to German heavy tank battalions.
Both terms are used most often for artillery battalion (field, air defence, coastal) or a flotilla of ships and this was also used in the National People's Army (East Germany's military).
Examples of the various types of Abteilungen in the East German ground forces are found in the 11.
Artillerieabteilung/AR-11 of 3 artillery batteries (2 active, 1 wartime mobilization) of 6 D-30 towed howitzers each and the III.
The Raketenabteilung 11 "Magnus Poser" (ballistic missile battalion) based in Tautenhain included the 1. and the 2.
The motor rifle regiment had the Artillerieabteilung / MSR-7 (artillery battalion of 7th MRR), consisting of the 1., 2. and the 3.
Also part of the division were the separate Raketenabteilung 7 "Alfred Kurella" (7th Ballistic Missile Battalion) based in Zeithain and including the 1. and the 2.
Raketenbatterie/RA-7 (1./RA-7) of 2 OTR-21 Tochka missile launch vehicles each and the Geschosswerferabteilung 7 "Ernst Schneller" (7th Multiple Rocket Launcher Battalion) in Frankenberg/Saale, consisting of the 1., 2. and the 3.
Each East German army division also had two separate medical battalions (sing.
RBr) with two launch batteries of 2 R-300 ballistic missile launchers (NATO reporting name Scud) each and the III.
Each military district also had an air defence missile regiment like the 3rd MD's Fliegerabwehrraketenregiment 3 "Kurt Kresse" based in Hohenmölsen.
In the East German People's Navy the Küstenraketenregiment 18 "Waldemar Verner" (18th Coastal Missile Regiment) based in Rövershagen had a peacetime composition of the I. and the II.
Flottille, based in the Hohe Düne Naval Station in Rostock - Warnemünde consisted of the 2. and 4.
Landungsschiffsbrigade (1st Landing Ships Brigade), based at Peenemünde Naval Station and consisting of the 1. and 3.
The Bundeswehr did not reintroduce the Abteilung term for field and naval formations, using it only to denote staff, research and education departments.