The Combat History of German Tiger Tank Batallion 503 in World War II

The Combat History of

GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11 EDITED By FRANZ-WILHELM LOCHMANN, RICHARD FREIHERR VON ROSEN, AND ALFRED RUBBEL

+ WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY FORMER MEMBERS . OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503

STACKPOLE BOOKS

Copyright © 2000 by J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Ine. Published in paperback in 2008 by STACKPOLE BOOKS 5067 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 www.stackpolebooks.com All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Ine., 104 Browning Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB, R3K OL7, Canada. :ijfpub.mb.ca

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Cover design by Wendy A. Reynolds Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Combat history of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 The combat h istory of German Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in World War II / [edited by 1 Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann, Richard Freiherr von Rosen, and Alfred Rubbel. - 1st ed. p. cm. Originally published: Combat history of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503. 2000. ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-3484-4 ISBN-IO: 0-8117-3484-6 1. Germany. Heer. Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503. 2. World War, 1939-1945-Regimental histories-Germany. 3. World War, 1939-1945-Campaigns-Europe. I. Lochmann, Franz-Wilhelm. 11. Rosen, Richard, Freiherr von. Ill. Rubbel, Alfred. IV. Title. D757.58503rd . L63 2008 940.54'1343-dc22 2007036078

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOIrllJord

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vii

PART ONE: Organization o f the Battalion .

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Introduction

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1

Chap ter I.

I n Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2 .

Summar y o f t h e Employ me n t H is tory o f Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3 .

Roster o f Sen ior Posi t i o ns i n Tiger Tan k Battalion 5 0 3 , 1 942-45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 4 .

Recipie n ts o f H igh M i l i t ary Decorations i n Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3

Chapter 5 .

Organ ization and S tr e ngth of a Tiger Tan k Battalion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5

Chapter 6.

A Tan k Comman der Re members

Chaptel- 7 .

The 2 n d Company

Chapter 8.

My Time with tht: 3rd Co mpany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

Chapter 9.

Tec h n ical Serv ices and Supply / Logistics

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PART TWO: First Employment in the Kalmuck Steppes, 1 942-43 ........................................ 55 Chapter 1 0 .

The Sen i or Tiger Battalion-Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter 1 1 .

Organization of t h e 3rd Company ( formerly t h e 2nd Company, Ti ger Tan k Battalion 502) a n d I ts I n i tial Employ m e n t w i t h Ar my Gr oup D o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Chapter 1 2 .

Recollections o f a Panzer Soldier o f t h e 1 st Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 1 3.

D i ary E n tr ies of Le u lllan t von Koerber, Platoon Leader of the Lst Company ( l J a n uary to 7 Febr uar y 1 94 3 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Chapter 1 4.

First After-Act i o n Report of t h e Company Comman der of t h e 2 n d Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

PART THREE: In The Ukraine, 1 943-44 ........................................................... 1 05 Chapter 1 5.

With Ar my Grb u p Don in t h e U kraine fr om Apr i l 1 943 to May 1 944

Chap ter 1 6.

Recollections fro m My Time as Commander of Tiger Tan k Bat talion 503, J u ne 1 94 3- J a n uary 1 94 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 09

Chapter 1 7 .

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier ( Part 2 )

Chapter 1 8 .

Fendesack's Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 1

Chapter 1 9 .

The Dog a n d Pony Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 35

Chapter 20.

Ci tadel . . . . . . . . . '. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 37

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lV

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II Chapter 21.

Tiger 311 on the First Day of Citadel

Chapter 22.

Tiger 332 in Action from July 1943 to the End of January 1944 . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . .. .. .. .. 145

Chapter 23.

From the Donez to the D njepr in September 1943 .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. . . .. . .. . 151

Chapter 24.

Tscherkassy

Chapter 25.

The Operations of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in Opening the Tscherkassy Pocket

Chapter 26.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

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143

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155

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175

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189

PART FOUR: Normandy, 1 944 ................................................................... 25 1 Chapter 27.

The Battalion Receives the King Tiger

Chapter 28.

Employment on the Invasion Front,July-August 1944 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 257

Chapter 29.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part Ill)

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PART FIVE: In Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, 1 944-45

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253

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279

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303

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Chapter 30.

Employment in Hungary

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305

Chapter 31.

After-Action Reports of Hauptmann Fromme and Oberleutnant Oemler

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335

Chapter 32.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part IV): The Reorganization of the Battalion

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341

Chapter 33.

The End of Separate Unit Status: Incorporation into Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle"

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347

Chapter 34.

Diary Entries from 14 December 1944 to May 1945 as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Chapter 35.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

PART SIX: The End, 1 945

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371

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397

Chapter 36.

The Final Hours of the Battalion

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399

Chapter 37.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part V)

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405

Chapter 38.

Woe to the Vanquished!

Chapter 39.

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..... .. .. .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 409 : My Period as a Prisoner of War from May 1945 to October 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Appendix

1:

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Perso nnel Losses of the Battalion

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Ajlpendix 2: Short Biographies of the Contributors

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427

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437

FOREWORD

S

ince the end of the war we have talked about

The editors did not consider checking the con­

attempting to write a history of our battal­

tents of the accounts to be part of their task, that

ion. The fact that more than 250 former

lying beyond both their mission and capabilities.

members regularly get together after forty-five

The authors vouch for their reports by the use of

years is a clear indication that a better form of

their names. Furthermore, one must consider that,

record needs to be created than that which is pre­

after forty-five years, our memories are not entirely

served in our memories.

reliable. It need not be mentioned that the com­

The Kleine/Kuhne book, Tign·: The His/m)' o/a

rades who have put their contributions into this

Legend(II)1 WeajJo 11, whose German edition came

book gave it their best effort. It is unavoidable that

out in the mid 1970s, presented a comprehensive

there will be discrepancies regarding dates, place

picture of all of the Tiger battalions. It was a

names, and persons. Such discrepancies occur

remarkable attempt to present their history. That

even in the most rigorous military histories. That is

book, which was well received, and not only by for­

why we replaced the common term-battalion his­

mer Tiger men, consisted largely of contributions

tory-in the German edition with the less exacting

and illustrations from them. Unfortunately, the authors did not always hit their targets, and the

l:-ri1111eru11gel1 ([11 die Tigel�Ableilu11g 503 (Rf'collecliol7s 0/ Tiger Battalion 503) .

presentations in the book did not always meet the

In spite of an abundance of records, there are

expectations of those who had provided the infor­

still holes in the source material that could not be

mation. The portion devoted to Tiger Tank Battal­

eliminated by inquiry. Therefore, the companies

ion 503 was, of necessity, limited in its scope. That

could not all receive equal emphasis, nor have

was another reason for us to proceed in our plans

individually important wartime events all received

for our own account. Given those starting points,

the emphasis they deserve in our account. On the

we went to work two years agG>. This book is partic­

other hand, some events are described several

ularly notable for giving the greatest possible

times from differing viewpoints.

number of our comrades a chance to speak.

Our book is no replacement for the battalion

What is presented here should not be evalu­

war diary that was lost at the end of the war. Nor

ated as a historically documented report, but as

does it make literary or historical pretenses in pre­

the sum of more or less subjective accounts. These

senting the wartime experiences of our unit. The

are based on facts and experience, but written

editors set themselves the task of putting together

down as experienced by the individual authors.

a suitable collection from available, comprehen-

v

vi

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

sive, but exceedingly varied sources, from the liter­ ature as well as new accounts that would present a portrait of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 as it exists in our memories. Our book is intended primarily for reading, rather than looking. It was not written for the individual companies, but, rather, for the entire battalion. We took pains to present factual reports instead of emotional presentations. Personality cults were avoided. However, it lies in the nature of things that some individuals received extensive mention, others less, and the majority none at all. We, the authors, have to give manifold thanks. First in line are the comrades who have encour­ aged us in the project and who helped with advice and deed during the two years of work that went into its production.

Without the many contributions in form of text, pictures, documents and assistance, the book would never have reached completion. For that, we offer special thanks. As is well known, nothing takes place without money. Those whose timely contributions supported the project financially, in good faith that the project would succeed, receive our heartfelt thanks. We present our comrades with these recollec­ tions. We hope it meets their expectations. This book is a tribute to Tiger Tank Battalion 503. We are proud to have belonged to it. We also wish to honor our dead. Dr. Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann Richard Freiherr von Rosen Alfred Rubbel Rolf Sichel May 1 990

INTRODUCTION

by the Last Commander of the Battalion

I

t is not easy, forty -five years after the German

soldier. From the beginning, it was no group of

collapse, to prepare a greeting to the surviving

"wild warriors," no "bloodthirsty conquerors" or

members of a military unit, men who coura­

"fanatical

lazis striving for world conquest." It

geously performed their duty-disciplined and

was, rather, a sworn comradeship whose efforts

conscious of their responsibility-to the bitter

were based on personal values and courage, on

end. Today, if one uses words like courage, com­

unconditional comradeship and on matter-of-fact

radeship and fulfillment of duty, one runs the

fulfillment of duty. The obvious bond between

danger of being categorized by the media as a

officers, noncommissioned officers and men was

warmonger, cold-war fighter or potential mur­

universal, but especially so among the armored

derer. The molders of public opinion prefer to ' label as "heroes," those who did not fulfill their

force, where tank crews operated within the clos­

duties, who committed acts of sabotage, who

burdens, dangers faced or common fate.

est of quarters and there were no distinctions as to

deserted. Those are the ones for whom monu­

The time of the rapid assault and successful

ments are erected, holidays celebrated. Those

offensive operation had already gone by the time I

who disfigure or destroy memorials are honored

led this unit. It had become a matter of defending

as "true friends of peace." It is notable that, in

against an enemy who was superior in manpower

Europe, only the Germans engage in this form of

and equipment and of throwing him back in local

self�reeducation. One has only to compare such

counterattacks so as to enable our own army, the

behavior with that of the French, who, after con­

wounded and the civilian population to withdraw.

quering almost all of Europe and, then, after the

There was no room for grand language, for exhor­

collapse of Napoleon, still honor and count as

tations to success and promises of ultimate victory.

heroes of the Crrmrif' Nation thei r soldiers who

There were no great laurels to be won. It was only

were badly beaten in the baHles on the Beresina,

daily, grinding, costly defensive combat with inad­

at Leipzig and at Waterloo.

equate supplies and replacements.

So, in this place, I offer a word of recognition

In that depressing phase of the war, the strength

to the soldiers of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, whom

and discipline of this courageous unit shone forth

I had the honor to command during the difficult

in exemplary fashion. No one sought to shirk

final five months of the Second World War. This

action, never was a wounded comrade left in the

was a unit that had, for three years, enj oyed a rep­

lurch. Even in the most hopeless situation, each

utation for performance above that of the average

placed his life on the line for his fellow soldiers as

vu.

Vlll

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

the obvious and only thing to do. The unit would never have been such a reliable bulwark and "fortress in the storm" to the last days without the successful activities of the logistical units which­ day and night-fought their way through , often between the lines, or without the self-sacrificing technical helpers from the maintenance company and the maintenance sections which , in the midst of the fighting and under enemy fire, repaired our tanks or towed them to the rear. Just as vital were the motorcycle messengers with their dare­ devil journeys in the battle lines. Until the very end, the radio operators, motor­ cycle drivers and liaison officers of the battalion enabled us to have a seamless overview of the situ­ ation while attached to a panzer corps-despite the holes in the defensive front. It was an extremely heavy burden for our battalion that we had to bury so many especially reliable and suc­ cessful comrades in the last weeks of the war.

Thus, this has become a eulogy for Tiger Tank Battalion 503. We were unable to do that at the end of the war. For those who were members of the battalion, it went without question they would fulfill their duties to the end-in the midst of the collapse of the leadership and the desperate war situation, which, for many, was tied up with loss of homeland, many family members, their homes and all of their belongings. There, once again, the true value of soldierly conduct was proven, and I wish for us and for all the family members of those who were in Tiger Tank Battalion 503 that this memory-in contrast to the "modern" attacks on the values of the honorable soldier-may live on into the future. That is also the purpose of this small account of the battalion and of the long-last­ ing bonds of our comradeship. Dr. Nordewin von Diest-Koerber June 1 989

PA R T

ON E

ORGANIZATION OF THE BATTALION

C HAPTER

1

In Review A lfred Rubbel

T

h e battalion was d issolved at Dobrusch , west o f Budweis, on 1 0 May 1 945. The main body of the bat talion-around 450 men-had moved there with i ts veh icles. Wi thin a few hours the bat talion had d ispersed to the four wi nds, headed towards the west. In the numerous disc ussions with members of the battalion that took place durin g the prepara­ tion of this record, i t was obvious that .o u r memo­ ' ries had become u n reI iable. Because of that and because many of the peri pheral occurren ces related to the battali o n 's existence might not be known, a l i ttle "review" will be offered here . T h e th reatening superi ori ty o f t h e Russian KV- l and T-34 tanks over the German Panzer HIs and Panzer IVs accelera ted the development of the follow-on model that had been underway since 1 939. Within twelve months that resulted i n a n experimen tal model t h a t resembled the Tiger. At fi rst, preference wen t to the tec h nically i n ter­ esti ng VI<.. 450 1 ( P ) , which led to the Porsche Tiger. Because that model w�s not yet fully devel­ ' oped , the VI<.. 360 1 ( H ) , whic h h ad been in paral­ lel production by Henschel, went in to production , resulting i n the Tiger I . The 1 st Com pany, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, was the on ly unit of the army that received the Porsche Tiger I, if only tem porarily. The company was later re-equipped with the H enschel Tiger.

Another con troversial question at the h igher levels was where the Tiger was to be placed in field organ izations. In 1 9 4 1 H i tler had demanded that each Panzerd ivision should have twenty of them "for the spearhead of the armor formation." Various tactically and technically im portant rea­ sons led to the decision to concen trate the Tigers in separate u n i ts as army-level troops ( Hef'Test-rup­ pen) at the disposal of OKH (Obrr/wmmanrio des HeeTes, or Army H igh Command ) . That had both advantages and disadvantages. The advan tages were that OKH had direct in terest in its Tiger bat­ talions and our commanders were able to use that "connection" in order to fo restall tactically false employment of the Tiger by corps and divisions. The disadvantage was that, because we did not organ ically belong to them, the corps and divi­ sions occasionally used the Tigers recklessly and ignored the tech n i cal needs of these very special armored formations. All of liS experienced that. The booklet that Guderian issued , Mf'Tkblatt iiber Tiger-Einsatz ( Guidelines fen EmjJloying the Tigel), which was primarily intended for the higher levels of command, helped little in that respect, if the esse ntials of armor, and, especial ly, of Tigers were not known or were ignored. Of the ten separate Tiger battalions, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 was the oldest. It existed for three years and reached its full strength very early

3

4

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

(April 1 943: 3 combat companies 45 Tigers) . It had the good fortune, apart from a few excep­ tions, of always being employed in its entirety, under its own command structure. I ts combat strength and good reputation guar­ anteed that it had a very eventful existence, with hard operations, always at the hot spots. In its 36 months of existence, our battalion had twenty­ seven months of service at the front. The battalion reported its 1 ,500th tank destroyed in October 1 944. By the final capitulation, that total may have risen to 2000, since the battalion still had an =

estimated twenty Tigers in March 1 945. There were more than enough enemy tanks and the companies were committed uninterruptedly from October 1 944 to the last day. In accord with the ongoing employment, losses were also very high. They will be reported in a special chapter. From the first operations in December 1 942 to the end of the war in May 1 945, percentage losses ( killed) by rank were 53 percent officers, 26 per­ cent noncommissioned officers, and 2 1 percent enlisted men.

CHAPTER

2

SUlll lll ary of the Elll p loYlll e nt H istory of Ti ger Tank Battalion 503 A lfred Rubbel

O

ur employment was l i m i ted to the the­ aters of war in the Kalm uck Steppe and the U kraine, Normandy, and' Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. Because of m issing records, it is not possible to give a seam less sketch of the wart i m e even ts. I have prepared a tabular outline of the battalion's employment , i nd icating dates and locations. That may help in keeping track of the details of time and location. Al though i t certainly would have been i nterest­ ing to name all the d ivisions to which the bat talion was attached, that i n formation was not

available i n m ost i nstances. Therefore we had to l i m i t ourselves to the h igher level of command ( army and corps ) . As a rule, the battalion was attached to a division that fough t as the main effort ( forming the SchwerjJunkt, or spearhead ) . O n occasion, the battalion was split u p i n to compan ies. Starting in ] 944, the tanks were assem­ bled into battle groups (Kmnpfgruppen) wi thout reference to their com pany affiliation. The data provided on the next few pages is based on soldier pay book ( Soldbuch) entries, published accoun ts and personal notes. There may be errors.

Period

Area of Operations / Activity

Command Relationship

4 May ] 942 to end of December 1 942

Germany Organ ization, equipping and trai ning of the Headquarters, the Headquarters Company, two tank companies and the Main tenance Company a t -Neu-Ruppin -Falli l�gbostel (3rd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503) -Dollersheim (l s t Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, received the Porsche Tiger) Kalmuck Steppe: Army Group Don (von Manstei n )

Responsible military district

30 December 1 942 to 1 1 February ] 943

4 t h Panzer Army

Offensive operations a n d defensive fighting o n the Manytsch , east and west of the lower Don U kraine: Army Group Don (von Manstei n ) 5

6

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Area of Operations / Activity

Command Relationship

1 7 February to 4 March 1 943

Defensive fighting in the Donez region.

Army Detachment Hollidt ( 6th Army)

5 March to 1 0 April 1 943

Defensive fighting in the Mius-Donez position.

1 1 April to 4 July 1 943

Army Group Don, renamed Army Group South (v. Manstein) Transfer to Kharkov area. Reorganized under the 1 943-44 tables of organization. Preparations for Operation "Zitadelle": -Boguduchow -Kharkov -Tolokonoje -Tiirkeniibung (The "Dog and Pony" Show)

Army Detachment Kempf (8th Army)

5-1 6 July 1 943

Operation "Zitadelle" -Bjelgorod -Rasumnoje -Jastrebowo -Werchne Olchanez

Army Detachment Kempf III Panzer Corps (6th, 7th, and 1 9th Panzer Divisions)

17 July to 23 August 1943

Fighting withdrawal west of the middle Donez; defensive fighting at Kharkov Defensive fighting west of Kharkov; fighting withdrawal

XI Corps

Period

8th Army

1 4 September 1 943

East of the Dnjepr (changing command and control relationships; units farmed out to different commands)

Until on/about 31 December 1 943

Defensive fighting on the Dnjepr -Army reserve at Sn� menka -Commitment as a battle group at Kiew, Krementschug, Pawlisch, Glinsk and Tschigrin

8th Army

1 January to 25 February 1 944

Defensive fighting west of Kiew and in the southern Ukraine

8th Army

(5-18 January 1 944) Defensive fighting near Kirowograd (24 January to 25 February 1 944)

Attack in opening the Tscherkassy pocket while attached to III Panzer Corps Tiger Tank Regiment Bake -Oratoff -Frankowka -Tschessnowka Army Group South, renamed 30 March 44 as Army Group North Ukraine ( Model/Harpe)

4-1 6 March 1 944

Defensive fighting �n the Winniza, Jampol and Proskuroff III Panzer Corps areas of operatio ns

1 7 March to 1 0 April 1 944

Operations to break through at Kamenez-Podolsk

1 0-27 April 1 944

Offensive operations on the Upper Dnjestr and east of Carpathian Mountains

XXXXVI Panzer Corps

Summary of the Employment History of Tiger Tanll Battalion 503

7

Period

Area of Operations / Activity

28 April to 5 May 1 944

Positional warfare on the Upper Dnjestr and i n the Carpathian Mountains

March to April 1 944

Employment of Battle Group Mi ttermeier at Tarnopol

May toJune 1 944

Refit ting at Ohrdruf Training Area; 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, received the Konigstiger

Wehrkreis­ Kom mando IX

July to August 1 944

'ormandy Army Group B ( Rommel) Defensive figh ting in the Caen and Cagny areas of operations; f igh ting east of the Orne

LXXXVI Corps ( 2 1 st Panzer Division and 1 6th Luftwaffe Field Division )

September to October 1 944

Germany Refitting in the Paderborn area

Wehrkreis­ Kommando

October to December 1 944

H u ngary, Austria and Czechoslovakia Heeresgruppe Nordukraine, rena . m ed Army Group South ( Frie13ner/Woh ler) Defensive fighting in Hungary: -Operation "Horthy" -Figh ting between the Thei13 and the Danube in area of Budapest and near the Plattensee

rv

January to May 1 945

Army Group South renamed April 45 as Army Group Ostmark (Austria) (Wohler) I ncorporation i n to Panzer Corps " Feldherrn h aJle" Defensive figh ting between the Plattensee and the Danube: -Stuh lwe.i13enburg -Zamoly -,-Yertes Moun tains

Pan zer Corps "Feldherrnhalle," I I I Panzer Corps, and other attach­ ments (among them: 1 st, 23rd, and 24th Panzer Divisions; 4th SS Police Division; & 4th Cavalry Brigade)

xxxxvm

Panzer

Corps

Attack out of the Gran bridgehead Figh ting withdrawal from the Lesser Carpathian Mountains -Yerebely -Neutra -Tyrnau Defensive fighting north ofYienna -Zistersdorf -Poysdorf -M istelbach Withdrawal of the battal ion through Czechoslovakia to the German border ( Bohmer Wald and Bayrischer Wald ) : -Znaim -Budweis 9- 1 0 May 1 945

Command Relationship

Capitulation west of Budweis to elements of the U .S. Third Army and U .S. X I I Corps; battalion d isbanded

VI

Panzer Corps, I I I Panzer Corps, and LVI I Corps

Div. " Hoch und Deu tsch meister" Panzer Corps "Feldherrn haJle"

FeldzOge der TIger-Abtellung 503

1 2 3 4 Nordsee

Ungam

--+ Transport

tIIfIII"A)

_

Gefecht

Ma6stab _._-------- ----

FRANKREICH

RlI4AHlEN

Dez Jt4. Jun Ott

Kal.ockensteppe Ukraine Nol'llalldl e

In I

42 43 44 44

"" -

Apr 43 Apr 44

Sep 44

Mal 45

Aufstellung , Auffrlschung

I

Kapltulation

ca. 1 : 12 Mlllfonen

C HAPTER

3

Roster of Senior Positions in Ti ger Tank Battalion 503, 1942-45 Various Contributors

COMMAND AND STAFF Battalion Commanders Oberstleu tnan t Post Oberstleutnant Hoheisel Hauptmann Graf Kageneck . Hauptmann Fromme Hauptmann Dr. von Diest-Koerber Adjutants Oberleutn a n t Oberleutnant Oberleutnant Oberleutnant

Prillwitz Smend Dr. Barkhausen Heerlein

Orderly Officers (OrdonnanzofJiziere) Leutnant Smend Leutnant Linden Leutnant H eerlein Leutnant Rollik Leutnant Rubbel Maintenance Officers M�or ( I ng.) Fichtner Leutnant ( I ng. ) Gille Leutnant ( I ng.) Schenk

Battalion Surgeons Stabsarzt Dr. Sprockhoff Oberarzt Dr. Sch ramm Ass. Arzt Or. Bll ri Signals Officers Oberleutnan t Reichel Feldwebel Berger HEADQUARTERS COMPANY (STABSKOMPANIE) AND SUPPLY COMPANY (VERSORGUNGSKOMPANIE)

Company Commanders Oberleutnant Spremberg Hauptmann Fest Hauptmann Wiegand ( later Supply Company) Oberl e u tnant Brand Oberleu tnant Or. Barkhausen First Sergeants Hauptfeldwebel Rich ter ( la ter Supply Company) Hauptfeldwebel Schad

9

10

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

Major Clemens Graf Kageneck, June 1 943 to January 1 944.

Graf Kageneck received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross while commanding Tiger Tank Battalion 503. He received the award on 17 February 1 944. He had re­ ceived the Knight's Cross 7 August 1 943.

Reconnaissance Platoon (Aujkliirungszug) Leaders Leutnan t Bussenius ( KlA 1 943 ) Leutnant HaJ3 Leutnant Koppe Oberleutnant Ohnesorge

Civil Officials in Administrative Services

Scout Platoon (Erkundungszug) Leaders Leutnant HaS Leutnant von Hagemeister Engineer Platoon (Pionierzug) Leaders Leutnant Brodhagen Oberfeldwebel Rim hild Antiaircraft Platoon (Fla-Zug) Leaders Leutnant Fiirlinger Leutnant Vieten Supply Section (Versorgungsstaffel) Leaders Leutnant Bielefeld Leu tnant Koppe Leutnant Witt Leutnant (W) Schulz (W ordnance officer) =

(lntendanten)

Oberzahlmeister Rohde Stabsintendant Kretteck 1 ST COMPANY Company Commanders H auptmann Kaphengst Oberleu tnan t von Foerster Hauptmann Burmester Oberleutnant Adamek (KlA 1 944) Oberleutnant Reutemann (KlA 1 944) Oberleutnant Oemler Leutnant FLirlinger ( KlA 1 945 ) Leutnant Piepgras First Sergeants Hauptfeldwebel Sch m i lz Stabsfun kmeister Nega Stabsfeldwebel Schmidt (KlA 1 945 ) Oberfeldwebel Wendt Oberfeldwebel Haase

Roster of Senior Positions in Tiger Tallk Battalion 503, 1942-45

11

Platoon Leaders Oberleutnant von Foerster Oberleutnant Oemler Leutnant von Koerber, Detlef (KlA 1 943) Leutnant Meller ( KlA 1 943) LeutnantJammerath (KlA 1 943) Leutnant Linsser Oberfeldwebel Fendesack (KlA 1 943) Leutnant Labut Leutnant Witt Leutnant Piepgras Leutnant Topel Leutnant Schr6der ( KlA 1 944) Leutnant Hamann Leutnant von Koerber, Achim 2ND COMPANY Company Commanders Hauptmann Heilmann Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber First Sergeants Hauptfeldwebel Bachmann Hauptfeldwebel Hiinsen Platoon Leaders Oberleutnant Hansen Leutnant Cusow (KlA 1 943) Leutnant Bielefeld (KlA 1 943) Leutnant HaB Leutnant Witt Leutnant Armbruster ( KlA 1 944) Leutnant Beyer Leutnant Linkenbach ( KlA 1 945) Leutnant Gunther Leutnant Wagner 3RD COMPANY (FORMERLY 2ND COMPANY, TIGER TANK BATTALION 502) Company Commanders Hauptmann Lange Hauptmann Scherf Oberleutnant Freiherr von Rosen " Leutnan t Koppe

Hauptmann Rolf Fromme, February t o December 1 944

First Sergeants Oberfeldwebel Rondorf Stabsfeldwebel Kisseberth Hauptfeldwebel Schad Hauptfeldwebel Muller Platoon Leaders Oberleutnant Scherf Leutnant Dr. Taubert (KlA 1 942) Leutnant Forkel Leutnant Wei nert ( KlA 1 943) Leutnant Freiherr von Rosen Oberfeldwebel an der Heiden Leutnant Koppe Leutnant Rollik Leutnant Rambow Leutnant Rubbel MUUNTENANCE COMPANY ( WERKSTAITKOMPANIE) Company Commanders Hauptmann Fest Oberleutnant ( lng. ) Diekamp Oberleutnant ( I ng.) GroB Oberleutnant (Ing.) TheiB Oberleutnant Dr. Barkhausen Leutnant ( I ng.) Gille

12

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Hauptmann Fromme received the Knight's Cross on 29 January 194 1 . He was also mentioned by name in the Wehrmacht Report of 5 November 1 944 while serving as commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

Hauptmann Dr. Nordewin von Diest-Koerber, February to December 1 944. Hauptmann Dr. von Diest-Koerber received the Knight's Cross on 1 May 1 945. He was also the recipient of the German Cross in Gold, which was awarded to him on 1 7 February 1 944.

First Sergeants Stabsfeldwebel Bittkowski

Notes This list makes no claims to completeness and accuracy. Official records are not available. The battalion commanders, company commanders and first sergean ts are l isted in ch ronological order. It was attempted to list the others i n the same seq uence. Roster assembled by Ullrich Koppe ( 1 990) Sources: con tributed information , notes of Dr. Barkhausen, Dr. Lochmann, Nieman n , Freiherr von Rosen, and Rubbel.

Platoon Leaders Oberwerkmeister Bahl Werkmeister Neubert Werkmeister Scheerbarth Techn ischer Inspekteur Rathje Technischer I nspekteur Fro h muller Werkmeister Spath I ngenieur Aust Leu tnant Konig ( Be rgezug recovery platoo n ) Leu tnant ( I ngenieur) Schenk Leutnant Eilers ( KlA 1 945)

C HAP T E R

4

Reci p ients of H i gh Military Decorations in Ti ger Tank Battalion 503 Tiger Tank Battalion 503

Oak

Knight's

German

Honor RoU

Mention in the

Leaves

Cross

Cross

Clasp

Wehrmacht Report

Panzerkampfabzeichen ( Level 4

=

75 Engagemen

Headquarters Company / Supply Company - Haupt mann Grat" Kagcllcck

26 ) u n 1 944

- Hil l l p t r n a n n Fromme

7 A l I g 1 94')

!) No\"

2 9 . J a n 1 94 1

1 944

- Hallp"llann \'on

Diest-Kocrber

May 1 94.�

1 7 Feb 1 944

1st Company Apr 1 944

- Hauptmann Kaphengsl - H a u p u n a n n BlIrl1leislcr

1 94')

2 Sep 1 944

I I Oct 43

- Oberfdclwebel Fendcsack

20 May 1 944

- Fclclwebel Knispcl

2;") Apr 1 944 1 94;")

- Fclclwcbcl Hcrgcr - Untcrofiizier Loc h m a l l l l

1 9-15

- Unterorfizicr Sch m i c l ke

1 945

2nd Company

-l

- LeulnanL Ci·l sow

Feb 1 944

- L.elltnanL L .i n ke n bach

Feb 1 945

- Fe\c1wcbel Hial kowski

1 944

3rd Company - Hall ptlll a n n Lange

I ') Ma)' 1 944

- Hallpl llla n n Scherr

23 Feb 1 94-1

7 Oct 1 94')

;") Feb 1 94;")

- Obcrle l l t n a nL Frciherr 1'011 Rosc ll

Feb 1 945 1 5 Dec 1 944

- Felclwebel Sciclcl

.Il11 1 944

- UnLcroffizier Ciirt n e r - Oberfa h n c n j u n ker

Rondorr

20 May 1 94

- L.elllnanl 'Ne i nert

1 6 J a n 1 944

Maintenance Company - Werkmeist c r N C l lbcn

1 9-14'

'Kn igh t 's Cross of t h e War Service Cross N o t e : B e c a u se of gaps i n suu rce m a t e r i a l , m i stakes are u n avoidable

13

CHAPTER

5

Organization and Stren g th of a Ti ger Tank Battalion Alfred Rubbel a n d Wolfgang Schneider

T

he organizational diagrams come from Tigers in Combat ! by Wolfgang Sc h neider. The organizational diagram for December 1942 shows the bat talion as it was initially struc­ tured wi th a so-called mixed organ ization of late model, short-barelled Panzer I l ls and the Tiger 1 . There were only two com pan ies until the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502, was incorpo­ rated into the bat talion as the 3rd Com pany, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, in early 1 943. By July 1 943 when the battalion was employed at Operation Citadel, it only had the Tiger I in i ts organ ization. The authorized strength was fifty­ four tan ks. During the fighting in Normandy, the battalion had already started to received the Tiger 1 1 . These were only present in the 1 st Com pany. Even in that company, there were still two Tiger Is. The author­ ized strength of the battalion remained at fifty-four

Unit/Personnel Strengths (September 1 944)

tanks, with seventeen each i n the tank companies and three in the battalion headquarters. The fi nal organ ization of the bat talion is in di­ cated in the last chart. By Septem ber 1 944, the battalion was eq uipped entirely with Tiger I l 's. The overall authorized tank strength was reduced from fifty-four to forty-five, however. Despite that, the bat tal ion may have had several extra " f loats." The pe rsonnel strength of the bat tal ion under that organization is i ndicated below: The wheeled vehicles of trains ( 7IofJ) , combat trains I and 2 ( Ge/ech lsflOfJ) , and baggage trains ( GejJiirl£flOjJ) were removed from the tank com pa­ nies and placed i n the newly formed Supply Com pany ( Vn:wrgun gs-Koml}(l'I1.ie) . That stream­ l i n ing of personnel led to the reduction of the tank compan ies from 1 1 3 soldiers to 88. The per­ son nel strength of the bat tal ion dropped from 1 ,093 to 897.

Officer

NCO

Enlisted

Aggregate

Headquarters and Headq uarters Com pany

9

37

1 30

1 76

Supply Company

5

55

1 88

250

Maintenance Company

3

37

1 62

207

1st Company

4

46

38

88

2nd Company

4

46

38

88

3rd Company

4

46

38

88

29

267

594

897

Totals Of t he totals above, seven were ci,·i l i a n officials.

15

December 1 942

11

01

02

03

04

05

1 02

1 03

1 04

1 05

1.

0 ill

1 00

1 01

111

1 12

1 13

1 14

1 21

1 22

1 23

1 24

131

1 32

1 33

141

1 42

1 43

1 34

1 44

2.

0 200

ill

201

202

203

204

205

211

212

213

214

221

222

223

22 4

231

232

233

241

242

243

234

244

July 1 943

6

11

III

1.

D

1 00

1 01

111

1 12

113

1 14

121

122

1 23

1 24

131

1 32

1 33

1 34

200

201

211

212

213

214

222

223

224

231

232

233

234

300

301

31 1

312

313

314

3 2 1�

322

323

324

331

332

333

334

2.

D

22 1

.

3.

D

June 1 944

6

If

III

1.

�

131

1 32

1 34

1 33

2.

o

200

201

21 1

212

213

214

221

222

223

224

231

232

233

234

300

301

311

312

313

314

32 1

322

323

324

331

332

333

334

3.

�

September 1 944

11

III

1 32

1 33

1.

o

131

1 34

2.

L::j

201

214

224

3.

Cj

231

232

233

234

300

324

334 ???

???

CHAPTER

6

A Tank COlll lll ander

Re lll e III bers A lfred Rubbel

an uary 1 943 in Putlos. The cadre u n i t ( Per� sO'l1 aleinhfit Sr:/wbn) had received home leave in several i nstal lments. 1 returned from leave, late at night. The next morni ng, at breakfast i n the sq uad room with Hannes Rippl, Herbert Petzka and Heino Kleiner, the conversa­ tion turned to the first Tigers that had arrived the day before. Al though I had not yet seen one, I had heard many wonderful thi ngs about them. vVhen I asked Heino, who had already seen them, how they looked, the foll owing memorable dialogue took place:

J

Heino: " Imagi ne a very long cannon. Got that?" Myself: "Yes." Heino: "It is even longer!" Soon I , too, saw the wonder. I was im pressed, but also a bit d isappointed. I had expected a tank wi th an elegant shape, somet!1ing like the Russian T-34. And there stood a veh ic'le that, in shape and proportions, resembled no tank known to us-a di nosaur rather than a m iracle weapon of the fu ture. Sen nel ager, March 1 943. The first Tiger Is to be assigned to Com pany Schober had arrived at the railroad s tation and had to be guarded u n t i l they were u nl oaded on the fol l owi ng morning. I

was detailed for that. There was no guard house and it was cold, so 1 sat in the driver's seat of a tank. Everything was new and strange-and it got bori ng duri ng the course of the n igh t . The key was in the ignition. I had already figured out the function of several swit ches. Would the engine start easily? True, I did not have a tank drivi ng l icense, but 1 had often il legally moved tan ks which drove with steeri ng levers. Curiosity quickly shoved inhibi t ions aside-the motor ran ! What 1 did not know at that time was that a gear was always engaged ! As I then played around with the s teeri ng wheel there was a jerk to the side, which I strengthened by givi ng i t gas. What had happened? The chock blocks that secured the Tiger had been forced away and the fron t and rear stuck far out over the edges of the SSYMS­ Wagen (special heavy-load capaci ty railroad cars ) . For fear of further mishaps I d i d n o t make any attempt to straighten the tan k out. I do not know what the u n loading party thought of the si tuation . There was no i nvestigation. The "optical" surprise the Tiger had offered me at Putlos was now joi ned by a "physical" one as wel l . After that, I took the Tiger seriously and learned the basics so as to avoid further serious consequences. That paid om Our " 1 1 4" and its crew f irst saw action on 5 July 1 943 as part of Operation Ci tadel ( Zilari()llf) at 21

22

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Bjelgorod. We had been prepared well: The "Tiirken "- Ubung ("Turkish" exercise) ; a live-fire exercise on the Donez at Tschugujew; recovery exercises in marshy terrain; and, weapon and equipment training. All had familiarized us with the tank. The equipment had proven itself as durable. Our comrades who had already had experience with Tigers confirmed the pronounce­ ment in the Tigerfibel (Tiger primer) : "It can stand up to anything . . . " The Tiger had won the race between armor protection and arm or­ piercing rounds. Not much could get at the Tiger man. The hard fighting during Citadel proved to us that •

•

•

the armor was capable of standing up to enemy weapons. The weak point was the smoke stack-like commander's cupola. A hit from a 7.62cm gun would shear off the cupola, complete with the commander's head the firepower of the 88mm main gun was fan­ tastic in the certainty with which it guaranteed hits, and in its rate of fire, penetration and destructive power the maneuverability of the Tiger was seriously inadequate. The most significant contributor to that deficiency was the low power to weight ratio of 1 0 horsepower/ ton (T-34 1 8 hp/ ton. ) The immediate consequence of that defi­ ciency was a very low march speed (a theoreti­ cal 38 km/ hr, which was ' never actually attained in practice ) . Ten km/hr was the rule in driving cross country. =

The engine did not take well to overloading. Its longevity in service was limited. Assuring availabil­ ity for operations demanded a great deal of techni­ cal understanding and hard work from our drivers. The maintenance sections and the workshop were constantly in demand. I remember how I always kept one ear free to listen to the engine when road marching as a tank commander. Overheating led to destruction of the seals around the cy� inder lin­ ers, allowing coolant water to get into the ·cylinders. The only remedy for that was removing the spark plugs to get the water out. Mter that, the Tiger would never be a fast mover. Overheating could also burn up the cork in the cylinder-head gasket and the engine would lose oil. Whenever the main­ tenance section or the workshop were not avail­ able, our driver, WaIter Eschrig, had us chew away

at Kommiflbrot ( the standard army hard bread) , and, with the bread pulp, achieved a temporary seal for the cylinder-head gasket. Additional weak points were the transmission , final drive and running gear. All of us remember how often we had to make an emergency gear change to the adjacent gear and creep home that way. The hydraulic system had not yet overcome its teething problems. The final drive was as deli­ cate as an egg in its shell if any undue load was put on it. That frequently occurred in conjunction with throwing a track, usually as a result of inade­ quate track tension along with backing up and turning. I learned to fear that as the worst kind of damage. Nevertheless, although avoidable, it did happen to us once. There was no alternative but to cut the track, disconnect the final drive from the transmission at the flange and wait for the recovery vehicle, sometimes with the hope that it would appear sooner than "Ivan . " A "pleasure" of a special sort was the care of the interleaved road­ wheels of the Tiger I . Everybody knows there were sixteen roadwheels on eight torsion-bar arms on each side. Hopefully, at the start of the march, all sixteen roadwheels were there. The four outer roadwheels, starting with the front one, gradually freed themselves. Movement of the torsion bars and bending loads resulted in the loosening of the connection of the entire road wheel to the flange. That, in turn, increased the load on the remaining roadwheels and led to the destruction of the rubber rims. The amount of work involved in changing the center-most inner roadwheel was mind-boggling. Eight roadwheels had to be removed first. My sketch of the intensive material mainte­ nance is an opportunity to also gratefully remem­ ber the constant, painstaking major commitment of labor by our comrades of the maintenance sec­ tions and the maintenance company. And how often was this the result of neglect by the crew! The superiority of the Tiger I and Tiger 1 1 in weapons performance and armor protection in comparison with all enemy tanks-which contin­ ued right up to the end of the war-allowed us to remain without a care in the face of the enemy. When pulling security-even during combat operations-we often remained stationary for hours at a time, exposed in open terrain without cover or concealment-and, indeed, nothing happened to us!

A Tank Commander Remembers

The result was that we dispensed with the doc­ trinal behavior that we had all learned. Young sol­ ders and tank comman ders who lacked front experience picked up on our poor conduct. Wi th our practice of exposing ourselves for hours at a time like targets on a shooting range, we gave up the opport unity to su rprise the enemy. When the Russians spotted us, as a rule, they at tacked else­ where wi th their tan ks. The resu l t was that pene­ trations or breakthroughs took place at other locations, where we would then clean them up as "fire brigade." A better alternative would have been to keep the Tigers hidden under cover and concealment behind the main line of resistance, and then, when the direction of the at tack and i ts Schwer­ punkt were clearly ide n t i f ied, stri ke h ard and by surprise. That approach would have brough t us more successes at less cost. I fully realize, however, that i t was n ecessary to have tanks i m m ediately behind the bat tle l i ne as "corset stays" for the hard-fighting infant ry formations that had been bled wh ite, so as to stabilize their f igh ting morale . That req uireme n t i n terfe red w i t h the tactically correct com m i t m e n t . We often had the experi­ ence that the withdrawal of individual Tigers for refueling and resupplying with ammuni tion was a signal for the infa n t ry to abandon their positions and pull back along with the tanks. On the Eastern Front, nearly up to the end of the war, there was no real t h reat from the air. That resu lted in a relaxation of all the passive m eans of protection, such as camou flage and spotters keep­ ing watch over the air space unt i l , on the Western Front, the t o tal dominat ion of the air by the enemy air forces taught us a fearful lesson . I t was considered t h e righ t thing to do i n t h e Panzer forces and, natural ly, a m o n g u s , t o o , for the tank commander-whether company com­ mander or platoon leader-to switch to the next­ available tank and carry on if h is tank were disabled. Unfortunately, that dangerous maneuver in combat caused a h igh � asualty rate among commanders. There was an espec ially impressive ritual when Hauptmann Burmester, commander of the 1 st Com pany, n ic kn am ed " He i n M iick," swi tched tanks. First the map board and binocu­ lars were more-or-Iess roughly transferred from the commander's cupola to the rear deck. The box with the "Wil helm 1 1 " brand cigars followed, with great care. The commander came out with

23

a dive toward the rear, defini tely no delicacy there. After collection of the "combat u tensils" came the dash to cover behind the new command tank. The remounting process followed the same seq uence and the same gradations of tender care. To the best of my memory, that unique procedure always succeeded without a scratch to the person or the obj ec ts. Many of my comrades i n the combat elements would agree wi t h me, at this poi n t , i n fi nding words of praise for the leader of our recovery pla­ too n , Obe rfeldwebel, later Leutnant, Klnig and h is men. Wh ether we had been knocked out by gunfire, broken down , overt urned or bogged down , and in nearly i m possible situations, h is recovery platoon with i ts nearly four-meter h igh 1 8-ton prime movers were on the spot to recover our Tigers. With a combination of technical knowledge and cool t h i nkin g, even the most diffi­ cult cases were dealt wi t h and, if the enemy did not prevent i t , the Tiger was som ehow recovered, towed and loaded. Leutnant Kl nig h ad a nose for where the most difficult situations were and where he, h i mself, was most needed. H is arrival and that of his prime movers-later we also had Bergepan­ thers-followed a well establ ished pattern. Fi rst, he arrived on the scene by h i mself with his VW-Kiibelwage n . At a sui table distance he got out of h is VW-Kubel, armed with a gnarled wal k­ ing s tick. Escorted by a soldier wi th a machine pis­ tol, he approached the disabled vehicle in a manner appropria te to the situation and took what measures he deemed sui table. As a rule, that was to call up the prime movers that he had wait­ ing in a covered locat ion. It m ight also be that the first measure was a mighty storm of wrath, that poured upon the c rew if they had not carried out the necessary preparations, such as disconnecting the final drive and clearing away obstructions. Our tank was more than j ust a means of com­ bat to us. It was our transportation, it was where we spen t our free time and found rec reation, where we l ived and slept. It protected us from more than j ust the effects of e nemy weapons. Therefore the crew h ad a very close relationship with its tank. Keeping it in i m peccable condition was the foremost task of all f ive men. I n my expe­ rience, the tank driver fel t that he, above all oth­ ers, was responsible for the ove rall main tenance condition. His t rai ning a t the Tiger t raining courses at Paderborn went well beyond the service

24

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

requirements and technical understanding of the functioning of the engine and drive train. He directed the other members of the crew in the technical servicing of the equipment in the hull, chassis and running gear, which called for the greatest share of the work. In our battalion, it was standard procedure that every crew member lent a hand with the work. In combat, the driver's task was not just to move the tank in a tactically correct manner, but to also keep an eye on the progress of the fighting. Our long-time driver, Waiter Eschrig, exceeded all expectations in his quiet but determined way. In my opinion, the next most important man was the gunner. He was the one whose under­ standing determined whether the full potential of the weapon was developed in a firefight or whether only bungling fireworks resulted. Full of respect, I remember our outstanding gunner, Wai­ ter Junge, who is no longer with us. In the thir­ teen months we spent together in " 1 1 4"-which were particularly lucky in that we went through two Tigers, as a result of enemy action, without losing any of the crew largely due to him-he mas­ tered his tasks beyond anything we could expect, which many did not think he was capable of ini­ tially. In addition to lightning fast reactions and instant comprehension of his commander's inten­ tions, his fellow crew members found him always ready to help and always a cheerful companion. I ask the forgiveness of all tank commanders, load­ ers and radio operators, when I rank their impor­ tance below that of the drivers and gunners. Thirty-seven months of experience at the front taught me to see things that way. Nevertheless, I must state a truism, that, without good function­ ing of the other crew members-the loader and the radio operator-the tank was incomplete as a weapon. Judging by his reticence in conversation, one would never have expected our loader in " 1 1 4," Johann Strohmer, to be a man of rapid action. Quite otherwise in action ! Johann developed such , speed in loading that the gunner rarely had to wait to fire-not an easy task with the nearly 20-kilo­ gram weight of the 88mm round. Frequently, it was beyond my comprehension where the ammunition came from in an engagement. Only once did he have to take a bye. That was at Merefa, in August 1 943, when, after we cleared out of Kharkov, instead of the reserve ammunition that was meant

to be stored under the turret floor, there were only flasks of the famed Kharkov "hair tonic". The radio operator had a special status among the crew. Because, if necessary, the fight could temporarily go on without him, they made the crews dependant on them for other things. Since the radio operator continually listened to the radio traffic, he had an "informational head start," which he utilized. The radio operator also earned a high reputation as the on-board quartermaster. Since he also had both need and opportunity to take note of the achievements and failures of his own and other crews, the knowledge so gained served as a kind of unofficial "war diary," which could be presented, when called for, with appro­ priate commentary. As I write this I have in mind our radio operator, Alfred Peuker, who will read and, I hope, confirm this. The unit spirit and comradeship that were so remarkably good in the battalion and in its com­ panies is repeatedly spoken of in these "recollec­ tions." That could not be taken for granted in a body of nearly 1 ,000 men. The coming together of these men after the war and their cohesiveness to this day affirms that bond. I intend to pursue the question of how that could result in such a young formation that only existed for three years-the tank regiments that were formed in peacetime existed for ten years. I consider the most important and fundamen­ tal prerequisite was that we were brought to full battalion strength relatively quickly. As a result of that, we were committed successfully in combat as a complete unit. Thus, the soldiers could see and evaluate themselves beyond company boundaries. This also provides opportunity to refute the pro­ posal that was put forward in 1 942 in an after­ action report of forming separate companies rather than battalions. On organizational grounds alone, the companies could not exist on their own. The most probable approach would have been to integrate them into existing tank regi­ ments. That would have led to the result that the peculiarities of the Tigers would have received inadequate consideration. It must be conclusively stated that the form of organization as separate army-level Tiger battalions was the right choice. The next prerequisite for good unit spirit was the separate-unit status that elevated us a bit above the "normal" tank formation through preferential selection of personnel and equipment and,

A Tanll Commander Remembers

accordingly, led to a rei nforced self-awareness as a formation. The fac t that decisive posi tions for command and leadership were filled with good officers and noncomm issioned officers contrib­ uted to the cohesiveness that held the organ i-

25

zation together without any signs of d issolution righ t up to the final day of its existence. o r course, i t m ust be stated, that corrections were req uired in the first mon ths after the unit was organ ized.

CHAPTER

7

The 2nd COlll p any Various Con tributors

I

t is unfortunate that, in con trast to the truly comprehensive pictures of the 1 st and 3rd Companies, practically no accoun ts for our book came from the ran ks of the former 2nd Company. The editor had the thankless task, wi th respect to the o th er two companies, of h aving to select from the wealth of materials provided. For the 2nd Company, h owever, the short accou n t that follows stems from all that · is ava ilable, the accounts given by comrades Wil libald Krakow and Mart i n Burmester, who died during the year this book was assembled. The 2nd Company, along with the 1 st Com­ pany, was organized in May of 1 942 in Neuruppin. [ n the three years o f i ts existence, there was only one change in company command. Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber succeeded Hauptmann H eil­ man n . In that same time period, company com­ mand changed eight times i n the 1 st Company and four times in the 3rd Company. Martin Burmester wrote that the 2nd Com­ pany had the m isfortu n e on 5 J uly 1 943 during Operation Ci tadel to move . i n to a m i nefield. I t · caused severe damage to all twelve vehicles. As a result, the company did not get reemployed as a complete u n i t until i ts refitting at Ohrdruf in May of 1 944. I ts employment in Normandy in 1 944 and in the final phase of the war i n 1 945 were again as a complete u n i t. The fol lowing is an excerpt from the com­ pany newsletter published 1 0 December 1 944.

The original newsletter contained a l ist of those killed and m issi ng in action up to the time of i ts publication. Headquarters 22 402 Russia, 10 December 1 943 Dear Comrades! we celebrate Christmas in a few days, our thoughts will turn to our loved ones and to all of you who have had to leave the company prema­ turely due to wounds or ill ness. We picture you in the hospital, in the replacement u n i t or with your loved o nes at home by the Christmas tree and we know that, at this moment, you wish to be with your old comrades, your company. You do not know where it is at the moment and, nevertheless, would l i ke to partake i n i ts joys and sorrows. Therefore, we are using this means to pass on to you a few things that have happened and are now happening and tell you about some things you m igh t not have heard. We do not need to say much about the figh t­ ing. You can well imagin e that i t was hard. Wher­ ever things were hot, the company has been i n action a n d has attain ed splendid successes. Among other thi ngs, about 1 75 tanks and more than 200 antitank guns have been knocked out. On a single day, n ineteen Russian T-34s were knocked out; on another day, seventeen T-34s As

27

28

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

were put out of commission . Unfortunately, in the recent past, we also had several painful losses. Killed: Stabsfeldwebel Hammrich, Unterof­ fizier Schiilicke, Gefreiter Williard and small Gefreiter Beckmann, who was loved by everyone. Wounded: Feldwebel Plum, Unteroffizier Schumacher, Gefrei ter Rabeneck and Gefreiter Mallon. By way ofjoyful events, in the last 3 months there were several noteworthy promotions: to Feldwebel: Unteroffiziere Plum, Moorkot­ ter and Heinl to Un teroffizier: Obergefreite Hosek, von Knobelsdorff, Keller, Leibe to Gefreiter: Dilly and Kloosick. The company went through hard times when Hauptmann Heilmann gave up command of the company and Leutnant Ciisow went on convales­ cent leave in Germany as a result of his wounds. Therefore, the rejoicing was all the greater when Leutnant Ciisow returned and took over com­ mand of the company. Hopefully, that situation will continue. Our "company mother" is Oberfeldwebel Hiinsel-well known to all-who took over· the job immediately after his return from the hospi­ tal. At the moment, the company is again in action. We do not know whether we will be granted the opportunity to have a little Christmas celebra­ tion. That will depend on the situation. However, you should know that you always have your place with us and that, especially dur­ ing these days, our thoughts are with you. May you be given the opportunity to celebrate this holiday with your family or with your parents and siblings. To those of our comrades who are still in the hospital, we wish you a speedy recov�ry and hope that we will soon be able to greet you anew here in the company. We wish you all the best for the Christmas cel­ ebration and the New Year. (signed) Hiinsel Hauptfeldwebel

(signed) Ciisow Leutnant and company commander

2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 In the field, Christmas 1 944 Dear Comrade! You should know that you have not been aban­ doned by us. Therefore, we want to give you a general outline of what has taken place since Jan­ uary during this year of 1 944. Despite moments of temporary crisis, the company has, in general, had notable successes. The battalion was twice mentioned with praise in the Wehrmacht reports, and we are all proud of the fact that those honorable mentions also praised the accomplishments of the 2nd Com­ pany. In that recognition we see inspiration for new deeds and, as before, commit our entire strength to the attainment of final victory. In March of this year we had to begin the withdrawal out of Galicia from Grzymalow. That was a very difficult time for the company. We had to leave behind several loyal comrades who had been killed, captured or were missing. In the course of several weeks we moved through Ruma­ nia, Hungary and Slovakia to the assembly point at Lemberg. Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber took over command of the company there. Mter a short stay there, we loaded up and, in May, moved for refitting at Ohrdruf [Thuringia] . We only remained there for a short period but, nev­ ertheless, two-thirds of the company was able to take twenty-one days of home leave. Soon we received new tanks, wheeled vehicles and equipment. Shortly thereafter we were again on rail cars. No one knew where the march would take us until we crossed the Rhine. Then it was clear to us that we were going to France. The general rejoicing at that was very great. Soon, however, we realized that our celebration had been premature and that our mission was diffi­ cult and serious. The commitment at the invasion front demanded the utmost in ultimate self sacri­ fice and fulfillment of duty from everyone of us, since the enemy airforce played a dominant role to a degree that we had never experienced. Because of the total unsuitability of the terrain for Tigers, the company's success there was not satistying and bore no relationship to the losses of combat vehicles. In August we had to take part in the withdrawal from there to the homeland. We passed through Belgium and Holland and into the Reich. Unfortunately, we lost several very

The 2nd Company

competent and exemplary comrades during those operations. Because of lack of space, we were billeted at Sande near Paderborn for reorganization . Those weeks in good quart ers were very pl easing and restorative for the comrades. While the remain­ ing third of the company took its home leave, the new Tiger lIs arrived for upcom ing operations. At the beginning of October, we set out for Hungary. On 1 5 October we took an active part in pUlling down the Putsch in Budapest. Because of the extraordi narily good success of the opera­ tions in H ungary, a large number of company personnel have been awarded decorat ions. At the time, the company is spread over 300 kilometers in individual section-sized elements. One element is conducting operations; ve hicles with m i nor maintenance problems are located at a forward repair point; vehicles with more serious damage are attended to at the Werkstatte II and I I I in the rear. Supply, in these circumstances, is somewhat difficult but, nevert heless, we have so far been able to enjoy a pleasant situ ation (part icularly as regards the good, heavy H u ngarian wi ne) . Below is a short report of our successes, deco­ rations awarded, an nounced promotions and losses since the company has existed. The company has knocked out or destroyed: 305 tanks, 234 antitank guns, 42 · heavy guns, I air­ plane, and at least 750 other light weapons of all sorts. The following decorations have been awarded: 63 Iron Crosses, Second Class; 7 Iron Crosses, First Class; 36 War Merit Crosses with Swords, Second Class; and 2 War Merit Crosses with Swords, First Class. Since our records were lost in the East, we can only list promotions since the spri ng of this year. From that point in time, 32 of our comrades were promoted to Obergefreiter, 24 to Unteroffizier, 7 to Feldwebel and 6 to Oberfeldwebel . Christmas i s now at hand a n d a t this poi n t we do not yet know whether we � hall be able to celebrate this hol iday together. In the name of the entire 2nd Company, we wish you a truly joyous celebration and an equally salutary year for 1 945. We hope that we wi l l be able to welcome as many of you as possible back after your convalescence. Above all else, we h ope that 1 945 will bring a victorious end to the war and that our beautiful Germany will rise again in full bloom and greater than before fro m the

29

wreckage and the ashes-in spi te of all the devas­ tation from the terror at tacks. Above all thi ngs, however, we hope and wish that our brilliant and beloved Fllhrer and Feld­ herr ( m i l i tary commander ) , Adolf H i t ler, remains in good heal th. With heartfelt greet ings for Christmas and the New Year, we remain your comrades of the 2nd Company. (signed) Hansel Hauptfeldwebel

(signed ) von Eichel Hauptmann and company commander

[ Editor's Note: At this poi n t , all of the KlA, WIA, MIA and other casualt ies of the company were listed . ] 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Batta l ion " Feldhern­ halle" Location classified, 1 7 .Jan uary 1 945 Excerpt from the Special Order of Tiger Tan k Battalion "Feldhernhalle," 1 5 Jan uary 1 945 I offer my thanks and recogn it ion to all tank crews that took part in the attack sou th of Zamoly on 1 1 Jan uary 1 945 for their exemplary spirit in the attack. In spi te of sign ifical1l losses of tanks and of numerous comrades, the company accom­ plished the m ission that had been ordered. In so doi ng, it made possible the capture of Zamoly to the rear of the battal ion. The extraord inarily spiri ted conduct of Leut­ nant Linkenbach and h is crew-Unteroffizier Bunnester, Obergefrei ter Kopp, Gefreiter Schl:d­ gen , and Gefreiter Treiber earned special recog­ n i tion. On 1 ] Jan uary, the crew was an example to the e n tire battal ion. The bat talion's success on I I .Jan uary 1 945 consisted of a successful breakthrough of the enemy main line of resistance with destruction of 2 1 tan ks and assault guns, 3 aircraft, 1 Stalin Organ, at least 28 ligh t and medium anti tank guns, and n umerous infan try weapons. signed von Diest-Koerber H auptmann and Battalion Commander for the accuracy of the copy: (v. Eichel) Hauptmann and Company Comman der

C HAPTER

8

My Tilll e with the 3rd COlll p any Gerhard Nierna n n

[ Editor's Note: This section covers all o f Gerhard Nieman n 's service with the battal ion. We thought it enligh tening to place it at this point in the text in order to give the reader a broad overview of the operations of the bat talion and the campaigns it part icipated i n . ] 1943 24 M ay: Transferred', effect ive 26 May 1 943, to Tiger Tank Bat talion 503. 3 .June: Arrived at Kharkov. U n teroff i zier Jickel, Unteroffizier Dolk and I were assigned to the 3. com pany. A c h illy welcome there. Com pany commander needed drivers not. gunn ers; applied to have us transferred back. Mid:/une: St ill no assign ment in a tank. In­ stead, we constructed a sand table scale model of terrain in the Donez sector south of Bjelgorod. 2 7 . J u ne: As moto rcycle sidecar rider to fleld­ training exercise near Kharkov for Field Marshall von Manstein and high Turki � h offlcers. 28 June: Ordered to repo rt to the com pany commander-appl ication for transfer denied. That afternoon I got my place in a Tiger. I j oi ned Leut­ nant Weinert 's crew in Tiger 3 1 I . OPERATION CITADEL I .July: Approach march to assembly area at Tolokonoye.

5 July: Crossed Donez at Ssolom i no. Attacked Rasumnoje and Generalowka. Received serious hit and damage to chassis from mines. Knocked out two T-34s and four 9.2 cm antitank guns. 6 July: Continued attack against the collect ive farm at Batratzkcua Datscha. The defensive I'ire was heavier than on the previous day. The Tiger was taken out of the attack formation after addi­ tional severe h i ts. Leutnant ''''einen took over Tiger 3 1 3. Oberfeldwebel Rondorf took ours to the workshop. 7 July: Tawrowo. The damage to our Tiger was beyond the capabilit ies of the main tenace person­ nel. The veh icle was written oil and cannibal ized for parts. 2 3 .J uly: Artillery barrage on the Werkstatt area. Gefreit er Pich ler was kil led right beside me. End of J uly: Bac k to the old q uarters at Kh arkov. The crews were, in part , red istributed. I joi ned Feldwebel We iland's Tiger 332. Defen sive Fighting West of Kharkov OPERATIONAL AREA MAXIMOFKA (ABOUT 25 KM NORTHWEST OF KHARKOV) 5 August : Alarm ! Prepare for a new operation. We still had the night for our cOlllman der's bach­ elor party, however. 6 August: Feldwebel Weiland was married­ long distance, by proxy-in a hurry. In the after31

32

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

noon we moved toward Merefa. We were quartered several kilometers outside of Kharkov. During the night a Niihmaschine ["sewing machine," a Russ­ ian nighttime nuisance bomber] demolished our billets-otherwise, no injuries. 7 August: March direction changed to Bogo­ duchow. Commitment as battle groups. 8-1 0 August: Battle Group Leutnant Weinert ( four tanks) at Maximofka; attached to the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich." Calm sector. Employed in no more than small harrassing actions. Knocked out three T-34s and destroyed one enemy supply column. 1 1 August: battalion assembled at the Feski collective farm 1 3 Tigers. 1 2 August: Fighting at Maximofka. 1 3 August: Attack on Chrutschtschewo-Niki­ towka. Heavy tank fighing. During the two days, Tiger 332 destroyed three T-34s, two KV-Is, one SU- 1 22 and five antitank guns. Leutnant Weinert was wounded. Through 1 7 August: Defensive fighting in the Maximowka area. 1 8 August: Attack on Hill 228. 1 , northeast of Maximowka. We took a hit from a Russian anti­ tank rifle on the gun barrel. Cannon unservice­ able. Nevertheless, in action until noon, then back to the Werkstatt at Walki. 31 August: Rear-area elements and W€rkstatt transferred to Krasnograd. =

=

MEREFA-TARANOWKA AREA OF OPERATIONS 10 September: After ten days in the infirmary Uaundice) I was assigned to Feldwebe1 Bormann's crew. The battalion had been employed in the Merefa sector since the beginning of September. 1 1 September: Trip to the front. 1 2 September: Defensive fighting south of Taranowka. Steady rain , terrain turned to mud, unceasing attacks by Russian motorized rifle for­ mations with strong artillery support. Our line of defense was weak, with great gaps. Un �eroffizier Weigel's tank broke down due to damage to the transmission during reconnaissance in fron t of our lines. It was recovered during the night. 1 3 September: Fighting north of Taranowka. Weather conditions unchanged. Kampfgruppe Oberfeldwebel Rondorf ( four tanks) and a com­ pany-strength infantry battalion spent the entire day in bitter combat with superior enemy forces =

for the possession of a commanding hill position. When darkness fell, we disengaged. We joined up with Battle Group Oberleutnant Scherf ( three tanks) . Tiger 334 (Unteroffizier Rieschel) was blown up. Withdrawal to Krasnograd. =

WITHDRAWAL BEHIND THE DNJEPR 1 4 September: Krasnograd. Maintenance work. 1 5 September: Ordered to evacuate Krasno­ grad. While preparing for the move, our tank dropped out because the final drive was torn off. 1 6 September: Towed to loading. Major con­ gestion in the city. The steady rain had turned the roads into muddy wastes. Everything was at a standstill. The column of prime-movers that was towing us could only move forward with difficulty. Loading the immobilized tanks lasted right up to morning. 1 7 September: The rail movement with the damaged tanks ( eight Tigers) left Krasnograd. In Poltawa in the afternoon. 1 8 September: Krementschug. The transport was side-tracked because of "improper loading of the Tigers." 1 9 September: Checked over the loading of the railroad cars again with Zollstock ("official" rail­ road measuring stick for checking clearance) . 20 September: Snamenka. We were supposed to detrain there. But how, and with what? There was no end-ramp and no means of towing. The railroad officials had no advice. After a number of telephone calls the transportation commander in Lemberg made the decision: Con­ tinue to march! Next stations: Perwomaisk, Slobodka, Shmer­ inka and Proskurow. 24 September: On arrival at the Tarnopol rail­ road station, a Tiger that stuck out too far to the side shattered a wooden bridge pillar. By evening we were on a siding in Berozowiza, eight kilome­ ters from Tarnopol. 25-30 September: Daily inquiries with the commander of the railroad station at Tarnopol produced nothing regarding our further fate. I t seemed that the battalion n o longer existed. When not assigned guard duty, we spent our evenings in Tarnopol, at the Soldatenheim [soldier's club] at the nurses' home of the German Red Cross or at the local command's officers' club where we were allowed in by an engineer belong­ ing to the Organization Todt. =

My Time with the 3rd Company

1 October: At last the battalion was l ocated. It was at Snamenka. We traveled through Shmeri n ka, Winniza, Berditschew, Fastoff and Bobrinskaja, until, finally, on . . . 4 October: . . . we reached Snamenka. 20-25 October: Bombing attacks on Sna­ menka, with advance warn ing to the civi l ians by air-dropped leaflets. Only limited damage in our billeting area. 30 October: We went with Battle Group Leut­ nant Weinert ( four tanks) by rail transport to Pavlish, southeast of Krementsch ug, then i n to corps reserve at Uspenskoj e. 3 November: I fractured an ankle j umping from the tank and rode back to Snamenka with a supply truck. 13 ovember: With Battle Group Cusow i n Tiger 323 t o Ki rowograd. City defense, b u t no action up to the time I was relieved on . . . 2 ] November: . . . because the i njury to my foot had not yet healed. 23 November: Leave in Germany. 22 December: Fron tleitstelle ( forward direct ing station for person nel i n transit) at Kowel. 24 December: Frontleitstelle at Pomoshnaja, south of Novo Ukrainka . 25 December: Direc ted on t o Ki rowograd. However, the train arrived i n Bobri nskaya, south of Tscherkassy. The rai lroad station was under artillery fire. 0 infor'm ation available. Soldiers were being impressed into u n i ts. I slipped onto a damaged-veh icle train that was standing by with steam up. 26 December: Christi nowka, then on to Monastyrishche. 27 December: Arrived at the company in Zybulew. No more tanks available. =

TIGER TANK REGIMENT BAKE , 1 944 ] January: Road march in trucks to Shmeri n ka in the Rumanian Sector of the U kraine. 3 Jan uary: The company. received new tanks. Maintenance service, breaking them in, sigh ting in the guns. Oberleutnant Scherf wen t on leave. Leutnant Beier led the company. 4 January: The battalion, along with the 2nd Battal ion of the 23rd Panzer Regi ment ( Haupt­ mann Euler's Panther detac h ment) , was attached to the local area com mander a t Shmeri n ka for defending the ci ty.

33

] 6 Jan uary: The 3rd Company was placed under the operational con trol of the 37 ] . I n fan­ terie-D ivision for the elimination of the Russian bridgehead at Ssutiski. Snow mi xed with rai n and onset of thick fog compl icated the operation. First con tact with the enemy came j ust ou tside of Shmeri n ka . Shukowzy captured by noon. Two SU1 22s were knocked out. The attack was renewed at ] 400 hours with Pan therabteilung Euler, a grenadier company and two combat engineer pla­ toons from the 37 1 st I n fantry D ivision . Nowo Petrowsk was captured and secured shortly before n ight fel l . Feldwebel Weiland's Tiger 332 dropped out with engine trouble. Then back to Shmerinka. 1 9 January: Transport by rail to Win n iza. We were billeted i n a former Red Army barracks. Oberleutnant Scherf rejoined the com pany. 23 Jan uary: Formation of Tiger Tank Regi ment Bake (Tiger Tank Battal ion 503, the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Panzer Regi ment , an art i llery battal­ ion, a combat engineer battal ion, and a mountain troop [ Cebirgsjiigl'rJ battalion ) . March to the assembly area. 24 Jan uary: Breakthrough through the Bila position to Ocheretnaya. 25 Jan uary: Armored fighting in the Ssosoff area. The village was taken after hard figh ti ng. 26 Jan uary: Defensive figh ting in the Ssosoff area. The supply elements were delayed in arriving so, for a wh ile, the fighting went on with­ out us. 27 Jan uary: Armored e ngagemen ts south of Ocheretnaya in the direction of Rososhe. Tiger 332 was put out of action en ro ute back to the regiment's command post by a round fired by a Panther from the 1 st SS Panzer D ivision "Leibstan­ darte" that h i t the left final drive. Tiger 332 had j ust fi n ished executing a special mission . During the past fou r days, Feldwebel Wei land destroyed ten T-34s, two SU- 1 22s, six an titank guns, and two trucks towi ng guns. 28 Jan uary: Maintenance facility at Wi n n iza. After the concl usion of the fighting around Oratow-Balabanowka, Tiger Tan k Regi ment Bake moved to the area of operations nort h of Uman. 6 February: Rai l movement from Winniza to Potash. ] 0 February: Road march by the company to the assembly area at Rubany Most. 1 1 February: At precisely 0700 hours, after a strong artillery preparation, we started the attack

34

THE COMBAT mSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 1I

on the encirclement around Korsun [Tcherkassy Pocket] . We attacked toward Bushanka­ Frankowka. In spite of extremely difficult ground conditions the tanks made good progress forward, reaching Frankowka by noon . The enemy fled Frankowka after relatively limited resistance. Swiftly pursuing Panthers took possession of the bridge over the Gniloi Tikitsch and formed a bridgehead. Tiger 332 destroyed four T-34s, one antitank gun , and a Stalin Organ . In all, the 3rd Company destroyed eleven rocket launchers. Shortage of fuel and ammunition precluded fur­ ther advance by the tanks. 1 2 February: Three Tigers ( Oberfeldwebel Rondorf, Feldwebel Weiland, and an unknown commander) , four Panthers and Panzeraufk­ larungsabteilung 1 6 set out in thick fog to attack the high ground east of Daschukowka. After nego­ tiating several small hills, we ran into defensive fire from an unknown number of tanks and anti­ tank guns. The four Panthers went up in flames. The Tigers took heavy hits and had to set out for the maintenance facility at Potash as nearly total losses. 1 7 February: Conclusion of the fighting at Tscherkassy. 23 February: Oberleutnant Scherf awarded the Ritterkreuz. 24 February: Schweres Panzer-Regiment Bake dissolved. 2 March: The 3rd Company transferred to Proskurow area. Our crew along with four others remained with a maintenance section and an 1 8ton prime mover to load the 2 1 Tigers that had been left at the maintenance faility at Potash. Leutnant(W) Schulz was in charge of the party. 6 March: Russian forces broke through at Buki. 7 March: Defensive fighting at Potash. That day the battalion lost all of the tanks that had been left behind; one after a vain attempt at the local defense of Potash, and two more after an attempt at a nighttime defense of POI;noynik in '. crossing over the Revukha. 8 March: Feldwebel Weiland and three crews reached Uman after an adventurous march on foot. Then, on to Shmerinka in an armored train. There we encountered the rear party of the battalion-led by Leutnant Ohnesorge-getting ready to depart.

Transport by rail through Mogilew/ Dnjestr, Tschernowitz, Snyatin, Stanislau, Stryi to Lemberg. No contact with the battalion. Attempted to reach Proskurow by land route. Intercepted at Pomor­ czany by the XXXXVII I Panzer Corps and directed onward through Brzezany to Kozowa. Appropriated two Tigers that had been allocated to Panzer Grenadier Division "Grol3deutschland." With those, we continued on to . . . 26 March: . . . Teofipolka. Reported there to . . . TIGER BATILE GROUP MITIERMEIER . . . which was engaged there, fighting defen­ sively and offensively in the Kozowe area. 30 March: Attack on Sloboda Zlota. Heavy snow squalls led to cancellation of the operation. Unteroffizier Rothemann killed. 31 March: Attack successfully remounted. 4 April: Tank fighting at Hill 37 1 . Our tank dropped out with track damage. An Obergefreiter who was with the Tigers taken from "Grol3deutsch­ land" was killed. 7-8 April: Attack on and capture of Uswie. The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" took over the Kozowa sector. 1 6 April: Kampfgruppe Mittermeier dissolved. 1 7 April: Rail transport with two damaged tanks to the army repair depot at Sanok. 22 April: To Lemberg, then to the company at Stanislau. Battalion went to Germany for refitting. The 3rd Company transferred to Nadworna and, as of . . . 6-1 4 May: . . . reorganized under the designa­ tion 1 st Tiger Demonstration Company, 1 st Panzer Demonstration Group North Ukraine, training Hungarian soldiers on the Tigers taken over from Battle Group Mittermeier. 1 4 May: Turned over the Tigers to Tiger Tank Battalion 509. The company proceeded to Ger­ many for reorganization at Ohrdruf. Went on leave. FRANCE-INVASION FRONT 1 2 June: "Rejoin unit immediately." 1 3 June: Accepted new tanks. 22 June: Generaloberst Guderian inspected the battalion. 26 June: Journeyed from Ohrdruf through Mainz, Homburg, Saarburg, Luneville, Nancy . . .

My Time with the 3rd Company

28 June: . . . Pagny on the Meuse. Bomber for­ mations flew over the transport. Onward through Bologne, Chaumont, Melun. 30 June: Past Paris toward Versailles. The rail­ road facilities were completely destroyed with only one track passable. 2 July: Un loaded at Houdan. Road march through Verneuil, Argentan, Falaise. As a rule, we only marched at night. 6 July: Tiger 323, (Feldwebel Seidel ) collapsed a road bridge at Canon by Mezidon, southeast of Caen, onto a railroad track. Until 1 6 July: At the field hospital in the fortress of Canon, then joined the trains. 22 July: Advance party sent to accept new tanks. Two days in Paris. 25 J uly: Truppenubungsplatz ( troop training grounds) Mailly le Camp. Quartered in the village of Sompuis. 29 July: The company arrived at Mailly le Camp-a training area in the woods. 31 July: The first new tan ks-Tiger I I-arrived. Usual maintenance work. Propaganda team filmed Day in the Life of a Tiger Company in A ction, in the course of which the tanks of Feldwebel Sei­ del and Unteroffizier Jackel dropped out with transmission problems. 1 1 August: The company moved to its new employment-without us. 1 6 August: A work group from the Organiza­ tion Todt made an unsu ccessful attempt to fix the transmission. 23 August: To Troyes by Volkswagen . Clothing supply dump cleared out. "Appropriated" leather jackets. 24 August: Leutnant von Rosen returned from the hospital in Reims. He concerned himself with getting us moved out. 25 August: To the railroad station at a snail's pace. Attack by low-flying aircraft. Locomotive dis­ abled with shot-out boiler, blocking the rail line. 26 August: The rail line was cleared. Our train set out again with a new loc<;>motive after many . houn. In Epernay, Reims and Charleville there were difficulties with the local commanders and the railroad authorities. The reason: With twenty axles, the train was under utilized. Feldwebel Sei­ del was able to get approval to continue to travel at the first two stations. At Charleville, however, the locomotive was uncoupled to take over a train-

35

load of wounded. Hopeless confusion at the rail­ road station. The dispatching of trains was stoped. Feldwebel Seidel took advan tage of the still-intact telephone swi tchboard and, after several calls, managed to arrange for a locomotive to be sent from Sedan. 28 August: Through Givet and Namur to the army repair depot at Tilleur by Liege. Repair of the tank was not possible because of lack of replacement parts or a new transmission. 3 September: Through Aachen and Cologne to Paderborn . 9 September: The company arrived without tanks at Paderborn . The two "rescued" Tigers had to be given up. We rejoined the company. Bil­ leting in private quarters at Hi'vel hauf. Reorgan­ ized anew. 30 September: Hauptmann Scherf bid farewell. Oberleutnant von Rosen took over the company. CAMPAIGN IN HUNGARY 9 October: We loaded the tanks at Sen nelager in the pouring rain. Where to? The direction of travel was clearly to the east: Halberstadt, Halle, Eger, Pilson, Prague, Brl ll1 n , Pre13burg. 1 4 October: Budapest. Detrained at the east railroad station . Drove south through the city towards Taksony. Warmly greeted by the local pop­ ulation . Good quarters-in the tavern with the locals until late at night. 1 5 October: 0600 hours-Alarm ! Back to Budapest. The 3rd Company quartered in a park in the suburb of Budakeszi. Street control and dis­ arming Hungarian troops. 1 6 October: Horthy's resignation. The tanks remained in the city, ready to be employed in case of a popular uprising. 1 7 October: Loaded tanks for employment at the front. 18 October: Un loaded at Cegled. Tiger 32 1 (Leutnant Rambow) disabled by steering gear problems. 2 1 Oc tober: To Szolnok. Security at the Thei13 bridgehead. 23-26 October: Battle Group Leutnant Rambow ( three tanks) in the Thei13 bridge­ head at Szolnok. Security assign ments, no enemy contact. 28 October: Defensive fighting on the west bank of the Thei13 at Toszek. Tiger 32 1 out of =

36

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

action with damage to radiator and coolers due to a mortar hit. 29 October: In the maintenance facility at Jaszladany. 1 November: Jaszladany evacuated. Damaged tanks were towed or inched along to Cegled-if they were still drivable. Direct route through Abony was under artillery fire. 2 November: 2300 hours. Departure of the damaged tanks-about twelve, some of them in tow-marched off under command of Leutnant Rambow toward Budapest. Shot up by a low-flying aircraft between Alberti and Pilis. At Ullo, about 1 5 miles outside of Budapest, we ran into a Russ­ ian antitank blockade. Where did they come from? Our tank was shot into flames while with­ drawing. We had been providing cover. All the other Tigers were saved and taken to the mainte­ nance facility. 5-1 7 November: With the trains in either Godollo or Koka. 1 8 November: Transported by truck to the maintenance facility; headed toward Vagselly (nowadays: Sala) following the railroad line PreBburg-Neuhausel. In Tiger 3 1 4. 1 6 December: Transport by rail to Lake Platten. 18 December: Balatonkenese. 22 December: Nadasladany. Attack on Urhida. Leutnant Koppe, who was the temporar¥ com­ mander of the 3rd Company, transferred to Tiger 3 1 4 after his tank was disabled. I took his tank to the maintenance facility at Varpalota. Ran into Oberst Rudel, the commander of Ground­ Attack Wing ( Schlacht-Geschwader) "Immelmann," at Varpalota. He let me brief him on the Tiger. His reaction: "If the Russians had such a tank, we would have to have a more powerful on-board cannon. " 2 4 December: The maintenance facility moved to Dudar. Prime mover broke down after 3 kilo­ meters with transmission problems. 26 December: Towed to Szapar. Motor re­ placed on the open road. 29 December: To Balinka (battalion tommand post) . Then on to Mor to Battle Group Oberleut­ nant von Rosen . 3 0 December: Reconnaissance in force to Pusz­ tavam with the 5th Cavalry Regiment "Feldmar­ shall von Mackensen" ( Rittmeister Bullinger? ) . 3 1 December: Mortar fire on Mor. Billets de­ stroyed by a direct hit.

1 945 1 January: Aircraft attack on Mor. Successful attack on Hill 1 28, five kilometers north of Mor. Security duty, in conjunction with the attack, with the 2nd Company of the 5th Cavalry Regiment 5 at Felsodopuszta. 3 January: Night attack on Pusztavam. Two Tigers, one Jagdpanzer IV , two Panzerflak on self­ propelled mounts, elements of the 4th Cavalry Brigade with three Panzer lIs. The Russians were surprised. Many hand-held weapons, vehicles and eleven antitank guns were captured, along with a great many prisoners. 4January: The tanks were ordered to Bakonys­ zombathely for changing the turret traversing ring and tracks. 5 January: Announcement of the redesigna­ tion of the battalion to Tiger Tank Battalion "Feld­ herrnhalle." 6 January: Bakonycserny-Bodaik­ Fehervarcsurgo. 7 January: Attack on Zamoly. Six Tigers, ten Sturmgeschiitze of the 4th Cavalry Brigade. Heavy snow squalls. Massed defensive fire forced the operation to be broken off. Feldwebel Gartner killed by a round that penetrated the side of the turret. 9 January: Attack on the hilly terrain east of Sarkeresztes. Leutnant Rambow's tank put out of action by a burst barrel, but it still stayed in action for two more days. 1 2 January: Company to Magyaralmas. Leut­ nant Rambow's Tiger 3 2 1 sent to the maintenance facility at Sur. 1 6 January: With the trains at Papateszer. 24 January: Bakonyszombathely. 1 3 February: Road march to Tardosked, north of Neuhausel. Combat elements at the Gran bridgehead. 7-3 1 March: Feldwebel Tomforde (2nd Com­ pany) took a detail to Vienna to pick up new tanks. Vienna had not been advised of anything like that. Directed on to Znaim to the organiza­ tional staff of Panzer Grenadier division "Feldh­ ernhalle. " There, too, nothing was known about new tanks. We were quartered in Lechwitz. 3 1 March: Ordered to return to the battalion. Last known location: Tardosked. 1 April: In Lundenburg, where red flags were already flying, we rolled past a Tiger rail transport on the siding. We learned the transport was headed

My Time with the 3rd Company

for Nikolsburg. On that same even ing, Feldwebel Tomforde reported the return of the detail. Because of the terrible tank situation, a march company was formed on 24 March 1 945 from the crews with no tanks. The march company was to push through to "Army Wenck." Tomforde's detail joined the march company. But i t was not possible to depart from Bratelsbrun n (5 Apri l ) Neu Serowitz at Mahrisch-Budwitz (9 April) , Petrowitz at Klein Wartenberg ( 1 2 Apri l ) or Ratibor at Neuhaus (20 April) . In one instance, there was no rail line; in another instance, a bridge had been blown up somewhere. Finally, the transport vehicles that had been alleged to have been sent failed to arrive. 20 April : The march com pany was dissolved. We proceeded back to our companies. 5 May: Neuhaus 7 May: Wittingau. Czechoslovakian militia tried to block passage for the march col u m n , but were dispersed by two Vierlings-Flak ( four-barreled 20mm antiaircraft guns) . 8 May: Budweis. Endless col umns of veh icles were moving through the city, mostly at a snail 's pace with many traffic jams. 9 May: An assembly poi n t for the battalion was announced in the afternoon . 1 0 May: Wai ted i n vai n for t h e combat ele­ ments at the assembly poi n t . Wehrpiisse [ soldier's military record books] were distributed and the company's store of worthless Czechoslovakian Kronen was distributed. After the fall of darkness, we marched to the west. After a few kilometers, the column split apart after a rear-en d coll ision. We, the rear portion, joined up with a different column. There were several incidents with the Czechs who were , i n part, supported by French and Polish workers. INTO CAPTIVITY

At about noon on 1 1 May we encoun tered the first American sentries. We were req uired to sur­ render our weapons, but not otherwise searched. The vehicles were not searche.d either. Therefore " we hung onto our pistols. Th e second group of sentries was a hundred meters farther on: I nspec-

37

tion of o u r Soldbii ch.er [soldier's pay books] . Ger­ mans and Austrians were free to go south. All oth­ ers were held back. Late in the afternoon , the column came to a halt. The terrified cry, "The Ivans are coming!" spread l i ke wildfi re. Shots could be heard from farther ahead. Then the word was, "The SS has knocked out two tanks." The Americans had h oodwin ked us. Since there was no way that the tigh tly packed veh icles could turn around on the very narrow road, we grabbed our personal belongi ngs and made the vehicles u n usable. Then i n to the woods to the right of the road. There were about thirty men from the battal ion, including U nt erarzt Dr. Bllri with a portion of the medical echelon. When it got dark, a war council was held. One group argued for going cross-cou ntry, directly to the west. Others wanted to go by the more passable routes. I was among the latter. I was in the minor­ i ty. At midn igh t we took a rest. We managed to get one or two hours of sleep. When I woke up again, we were only four of us left. We marched on through the woods until mid­ day. Then we came to an open field and, in the dis­ tance, veh icles were drivi ng. We approached the road carefully. It was a column of the 24th Flak Division . A l i ttle later we were "prisoners of war" and i n either Camp Nesselbach at Rosenheim or Camp Rosental in the B6hmer Woods. There we encoun tered another little group from our battal­ ion under Oberarzt Dr. Sch ramm . B y agreement between t h e commander o f the 24th Flak Division and the American camp com­ mander, the camp was declared an "internee camp." That enabled us to escape the clutches of the Red Army. On 1 6 May the discharge process began. On 22 May, after surrenderi ng my Soldbuch and the pistol that I had kept to this point, I was i n an American truck that unloaded i ts cargo on a road at the German border. The American escort offi­ cer said farewel l to us as "free citizens" and wished us a good h omecoming. On 3 June I made my en try i n to H amburg.

CHAP T E R

9

Technical Services and Supp ly/Lo gisitics Alfred Rubbel

CONCEPT AND PRACTICE IN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 Mai n tenance of combat read i ness in a separate formation l i ke a Tiger battalion required a major commitment of personnel and tech nical expertise within the framework of the formatio n . The bat­ talion could depend o n •

•

•

The organic main tenance sections of the com­ pan ies for keeping the equipment in good condition, The organic main tenance company of the bat­ talion for light and medium repairs, and General headquarters maintenance u n i ts for heavy repairs.

All that mean t that mai n te nance support at division , corps or army level was not programmed. Logistical support, which i ncluded the supply of-am m u n i tion, bulk petr? leum products, ra­ tions, and other expendable 'materials-was, as a rule, supplied by the major formations to which the battalion was attached or supported. The battalion could support i tself temporarily though i ts organic short-haul capac i ty of 400 tons. Desp i te that, bottlenecks occu rred repeatedly. We must not forget , however, that higher echelons of command were concerned with assisting. Tan k

engi n es were freque n tly flown i n . Similar treat­ ment was also given to the priori ty resupply of amm unition and fuel by air to hot spots. Someone came up with the rule of thumb that "one hour of tank operation requires ten hours of tech nical service." That relationshi p seemed appropriate at the time. The examples in the table below, al though they are hypothetical, are reason­ ably realistic examples and demonstrate how repair and main tenance were actually carried out: Times given are approximate and depended on availability of replacement parts. M ai n tenance of t h e approximately 250 other veh icles was secon d in priority to that of the tanks. In summary, one could say that, in spi te of the imponderables of war, t h e conceptual framework for t h e maintenance of materiel was optimally conceived and fun c tional. The supply of expendable i tems was-wi t h some exceptions and not looking a t everything under a microscope-set up i n such a manner that the battalion was able to carry out i ts m is­ sions, aside from the period when i t was at the i nvasion fro n t . I n order of importance, supply i tems i ncl uded bulk petroleum products (without fuel the Tige rs could not move ) ; am munition (wi thout amm u n i tion, the Tigers could not figh t, even though they could still move out of harm's 39

40

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

way) ; and rations (as a rule, rations could be brought forward by the companies, even though it was frequently at ungodly hours) . It can be said that, thanks to the system and the activities of the soldiers concerned, the logistic system generally performed its mission in spite of the conditions of combat. After these "introductory remarks," it should be obvious that the combat readiness of the equip­ ment was a central concern to the battalion' s leadership in terms of the significance it had and the expenditure of resources devoted to it. The Schwerpunkt in this effort was the responsibility of the battalion's maintenance company. Those who were members of the combat elements need to remember them and their performance. As we recognize their accomplishments, we also need to include the maintenance sections of the tank companies, the medics and the supply services. These include, among others, the many truck drivers, the field kitchen person nel and the tech­ nicians. More than half of the battalion 's person­ nel were employed in logistical or technical work. There were 207 men in the maintenance com­ pany, 250 in the supply company, and about 30 more in each of the tank companies. It in no way diminishes the respect due to the many unnamed comrades if two of their number are selected for special mention due to the impor­ tance of their activities. The first of these was the leader of the recovery platoon, ' Oberfeldwebel, later Leutnant, IGnig. At some time or another, he had every one of our Tigers "on the hook" of his prime movers and brought it back to safety. Unfortunately, nothing is known of h is own fate, so it must be assumed that he, himself, will not have the opportunity to read this appreciation of his performance. Equally well known to us was our motor trans­ port specialist ( K-Werkmeister, or GJjizier des Kraft­ Jahrwesens) Spath-a true Swabian-and a well known engine specialist. He did not limit h imself to the workplace of his maintenance platoon. He ' showed up where the fighting was most intense. If a Tiger crept back from the battle line, gaspi ng and coughing on only half its cylinders, Spath and his forward-support specialists took charge of it, repairing or improvising, often under enemy fire. In April 1 945 he was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class for his personal bravery. This was a very rare award for someone in his position, a civilian who had been detailed to the front from the Maybach

factory. After the war, we encoun tered h im at the battalion and company gatherings and were able to make known to him our respect for the manner in which he understood and performed his duty. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us. ORGANIZATION OF THE MAINTENANCE COMPANY OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 This is an attempt to outline the organization of the maintenance company of Tiger Tank Battal­ ion 503. As with any unit, the maintenance com­ pany had a command and a supply element (company command group with the commander, the first sergeant, the supply sergeant and others) and the sub-elements for maintenance services (maintenance platoons, recovery platoon, com­ munications and weapons maintenance sections and replacement parts element) . The maintenance services were directed in technical matters by civilian technical officials with nominal rank as officers, usually on the tech­ n ical war advisory board ( technischer Kriegs-Verwal­ tungsrat) . The perception that we had only two maintenance platoons, since one platoon had been transferred to Paderborn in March 1 943 to the 500th Replacement Battalion, does not appear to be correct. In January 1 943 when the 2nd Com­ pany, Tiger Tank Battalion 502, was incorporated into Tiger Tank Battalion 503, it had two mainte­ nance platoons. That then gave a total of four maintenance platoons, one more than the table of organization authorized. The maintenance company, according to its 1 945 table of organization , had a personnel strength of 207 soldiers. By way of heavy equip­ ment, i t had one ( perhaps two?) portable bridge­ cranes ( Strab�Portalkriine) for removing the Tiger turrets. The maintenance company started out with six 1 8-ton prime movers for recovery opera­ tions. By the end of the war, that number had increased to three Bergepanthers and eleven 1 8ton prime movers (according to the strength reports of the battalion as of 1 5 December 1 944) . DIARY NOTES OF HERMANN ROPSCHER OF THE MAINTENANCE COMPANY OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 From 1 2 June 1 942 until 1 March 1 944 I belonged to the communications repair section of the main­ tenance company. Then I was transferred to the 1st Company as the communications sergeant. In the spring of 1 945, when the battalion had to "slim

Maintenance Company of schwere Panzer-A bteilung 503 Company (Company Commander) -

..

Spief3

Maintenance

Armorer

Technischer Kriegs­ Verwaltungsrat *

Radio Repairman

Sergeant

r-----------------------------r-----------------------------,------------------------� I I I I I I

I I I I I I

I I I I I I

1 st Platoon

2nd Platoon

3 rd Platoon

(Tracks)

(Tracks)

(Wheels)

r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I I I I I I

*

I I I I I I

I I I I I I

Recovery

Weapons

Communications

Repair Parts

Platoon

Repair

Equipment

Section

Civilian official with nominal officer rank who was entrusted with providing the command technical advice concerning maintenance

and repair issues. He had no command authority but was in daily contact with the maintenance section and platoons, hence the dotted lines.

42

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

down," I was transferred to the 2 1 1 th People's Grenadier Division along with other comrades from the 1 st Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, among them Stabsfeldwebel Schmidt. At the time, I was shaken by the measure. Schmidt was killed at Zistersdorf. I was wounded at Laa on the Thaya River. That saved me from the Russians. Unfortunately, my notes are incomplete. June 1 942 1 2 June 1 942: Arrived at Neuruppin from the replacement unit at Meiningen (signals section of the 8 1 st Rifle Replacement Regiment) . 1 5 June 1 942: Assigned to the communications repair section. 1 9 June 1 942: Company formation with the company commander, Leutnant Bielefeldt. 22 June 1 942: Started work in the communica­ tions repair section. 23 June 1 942: Battalion formation with the bat­ talion commander Oberstleutnant Post. July 1 942 9 July 1 942: Assignment of maintenance Pla­ toons. 1 4 July 1 942: Company formation with Haupt­ mann Fest, the new company commander. 1 8 July 1 942: Hauptmann Fest transferred to the headquarters company. 23 July 1 942: Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) Diekamp, new company commander. 24 July 1 942: Company formation with the new company commander (introduction ) . 2 7 July 1 942: Oberfunkmeister Benecke trans­ ferred to Regensburg. August 1 942 1 August 1 942: Oberleutnant ( Ing.) Diekamp left the maintenance company. Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) GroB new company commander. 8 August 1 942: 1 st Company transferred from Neuruppin to Dollersheim. 1 1 August 1 942: Company formation, greeted �. by Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) GroB. 1 5 August 1 942: Oberfunkmeister EndreB transferred to the maintenance company. The 2nd Company also left Neuruppin. 29 August 1 942: Maintenance company transferred from Neuruppin to the training area at Dollersheim (Lower Austria) in several rail transports.

September 1 942 Maintenance service. October 1 942 16 October 1 942: First round of handball ended. Three games, three wins for the mainte­ nance company. 30 October 1 942: I received my Class 11 truck license. Examiner: Technical War Advisor Hallerberg. November 1 942 1 6 November 1 942: Loading exercise, ete . 1 7 November 1 942: Leutnant von Koerber awarded the Handball Challenge Trophy to Ober­ leutnant ( Ing.) GroB. Promotions included, among others, Feldwebel Konig to Oberfeldwebel. December 1 942 Maintenance service. Rumors circulated about where the battalion would go into action (Mrica, Iran, Iraq, Russia? ) . Medical fitness-for-tropical­ duty examinations (Mrica? ) . Soldiers who were not suitable for service in the tropics were sen t back t o the replacement unit. That came t o a sud­ den end with the issue of winter gear. Therefore, the East was our "travel destination." The first units rolled out by rail on 20 Decem­ ber 1 942. One of the entraining stations was Gopfritz. The Christmas season was spent on the railroad, traveling east through Prague, Slovakia etc. Destination: Rostow on the Sea of Asov. The battalion was to relieve Stalingrad from the south. For us, 1 942 ended in the East! January 1 943 1 January 1 943: In Rostow. 2 January 1 943: In Salsk. Final destination for the maintenance company was Proletarskaja, near the Manytsch dam. 3 J anuary 1 943: Technical service at Prole­ tarskaja. It was already dark by 1 500 hours. 5 January 1 943: According to a report, our Tigers had their first contact with the enemy. 6 January 1 943: First reported success. Much work for the maintenance company. 8 January 1 943: Armored vehicles assembled at Proletarskaja. 1 3 January 1 943: Company formation. Oberst Thomale, from the staff of the panzer troops at

Technical Services and Supply/Logistics

the Fiihrer headquarters, made a speech offering us thanks and recognition. 1 4 Jan uary 1 943: The situation became critical. The enemy advanced toward Manytsch. Enemy aircraft alarm. We took down our crane during the night-the same went for the maintenance platoons. I S January 1 943: We marched off early in groups toward Salsk. New billets near the railroad. Temperature -25 Celsius degrees [-1 3 degrees Fahrenheit] ! 1 6 January 1 943: Impending change of posi­ tions. 1 7 January 1 943: Departed towards Cilina. There are a lot of sweet things to eat. The mainte­ nance platoons were dispersed with the First Pla­ toon at Gigant and the Second Platoon (with the communications repair section ) and armorers at Jegorlyskaja! 18 Jan uary 1 943: Temporarily working in for­ mer automobile plant. 1 9 Jan uary 1 943: Lost the field bakery. For some time there was only hardtack and sweet things but no bread. 20 January 1 943: Moved on to Kagalinsk, spending the nigh t there. 2 1 Jan uary 1 943: On to Bataisk, spending the night there. 22 January 1 943: On to Rostow. Quartered there in the industrial district for 14 days. 23 January 1 943: Techn ical service, ete. 24 Jan uary 1 943: Thaw. Technical service. 26 January 1 943: The commander visited the maintenance company. Air attack on the fac tory facilities and railroad station. February 1 943 1 -2 February 1 943: Technical service, ete. 4 February 1 943: The LVII Panzer Corps, to which our battalion was attached, was mentioned in the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) report. 5 February 1 943: Cha�ge of positions to Awrosiewka except for the ht Maintenance Pla­ toon, which remained in Rostow. 1 2 February 1 943: Our tanks involved in the fighting for Rostow. 18 February 1 943: Division order of the day regarding the fighting at Rostow included special thanks to Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

43

1 9 February 1 943: Preparation for change of position. 20 February 1 943: Departure towards Stalino. 2 1 February 1 943: Obj ective for the day­ Wolnonache. Heavy snow drifts. Our battery truck was in tow (transmission problems) . 2 2 February 1 943: Our journey continued toward Mariupol, arriving there at 1 500 hours. We were billeted at the Ilj itsch Works and the hotel of the same name. 23 February 1 943: Change of position for the armorers-to Federowka. 24-25 Feb 1 943: On to Federowka, along with the First Platoon. At about 1 000 hours a Panzer III exploded because of carelessness in welding; one soldier from the 1 st Maintenance Platoon was killed, two from another unit. Our equipment truck also was hit in two places (roof and radiator housing) . 26 February 1943: Return to Mariupol. 27 February 1 943: Leutnant Bielefeldt read out a Fi:.hrer order to the 1 6th Infantry Division (mot. ) and the 4th Air Fleet (Luftflotte) . March 1 943 4 March 1 943: With the Third Maintenance Platoon at the Ilj itsch Works. 5 March 1 943: Techn ical service, ete. The Iljitsch Works was a major Russian tank factory, with a monthly production capacity of about 700 T-34 tanks! Many German industrial machines, as well as a large bridge-crane (made in Germany) with a capacity of 1 00/300 tons. 19 March 1 943: Teletype from the Commander­ in-Chief of Army Group South, von Manstein, to the new 6th Army, under General of Infantry Hollidt. 22 March 1 943: Leu tnan t Bielefeldt was trans­ ferred to the headquarters company. 3 1 March 1 943: The 3rd Maintenance Platoon left Mariupol for Germany for a new assignment. Parts of the 1 st and 2nd Maintenance Platoon went with it. April 1 943 Techn ical service and other duties at Mariupol. 5- 1 0 April 1 943: Trip to communications depot at Dnjepropetrowsk to get electrical parts for the communications maintenance section. 26 April 1 943: Change of position, headed for Kharkov by rail.

44

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

28 April 1 943: Unloaded at Kharkov and con­ tinued the journey to Tolokonoie.

1 3 Aug. 1 943: Change of position to Walki. Battle lines: Kharkov:Jewgeniwka. Heavy aerial attacks! . 30 Aug. 1 943: Heavy work load for the entire maintenance company, due to damaged tanks. Occupy an alternate position since Kharkov had been evacuated in the middle of the month.

May 1 943 4 May 1 943: Oberwerkmeister Bahl was pro­ moted to Hauptwerkmeister. Werkmeister Neu­ berth was awarded the War Service Cross, First Class. 1 3 May 1 943: The Second Maintenance Pla­ toon and replacement parts section changed posi­ tion to Kharkov, along with the communications repair section. 15 May 1 943: Billeted at Kharkov at the edge of the city in a workers' housing project; the main­ tenance sections were located in the former "Hammer and Sickle" Works. 1 6 May 1 943: Technical service, etc. 18 May 1 943: General of Panzer Troops Breith visited the maintenance company. 1 9 May 1 943: Oberfeldwebel Nest and Feld­ webel Fromm were killed in an accident as they left the factory grounds in a Kiibelwagen . They collided with a freigh t train that was backing up while switching. 21 May 1 943: Both were in terred at the mili­ tary cemetary at Kharkov. Technical service, ete .

September 1 943 2-3 September 1 943: Change of pOSitIOn toward Krasnograd. Billeted at Dechtsjansk. 9 September 1 943: Hauptmann Graf Kageneck received the Ritterkreuz. 1 2 September 1 943: Change of position to Krasnograd. 1 5 September 1 943: Another change of posi­ tion to the Poltawa area. Roads terrible; mud. Spent the night at Kalowka, then on to Meserowka. 1 9 September 1 943: 2nd Maintenance Platoon remained in Poltawa (for the time being) . 22 September 1 943: Change of position toward Krementschug. 25 September 1 943: In Krementschug, then on to Pawlisch. 26 September 1 943: Destination Snamenka. Technical service, etc.

June 1 943 1 June 1 943: Took pills (Atebrin) as prOtection against malaria. Technical service alternated with drills. Instruction. 18 June 1 943: Battalion commander, Ober­ stleutnant Hoheisel, was given his farewell. 19 June 1 943: New battalion commander, Graf (Count) Kageneck.

October 1 943 1 2 October 1 943: Hauptmann ( Ing.) GroB was bid farewell. 1 3 October 1 943: Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) TheiB was the new company commander. Strong air attacks on Snamenka at night and in the late after­ noon. Technical service, etc.

July 1 943 4 July 1 943: 1 st Maintenance Platoon at the front. The battalion was committed in the Bjelgo­ rod area. The battalion commander was wounded at the end of July. Hauptmann Burmester assumed temporary command. Technical service, ete.

November 1 943 1 0 November 1 943: Company formation. War Service Cross, First Class to Hauptwerkmeister Bahl and Gefreiter Strittmarder. 1 1 November 1 943: Internal move of the main­ tenance company in Snamenka. 20 November 1 943: Night shifts for both pla­ toons until further notice. 27 November 1 943: First Maintenance Platoon transferred to Nowo-Ukrainka.

August 1 943 War advisor Hallerberg was transferred to Tiger Tank Battalion 508 on 1 August 1 943. Oberleut­ nant ( Ing, ) GroB was promoted to Hauptmann ( Ing. ) .

December 1 943 2 December 1 943: 2nd Maintenance Platoon transferred to Nowo-Ukrainka.

Technical Seroices and Supply/Logistics

3 December 1 943: Communications repair sec­ tion transferred to Nowo-Ukrainka. 5 December 1 943: Our Tigers engaged at Dim­ itrowka. Leutnant Weinert, 3rd Company, killed. 6 December 1 943: Maintenance elements of Panzer Grenadier Division "Grof3deutschland" also in Novo-Ukrainka. Technical service, ete. New Year's 1 944 at Nowo-Ukrainka. January 1 944 In Nowo-Ukrainka un til 5 January 1 944 6 January 1 944: Second Main tenance Platoon transferred to Wi nn iza. Tech nical service, e te.

45

February 1 944 Until 27 February 44: "Home leave," then back to Snamenka. Com munications repair section back from the front. Oberfunkmeister Endref3 let me know that I was going to be transferred to the 1 st Company. March 1 944 1 9 March 1 944: End of my assign ment to the maintenance company. Set off to join the 1 st Company and reported there to Oberleutnant Linden.

TANK MUUNTENANCE ACTDnTlliS Performed By

Time Required

Engine oil change

Tank crew

Abou t 4 hours

Damage to turret traversing gear

Tank crew

About 2 hours

Mine damage to running gear

Tank crew and company

Depending on damage,

maintenance section

about 1 2-24 hours

Activity

Tank crew and battalion

Engine change

About 24 hours

maintenance company Battle damage to final drive

Battalion maintenance company

Depending on damage, about 1 2-24 hours

Penetration of h ull with destruction

Army-level repair facility at the

2-4 weeks

Vienna arsenal

of transmission

COMMAND POSITIONS IN THE MUUNTENANCE COMPANY OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 (JUNE 1 942-0CTOBER 1 943) June 1 942

Company Commander

Hauptmann Fest

First Sergeant

Oberfeldwebel Bittkowski

Supply Sergeant

Oberschi rrmeister J ungman n

Commun ications NCO

Oberfunkmeister Benecke

Armorer

Oberfeldwebel Nest

Platoon Leader

Leutnant Bielefeldt

Platoon Leader

Oberwerkmeister Bahl

Platoon Leader

Werkmeister Scheerbarth

Recovery Platoon

Oberfeldwebel Konig

Replacement Parts Section

Oberschirrmeister Rukop

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAUON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

COMMAND POSITIONS IN THE MAINTENANCE COMPANY OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 UUNE 1 942-0CTOBER 1 943) 23 July 1 942

Company Commander

Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) Diekamp

(no other changes at this date) 2 1 October 1 942

1 April 1 943

Company Commander

Oberleutnant (Ing. ) GroB

Communications NCO

Oberfunkmeister EndreB

Replacement Parts Section

Stabsfeldwebel Frohmuller

( no other changes at this date)

( Stabsfeldwebel Muller)

Company Commander

Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) GroB

Supply Sergeant

Schirrmeister von Blottnitz ( Schirrmeister Seidelmann)

Platoon Leaders

Kraft-Werkmeister Neuberth

( no other changes at this date) 1 September 1 943

Company Commander

Hauptmann ( Ing.) GroB

1 5 October 1 943

Company Commander

Oberleutnant ( Ing. ) Theiss

Recovery Platoon

Leutnant Konig

(no other changes at this date) Note: Werkmeister (Ing.)

=

=

Shop foreman, civilian official ranking as a master sergeant.

Ingenieur: Civilian official with nominal military rank serving in a technical capacity.

Technical Services and Supply/Logistics

Pass-in-review on the occasion of German Memorial Day on 1 5 March 1 942. These soldiers are from the 6th Company, Panzer Replacement Battalion 5, which provided many of the soldiers who would form the nucleus of Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

47

48

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Neuruppin, the garrison town where Tiger Tank Battalion 503 was formed. In this view, we see the train station near the base.

The billets of Panzer Regiment 6 in Neuruppin where the soldiers who helped form Tiger Tank Battalion 503 were housed.

Technical Services arul Supply/Logistics

Tank storage areas at Neuruppin.

Lake Neuruppin, which was the designated swimming spot for Panzer Regiment 6, as evidenced by the stencilling on the life preserver.

49

50

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR IJ

Panzer Replacement Battalion 5 conducts training on Panzer Ills and IVs at Neuruppin in 1 942.

The instructors from Panzer Regiment 6 who were responsible for the young soldiers of Tiger Tank Battalion 503. On the far left is Hans von Hagemeister, who would later become an officer and served as the leader of the battalion's scout platoon and the reconnaissance platoon.

Technical Services and Supply/Logistics

A boat ride on Lake Neuruppin in 1 942 for soldiers and family members of the cadre of Tiger Tank Battalion 503. (Neuruppin is located about 50 kilometers from Berlin.)

The "Swiss" area of Saxony toward the end of August 1942 as viewed during the trip to DOllersheim.

The Fourth Platoon of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, during an excursion to Vienna from DoUersheim. In the background is Schonbrunn Castle. Leutnant Meller, killed in action on 9 January 1 943, is wearing the peaked cap. On the left in the front row is Feldwebel Hornke; on the right is Unteroffizier Tessmer.

51

52

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

October 1 942. The battalion marched from Neuruppin to DoUersheim in Austria. In this photograph, we see a maintenance halt of the motorcycle section of the scout platoon.

DoUersheim, east of Vienna, in October 1 942. DoUersheim had been a training area for the Austrian Army.

Unfortunately, the only billets available were these barracks. The terrific wine helped make up for the meager accommodations.

Technical Services and Supply/Logistics

SpieB Rondorf at mail call, Fallingbostel, autumn 1 942.

The 2nd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 (later the 3rd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503) at clothing inspection in front of its billets at Fallingbostel, December 1 942.

Company formation. In front of the formation are Oberleutnant Scherf and Unteroffizier Fuhrmann.

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54

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

En route to the Eastern Front in 1 942.

PA R T

TWO

FIRST EMPLOYMENT IN THE KALMU C K STEPPE S , 1 9 4 2-4 3

CHAPTER

1 0

The Senior Ti g er Battalion­ Ti ger Tank Battalion 503 Alfred Rubbel

I

f Georg Tessi n , the author of the twelve­ volume documentary series on the formations and branches of the German Armed Forces ( Verbiinde und TrujJpen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS) is correct in his researc h , our battal ion was the fi rs t organized and, thus, the senior Tiger battalion. The period of seniori ty over the other "senior battalions" was not large-one week ! The battalions were organized i n 1 942 i n the fol lowing order: Tiger Tan k Battalion 503: 4 May 1 942 Tiger Tan k Battal ion 50 l : 1 0 May 1 942 Tiger Tan k Battalion 502: 25 May 1 942 Tiger Tan k Battal ion 500: 20 December 1 942 Tiger Tan k Battalions 504-509: 1 943. Tiger Tan k Battalion 5 10 : 1 944. The activation of our battalion began i n Neuruppi n-the peacetime garrison location of the 6th Panzer Regim e n t-located west of Berl i n . A large portion of t h e command a n d cadre per­ sonnel in the fi rst stage of organization came from the 5th and 6th Panzer Regim e n ts. We also received you ng, i nexperienced tankers. First organ ized were the h eadquarters com­ pany, mai n tenance company, and 1 st and 2nd Companies of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. After completion of basic and specialty train­ ing, which were very thorough , t h e battalion was transferred to Dollersheim in Lower Austria i n

August 1 942. The heavy equipment was sent there . Because the Oberkom mando des Heeres [ OKH , or Army H igh Command] had not yet decided which of the competing models of the Tige r, the H enschel or the Porsche ones, would be chosen for final issue, the 1 st Company was temporarily issued Porsche Tigers and was trained in them. After the Army decided to adopt the H enschel Tiger, the Porsche Tigers were turned i n . At t h e begi n n i n g of December 1 942, the fi rst H enschel Tigers were issued. A total of sixty H e nschel Tigers were completed by the end of December. The cri tical si tuation on the Eastern fro n t , especially i n the south, forced premature commitment of the Tigers. The fi rst three battal­ ions each received only twe n ty Tigers, the balance of t h e armor consisting of twen ty to twen ty-five Panzer I l ls with the KWK 7.5cm main gun. Obvi­ ously, with that kind of m ixed equipment, i t was scarcely possible to fol low Guderian's fun damen­ tal precept for com m itment of armor, " Kiotzen, n icht kieckern" [ roughly, "Stri ke wi th a fist, not an open han d ! " ] Transportation to the southern sector o f t h e Eastern Fro n t began on 2 1 December 1 942. Detrain i ng from the rail road transports which had been rou ted for express movement took place at Proletarskaja. The war began for Tiger Tan k Bat­ talion 503 i n the early days ofJanuary 1 943 along the Manytsch River. 57

58

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Tiger Tank Battalion 502 had also been organ­ ized at nearly the same time as Tiger Tank Battal­ ion 503. It also had only two tank companies. In the fall of 1 942 it had been committed to action in the northern sector of the Eastern Front with a headquarters company, a maintenance company and only one tank company. The 2nd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 had been held back at Fallingbostel. In December of 1 942, that company was loaded on rail for transport to Heeresgruppe Don. On arrival, it was attached to the 1 7th Panzer Division and saw its first employment in the Kalmuck Steppes southeast of Rostow under its company commander, Hauptmann Lange. The 502's 2nd Company possessed a fairly good capability to operate on its own. In order to be logistically self-sufficient, it had been provided with the requisite additional elements. The 2nd

Company would have liked to keep that status. For reasons of practicality and necessity, the 2nd Com­ pany was consolidated with Tiger Tank Battalion 503 as the 3rd Company at the beginning ofJanu­ ary 1 943. Tiger Tank Battalion 503, of course, was also employed in the Kalmuck Steppes at the time. That OKH decision was not greeted with a lot of enthusiasm by the company. With that addition, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 became the first Tiger battalion to be brought to full strength according to the 1 943 standard of organization. In April 1 943, in the Bogoduchow area, the battalion matured into a formation with extraordi­ nary combat strength, with forty-five Tigers and an array of vehicles and equipment in which nothing was left to improvisation, an outfit that the old and proven panzer regiments could only dream of.

C HAPTER

1 1

Organization of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion

503

(formerly the

2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion

502 )

and Its Initial Employment with Army Group Don Richard Freiherr van Rasen

AT FALLINGBOSTEL

The 2nd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 under Hauptmann Lange had been attached to the Tiger Tank Battalion 503 since 1 6 January 1943. It was consolidated with the battalion at Ros­ tow and redesignated as the 3rd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503. That ended the separate unit status and the unique position of the company. Although it had only a brief period of operating on its own , that experience continued to influence the company for the enti re period of the war and is still perceptible, even today, when the company gets together. For that reason I will report on the activation and in itial employment of the 2nd Com­ pany, Tiger Tan k Battalion 5.02 which took place outside of the framework of the battalion. The 2nd Company was organized wi thin the framework of Tiger Tan k Battalion 502 in May 1942 at Bamberg. The 35th Panzer Replacement Battalion assisted in the unit's activation . The bat­ talion was formed from men who came from the 35th Panzer Regiment, as well as the 1st and 1 0th Panzer Regiments. On 28 July 1 942 all of the ele-

ments of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 transferred to the Fallingbostel trai ning area, where the organi­ zation was continued. On 23 August 1 942, the 1 st Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 along with the battalion staff, the Headquarters Company and half of the Maintenance Company loaded for transport to the northern sector of the eastern fron t and detrained in Mga. At that point in time, the 1 st Company had four Panzer VIs and a few Panzer IIIs equipped with the short-barreled 75mm main gun . The four Tigers were employed the same day they detrained. The 2nd Company remained at Fallingbostel and was to have been shipped off to join the bat­ talion as soon as it received its tanks. On 25 Sep­ tember 1 942, the company got its first two Panzer VIs (Tigers) . However, on 1 3 October 1 942, it had to relinquish both of them to the 502's 1 st Com­ pany on the Eastern Front. At that poi n t, priority i n the issuance of the Tigers had gone to the 1st Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 502 and also to Tiger Tan k Battalion 50 1 , which had been organ­ ized at the same time at Fallingbostel and, in 59

60

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

November 1942, had been loaded, fully equipped, for transport to Tunis. In October 1 942, the commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 502, Major Marker, ordered the 2nd Company rail loaded from Fallingbostel to the battalion in the Krasnogwardeisk area-prior to the company being issued with its tanks. In preparation for the movement, the company was ordered to send an advance party under Leutnant Pech to the battalion 's assembly area in order to construct winter quarters there for the company. Mter several interventions by the company com­ mander, Hauptmann Lange, the battalion com­ mander's order was rescinded by the panzer troop branch of OKH . The party that had been detailed never returned to the company, however. The 2nd Company remained at Fallingbostel. The training was, perforce, limited to theoretical instruction based on instructional displays on the new Panzer VI which the company made for itself, as well as general weapon and terrain training. In order to conduct training for at least the technical personnel on actual equipment, the maintenance elements and Panzer VI drivers of the company, as well as the specialists of the maintenance platoon who had remained with the company, were detailed to go to Tiger Tank Battalion 503 at the beginning of December 1 942. That detach­ ment order came to a surprise end on 2 1 Dec­ ember 1 942. DEFENSIVE FIGHTING IN THE KUBERLE SECTOR AND IN THE ROSTOW AREA Without any advance notice, on 2 1 and 22 Decem­ ber 1 942, the company was provided with one Panzer VI on each day. Two more Tigers followed on 25 December, three on 26 December and, finally, on 28 December 1 942, yet another two Tigers arrived. All of the tanks were unloaded and conducted initial firing, even though the order stated that the last two were to be left on the Ssyms railroad cars so as not to delay their trans­ port on to the company. In the eveni�g of 23 December 1 942 the teletype brought the order placing the company under the operational con­ trol of Army Group Don. That made it clear the company would be separated from Tiger Tank Battalion 502 and go into action in the southern sector as a separate company. In order to guarantee that the company would be supplied with ammunition and fuel, rations

and replacement parts, additional trucks were requested, which were picked up by the company at the army motor transport parks by December 26. The additional drivers needed arrived from various replacement units in the morning hours of 27 December. Numerous couriers and parties from the company traversed Germany to assemble the materiel that was still lacking. For example, none of the Panzer VIs had arrived with bore brushes. They had to be obtained from Krupp or Wegmann. The same applied for the ice cleats for the tracks. A detail under Leutnant von Rosen got them on 24 December in Saarbriicken. On 27, 28 and 29 December 1 942 the company-fully equipped with personnel and materiel-Ieft Fallingbostel on three transport trains and headed for the Don Front. The drama of Stalingrad was in high gear. The company knew why it was being sent so precipitately in express trains to that hot spot. As far to the rear as the rail­ road station at Rostow, it was overflowing with thousands of Rumanians and Italians who were fleeing. It was obvious that a catastrophe was in progress. From there on, the tanks were manned so that they could open fire to either side from the train in the event enemy forces that had bro­ ken through were able to advance as far as the railroad line. On 5 and 6 January 1 943 all three transports were unloaded at Proletarskaja. On 7 January 1 943 the company was placed under the opera­ tional control of the 1 7th Panzer Division and sent on to Ssungar in the Kuberle sector. The company covered the 1 07-kilometer road march in piercing cold temperatures in a ten and a half hour march with no mechanical losses. At that point, the company had nine Tigers and ten short-barreled 75mm Panzer I l ls. It was organized as follows: company headquarters sec­ tion with one Panzer VI, two platoons with four Panzer VIs each, and two platoons with five Panzer Ills each. The company officers were: Hauptmann Lange (company commander) , Oberleutnant Scherf, Leutnant Dr. Taubert, Leut­ nant Forkel, Leutnant Weinert and Leutnant von Rosen . The company First Sergeant was Oberfeld­ webel Rondorf. Mter leaving the city of Kuberle, the railroad line ran through steppe that was only cut by a few streams through Simowniki-Kommissarow­ Kugelnikowa for more than 200 kilometers to

Organization of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 and Its Initial Employment with Army Group Don

Stalingrad. The railroad ran thus th rough the very area which the Rumanian and Italian soldiers had abandoned in h eadlong f l ight. There j ust weren't sufficient forces to close the exist ing gaps or to open a relief attack on Stali ngrad from there. The 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502 , j ust l i ke everyone else, could serve as no more that a breakwater in the storm f l ood. On 8 Jan uary 1 943 the u n i t was employed for the first time. After an a ttac k against an e nemy that had advanced westward from 1I0wasku, the company was directed to t u rn around across the Kuberle sector by radio from the 1 7th Panzer Divi­ sion. It then smashed a n attack by two Russian regiments supported by arm or from the direction of OsserskU . In the cou rse of that action, two Russ­ ian tanks, eigh t antitank guns and about a thou­ sand Russian soldiers were destroyed, for the most part by running over them. The company had i ts first losses. Gefrei ter Zah n was killed, and Ober­ feldwebel Gerrels and his Panzer I I I crew were missing (Un teroffiziere Runge, Werner Jurgensen, Karl Wiebscher and Sigm und Rummel ) . U n terof­ fizier Gericke was so severely wou nded that his leg had to be amputated. On 9 Jan uary 1 943 the company attacked i n the morn ing hours a n d cleared t h e vil lage of I1owaskU . During that opera ti on, five an titank guns, two field guns and a weak Russian battalion were destroyed . At about 0900 h ours the company was assigned a n ew task by radio: "Fifteen enemy tanks are approach i ng a t BratskU. Engage and destroy them . " The enemy tanks, h owever, pulled back toward Ssal k before we arrived. After that, the company was ordered to attack the village of OsserskU . I n the course of that attack, twelve more antitank guns were destroyed. H owever, the com­ pany suffered further losses. Leutnant D r. Taubert was killed on the rear deck of h is tank as he was checking the engine, which h ad been set on fire by an antitank rou n d . Leutnant Ferkel broke h is arm. After two days of action, the company was down to only four officers. . On 1 0 January 1 943 the company smashed an enemy armored attack n orthwest of Budjen ny, destroying eleven tanks, two antitank guns and a Russian infantry battalion i n the process. I t suf­ fered no losses. By order of the corps, all servicea­ ble tanks were placed under the operational control of the 1 6th I n fantry Division ( mo torized ) . Three Tigers and six Panzer I l l s were sen t . Ober-

61

leutnant Sch erf led the unit. The Tigers remai ned until 1 5 Jan uary 1 943 and the Panzer l I Is until 24 January 1 943, where they took part in many oper­ ations. On 1 4 Jan uary the three Tigers were given the task of securing the wi thdrawal of the 1 6th I n fantry Division ( motorized) toward the west, three kilometers north of owo SsadkowskU . On completion of that task, they were to proceed on their own to the company at Proletarskaja. Several bridges that were unable to bear the heavy weigh t of the Tigers prevented the Tigers from following the 1 6th I n fantry Division ( motorized ) . How­ ever, the six Panzer I l ls remai ned attached to that d ivision . All three Tigers had mechanical problems dur­ ing the wi thdrawal and had to stand out on the steppe for up to thi rty hours until they could be recovered . An icy storm blew up and the tempera­ ture dropped to 40 degrees Celsi us below zero. o h uman being could withstand that tem pera­ ture without frostbite. It was fortu nate that the Russians did not pursue energetical ly. The tanks that had dropped out, along with the remainder of the company at Ssungar, were ordered to pull back to Prole tarskaj a on 1 0 Janu­ ary. The Russians had already captured a portion of the former supply route, which complicated the movement. All of the equi pment could be recov­ ered. Provisionally drivable tanks towed the unser­ viceable veh icles. On 1 6 and 1 7 January, the elements that had been restored to serviceability were com m itted to a covering force mission at Stalinski-Pud. The damaged tanks that were in tow were brough t to Ssalsk. By 20 January four Tigers and three Panzer I l ls had been loaded for trans­ port to Rostow. Tiger 200 broke through the ice in drivi ng around a wooden bridge that was too weak to bear i ts weigh t. The recovery was not completed until 20 January and tied u p six ] 8-ton prime movers and two Tigers that were urgently needed for evacuating the remainder of the damaged equip­ ment. On 2 1 Jan uary the company crossed the bridge at Bataisk and was i n Rostow on 22January, where every bit of energy went i n to repairing the veh icles by the mai n te nance elements which had, in the meantime, been brought forward. The company h eard the n ews about the end of the figh ting at Stal ingrad while a t Rostow. It also learned it would be i n tegrated i n to Tiger Tank Battalion 503 as i ts 3rd Com pany.

62

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

At the end of January, the enemy pressure increased daily on Rostow. At night the hard­ pressed city was afflicted with aerial attacks. For those reasons Tiger Tank Battalion 503 moved to new and more dispersed billets. On 28 January 1 943 the battalion commander was bid farewell. Oberstleutnant Hoheisel became the new commander. Oberleutnant von Foerster took over tempo­ rary command of the 1 st Company on 1 February, since Hauptmann Kaphengst returned to Ger­ many by teletype order of OKH. One of the first orders of the new commander was to consolidate the remaining available tanks of the 1 st Company with the other two companies. As a result, there were only two companies available and fit for action for the time being. In the meantime, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 had been placed under the operational control of the 23rd Panzer Division , which h a d the mission o f holding Rostow for as long as possible. In the course of the reorganization of the com­ panies, Leutnants von Koerber and Jammerath ( formerly of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battal­ ion 503) each took over a light platoon of Panzer Ills. On 7 January 1 943 they were employed as security at the outskirts of Rostow. Two days later, Leutnant von Koerber was killed by a head wound

he received as he was rescuing wounded comrades from a Panzer I I I that belonged to his platoon and had been set afire. The 3rd Company was also committed on the western edge of Rostow on 8 February. From that point on, the 3rd Company participated in the heavy defensive fighting that was carried on with great intensity after the Russ­ ian breakthrough in the Donez basin. The fron t was pulled back to the Mius, where the situation stabilized. The battalion moved to Prolowskoje, where it remained until 1 1 April 1 943. Mter those operations, the Iron Cross, First Class was awarded to the following members of the company: Feldwebel Miiller, Unteroffizier Wunderlich, Unteroffizier Miederer and Unterof­ fizier Gartner. Heinrich Baschek and Alfred Brunswieck were killed on 2 1 February. In the meantime, the Maintenance Company had moved to Mariupol and taken advantage of the period of relative calm to overhaul the equip­ ment and restore the tanks to combat readiness. Hauptmann Lange was transferred to Germany on 1 2 March 1 943. Oberleutnant Scherf took over the 3rd Company. Leutnant Weinert led the First Pla­ toon and Leutnant von Rosen the Second Platoon. Mter its first employment, which had cost the company heavy casualties-nine killed-the bat­ talion was ordered to prepare for entraining.

CHAP T E R

1 2

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier of the 1st COlll p any Dr.

Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann

ORGANIZATION The "chronicler" of this section belonged to a small group of very young tankers from the head­ quarters company of the 5th Panzer Replacement Battalion who were sent at the beginning of April 1942 to an intensive course for radio operators. The course was conducted by the communica­ tions officer, Oberleutnant Reichelt. The training schedule comprised nothing but training in radio practice and theory from morning until evening. Several hours a day we're dedicated to practice in keyed communication. At the end of the training, about half of the soldiers were assigned to radio-controlled tank units (Goliath ) . The train ing cadre and the remaining ten soldiers went to another building of the replacement battalion where Tiger Tank Battalion 503 was being organized under i ts first

pany officers was already on hand. The officers checked on the men 's skills in the various special­ ties and assigned them to the combat elements or to the trains, as appropriate. Most of the soldiers with combat experience came from the 5t.h and 6th Panzer Regiments. In 1 943, conti ngents came from the 4th and 29th Panzer Regiments. I, myself, had long discussions with Leutnant Detlef von Koerber and, later, with Leutnant Meller. I then had to report briefly to Hauptmann Kaphengst, the company commander of the 503's 1 st Company, and was then assigned as platoon leader's radio operator in the fourth platoon of the company. We stayed at Neuruppin for three months. During that time, we heard rumors we were to be equipped with a new and completely unknown kind of tank. All that was clear was that the arma­

commandel; Oberstleutnant Post. Oberleutnant

men t would probably be an 88mm gun. As fa r as

Reichelt became the communications officer for the battalion. Oberfeldwebel Rebitzki and Unteroffizier S. formed the nucleus of the battal­ ion's communications plato �)\1 . The tank radio operators were assigned to tlie 1 st and 2nd Com­ panies of Tiger Tank Battalion 503. In the days that followed there was a beeh ive of activi ty. Soldiers steadily arrived from the 5th Panzer Replacement Battalion, but also from other garrisons in the Berlin area. In all, it was a mixture of trainees from replacement units, con­ valescents and recruits. The complement of com-

equipment went, there were only a few wheeled elements during this period. The morning hours at Neuruppin were filled with tough infantry work in the field and tactical instruction. Leutnant Oemler, platoon leader of the Sec­ ond Platoon, took care of most of the infantry work. The i nstruction for the combat elements followed, by squads. It was conducted by the com­ pany officers; in my case, Leutnant Meller. In the afternoon there were always sports. They were led by Leutnant Detlef von Koerber. In addition, there was driving instruction, exercises for the 63

64

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

wheeled units, and occasional firing practice on the "vibrating stand" with carbines. However, for those us who were radio operators there were repeated radio-net exercises in communicating with the Communications Platoon of the Head­ quarters Company. Armored vehicles such as the Maybach command vehicle were not available at that time, except for training exercises. We had no knowledge of the existence of Tigers until August of l 942. On 10 August the battalion moved to the wooded area of the training grounds at D6ller­ sheim (Austria) . By then there was a Headquar­ ters Company, a Maintenance Company and two tank companies, for which quite large company trains had been established. From that point on, the training began on the Porsche Tiger. It was quite a tank, and it impressed me immediately. The two sides of the running gear were each driven by a separate gaso­ line engine, generator and electric motor. The vehicle drove like a street-car. The drives for the two sides of the running gear were separately started. Two levers governed forward and reverse direction, as well as the desired speed. The run­ ning gear seemed to us to be unquestionably superior to that of the Henschel Tiger that we later became familiar with . The 88mm gun was the last word for us. The turret was set very far to the front, so that the driver and radio operator had no hatch above them. That meant that the entire crew usually had to enter and exit through the turret. It very quickly became clear to us that, in the event of trouble, the driver and radio operator had drawn very bad cards; although both had the possibility of also leaving the vehicle through escape hatches in the bottom. I got to know that tank relatively well, since I was continually doing radio-net exer­ cises in it. Unfortunately, the technology of that bril­ liantly designed tank had not yet developed to the point of being ready for serial production. Com­ plications developed daily during our e�ercises. I particularly remember vehicles bogged down in difficult terrain and abundant engine fires. During the weeks that followed, the mainte­ nance sections and the drivers were continually detailed to duty at the factories. First they went to St. Valentin; later, predominantly Kassel and Friedrichshafen. The level of secrecy was so great

that I, myself, had no suspicion of the existence of a Henschel Tiger. While this was going on, the combat elements of the battalion moved to Putlos for live ammunition firing ( Panzer IVs) . We, who almost never got out of D6llersheim, learned only slowly that we probably would not be equipped with the Porsche Tiger. At the beginning of December 1 942, things went crazy. The first Henschel Tigers were deliv­ ered and portions of the combat elements accepted Panzer Ills from Magdeburg. Now we got an idea of the planned organization of vehi­ cles. The company had four platoons. The pla­ toon leader and section leader (at that time one officer and one Feldwebel) were outfitted with a Tiger. Both had a Panzer I I I N with the 7.5 cm short-barrel gun. The company commander also had a Tiger. In addition, there was a light platoon with five Panzer III Ns. The leadership positions of the company were occupied as follows: Company Commander: Hauptmann Kaphengst Light Platoon: LeutnantJammerath First Platoon: Oberleutnant von Foerster Second Platoon: Leutnant Oemler Third Platoon: Leutnant Detlef von Koerber Fourth Platoon: Leutnant Meller In all, the company had nine Tigers and thir­ teen Panzer Ills. The light tanks didn't have skirts on either the turrets or the hull sides. Shortly before Christmas the soldiers were totally confused. One knew the "time had come". Both tropical uniforms and winter gear were issued at different times. What did they have in mind for us? After we had been outfitted with win­ ter coveralls, things suddenly happened on 2 1 December. We were ordered to Proletarskaja in the Kalmuck Steppes. We went by way of Brest, Kharkov and Rostow. The new weapons were to prove themselves in Russia. MOVEMENT TO RUSSIA Traveling by so-called Blitztransport [ lightning train ] , we reached Gomel in the darkness. It was bitterly cold. The Tigers still had their rail-trans­ port tracks mounted. From that point on, the Wehrmacht had reduced the former Russian wide­ gauge railroad track system to the width of the European standard gauge. That conversion pro-

RecollectiollS of a Panzer Soldier of the 1s i Company

duced an increase in the distance between adja­ cent sets of tracks. Thus, the extremely wide Tigers could be transported on the Russian rai l system with t h e i r ful l-sized march-tracks. O u r Tiger crews had to exchange tracks on t h e i r veh i­ cles for the fi rst time. That turned out to be expecting the virtually i m possible of the crews. I n addition to their own i n experience, they were confronted with exasperating failures in plan n i ng. The march-tracks were not on the Ssyms railroad cars that transported the tanks, as would have made sense. I nstead, they had been loaded in box­ cars. It took tremendous amounts of time in the icy cold to get the tracks on the tan ks. However, we learned quickly. Later, such a change of tracks would be no problem for us. I n any case, it was clear to us that we would have no pause for rest there. We were commi tted immediately. We reached Rostow. The tension grew. When­ ever the train stopped, we h ad an opport u n i ty to talk to other soldiers. We h eard really bad things. Trains with men returning from leave and equip­ ment and supplies were no longer advancing northeast toward Stal ingrad. The Russians had encircled the ci ty. Others came from the Caucasus. Everything was going in only one direction-to the rear. In the immense sector stretc h i ng from the encircled 6th Army in Stalingrad to the Cauca­ sus, there were only a few Germah u n i ts. We met soldiers from the 1 7th and 23rd Panzer Divisions, the 1 6th Infan try Division ( m otorized) and the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wi ki ng." The trains that rol led past us from the east were filled with fleeing Rumanians. They h u ng on the railroad cars l i ke burrs. They wore remark­ able, tall fur hats that rem i nded me of the busbies worn by the English soldiers of the guard. I t made one think. The I talian and H u n garian formations were no longer able to hold their positions either. The situation grew increasingly uneasy. Will i t turn out well! We detrained at Proletarskaja and im mediately proceeded to the Manytsch p:osi tion. The first Tigers dropped out due to mechan ical fai l u re on that first road march. On New Year's Day, the crews that lacked veh icles pulled securi ty between the tanks. The weather was still relatively mild. Snow had not yet fallen. There was only an unpleasant wind. I stood watch in the night with Obergefreiter Leitzke, who was quite tall. We could not see the

65

adjacent sentries. Leitzke phi losophized about the war. I t did not sound good: " H ow could our Filhrer attack Russia? What the Swedes and Napoleon could not do, h e wi ll not succeed at either." Someth ing resembl i ng a kind of barn door emerged from the darkness in front of us. I poked Lei tzke in the ribs. "What is that? Are the Russians pushing a truck at us?" That was what I was thi nk­ ing. Then everyth ing became clear. I t was Kal mucks with a pair of camels. My greatcoat was much too large. I stepped on it continually. It was too h eavy for me. I had a backache. The follow-on transports reinforced our secu­ ri ty at the Manytsch bridge. The Russians were still holding back. On 5 Jan uary thi ngs really started happe n i ng. We were contin uously in action. There wasn't much sleep. I n the meantime, it had also gotte n very cold. Our f i rst men were killed. WESSELY On 9 Jan uary we h eaded out i n to the steppes from Proletarskaja. We tan ked up with fuel. Pre­ pare for operations! The covers were removed from the machine guns and main guns. Every­ thing was checked out one more time. Then the battalion rolled. A vil lage emerged, far i n fron t of us: Wessely! Cleared for combat! The radio was on. The battalion rolled to the east in inverted wedge formatio n ; the light tanks leading, the Tigers fol lowing. A few enemy tanks moved out of the southern part of the village. To my total sur­ p rise, an "echelon right" was ordered. Leutnant Meller was cautious. He only traversed the turret a bit. The Russian tanks disappeared i n to a Balka [ Ed i tor's note: a defi le , usually with a stream bed, which cut i n to the steppe ] and were al most on our flan k. The order came to open fi re . Two or three T-34s were set aligh t immediately. Then all hell broke loose. A vast number of antitank guns opened fire on us from the village. Right away, I could see one of our light tanks on fire in fro n t of us. Then it was our turn! Our Tiger 1 4 1 was conti n uo usly pounded by impacts of vari­ ous caliber. All the veh icles then halted. While I peered i n ten tly through the optics, something hit me l ike a knock-out blow. I fell back on the radio­ operator's seat. I slowly regai ned consciousness. I t was remarkably cal m. O n l y occasional h i ts on o u r vehicle. I mechan ically registered t h e m a s harm­ less small cali bers. Then the Tige r was l i terally

66

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

knocked to its knees. Aha: 7.62cm ! Gradually I came to myself a bit and felt more secure. My God! This crate really couldn't be penetrated ! But what was happening? I no longer heard the famil­ iar noise of the intercom in my headphones. I t dawned o n m e slowly. The electricity was out. I looked over at the driver. Unteroffizier Timpke lay collapsed in the driver's seat. He was pale and seemed totally lifeless. I stared at him in horror. At that instant he turned his head toward me. "Damn!" I thought, "We 've got to do something!" Then I got an idea: The fuses! Carefully, we opened the covers of the fuse boxes. All of the fuses fell out. I put them back in place. The inter­ com worked again. Timpke tried the starter. The Tiger fired up. Then we were told to pull back. The battalion attack had failed. We rallied about two kilometers outside the village. We looked over Tiger 1 4 1 . In addition to many 7.62cm hits, our vehicle was badly damaged by smaller caliber hits and, especially, by high-explosive rounds. The exterior looked completely bare. Neither axe nor tow cable were there. The track guards and the antenna were gone. I found a 7 .62cm hit in the ball-mount of my machine gun. The armor plate around the ball mount was torn in a star­ shaped pattern. That explained why I was knocked out! That same day the vehicle went back to Proletarskaja and was displayed for Oberst Thomale. It was then loaded for shipment back to Germany. On the next day I ran into my comrade from Hamburg, Herbert Ritscher, at the mainte­ nance facility. He told us about his Panzer III being knocked out at Wessely. His commander, the likeable Unteroffizier Scheele, had been killed. Herbert had tears in his eyes. With circum­ spection, he let me know that my platoon leader, Leutnant Meller, had also been killed in the sec­ ond assault on Wessely. I was totally done in; some­ how I was unable to comprehend it all. Two Panzer lIs of the 5th SS Division "Wiking" stopped beside us. They had a third vehicle in tow. They had a dead man with them . and two wounded. They stared at our tank in amazement. "What a life-insurance policy!" they said. I came back to myself and cracked a j oke: "We also don 't get a pay-bonus for service at the front!" The SS men reported on their action. They had been in an attack on a village on the steppe. They thought it was Wessely. "You can 't approach it during the day. We did it at night. We moved around the village and got interspersed in the

Russian columns. We then stirred things up inside the village." Was that really Wessely? We still had a lot to learn ! A little later, our commander, Oberstleutnant Post, was replaced by Oberstleutnant Hoheisel. At the same time, our company commander, Haupt­ mann Kaphengst, was transferred to the OKH and Oberleutnant von Foerster took over the 503's 1 st Company. The battalion moved to Rostow. A short period of apparent calm set in, if one disregarded the Russian bombing attacks. The company commander let the specialists keep the company busy. There were formations and practi­ cal jokes. The company commander's radio oper­ ator, Unteroffizier Matthies, went to officer candidate school. Later, he became communica­ tions officer in the 500th Panzer Replacement Bat­ talion at Paderborn. I became the company commander's radio operator. Politely and a bit self-consciously, I checked in with the crew. Pan Vogel was the gunner; Waiter Martach the driver. Waiter was an Unteroffizier and former driver for the battalion commander. Wolfgang Speckin-nicknamed Specker-completed the crew as the loader. Wai­ ter Martach told me how things went. "And when everything turns to shit, or you have problems, then you come to me. You can always feel free to talk to Uncle Wai ter." I was happy and proud to be accepted by such a crew. I then participated in the initial defensive fighting for the city in Tiger 1 0 1 , the commander's tank. A few days later the "Great Mufti"-pardon me, our company commander-made his I I I the command tank. I had to transfer over and we rolled back into action. During that period the tanks of the company were apportioned, in part, to the 2nd Company and, in part, to the 3rd Company. The former 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502, coming from Fallingbostel, had been attached to Heeresgruppe Don. That company had detrained at Prole­ tarskaja. It was then attached to the 1 7th Panzer Division and was employed in the Kuberle sector. It was then consolidated with our battalion as the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. That made us the first fully outfitted Tiger battalion to see action. Tiger I I I was assigned to other groups attached to the companies. The commander was Unteroffizier Gonter Tessmer. We pulled security on the outskirts of Rostow.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier of the 1st Company WE

DESTROY A RUSSIAN BATTERY Tiger I I I occupied a good posi tion on a sandy ridge. Below us was the Don; the landscape on the o ther side was flat. Snow l ay i n between. We watched the Russians as they brough t four heavy artillery pieces i n to position o n the o ther side. Trucks brough t up ammunition. The ammu­ nition was piled beside the guns. Our gunner, Bieske, was squirming i n his seat, but Gen ter Tessmer held back: "Wait a bit; the payoff will be greater." Suddenly a Russian scou t car appeared, mov­ ing across o ur fro n t and approaching the battery. Bieske no longer wai ted for the commander's order. The range was extreme. H e had set the optics as far out as i t would go. The h igh-explosive round howled on i ts way. The shell impacted, but way too short. The deflection was perfect. The round was a t l east 400 meters short. Our gunner was an artist. The second round wiped out the scout car. And i t went o n . One after another, the four guns were h i t by our h igh-explosive rounds. The amm u nition burned. I got along wel l with this crew, too. Gti n ter Tessmer was a very calm and level-headed com­ mander. Bieske was an o u tstanding gunner, but terribly nervous. Our loader, Heinz Mundry, who was one of the fastest I have ever seen, was m uch too slow for Bieske 's temperament. The two were always shouting a t each ? ther in combat. It was a good th ing that Gti n ter Tessmer always remained calm during it all. From time to time, he leaned forward, grabbed the gun ner and loader and knocked their heads together. Then things would go smoothly for a while. Our driver, U n teroffizier Otto Mewes, was also a master of his trade, but he could not resist giving a running commen tary dur­ ing engagements. The next day there was a problem with a tank from the 2nd Company during a local attack. The radio was transmitting and the opera tor had turned on the i nt ercom . That messed up the fre­ quency and made i t a nearly im possible to con trol the other vehicles in the figh ting. I swore to myself I would never let that happen, even i f the tank were burning up. SAPATN I

It was now 9 February 1 943. I was still i n Tiger I I I and Un teroffizier Tessmer was our tank com­ mander. The Russians had penetrated i n to Rostow from several sides. We moved to relieve Sapatni.

67

Two l ight tanks under Leutnant Detlef von Koer­ ber failed to come back out of Sapatni again. All we could learn over the radio was that one of them was on fire and that the lieutenan t had been killed. We started the attack, rapidly reach i ng the central square. We drove in the middle, as lead tank. Behind us, Oberfeldwebel B. secured the e n trance to the square. He still had a few l ight tanks available behind him. We were greeted with aggressive fire from the Russian an titank rifles. Under those circumstances, it would have been lethal for the l ight tanks to advance. There were two bundles of furs on the rear deck of our tank. Tracer ammun ition set them on fire. The flames were drawn into the engine com­ partme n t and into the hull of the tank by the engine air intake. A fi re developed. Since the houses surrounding the square were heavily occu­ pied by Russian infan try and our own infantry was not available, we asked Oberfeldwebel B. to move forward to where we were to give us cover so we could get rid of the furs. But the Oberfeldwebel only radioed: " I t is not your tank that is on fi re, only the furs. " When the Oberfeldwebel finally ordered the light tanks to move forward to our location, that was too much for us: "Ligh t tanks halt ! That's insan e ! " While I again asked the Ober­ feldwebel for help, our loader, Heinz Mundry, was already o u tside and disposed of the furs. He was lucky and got away with i t. After the vehicle fi re had been put out, the Oberfeldwebel ordered us to advance further into the village by ourselves. While we were doing that he would secure the empty square. Yeah, he had it hard. H e had to bear all that responsibility! Slowly and cautiously we moved farther i n to the village , following the main street to the righ t. We were all alone i n the midst o f the Russians. Sudden ly, as the nose of our tank approached a side street, r saw it-an antitank gun ! I t was only a few meters away from us. "Otto, move righ t ! " And then it hap­ pened-Bieske's high-explosive round hit home. Otto couldn 't control hi mself, he drove right over the antitank gun . Then we got back to our origi­ nal direction and conti n ued forward. After a 1 00 meters we discovered what had happened to our ligh t tanks. We were righ t i n fron t of them. Russ­ ian infan try swarmed everywhere. One of the l igh t tanks was burnt out. The second had broken tracks. We saw th ree dead crew members. There was nothing to be done there. We reported the sit­ uation and were ordered back.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAUON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

That evening we were supplied by the 3rd Company. SpieB Rondorf came forward. What a difference in the service we got compared to our functionaries! We were given the best of food. The fuel truck pumped the fuel into our tanks. The ammunition vehicle crew passed the shells into our turret. The machine gun ammunition was already belted. My God, were we pampered! SARTANA At that point there were only small battle groups employed. One after another, the companies were moved to Sartana near Mariupol. SpieB Nega acted insane. Shaves and haircuts were constantly inspected. In addition, there were weapons and uniform inspections. To vent our feelings we pre­ pared a company fest where we could let out all our frustrations. Our old songs had become obso­ lete. For example: The weekend and sunshine, and we' re alone at Dollersheim. What more do you need to be happy. Once upon a time at Neuruppin, We all got to go to Berlin. Now the SpieB's off to Vienna by himself and we are all allowed to go to Gopfritz. We had new material. Our sick Tigers were the main theme: Engine cover off, engine cover on. That's our very favorite song. Tanks to the fron t, tanks to the rear. Early in the morning or late into the night. Do you have some free time? Then you can lift the rounds up. No need to wait. Engine cover off, engine cover on, That's our very favorite song. Tanks to the front, tanks to the rear. Early in the morning or late into the night.

Or . . . Our Tigers go "klipp-klapp," as the road wheels take off every few meters. The torsion bars broke; it was a magnificent sight. And everything was fixed in Rostow. It was a rip-roaring company fest, and the alcohol flowed in streams. The tank crews took advantage of the time and puttered around their vehicles. Tiger I I I also had a bit that needed looking after. Since the mainte­ nance section could not fix the damage on i ts own, we drove to the maintenance facility at Mari­ upol. Our tank was overhauled in the I1ytsch Works. The crew had to stand guard day and night. It was cold. We built stoves in the corners of the great halls out of 200-liter fuel drums. Some­ one swiped my pistol. Now it was my turn ! From Mariupol we then drove Tiger I I I to Pokrowkoje on the Mius. It was mainly our light tanks that had been in action in that sector. First and foremost were Leutnant Linser and Leutnant Cusow who, along with other forma­ tions, had smashed a Russian mechanized corps. During those engagements, one of our light tanks broke through the ice on the Mius. We did not find the commander, Unteroffizier Dunkel . Obergefreiter Gronau, Gefreiter Wolfgang Schult and Panzerschutze GroBman were laid to rest in the military cemetery at Pokrowskoje. The gunner was the only one who had been able to save himself. At night, when it was quiet, we heard the Russ­ ian loudspeakers calling on us to defect. I was totally infested with lice. I cleaned my uniform in a bucket of gasoline and, in the first spring sun­ shine of March, I took a full bath in front of our billets. As a result of that, I had to report to my company commander in steel helmet and got the obligatory three days confinement to quarters. I was confined for three days in a Russian hovel and had enough time to hunt out the rest of the lice.

CHAPTER

1 3

Diary Entries of Leutnant von Koerber, Platoon Leader of the 1 st COll1 p any ( 1 January to 7 February 1943 ) Detlev von Koerber

Introduction:

Our heavy tank company had been formed at the beginning of May at Neuruppin. I t was transferred a t the begi n n i n g o f August t o the troop training gro u nds at Dollersheim, 1 00 kilometers north of Vien na. The entire battalion followed. The company command consisted of the commander, Hauptmann Kaphengst and the company officers, Oberleutnan t von Foerster, Leutnant von Koerber, Leutnant Meller and Leut­ nant Jammerath . The company first sergean t was Hauptfeldwebel Schm i tz. At Dollershei m, where we stayed for nearly five months, a colorfully assembled grou p became a unit. Hours of traini ng, terrai n exercises, road marches by the trains, sports and fests gradually welded L I S together. Details to the factories at St. Valentin and, later, to Kassel and Friedrichshafen, as well as a trip by the tank platoons to Pu tlos for firing practice also played their part. In September, the I st Company received the Porsche Tigers with the 88mm main gu n, the f i rst unit in Germany to do so. That started i n tensive training for the drivers and the entire crews. Unfortunately, the Porsch e Tigers still had too many teething problems from a techn ical stand­ point. Thus, in November, we sudden ly converted

to Henschel Tigers and-after a short "Afri can" episode, during which we had to prepare for trop­ ical service-we then had to prepare for Russia in a single week. In four rail loads-2 1 , 22, 23 and 24 December-the company rolled to the Eastern Front, happy to fi nally be on its way. 1 January: New Year's Day! Our battal ion and, with it, our company were rolling East ( Gopfritz­ Lundenburg-Oderberg-Debl in-Brest-M insk-Gomel­ Kharkov-Sla\o\jansk-Rostow-Proletarskaya) . A portion had al ready arrived at i ts destination and u n­ loaded. The advance party, formed from our company ( Oberleutnant von Foerster) , arrived simultaneously with the first train . For the New Year, Oberleutn ant von Foerster, who had already met with Generaloberst Hoth, had already taken over security of the Manytsch sector (two bridges) . Each arriving train transport reinforced it. The company commander arrived i n the eve n i ng with the third train at Proletarskaja. It immediately unloaded and moved out (in the process, the fi rst Tiger- 1 33-dropped out with engine problems! ) 2 January: The security force at the Manytsch bridges kept getting stronger. The company and the battalion were in the vil lage of M a nytsch. 69

70

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Together with elements of the Luftwaffe Field Divi­ sion , Covering Force Post [ Sicherungsgruppe Post] was formed under our commander, Oberstleut­ nant Post. It provided security toward the Kalmuck steppes to the east. An advanced security detach­ ment was sent out to the east beyond the bridge security with a section of tanks and a platoon of Luftwaffe infantry under Leutnant von Koerber. The winter got off to a good start. The temper­ atures were bearable, hovering right around the freezing point, but an icy wind (up to force ten ) forced the tank crews, housed i n their home made earthen bunkers, to don winter clothing. Livestock was slaughtered and everyone was cook­ ing. Technical problems were attended to. The last transport arrived. 3 January: The battalion moved forward to Proletarskaja, where the 2nd Company had already arrived. Our company again secured at the Manytsch. All sorts of Sunday roasts simmered in diverse pans. There was a lot of housekeeping, the billets were improved and pressing work done on the vehicles. Repeated commanders confer­ ences with the battalion commander, who dis­ cussed the overall situation in the sector of the 4th Panzer Army. It was intended for us to fend off the Russian attack at this location (if they advanced that far) . The Russians were streaming through the gaps created by the fleeing Rumanians'. From here we would initiate the counterattack towards Stalingrad as soon as enough forces had assem­ bled. A variety of rules for conduct and orders went round. 4 January: All sorts of inspections, necessary repairs to the tank and such. Lots of roast geese prepared for the company. Our quarters had become quite homey. Missing equipment, replace­ ment parts and tools continued to arrive. Unfortu­ nately, only a portion of what was needed. The order came from the battalion that afternoon that by noon of the following day everything would have to be ready to move. By evening the order was changed so that march readiness 'Yas to be established by 0900 hours. As a result, the pace of work and preparation reached fever pitch. For sev­ eral tanks, trucks and other wheeled vehicles there were suddenly maintenance problems. But everything was ready in time. Indeed, for most of us, it was even possible to get a little sleep. 5 January: We started from Manytsch at 0500 hours. Beyond the bridge, the security elements

integrated themselves among the line units. The march continued through Proletarskaja, from which the 2nd Company had departed an hour and a half earlier. It continued south to its first engagement. The trains remained at Proletarskaja under Leutnant Jammerath . The 2nd Company, which was the lead company, took the first Russian prisoners, ran into strong enemy resistance out­ side of Nikolaj ewski and had i ts first losses (one Panzer III and two killed) . We did not yet get into the fight. The battalion withdrew a bit and set up a hedgehog in the village of Krasnij Skotorot where, in the course of the evening, a battalion of panzer grenadiers (2nd Battalion, 1 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment) arrived by way of reinforce­ ment. It was cold, and a very sharp southeast wind was especially vile. The supply unit was brought forward in the evening and everything was refu­ eled. Two Tigers and one Panzer I I I had to go to the maintenance facility because of mechanical problems along the way. 6 January: Awoke at 0430 hours, all the tanks of the battalion moved out at 0500 hours in a wild snow squall. Enemy tanks had been reported. The mission of the 1 st Company was to attack and take the village of Konartal from the fron t while orient­ ing on the right side of the road. The 2nd Com­ pany enveloped the village from the left. In spite of the poor visibility due to the weather, that first operation was quite successful for us: nine Russian T-34 tanks, one T-60 tank, one armored car and five guns were destroyed. The village was taken by storm and the fleeing Russians pursued and scat­ tered as far as the Ssalonka ravine ( Leutnant Oemler's platoon) until the fuel situation forced h im to turn back. Unfortunately, the commander of Tiger 1 00, Unteroffizier BleB, was killed during the attack while bailing out after an artillery hit. Three men were wounded. In spite of many hits, there were no total losses of tanks, though there were dropouts due to mechanical problems. The 2nd Company had heavier losses. Mter refueling and resupplying with ammunition at Nikolaj ewski, the battalion formed a hedgehog for the night two kilometers to the east at Stepnoje. The supply units came forward. 7 January: Leutnant von Koerber moved out during the night on orders from the battalion. He had two Tigers (one of which, however, dropped out after traveling a few kilometers toward Stawropol and had to be recovered in the morn-

Diary Entries of Leutnant von Koerber, Platoon Leader of the 1st Company (IJanuary to 7 February 1 943)

ing) and four Panzer I l ls from the battalion 's Light Platoon ( Le utnant Ctisow) . I ts m ission was to block the l ines of communication for a Russian withdrawal at Lake Goloje. After difficulty i n orie n ti n g i tself i n the morn­ ing dawn, the u n i t succeeded i n destroying several enemy trucks and bringing back eigh teen prison­ ers. However, the pursuit of e nemy vehicles to the high ground east of Lake Goloje ran i n to such strong enemy defense-antitank guns, artillery and Russian tanks-that i t had to p u l l back. The battalion, which was fol lowing von Koerber's group during the morning h ours and which had been joined by the division commander, could not attack the h eigh ts. I t pulled back to Stepnoj e i n order to spend t h e night. I t h edgehogged i n the old positions and took care of all sorts of mechan­ ical problems and refueli ng. The company had only ten tanks still in service. The others were in the maintenance faci l ity. 8. January: At 0500 hours i n the morni ng, the battalion moved o ut-the 1 st Company i n the lead-back to Proletarskaja again, where warm bil­ lets in permanent stru c tures were occupied. All the tank commanders were assembled to meet with the commander of the 4th Panzer Army, Generaloberst Hoth, at 1 030 hours i n the morn­ ing. Generaloberst Hoth spoke of his appreciation for the battalion and of i m pefJding m issions of great importance. (The battalion h ad been men­ tioned i n the Weh rrriach tberich t the previous day. ) In the aftern oo n we conducted motor sta­ bles (armored and wheeled elements ) . After that, the men all had another opportun i ty to properly wash up, get their affairs i n order and write home, all of which was really necessary. After our billets had been set up to our comfort and everyth ing had quieted down , the company commander came back from the battalion a t 2230 hours with an alert message: Get ready to move out i mmedi­ ately! One hour later, the company m i n us the trains was on the move back to Krasn)j Skotorot with ten tanks, i ncluding six . Tigers. Hauptmann Schmidt was detailed to t h e company that day. 9 January: ( I remained at Proletarskaj a as offi­ cer reserve and "overseer," since Tiger 1 3 1 was i n the mai n te nance fac i l i ty. ) After a t hree-hour march, the battalion got to Krasnyj Skotorot, where i t refueled. At about 0630 hours it mounted the attack on Wesselij from there. Bad ori e n tation by the battalion staff! The battalion was turned

71

along the defe nsive positions of the village when the place was fi nally found. As a result, Tiger 1 44 was knocked out, although without casualties. The 2nd Battalion, 1 26th Ri fle Regiment, fai led to advance. After the 2nd Company h ad a lso lost some tanks, the battalion withdrew after knocking out three Russian tanks. The com pany moved under the leadership of Oberleutnant von Foer­ ster while H auptmann von Kaphengst arranged for supplies in Krasn)j Skotorot. Leutnan t Oemler was then committed with five tan ks against Wes­ sel ij . H e was able to get close to the village but not i n to i t. Leutnant Meller was severely wounded and died that very n ight in Proletarskaja. Therefore, back again to Krasn)j Skotorot, where the ri fle­ men had remained. During the move back U nteroffizier Scheele was wounded. Wh ile that was going on, H au ptmann von Kaphengst arranged for the return of the battalion to Prole­ tarskaja. The vehicles gradually arrived there, the last getting in by 2400 hours. 10 January: Again , no chance to sleep one's fi l l . The m ission-capable tanks of the battalion were advanced towards Budenowskaj a to stop an enemy advance. (Am bush ! ) The company com­ mander moved out wi th the combat elements, the section leaders and several supply veh icles at about 0600 hours, wh ile the rest of the trains remained i n q uarters at Proletarskaja, n ear the rail road station . That day, the combat eleme n ts did not see action. (There were ac tually only two Tigers and three Panzer I l ls from our company and two Tigers and two Panzer I l ls from the 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502 . ) The combat elements returned to i ts billets area at about 2 1 30 h ours, where everythi n g rapidly calmed down . The new battalion operations order arrived during the n igh t for the next day, for which three Tigers and four Panzer H I s were ready for action. The decision was made in the maintenance faci l i ty to send Tigers 1 2 1 and 1 4 1 back to Ger­ many. They could n o t be repaired there due to damage caused by the enemy. January 1 1 : Early i n the morn i ng the battal­ ion 's combat elements (our con tribution still con­ sisting of two Tigers and th ree Panz e r I lls) h eaded north to Romanow. They were l ed by the battal ion commander and once again contained the mai n tenance sections. Late in the afternoon, a counterattack was launched against the vi llage of N i kolaj ewski from the west. That time things wen t

72

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

well; all branches worked together well: Stukas, artillery, Nebelwerfer, Sturmgeschutze, SS rifle­ men and us! The attack succeeded for us without losses and we destroyed heavy enemy opposition. Even mechanical problems remained within nor­ mal limits and were promptly taken care of by the maintenance services. Mter temporarily providing cover there the combat elements returned to Pro­ letarskaja at 2 1 00 hours-in a first-class mood. Mter brief food and drink, came the necessary rest, while the maintenance crews worked through the night to put the tanks back in shape. 1 2 January: A day of rest. All units of the com­ pany were billeted at the former site (school) at the railroad station. Everything was c hecked out and put in order. At 1 020 hours, in biting cold, the burial of Leutnant Karl Meller was carried out at the Proletarskaja Military Cemetery. The service was organized by Leutnant von Koerber; the fourth platoon provided a squad as honor guard. All of the officers of the battalion were there. The company commander spoke first, then the battal­ ion commander. At 1 1 30 hours Oberst Thomale from the FAhrerhauptquartier spoke to the com­ bat elements of the battalion regarding our mis­ sion and great responsibility. In the evening the company commander held a company formation, where all pressing and important affairs were discussed. Praise and blame. Mter that, Marketenderwaren [ roughly equivalent to American PX items; referred to as "personal demand items," but handled through the SpieJ3] were distributed. Most everyone was tipsy. Calm, except for individual bombs that fell nearby during the night. 13 January: Still in the billets area. Prepara­ tions for combat readiness and maintenance. At noon, Leutnant von Koerber was given a scouting mission from the battalion regarding bridges at Nowy Manytsch and Barraniki for Battle Group Heilmann , which set out at 1 300 hours with three Tigers and six Panzer I lls. The battle group reached Jekaterinowka that evening. :rhe divi­ sional commander was already there. An attack was prepared against two Russian battalions that had infiltrated over the Manytsch east of Bar­ raniki. The crews (under command of Leutnant von Koerber, who had already returned) rested or pulled security in the village. The remainder of the company continued in policing and maintenance work. Biting east wind, intense cold.

14 January: The tanks of Battle Group Heil­ mann reached Nowy Manytsch in the gray light of dawn after a night march. While the battalion 's five Tigers were given the task of securing the vil­ lage (against scattered Russian units! ) , all of the Panzer Ills crossed the bridge to Baraniki. They fought there, along with riflemen from the divi­ sion, against Russian units that had already pene­ trated that far. Unteroffizier Jochen Griewaldt was shot in the head and killed during the fighting in the village. The fight ended successfully (but with few results ! ) .. night fell. The Tigers withdrew almost sixty kilometers ( ! ) under Leutnant von Koerber. During the night, all of the Panzer I lls also returned to the billets area where the rest of the company had remained. Tiger 1 1 3 slid off an embankment into the marshy ground in the dark shortly before reach­ ing its destination. It was only after much work with the battalion engineer platoon and seven prime movers that it could be pulled out at 1 000 hours the following morning. 15. January: The company combat elements had to move out early again with two Tigers and six Panzer Ills (under Leutnant Jammerath ) . Along with the rest of the battalion-Battle Group Kaphengst-and units of the 5th SS Panzer Gren­ adier Division "Wiking," the company attacked a collective farm on the road ten kilometers east of Proletarskaja. I t cleaned up the farm in tough fighting until there were only small remnants of the enemy left. Only a few mechanical problems; no losses. Everyone returned to quarters in the evening-very important to warm up, since Siber­ ian cold and wind ruled outside! The maintenance sections have completed their work in the meantime. Unteroffizier Meinert, the supply sergeant, was removed from his position because of negligence of duty. Feldwebel Hubner replaced him for the time being. 16 January: Things gradually heated up in Pro­ letarskaya, our once so peaceful billeting area. Enemy artillery shelled it and it was bombed. More and more troop elements were withdrawn. Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 and the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wiking" covered the retreat, for which purpose the first platoon under Leutnant Jammerath was pre-positioned at the eastern out­ skirts of the city. Immobile Tigers were towed over the Manytsch toward Ssalsk. Since an irreparable Tiger of the 2nd Company had to be destroyed at

Diary Entries of Leutnant von Koerber, Platoon Leader of the 1st Company (1 January to 7 February 1 943)

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the railroad station , we had to clear out of our quarters at the school and move further i n to the city into the large building of the former hospital . We set up our new billets. Leu tnant Oemler was sent ahead with the greater part of the trains to recon for new billeting areas. on the other side of the Manytsch. By order of the battalion , Leu tnant von Koerber scouted the river crossings-difficult due to snow and ice! Repair and mai n tenance work ran far into the n ight; tea with rum in the evening, then, soon, deep sleep, even though our own artillery ( heavy field howitzers) opened fi re outside our door and enemy bombs fell. 1 7 January: Sunday. We still held the place. The rest of the trains was sen t back early. Leut-

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nant Jammerath 's covering force platoon ( i n radio contact with t h e company) exchanged f i re from the outski rts of the city with enemy attacking from the direction of Krassny Skotorot. It knocked out a Russian scout car. The company's n ew quar­ ters proved short l ived, as the roof started burning around noon. It could not be extinguished, so we had to move out slowly. Since the order arrived to move out at n igh tfall, no new q uarters were sough t. On battalion orders, Leutnant von Koer­ ber moved by motorcycle to Stal i nskij Ret to the 2nd Company, bringing i t the order to pull out. Finally, by 1 600 hours, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 left Proletarskaja, where it had once arrived with such h igh hopes. The combat units broke con tact

74

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

with the enemy, crossed the Manytsch by 1 745 hours and, after a four-hour march, arrived at Budennoje ( the state-owned estate of Marshall Budenny) . The entire battalion found quarters in a large, hopelessly overfilled building. 18 January: After a good, if brief, sleep, every­ thing was untangled again and put in order during the morning. Mechanical problems in the vehicles were fixed, weapons cleaned and so forth. Haupt­ mann Schmidt, who had been temporarily detailed to us-he was a mountain trooper-wen t back t o the corps headquarters, where he became the intelligence officer. Then our quarters were cleaned ( the previous occupants had been Ruma­ nians ! ) . Rooms were assigned to us, and we set up for the long haul. The consequence of all that was that the order arrived that afternoon from the army headquarters for us to move out the next morning and pull back further to the west! In the evening, Leutnant Oemler, with one platoon of Panzer Ills ( four vehicles ) , was detailed to provide security for the divisional staff. During the night and the following morning, sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment "Nordland," he and his pla­ toon had two intense engagements at Jekateri­ nowka, during which Panzer III 1 34 took an antitank rifle hit in its ammunition storage and burnt out. The tank commander, Unter<>ffizier Durrlich, and the loader, Gefreiter Buck, were killed; the gunner, Gefreiter Schato, was wounded. 1 9 January: Early in the morning, at 0500 hours, the entire battalion got moving. The com­ panies drove in close order. The tanks helped clear the way through the snowdrifts. It was a long and difficult march as far as Ssalsk, from where the wheeled units then preceded the tracked vehi­ cles. The march continued to Zelina and beyond. The "priority route"-along which everything withdrew to the rear, in orderly fashion !-was completely jammed with columns as far as Jegor­ likskaja, a totally overcrowded hole in the wall. It was good that the Russian air force pu � in so few appearances, quite in contrast to our own! Leut­ nant von Koerber's advance party had already set up a provisional billeting area there. Late and tired, but with no one missing, the company ele­ ments arrived there. By the early morning every­ one had found at least a few hours of sleep. 20 January: We started out between 0500 and 0600 hours in two march groups ( tanks and

wheeled elements, then the leadership elements and the commanders of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, and of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502 ) . The advance party was led by Stabsfunkmeister Nega ( ? ) . He was serving as the field first sergeant. There was a lot that had to be towed-especially tanks-that was quite dif­ ficult to do given the jammed roads, weak bridges and occasional steep inclines. Thank God that the steppe was mostly level and, accordingly, the road's width was a matter of preference. In addi­ tion, we were blessed with mild winter weather. By noon we had made twenty-five kilometers to Metschedinskaja, and then again as far to Kayal­ nickaja. There the company benefited from a rations depot that had to be cleared out. I t "pro­ cured" marmalade, meat, hard fruit candies, and cooking oil, among other things. While that was happening, the Panzer Ills that had been detailed from Leutnant Oemler's platoon (down to three tanks) arrived and took their place in the column. A great mass was flowing to the rear, including great herds of horses and cattle, but we made more-or-less good progress. Then in quarters in K (individual houses) . Marketenderwaren were sold and rum issued. Fuel in short supply. Rest. 2 1 January: We were off quite early, at 0440 hours, in fog and damp cold. The battalion formed five march groups (with the battalion commander leading the advance party! ) . The route led twenty-five kilometers farther to Bataisk over terrible roads. We arrived there about noon without losses. We were shown to our quarters and settled in (an entire block lined with houses for the company) . Further distribution of Marke­ tenderwaren. Everyone washed themselves and their underclothes thoroughly, for once. The first lice were reported in the company-and killed ! Unfortunately, there was still no mail for us, but everyone used the free time to briefly write home. The maintenance section worked through the evening, attending to various mechanical prob­ lems. Otherwise, it was soon quiet. 22 January: Off early in two march groups (wheeled units under Heilmann , armored vehi­ cles led by von Kaphengst) , but we could only slowly work our way into the traffic columns on the main road through Bataisk. Then on to Ros­ tow. Between 1 200 and 1 800 hours, the 1 st Com­ pany gradually crossed the valley of the Don and the river itself with the battalion over long cause-

Diary Entries of Leutllant von Koerber, Platoon Leader of the 1st Company (1 January to 7 February 1 943)

ways and bridges (especially difficult for Tigers) . It reached the city and went into a previously scouted billeting area in a large school at the out­ skirts of the city near the railroad station. The 2nd Company and the headq uarters Company were also billeted there. The Maintenance Company established i tself nearby in several large produc­ tion halls of the "Rostow Works" (empty and par­ tially destroyed) . The weather was pleasan tly mild. The dilapi­ dated quarters first had to be cleaned and then made livable and heated. On the Don bridges, we encoun tered the 1 1 th Panzer Division ( Sagan ) , which was covering the enemy. 23 January: Finally we got an opportunity to sleep until 0700 hours. Then a fundamental cleaning and arranging of the quarters. The vehi­ cles were inspected; all of the tanks went to the maintenance facility for that. All of the immobile tanks trickled in there, either towed behind the prime movers of the Recovery Platoon or trans­ ported by rail through Ssalsk. On battalion orders, Leutnant von Koerber again went to Bataisk with a Volkswagen to find and direct the units that were trickling in. The weather kept getting milder-thaw weather! The official routine returned in full force, with trai ning schedules, delegation of responsibilities and all the attendant official nonsense ! 24 January: More repair and maintenance on all of the vehicles. Every day the tank crews were at the maintenance facility in the morning, returning in the evening. There was a lot of work and there was no break for Sundays. That morning, in wild and rainy weather, our two dead whom we had brought with us, Unteroffizier Griewaldt and Gefreiter Buck, were buried at the military ceme­ tery. A Wehrmacht chaplain said a few words and, in closing, Leutnant von Koerber spoke briefly for the company. There were several theat�r and movie passes for the company, which, of course, were a great hit. The company had not been allowed on pass up to that point in time; up to then it hadn 't mat­ tered. 25 January: As on the previous days, mainte­ nance and repair duties, complicated by a sudden savage outbreak of cold-wi thin three hours the temperature dropped by almost 30 degrees Cel-

75

sius! The maintenance sections worked as a group almost constantly on the tanks in the maintenance facility, but it still wen t very slowly. There was a lot of pressure from above, particularly given the crit­ ical overall situation. In the afternoon, at 1 600 hours, all of the officers were assembled at the battal ion. We got a new commander ( thank God ! )-Oberstleutnant Hoheisel-who briefly introduced himself. He made a very energetic impression. In the evening, the company finally got its first mail from home, about fourteen days old. Hope­ fully that will function better from now on. 26 January: Maintenance duty and work by the maintenance sections on the vehicles in the billet­ ing areas. A lot of sentries were posted, especially at the Rostow-Works to protect the maintenance facility. Company briefing by the company com­ mander at midday in our quarters. He discussed the general situation and awarded the first Panz­ erkarnjifabzeichen [armored combat badge, awarded to members of armored units after three separate armored engagements] . Attendance at movies and theater was interfered with early: The "Ivan on duty" arrived right after darkness fell and dropped his bombs! The combat elements were reorganized based on the changed vehicle situation: Company head­ quarters section , a light platoon with five Panzer Ills and two heavy tank platoons, each with three Panzer VIs. There were no rations on 26 January since the truck had not arrived with them. Was that due to the Russians . . . ? Soon things settled down, at least, if there was not a maintenance detail. 27 January: Work at the maintenance facility was pushed hard, day and night in two shifts of six hours for each of us. The mechanics and the crews were with the Tigers, getting them ready for action again. It was very important, especially for the time consuming work on the running gear and with the extremely heavy demands that were being made on the maintenance facility i tself at that time. Things took their course. Two vehicles were done, completely checked and repaired. Then the others were taken in hand. On orders from above, the battalion organized an alert company with the combat vehicles that were ready. It was led by Hauptmann Lange ( 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502) whom the commander wasted no time in putting through

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

his paces. Our contribution consisted of two Tigers and four Panzer Ills led by Leutnant Jam­ merath. Russian bombs fell close to the school during the night. Windows and, in some places, walls were destroyed, so it immediately got very cold. For two and a half hours the company moved from our second story down to the ground floor and waited for morning in the orderly room of the Headquarters Company. 28 January: This situation of having three com­ panies in one building was untenable. Ivan was not to be trusted. This day's bombs caused fifteen casualties and a great deal of damage to the 2nd Battalion, 1 5th Panzer Regiment, which was only 200 meters from us. Therefore we moved to a new billeting area. It was farther from the mainte­ nance facility, to be sure, but there were friendly people and clean quarters. It was at the outskirts of town in a group of widely-separated houses, approximately one crew per house. Leutnant von Koerber had scouted out the area. In the evening, all of the officers assembled at the battalion command post for the assumption of command of the battalion by Oberstleutnant Hoheisel and the departure of Oberstleutnant Post. There was a short conference there. Back at the billets, Leutnant von Koerber received the first Iron Cross, Second Class from the company commander. Two more were awarded to Unterof­ fizier Tessmer and Panzerschutze Vogel. Our . nighttime peace was undisturbed . 29 January: After settling into the new quar­ ters, the normal duties resumed, particularly work on the vehicles. Our company commander had his birthday. Stabsfunkmeister Nega presented best wishes in the name of all the company at noon. He had also set up a nice little table with presents laid out on i t. The alert company-our portion under Leut­ nant Jammerath-remained in our former quar­ ters at the school. It had not yet seen action. In the evening, we celebrated our company commander's birthday with invited g�ests ( the other company commanders) and the company officers. The company received tea with rum. 30 January: Normal duties. The fuel situation was tight. Continuation of many sentry and work parties. Goring gave a speech on 30 January, which was listened to by some. General situation unchanged. We will probably go into action in the general line of defense east of Rostow, for the for-

mation of which our comrades in Stalingrad were sacrificed. For the time being, we saw little of the war other than the nightly three or four bombs, which dropped more-or-Iess close to us. Mail came fairly regularly and quickly and one gradually became a human again. In the meantime, the entire battalion was placed under the operational con trol of the 1 1 th Panzer Division. 31 January: The pleasant life seemed too much for some people to bear. Inspection of quar­ ters turned up all sorts of slackness, so that pun­ ishments and disciplinary sentry duty were called for. Also painful for the idlers were repeated inspections and exclusion from being able to pur­ chase Marketenderwaren. Along with that, the repair and maintenance work continued. Missing replacement parts that were not available from our Maintenance Company were obtained by can­ nibalizing from the army transportation motor pool [ Heereskraftfahrpark] . There was a lot of work. 1 February: Starting early in the morning, there was concentrated motor stables for all of the company vehicles-wheeled units and available tanks-in the open square. It was intended to get them inspection-ready. Weapons cleaning and inspection were emphasized. In the afternoon, the officers of the battalion went to a conference which, however, did not take place. Our commander, Hauptmann von Kaphengst, received a teletype from the OKH sum­ moning him back to Germany. Oberleutnant von Foerster took over temporary command of the company. However, in the event of operational commitment, the combat units of the company­ the Alarm Platoon with Leutnant Jammerath had returned to the company-would be divided between the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, and the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 ( the former 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battal­ ion 502) . Everyone was somewhat depressed. 2 February: The maintenance was carried on as rapidly as possible in clear, frosty weather. It was good that we could be in our quarters there and did not have to spend those cold nights outside in the open without quarters. But that would soon change. Leutnant Oemler took off in a Volkswa­ gen 200 kilometers to the west as an advance party to scout out a new billeting area for the wheeled units of our company as well as for the Headquar­ ters Company and the Maintenance Company.

Diary Elltries of Leuhwllt VOIl Koerber, Platooll Leader of the 1st CompallY (1 Jalluary to 7 February 1 943)

I n the afternoon, Generalleutnant Balck show­ ed up i n the company area and inspected one of our Tigers. Unfortunately, our attachment to the good 1 1 th Panzer Division was term i nated. 3. February: Contin ued repair and main te­ nance of the vehicles. Adequate fuel h as arrived. All officers were called to a confe rence with the new commander at the old school. A reorganiza­ tion of the combat elements was ordered: Two each Tiger platoons and two each l ight platoons. On our a rrival at noon, our former company commander, Hauptmann von Kaphengst, took leave of his com pany and handed it over to Ober­ leutnan t von Foerster, after he had read the order of the day from the new commander on taking over the battal ion. He also awarded several Panzer5lurrnabzeichen. The mood was slightly depressed. The work and duties contin ued. It was i m po r­ tant to make all vehicles ready for service. Our company had the largest n u mber of serviceable wheeled veh ic les and tanks i n the entire battalion. Despite that . . . ! 4 February: Leutnant Oemler returned for a short time from h is advance party mission during the night. Thi ngs had not worked out t he re yet. However, he was off again in the mornin g. The clear winter cold had strengthened. The cutting wind was especially u n pleasant. Nevertheless, the techn ical work contin ued, i n cl uding the work in the maintenance facilit)I which, at the time, was starting to break down for movi ng agai n . In the morning, Hauptmann Kaphengst finally got started back to Germany by way of Tagan rog, accompanied by the company's best wishes. The outcome was that now-when the battal­ ion was divided i n to two operational companies­ our company, h aving the j u nior commander, was split and attached to the other two. The wheeled elements went back with the Mai n tenance Com­ pany about 200 kilomete rs to Ambrosiewka. Two platoons, each with two Tige rs and fou r Panzer I I Is under Leutnants von Koerber and Jammerich went, respectively, to the 2n d Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 ( H auptmann Heilmann) and the former 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502, which had been consolidated with our battal­ ion as the 3rd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 ( Hauptmann Lange ) . Final preparations for sepa­ ration , and then, in spite of the n ightly bom bing, rest.

77

5 February: Early in the morning, at 0700 hours, the tank elements that had been detached reported to their new commanders. At 0930 hours the main body of the company un der Oberleut­ nant von Foerster, along with the attached trains elements, moved out to the other companies. The officers who went to the other companies, Leut­ nants von Koerber and Jammerich, were each given a light platoon and gave up their Tigers. The five remaining crews (Tiger 1 3 1 was added to that a day later! ) stayed in the billeting area, moving closer to one another and waiting to be em ployed. The rest of the mai n tenance duties carried out. Rations and supply with the 2nd Com­ pany, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. All of the tank com manders ga thered th ere at 1 700 hours for a situation briefing with Hauptman n Heilmann. We were again to play the role of f i remen. Rostow was to be h eld as long as possible. We were attached to the 23rd Panzer Division . That night there were major f i reworks in the direction of Bataisk. Qu iet. 6. February: Con trary to our expectations, things did not start happening that n ight. We kept on wai ting. The Russians had taken Bataisk during the night. Many rail road trains did not get away, and the tanks that were on them were blown up. Tiger 1 3 1 came back from the maintenance facili ty, ready for action. Feldwebel Schonberg cl imbed i n to Tiger 1 3 1 and Leutnant von Koerber took over Tiger 1 22 as h is vehicle. More wai ting. Weapons cleaning and camouf laging veh icles. The mai n tenance section of the 2nd Com pany, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, inspected our tanks. I n the afternoon an officer confe rence with t h e bat­ talion commander was cancelled at the last min ute. I nstead, Hauptmann H eilmann came from the battalion, bringing a req u i rement for increased combat readiness. We were to figure on movi ng out for an operation during the n ight. Preparations for movi ng out; sleep. 7 February: Alert at 0030 hours. Twenty min­ u tes later we were moving out and infil trating the march col umn of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. All then proceeded to the old school q uarters, near which the entire battal ion took an alarm position for the night. Note: Leutnant Detlef von Koe rber was kil led on 9 February at the western outski rts of the city of Rostow figh ting against the Russians who had penetrated i n to the city from three sides. He was

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

shot in the head while attempting to save wound­ ed comrades from a burning Panzer III that was under his command. Leutnant Detlef von Koerber was the youngest brother of Leutnant Achim von Koerber, who was

the acting commander of the 1 st Company ( fol­ lowing the death of Oberleutnant Adamek) when he was seriously wounded in January 1 944 at Win­ niza and of the last commander of the battalion, Hauptmann Dr. von Diest-Koerber.

C HAPTER

1 4

First After-Action Re p ort of the COlll p any COlll lll ander of the 2nd COlll p any, Ti ger Tank Battal ion 502

T

his report concerns i tself with the activa­ tion of the company, i ts fi rst operations east of the lower Don and with techn ical details of the Tiger. The 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502, later became the 3rd Com­ pany, Tiger Tan k Battal ion 503. After-Action Report Hauptmann Lange [n the Field, 29 Jan uary 1 943 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502 I . Unit Activatio n : T h e company was activated with i n the framework of the battalion in May of 1 942. The fi rst two Tigers were issued on 25 September 1 942 and had to be turned over to the 1 st Company, Tiger Tan k Battal ion 502 (Wolchow) , on 1 3 October 1 942. During that time, the drivers were certified by Inge n ieur Hering and tank training was started. Both Tigers spent most of the time in the mainte­ nance facility. Until the final. issue of equipment, the train ing h ad to be liri1 i ted to theoretical i nstruction from i nstructional tables we had pro­ cured and general weapons and terrain traini ng. On 2 1 and 22 December 1 942, one Tiger was issued each day. Th ree Tigers were issued on 26 December and two Tigers on 28 December 1 942. Training time was l i m i ted to a few h ours o n those days since the components of end i tem, basic-issue

i tems and field modifications had to be accoun ted for or applied. I n addition, all of the work that remained i n the maintenance faci l i ty had to be completed. Starting at the begi nning of Decem­ ber and running th rough 2 1 December 1 942, the main tenance sections and the Panzer VI drivers of the company, along with the specialists, foremen and the I nspektor of the mai n tenance platoon were detailed to Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. All of the Tigers' guns were sigh ted in at Fall i ngbostel, though there were orders that the last two Tigers were to be left on the Ssyms rai l road cars. Never­ theless, all three transports rolled out on the dates ordered: The first train left Fallingbostel at 2000 hours on 27 December 1 942; the second train at 0500 hours on 28 December 1 942; and, the third train at 1 1 00 hours on 29 December 1 942. The difficult situation was exacerbated because of the fac t that it was not until the eve n i ng of 23 December 1 942 that the order first arrived by tele­ type that the company was to be placed under the operational control of Army Group Don. I t was not until then that it was known the company would be separated from the battalion. I n the meantime, however, all of the consolidated supply elements were with the H eadquarters Company with the bat­ talion in Wolchow. I n order to assure supply for the company, trucks were requested, which were immediately provided th rough the General Army Office [Allgemeines Heeresarnt] and picked up by the company by 26 December 1 942. Drivers arrived 79

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

from the replacement battalion during the morn­ ing of 27 December 1 942. In addition, all of the Panzer VIs, for example, arrived without main gun bore brushes (for the KWK 36) , which had to be provided by special couriers from Krupp or Wegmann. No time at all was given for battalion-level training. It would be advisable for Tiger units to be given a minimum of three weeks total time for battalion-level training after receiving the last tank. In addition it would be advisable to provide experienced officers as advisers on a temporary basis, who could pass on to the troops the benefits of their experience throughout the training. Any hasty actions lead to inadequate success when employed and to the premature loss of Panzer VIs as a result of lack of knowledge. It is recom­ mended that the tank battalions of established regiments be equipped with Tigers, since they already have solid grounding with respect to the basics of tactical and technical matters. Il. Employment: On 5 and 6 January 1 943 the three trains were unloaded at Proletarskaja. On 7 January 1 943 the company was attached to the 1 7th Panzer Division and proceeded to Ssungar ( Kuberle sector) . The 107 kilometers were covered without mechanical losses in ten and a half hours of continuous road marching. A short maintenance halt was called every 20 kilometers. 8 January 1 943: Mission: The company was placed under the operational control of Panzer Battalion 39. Together with Panzer Company Sander, it attacked six villages on the left flank and in front of the left wing of the Division with its spear point at Osserskij and Nish­ Sserebjakowka. The enemy was destroyed wher­ ever he appeared. Mter the first village, twelve miles west of Ilowaskij , had been set on fire with gunfire, the Division radioed: "Immedi�tely cross through the Kuberle sector and attack arid destroy two Russian regiments with armored support com­ ing from the direction of Osserskij ." In the course of that operation, the company destroyed two tanks, eight antitank guns, and about 1 000 Russians, mostly by overrunning them. In addition, many antitank rifles and light infantry weapons were captured or destroyed. As a result,

the attack in front of our own lines was ruthlessly smashed. That day a total of 65 kilometers was covered. Losses: one Panzer VI due to transmission damage, two Panzer Ill's lost to enemy gunfire. Casualties: one killed, five missing, three wounded. Weather: heavy snow squalls in the morning with icing, later, good visibility. 9 January 1 943: Mission: Together with Panzer Company Sander, clean out the southwest portion of Ilowaskij . The attack began at dawn and ended with the destruction of five 7.62cm antitank guns, two light field guns and one weak Russian battalion. Mter the mission was completed, the company assembled in the northern portion of Ilowaskij. At 0900 a new mission was assigned: E ngage and destroy in Bratskij fifteen enemy tanks approaching. Since the Tiger Company could not cross the bridge across the Kuberle at Bratskij , the attack was carried out as a pincers movement. The com­ pany crossed the Kuberle embankment east of Ilowaskij by itself and advanced to the north. A strong enemy antitank concentration was encoun­ tered about 1 000 meters in front of our own lines. It was destroyed by attacking it. Part of the attack used artificial smoke. In that attack eight antitank guns were destroyed. On completion of that, the company turned toward Bratskij in order to join with Panzer Com­ pany Sander. In the meantime, the Russian tanks turned toward Ssal. Mter joining up with Panzer Company Sander, an attack on Osserskij was ordered. Parts of the village were set alight by gunfire after eliminating four flanking antitank guns. Mter that was completed, the company con­ ducted its return march, escorting tanks that had dropped out. Distance driven : on that day, 48 kilometers

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank BaHalion 502

Losses: one Panzer VI . A 7.62 cm round l i fted up the commande r's cupola. The weld seam and cupola bol ts were broken. Temporary damage to the elevation mechanism, apparen tly from the hit, one Panzer VI due to shifting d i fficulties, one Panzer VI t h ro ugh e ngi ne compartment f i re which was extinguished by the a utomatic fi re extinguisher one Panzer VI with i ts righ t drive sprocket shot off. Casual ties: one killed ( Leutn ant Dr. Taubert was killed wh ile i nspecting t h e engine after a fire caused by an an titank gun h i t on the rear. ) Weather: cloudy, good visibili ty. 1 0 Jan uary 1 943: M ission: Attack enemy tanks nort hwest of Budjenny along with Panzer-Kompanie Sander. I n so doing, the company destroyed eleven tanks ( t h ree T-34s, one KV-I, and seven T-60s) , two antita n k guns, one Russian battalion. Losses and casual ties: none. By order of the corps, all m ission-capable tanks were to be placed under the operational con trol of the 1 6th I n fantry Division ( motorized) immedi­ a tely. Th ree Panzer VIs and six Panzer I l ls were sent. The Panzer VIs remai n ed with the 1 6th I n fan try D ivision ( mo to rized) until 1 5 Jan uary 1 943 and the Panz e r l I Is until 24 January 1 943, where they took part in several operations. For the most part, however, they had to cover a lot of ground. On 1 4 Jan uary, three Panzer VIs received the mission of covering the �i thdrawal of the 1 6th I n fantry Division ( mo torized) to the west toward Kam a row, starting t h ree kilometers north of owo-Ssadkowskij . On completion of that, they were to head toward Proletarskaja to the company. The Panzer I l ls remained under the operational con trol of the division. All t h ree Panzer VIs dropped out during the rearward march due to mechanical p roblems. Due to the shortage of

81

prime movers, they had to remain on the steppes for thi rty hours u nt il they could be recovered. On 1 0 January 1 943 the remainder of the com­ pany and the i m mobile tanks in Ssungar were ordered to pull back to Proletarskaja. The march to the rear ran into serious difficul ties since the recovery elements could not be turned around in time and the Russians held a portion of the for­ mer supply route. I n spite of that, everyth ing was recovered. For the most part, it was wi th tan ks that had been made provisionally mobile and with­ drew in part with the rear guard . On 1 6 January and 1 7 January the operational u n i ts were com mi tted to a covering force mission at Stal i nski Pud and took part in the repulse of a Russian i n fantry attack. When darkness fell, the 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502, was o rdered to pull back. The company had been attached to Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 in the mean­ time. The march to Rostow was carried out i n stages a n d lasted u n t i l 22 Jan uary 1 943. Four Tigers and th ree Panzer I l ls were rail loaded at Ssalsk. The others were brought back i n a road march, for the most part towed by two serviceable Tigers. The fou r prime movers had been needed for rai l loading or had been damaged themselves. The wi thdrawal and the towi ng were particularl y compl icated b y embankments, deep ravi nes and heavy ice conditions. Ill. Evaluation: There m ust be strict orders that, u nder no circum­ stances and at all levels of command, Tiger units m ust never be commi tted at less than company strength and that Panzer Vis and Panzer I l ls are not to be commi tted separately. The Tigers must be used as the battering ram as the attack advances and remain as a bulwark at the Schwer­ punkt of the defense. Soldiers, in general, are of the opinion that the Tiger can do anything and everyth i ng. They do not understand that a newly developed weapon system has deficiencies and weaknesses that first need to be remedied as a result of increased experience and further devel­ opment. Because of that, the danger exists that Tiger u n i ts may be assigned tasks that normal tank com­ panies can perform without difficul ty. As a result of continual movement and the resultan t increased demands placed on run n i ng gear and power plants and lack of time allowed for techni-

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

cal service, damage occurs that results in Tiger units having mechanical problems when they are used. The maintenance facility must be able to work as long as possible at a single location, preferably a railroad station. When locations are changed, they have a particular need to know the final destination. The Tiger unit must, for the present, be kept as the unit commander's last reserve, waiting in readiness behind a key sector so that it can force a decision when all other means fail. The Road March: The winter cleats offer inadequate protection against sliding sideways, which is a particular prob­ lem at present due to the many ice-covered ravines and embankments. The road-march speed meets requirements in every respect. Effects of Enemy Fire: Gunfire from enemy 7.62cm antitank guns did not achieve any penetrations of the company Tigers or cause severe damage. In one case, a hit on the top of the front of the commander's cupola raised it somewhat because the weld broke and the cupola bolts shot inside the tank. The Russian Model 42 antitank rifle penetrated up to 1 7mm, measured on the driver's front slope. The antitank rifle was encountered frequently; it was easily identifiable by its sizeable muzzle flash. In one case, a round hit the forward vision slot of the commander's cupola at an angle, broke out one corner, ricocheted and made the vision block unusable. If it had been a direct hit, it probably would have penetrated. Most of the hits from the antitank rifles were close to the vision slits. A hit on the outer jacket tube of the 8.8 cm main gun, probably from a 45mm antitank gun, caused a size­ able indentation of the outer tube and a very slight indentation in the inner tube. Since the crew did not suspect a hit in that location, the firefight was carried on without any problem. Conduct of Fire: The main gun reliably achieved hits at up to 1 500 meters with a well bore-sighted weapon. The effect and penetration performance of the 8.8cm gun against all targets up to now leaves no room for improvement. The ammunition basic load should be a 1 : 1 ratio between arm or-piercing and h igh-explosive

rounds. As a minimum, they have to be delivered to the supply units in this ratio in order to balance out the daily requirements of fighting. During the last few engagements, only armor-piercing rounds were available. Some of the bases of the shell cas­ ings were thicker, which resulted in blockages because the breech-block jammed on them. The mechanism for securing the main gun during vehicle movements must be operable by hand. The readiness of the weapon to fire suf­ fered from the present locking system, resulting in delays of at least a minute. Driving without travel locking the weapon during operations cannot be done since the weapons loses i ts elevation bore­ sight after a short period of time. Firing observation is adequate for the tank commander, but the gunner's vision is severely hindered by the smoke from the discharge. In any case, the optics need a wiper. At this time, a device of our own construction has proven itself well. Desired Changes: Tank commander: The commander's cupola must be lower. The vision slits must be adjustable. As proposed earlier, the cupola hatch must open to the side. The cable for the earphones and microphone is too short. The commander's emergency hand wheel for the traversing mechanism must be provided with a neutral setting. Vision blocks would be good for the commander's cupola. Gunner: The seating arrangement twists the hips. The hand wheel for the elevating gear should be higher and provided with a knob. The optics froze when it got very cold so that the cross-hairs slipped and it was impossible to determine the range. The mechanism for securing the turret in place needs to function from top to bottom, since it comes loose in the present form. An additional turret travel lock is needed for the 6 o'clock posi­ tion since, when towed, the turret wandered to the side. Loader: The machine gun is too close to the main gun, which interferes with feeding ammunition belts. The machine gun jams a lot because the sear breaks or bends easily. The ammunition stowage for the 8.8cm main gun is impractical, especially

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

the lower stowage. The emergency escape hatches have to open l i ke doors. H i nges should be l i ke the radio operator's hatch (completely inside ) . Presen tly, the emergency escape hatch can only be opened but not closed from with i n . The hatch is not j ust so that the c rew can bail out in an emer­ gency, but also for evacuati ng wounded, for com­ mun ication with infa n try, for th rowin g out empty shell cases and for extinguishing engi ne fi res i n combat b y turning t h e turret to th ree o'clock. I t also is used for getting o u tside to prepare for tow­ ing damaged tanks i n combat. Driver: The vision slit jams easily. Side-vision optics (vision blocks for the driver and radio operator) n eed to be moveable. The i nspection hatch between the figh ting com partment and the engine compart­ ment needs to be larger to improve capability to work. The rear marker light n eeds armor protec­ tion because it is contin ually destroyed. Tool boxes n eed to be placed i nside the vehicle or i nside the stowage box. Otherwise they regularly get lost. Radio Operator: There is serious i n terfere nce in the tank. Medi um-wave apparatus would be effective for use as a command tank and for the company com­ mander so as to be able to stay i n constant com­ munication with the division. That lack was fel t as a serious h i ndrance during operations with the 1 7th Panzer D ivisio n . IV. Organization: Wi th two h eavy companies, the Tiger battalion consti tutes a very strong fighting force. Reinforce­ ment with a third Tiger com pany, as some pro­ pose, is considered u n necessary. At the presen t time, massing that many Tigers a t o n e location is not possible. The result is that the battalion is spli t up, resulting i n correspondingly increased diffi­ cul ties i n supply. There is t�e addi tional danger

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that the battalion will become too u nwieldy and no longer be able to properly perform its mis­ sions. Already, during a u n i t move, the terrible condition of Russian roads gives rise to difficulties in the march and blockages caused by a battalion that is heavily equipped with vehicles. The fol lowi ng organization of the com pany is considered practical and has been used since i ts activation : Com pany headquarters section: two Panzer VIs ( bo th equi pped as command veh icles. The second, serving as a reserve vehicle for the com­ pany commander, is presently lacking.) Two platoons, each with four Panzer VIs Two platoons, each wi th five Pan zer I l ls (with the 7.5cm short gun ) Rationale: The two Tiger platoons combine strong fi repower and can be employed rapidly by the com pany commander. I n the event of losses, each platoon retains sufficient combat power. Fire con trol is firmly in the platoon leader's hand at all times. The two Panzer I I I platoons can be used either for reconnaissance to the front or flank or to pro­ tect the Panzer VIs from close-in attack, as well as in combat agai nst infan try and massed targets at any time. Equipping the unit with supply and logistical elements and the exact table of organization [ Kriegststiirkenachweisl and table of basic allowances [ Krieg5ausrUs/,ungsnac!zweisungl must be established in coordination with officers who can report on their experiences during operations. In summary, it can be stated that, after correc­ tion of i ts developmental teeth ing problems, the Tiger completely fulfills all the req uirements for a heavy tank i n combat. Of the n i n e Tigers i n the company, most have reached a kilometer reading of about 800 kilometers.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

In the Kalmuck Steppes in January 1 943. Local forms of transportation are impressed into service.

Left to right: Gefreiter Biermann, Unteroffizier Bandt, Gefreiter Reis, Panzerschiitze Hoffmann (H. ) .

Left to right: Unteroffizier Bandt, Unteroffizier Nobel, and Unteroffizier Diener.

First After-Action Report of the Company Comma1lder of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Wheeled vehicles of the battalion in the Kalmuck Steppes.

A factory in Rostow that served as the location for the Maintenance Company from January to February 1 944.

Workplace of a maintenance platoon of the maintenance company at Proletarskaja, January 1 943.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

A Panzer III belonging to the light platoon of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502 (later 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503). Tank commander Unteroffizier Mieder and his crew in March 1 943 in the area between the Don and the Mius. For additional protection against rounds, the tank had spaced armor added to the front surfaces. A hit can be seen on the front slope above the driver's vision slot. Had the additional armor not been there, the round might have penetrated.

The turret of a Tiger I hangs from the Portalkran (portable bridge crane). Apparently, the barrel (barrel lining) of the main gun had been replaced. The barrel has white winter camouflage. It might have come from the turret with white camouflage which is in the background.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Supplies roll to the front over the military bridge across the Don near Bataisk, January 1 943.

Oberleutnant Scherf, the commander of the 3rd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, briefs the battalion commander, Hauptmann Graf Kageneck, on the situation. Leutnant Bielefeld stands next to Scherf. Possibly at Oratoff, January 1 943.

January 1 943 in the Kalmuck Steppes at Ssalsk. Tiger crews view Russian prisoners.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

January 1 943 in the Kalmuck Steppes between Ssalsk and Kuberle. A T-34 has been knocked out by a Tiger.

Refueling a Tiger of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 from 200-liter fuel drums in Anastasijewska, February 1 943.

After the battalion commander was wounded, Oberleutnant Scherf assumed temporary command of the battalion and led it during the Tscherkassy Operation.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tan" Battalion 502

The battalion will eat well tonight_ Left to right: Obergefreiter Daubitz, Schiitze Kluge, UnterofIlZier Plenge, and Gefreiter Stading. Anastasijewska, February 1 943.

Gefreiter Werner Reis in Rostow at the end of January

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Left to right: Gefreiter Neubert, Gefreiter Philipps, Gefreiter Fischer (W. ) , Gefreiter Kielke, Unteroffizier Heier, Gefreiter Riedel (with the two children) , Unteroffizier Plenge, Gefreiter Baumgart, and an unidentified soldier. Anastasijewska, February 1 943.

Unteroffizier Heier and Unteroffizier Plenge in Anastasijewska, February 1 943.

First After-Activn Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

The local populace at the 503's billets in Barischnas.

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I

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR [J

n February 1 943, as the last in a line of ten or eleven tan ks movi ng forward, Panzer III 1 03 broke through the ice while crossing the Mius and sank. With the exception of the gunner, Gefrei te r Ringleb, the other four members o f the crew drowned. When the river became free of ice at the end of Marc h , the tank was recovered. Three of

the drowned crew-Obergefrei ter Gronau, Gefre­ i te r Sch u l t, and Panzersch utze Grof3man-were recovered. They were buried in the military ceme­ tery at Prokowskoje. The tan k commander, U n teroffizier Dunkel, was not found. Presumably, he had been carried away by the curren t. The fol­ l owing five photos i l l ustrate that tragic event.

In the foreground i s Panzer ill 1 03, which belonged t o the Light Platoon. Prokowskoje i s i n the background. The vehicles are bunched up at the Mius crossing. There was a bridge for light vehicles, but the tanks had to cross on the ice.

Divers connected the recovery cable of the prime mover to the sunken tank . The Mius bridge is in the background.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Three I S-ton prime movers of the recovery section of the battalion's maintenance company were hitched up. Oberfelwebel Konig, the leader of the Recovery Platoon, directed the recovery from his position on the hood of the lead prime mover, where he was visible to his drivers.

Panzer ill 1 03 Imally emerged from the water after a month of being submerged.

The recovered vehicle is brought ashore. On the left is the company commander, Oberleutnant von Forster, along with Oberfeldwebel Konig.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

Gefreiter Kempe and Gefreiter Rogall.

Gefreiter Hirlimann of the ammunition section has a "slight" accident at Rodionowski, April 1 943.

The ammunition section appears to be taking a maintenance halt while in march column, Rodionowski, April 1 943.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Feldwebel Kurt Fischer and Unteroffizier Heier next to an ammunition truck, Rodionowski, April 1 943.

The 3rd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 on the march from Taganrog to Mariupol. The command Kiibelwagen is in the foreground. March 1 943.

A maintenance halt. The Tiger in the foreground carries the unit insignia of Tiger Tank Battalion 502-the mammoth-on the left side of the front armor in front of the radio operator's position. When the company was incorporated into Tiger Tank Battalion 503, that insignia was removed. 503 did not carry any recognition markings. March 1 943.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BAITALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Hauptmann Fichtner (left), the battalion maintenance officer, and Oberleutnant von Forster, March 1 943.

Left to right: Oberleutnant von Forster, Stabsfunkmeister Nega, and Oberfeldwebel Konig, spring 1 943.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Tigers of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, on the move_ To the right of the bridge is the vehicle of the company commander, a Kfz. 15. March 1 943 in the southern Ukraine.

Two photos showing repair work on the engine of Tiger 324 of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, in Mariupol, March 1 943.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR []

The llitsch steel plant at Mariupol. Tiger Tank Battalion 503's maintenance company was located there in March 1 943.

The 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, preparing for a road march. Tiger 1 0 1 will lead the column.

The following soldiers from the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, received the Iron Cross, First Class: (left to right) Unteroffizier Wunderlich, Leutnant Jammerath, Unteroffizier Miederer, Unteroffizier Giirtner, an unidentified soldier, Feldwebel Miiller, and, sitting, Hauptmann Lange, the company commander. Uammerath and the unidentified soldier had been temporarily attached from the 1st Company.)

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

Hauptmann Lange says farewell to the 3rd Company. Left to right: Oberleutnant Scherf, Hauptmann Lange, and Leutnant Freiherr von Rosen. Scherf and von Rosen later served as company commanders in the battalion. Prokowske, March 1 943.

Panzer III with the short­ barreled 7.5 cm gun. Leutnant Jammerath, leader of the Light Platoon of 503's 1 st Company.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAUON 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

These photos and those on the following page originate from an ammunition sergeant in the battalion's logistics section. They show various views of rail-loading operations in April 1 943 at the Sartana train station.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

101

The above photo shows Unteroffiziere Mertens and Asch (foreground) and Obergefreite Sohr and Albrecht on the rail car.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

--

Another view of rail-loading operations at the Sartana train station in April 1 943. Tiger 323 of the 3rd Company stands by to be loaded on the train. Note the narrow transportation tracks on the Tiger.

Rail transport to Bogoduchow. Tiger 1 0 1 of the 1st Company is pictured. Note the additional bracing materials employed to ensure the tank does not shift during the rail movement.

UnteroflIziere Heier, Diener, Bauer, and Nobel of the battalion's ammunition section.

First After-Action Report of the Company Commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502

The thaw sets in at Rodionowski-

Gefreiter Perschner and Gefreiter Reis with the local populace.

All the conveniences of home: an example of "plumbing" in the Ukraine.

1 03

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Unteroffizier Mertens, Unteroffizier Asch, and Gefreiter Rogall.

Gefreiter Biermann, Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.), Gefreiter Reis, Gefreiter Perschner, and Unteroffizier Plenge.

Stabsfeldwebel Kisseberth, Unteroffizier Wiirke, and an unidentified soldier.

PA R T

THREE

IN THE UKRAINE , 1 9 4 3-44

C HAPTER

1 5

With Arllly Group Don in the Ukraine frolll Ap ril 1943 to May 1944 A lfred Rubbel

T

he battalion had its baptism of fire behind it. The figh ting between the Manytsch and the Mius, measured against later and more difficult operations of the battalion, had been very costly. In December 1 942, the primary operational objective for Army Group Don-later renamed Army Group South-was to hold open a corridor on the lower Don at Rostow for· the units of Army Group A that were figh ting their way back from the Caucasus. That was a success, if only for the 1 st Panzer Army. Our battalion, committed with Army Battalion Hollidt, contributed its part. Later, when I came to the battal ion in March of 1 943, it was clear to me that the 1 3th Panzer Division, where I had served at that time, had made it back safely thanks to the defense at the Manytsch . The experiences u p t o that point had emphat­ ically proven that it was not practical to link the light Panzer I l ls with the Tigers in a single pla­ toon or within a single company. When trans­ ferred to the area of operations of Army Battalion Kempf in the Kharkov area, ';Ve were given a "pure fleet" of forty-five Tigers. A s'hakeup of personnel corrected addi tional areas of weakness. The reorganization in the Bogoduchow area, and later at Kharkov, also brought us several weeks of quiet before the beginning of July when we moved into an assembly area at Tolokonoje, north of Bj elgorod. Operation Citadel ( Ziladelle) started from there.

The battalion spent the following eleven months in unbroken, difficult operations. The well-known fact that there are always a number of tanks that are out of action because of enemy action or technical deficiencies, however, blessed the tankers with an occasional pause to catch their breath.

• • • •

• • •

•

•

During that time period, we were involved in Operation Citadel in the Kursk-Orel area: July 1 943, The fighting retreat from the Donez to the DrUepr: August-October 1 943, The defensive fighting in the southern Ukraine: January-May 1 944 Defensive fighting and contai nment opera­ tions at Oratoff and Tscherkassy in Tiger Tank Regiment Bake Defensive fighting at Winniza and Prosku roff, Containment operations at Kamenez-Podolsk Offensive operations and positional warfare on the Dnjestr and in the Carpathians. Operations with Battle Group Mittermeier at Tarnopol. Withdrawal of the battalion and refitting at Ohrdruf: May-June 1 944.

The significance and intensity of the fighting during Operation Citadel and at the Tscherkassy Pocket stand out among the actions in the 107

1 08

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Ukraine. Citadel proved to be a failure and had to be called off. Of all i ts operations, that was where the battalion suffered the heaviest casualties. At Tscherkassy, where we attempted to save two encir­ cled corps with a total of about 50,000 men, the battalion was to play a decisive roll as part of Tiger Tank Regiment Bake. It was possible for about half of the encircled men to break out. It was heartening that the battalion i tself suffered very few losses of personnel and material, even though it was committed for seventeen days straigh t. During the withdrawal of Army Group South from the Donez to the Dnjepr, the battalion was split up and committed across the entire width of the 8th Army. As a result, we lost many Tigers due to mechanical problems. Because recovery means were lacking, they had to be abandoned. Unfortu­ nately, there are scarcely any accounts of those operations, which lasted all of September 1 943 and ended with us assembling at Snamenka. The period of fighting that extended from Tscherkassy until the withdrawal of the battalion in May cost us heavy losses. The actions often contradicted the basic fundamentals for the com­ mitment of Tigers. That was of secondary impor­ tance, however, because the Heeresgruppe, under the brilliant command of Generalfeldmarshall von Manstein, had to do its utmost to prevent the

collapse of the front. That succeeded, but, in the process, our battalion was worn threadbare. We turned over the remaining Tigers, along with the other equipment, to Tiger Tank Battalion 509, led at that time by the former commander of the 1 st Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, Haupt­ mann Burmester. We went from the assembly point at Lemberg for refitting at Ohrdruf. A portion of our battalion which had been detached from us and had received new Tigers from Germany fought with Battle Group Mitter­ meier at Tarnopol. It was led by Leutnant Piepgras. Up to that point in time, the battalion had the following soldiers killed in action: • • • • • •

1 st Company: 57 killed 2nd Company: 40 killed (estimated) 3rd Company: 32 killed Headquarters Company: ? Support Company: ? Maintenance Company: ?

According to the tank situation report on 30 April 1 944 there were still seven Tigers in service; twenty-two were awaiting repair in various cate­ gories of damage; and sixteen had been lost since 31 December 1 943.

C HAPTER

1 6

Recollections froll1 My Till1e as COll1ll1ander of Ti ger Tank Battalion 503, June 1943-January 1944 Clemens Gra! Kageneck

W

1 e n , today, forty-five years after the eve n ts, I attempt to make a con tribu­ tion to a book of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, I m ust fi rst make some prefatory remarks. Unfort unately, my relatively sparse diary n o tes taken down in the h ectic days at the fron t were lost later o n . Therefore I cannot provide precise dates or name specific places. H owever, the total­ ity of major even ts, as seen from my personal view­ poin t , natu rally, has been so indelibly stamped i n my memory that I can dare hope that most o f my comrades will agree with my presen tation based on their own perceptions. Therefore I will attempt to sketch the even ts from my arrival a t the battal­ ion at Kharkov in the middle June of 1 943 u n til I left, due to wounds, at the end of January 1 944. On the day before the final day of the battal­ ion commander's course in Paris, the class advisor, Oberst von Waldenfels, called me to his office and informed me that I should i mmediately pack my bags and hasten by the fastest route to Kharkov i n order t o take over command of a Tiger battalion. It would be the l egendary T�ger. The most any of ' us at the course knew about i t was from a speech by H err Goebbels. According to Goebbels, this new weapon system was far superior to anything the e nemy had. At the Kharkov ai rport, I was met by an Ober­ leutnant (Smend ) , who appeared to be somewhat older than the average lieutenant. He told me on the way to visit the commanding general-

Brei th-he had formerly been a diplomat at the German Embassy i n Rome. Brei th had i nvi ted us to dinner. Smend proved hi mself, in any event, to be a most circumspect adjuta n t and organ izer. His special strength was in composing diplomatic let­ ters to General Thomale ( the I nspector General of the Panzer Troops) when it was importan t to get speedy replacements for veh icles that had been lost. General Breith, who commanded the I I I Panzer Corps a t the time, knew m e from his time as commander of the 3rd Panzer Division during the great raids to the Caucasus during the sum­ mer of 1 942. I had led a company in the 6th Panzer Regiment. He told me that a great mission awaited me and i ndicated the powerful weapon would play a decisive role. Then I was off to where my new comrades were quartered. The Headq uar­ ters Company and the three tank companies had al ready assembled. Oberstle utnant H oheisel said his farewells and I gave a short "arrival speech." For a wh ile, the situation remained quiet for us. Only much later did I discover-for example, from von Manste i n 's memoi rs-how the higher levels of command had already struggled with H i tler for the earliest possible execution of Operation Citadel. That would have denied Ivan additional time to reinforce the salient around Kursk in great depth . We would soon feel the consequences of that delay of more than seven weeks. 109

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

During the period of peaceful "garrison serv­ ice" at Kharkov there was, nevertheless, one excit­ ing day. Under the direction of Field Marshal von Manstein, Commander in Chief of Army Group South, a "dog and pony" show was staged for very high Turkish military leaders. It was intended to impress them with the power of our army. Turkey, at the time, was wavering in deciding whether to support the Allies or the Germans. Our Tigers had the honor of advancing at the head of a strong bat­ tle group of the 7th Panzer Division through a deep Balka. We would then break through strong enemy defensive positions located on the far slope of the defile. Since everything was taking place with live ammunition and, in addition, our own Stukas were hurling their "cargo" against the "enemy" directly in front of our battalion, the whole affair was a display of fireworks such as scarcely anyone of us had ever experienced. The Turks were enormously impressed and, after Manstein had departed with his guests, we cele­ brated for a long time at the dinner table in the Balka. At the end, Oberst Schulz-commander of the 25th Panzer Regiment and, later, commander of the 7th Panzer Division and recipient of the dia­ monds to the Knight's Cross-and I passed out at the table and were hauled off in a Kiibelwagen. On 4 July the battalion marched to an assem­ bly area northeast of Bjelgorod, near the L)onez. We were attached directly to Army Detachment Kempf. After I had arrived, it was dear to me that Kempf would ignore Guderian's maxim of klotzen, nicht kleckern. He had distributed our three tank companies on a broad front among his three attacking divisions. I immediately reported to General Breith and asked him to persuade higher levels of command to undo that folly. He did exactly that, and was successful, but it took several days before the battalion was reassembled. And so I experienced the beginning of Citadel more or less as a spectator with the comrades of the Headquarters Company. I stood on the bank of the Donez in the gray light of dawn on 5 July to . watch the crossing of our tanks into the bridge­ head. The engineers had worked feverishly during the night and the bridge was 80 percent com­ pleted. Then, suddenly, a "red sunrise" arose on the far side as hundreds of Stalin organs hurled their rockets exactly onto the crossing site. The bridge was totally demolished and the engineers, unfortunately, suffered heavy losses. Never had I

hugged the dirt so tightly as when those terrible shells sprayed their thin fragments just above the ground. That barrage first brought to light the unbelievable defect in the plans that had been totally overlooked during the preceding weeks: The enemy positions at the southern edge of our bridgehead had to be eliminated, since those posi­ tions gave the enemy perfect observation into our location from a distance of about two kilometers (we could see the high ground) . Thus, the attack in this sector was delayed at the onset. Kempfs detachment, with our Tigers in the lead, had the mission of covering the main north­ ward thrust of Army Group South toward Kursk. We covered to the northeast. That soon meant an open right flank, of course. We didn't notice that at first, since the daily fighting occupied us com­ pletely. Never before had a major German offen­ sive operation had to master such a deeply eche10ned and imaginatively organized defensive system. (In 1 940 Rommel penetrated the Maginot line with the 7th Panzer Division in a single night!) What Manstein and Kluge had feared since May­ that, with every week's delay, the Russians would create a nearly impenetrable fortification-was what we now had to face. We found letters from German prisoners who had been captured at Stal­ ingrad at several locations in the abandoned posi­ tions. The Ivans had used the prisoners in the construction of more and more new positions. Every day we had to crack at least one defen­ sive barrier that included an ingenious system of flanking antitank positions. At one point, my tank was positioned right on top of an occupied trench. It was only from on high that you could look down into it-the machine gun was helpless at that angle-and I saw how the brown figures were laughing as they passed Molotov cocktails to one another. The only solution was "step on the gas" and move on. After eight days, in spite of con­ stant threats to the open right flank, we (still at the head of Detachment Kempf) had won our way to high ground that had to be held for a while. We had to hold it because our neighbors to the left had been held up. We had already penetrated a good forty kilometers. Naturally, a lot of tanks had dropped out along the way, probably fewer due to enemy action than to the frequent transmission problems of the ini­ tial Tigers. Mine, too, was soon in the mainte­ nance facility for repair, so I had to use a Steyr

Recollectionsfrom My Time as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503,june 1 943-january 1 944

Ktibelwagen to visit the 1 st Company, which was securing somewhere to the northeast. I thought I would take a shortcut on the return trip-one ori­ en tated by the sun-th rough a Balka that curved half�right. So my driver and I dashed off down the defile. Conspicuously heavy artillery fi re was com­ ing down about a kilometer away on the far slope and I thought to myself "what a heavy caliber Ivan was using." At the bottom of the depression we had to make a gentle curve to the right, and then both of us fel t our hearts drop: In fron t of us stood a group of about ten Russian soldiers, mostly offi­ cers, tal king i n the m iddle on the sandy path. I shouted, "Step on the gas ! " The Russians leaped to the side and, ducking low as the machine guns above us fired along the ravine, we constantly expected to run i n to the next Russian position. Sudden ly, I saw a German steel helmet just above the ground and, a few meters farther, we were i n t h e foremost unit of the panzer grenadiers of the neigh boring division-safely home again . Citadel reached i ts h igh poin t after about ten days, a battle of attrition such as we had n ever previously experienced. When Generaloberst Mode l 's 9th Army ( i n Field Marshal Kluge's Army Group Center) attacking from the north (Ore l ) came under severe p ressure from heavy e nemy attacks and had to break off i ts attack, we also had to start pulling back. We suffered a particularly deplorable l oss during an evening operation. Ap­ paren tly the commande rs i nvolved had not coordi­ nated effectively. I n any case, several of our own assault guns appeared about 800 yards ahead of us-clearly recognized as such by us-bu t one of them opened f i re and achieved a clean penetra­ tion with his long-barreled 7.5cm gun at the radio operator's position in one of our vehicles. That was an i ndication of how easily the l ines can blur at the turning poin t of an operation. Wh ile we had been the "spearhead" up to that poi n t , it was the rol e of " fi reman" that fel l to us now. Our neigh bors pulled back under the grow­ ing Russian p ressure and . Ivan advanced with strong armored forces. On o n e such action I was able to hastily assemble e igh t tanks and we attacked across a swampy sector, behind which an alder-covered slope rose to h igh ground. Then we saw an amazing picture. Riflemen from our neigh­ boring division were withdrawi ng-still in a half­ organized fashion-and i n between them rolled Russian tanks, firing wildly around in all d irec-

111

tions. We were already in an ideal position and, i n a short time, knocked out more than twen ty o f the Russian tanks that were moving in fron t of us l ike targets on a range . Once agai n the weakness of the T-34 showed up-the tank commander in the turret could not see around him. Therefore none of them noticed how the neighbori ng tanks were goi n g up in flames, and new targets kept coming over the h i l l . I t was probably 1 4 July w h e n w e reached the Bjelgorod-Kursk road with the last ten i n tact tanks. The main effort had started there at the begin­ n in g of Citadel . Now there was nothing but with­ drawal-very few orders were coming from the higher levels of command-and we were soon left all alone to the righ t and left. As long as it stayed l ight , we advanced here and there i n to the steppe. At n igh t we had to stay awake since we were lack­ ing infan try support-an all too common experi­ ence for us tank men. My tank was positioned righ t next to the road. The n ight was pitch black, and a closed up company of Russians marched directly toward us. There wasn't even any feeling of sporting fairness. It was simply a matter of keep­ ing them in the searchlight beam at short range. The next morning I fi nally had radio con tact with the 7th Panzer D ivision and reported we were stil l holding on with a few tanks but that the e nemy pressure was constantly i ncreasi ng. Our own forces had, in the meantime, withdrawn a good five kilometers farther to the south. When a tank off to my left stopped dead ( h i t in the run­ n ing gear) , I moved over to i t in order to rescue the crew. All around us the steppe swarmed wi th Russians, whose antitan k rifles were as good as i nvisible. When I was barely ten meters away from the other tank I gave the signal to bail out from my open turret hatch, at which poin t I was sud­ denly h i t by shrapnel from the turret i n the hand and l ower arm. I o nly came to briefly from my u nconsciousness (an hour later? ) , lying in a road­ side ditch. A general ( I only saw red and gol d ) emphatically wan ted to q uestion me about t h e sit­ uation at the fron t. H owever, due to the shock and the major loss of sleep from the previous n ights, I immediately passed out agai n . Only three days later, i n the hospital in Kharkov, did I dis­ cover from Smend, the adj utant, that the crew of the other tank had been rescued and the en tire battalion had rejoined the l i n es. Our fighti ng all by ourselves had, without a doubt, given major

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

relief to the entire sector. General Breith recom­ mended me for the Knight's Cross [ Ritterkreuz] . My wounds-a number of fragments had to be removed by surgery-healed in Germany on the Mosel. I returned to the battalion at the begin­ ning of September. At that time, unfortunately, I no longer ended up in Kharkov, but at Proskuroff. Von Manstein's entire army group had withdrawn to the southern bank of the Dnjepr after heavy fighting at Kharkov. My staff was in the Snamenka area. I was angry to discover that the commanding general of the infantry corps-General Stemmermann-had assigned a tank company to each of his three divi­ sions. He probably had in mind Goebbels' pro­ nouncement that, "wherever there is a Tiger, no enemy gets through," more than the wise maxims of Guderian. Therefore I made haste to the next higher command post, the staff of General Wohler's 8th Army in Kirowograd, thirty kilome­ ters distant. There I was received by the chief of staff, a general who seemed more of a philoso­ pher than a type-A personality. I t was General Speidel, who later led Field Marshal Rommel's staff during the invasion, and, many years later, was one of the founders of the Bundeswehr. I told him of my concerns and soon discovered that he was in full agreement with me regarding the fundamental of tank commit­ ment-klotzen, nicht kleckern. Within three days, our three tank companies were assembled at Sna­ menka. And not a day too soon, for the Russians suddenly assaulted from a bridgehead farther east on the Dnjepr with strong armored forces and rolled right over the headquarters of General Stemmerman. He and his entire staff passed by us helter-skelter. Our Tigers were able to clean up the situation with an immediate counterattack. We then had some quiet in our sector to work on the tanks and look after our own health. There was also an officer's shooting competition, of which I still have a few pictures. I still remember something that �appened from our time in Snamenka. Shortly before we were withdrawn from that area for commitment elsewhere, an extremely young infantry lieutenant showed up and told me that, as leader of a hastily thrown together unit, he was to occupy a defen­ sive position in that area and wanted me to brief him on the terrain . The situation had apparently reached a point where convalescents returning to

the front were being yanked off trains, hastily thrown together into local defense groups and entrusted to any available officer. I then led the agitated young comrade around the sector, when an Oberstleutnant suddenly appeared, whose battalion held the immediately adjacent position. He closed his "remarks" with the pithy remark, "Here you can either earn the Knight's Cross or a court martial." Mter that hardcore gentleman departed, I was at pains to calm down the poor Leutnant. It helped to assure him our Tigers would still be nearby. In any event, however, our tanks had become a wandering fire brigade. Even for the brilliant strategist, von Manstein, "the blanket was too short." On one of those short raids something unusual happened that easily could have brought about a "hero's death" for the fatherland. The only way our tanks could get to the designated area led across a stream with steep embankments and the bridge looked damned shaky. There was no other way, so we had to take the risk of crossing it with our thirty tanks, each weighing sixty-two tons. The crossing did, in fact, succeed although at less than a walking pace. The ensuing operations­ containing a minor penetration-was wrapped up after three hours. Unfortunately, the return led back over that same bridge. My tank was riding point. It moved cautiously onto the bridge. The upper half of my body was clear of the cupola. Then things went so fast that there was no time for me to react at all. All of a sudden everything turned around and I found myself standing on my head, directly over the stream. The long cannon of our Tiger had saved me. When the colossus turned over so rapidly, the long barrel had dug into the bank and stopped the sixty-two-ton monster from turning totally topsy-turvy. Otherwise I would have been crushed to a pulp. The winter weeks passed in continuous, mobile defensive fighting against an enemy who was per­ petually superior in weapons. It was only in mid­ January that von Manstein , our commander-in­ chief, glimpsed a chance to take advantage of the deep enemy breakthrough in the Winniza area and turn it into an encirclement. Two panzer corps-one from the Urn an area to the east, the other coming from the west-would encircle the Russian army that had advanced to Winniza from the north. In addition to the commanding gener­ als of the two corps, I was also summoned to the

Recollections from My Time as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503,jlllle 1 943-jallllUry 1 944

issuance of orders at the field marshal's head­ quarters. Our battalion was to form the spearhead of the western attack wedge as part of Battle Group Bake. I n the gray l igh t of dawn on the morning of 28 January 1 944 we set out over the e ndless snow­ covered steppe. The fi rst radio message from the 1 st Company, which was comm itted on the righ t, was pai n fu l to me: Oberleutnant Adamek, who had j ust come to us from my former Panzer Regi­ ment 6, had been killed by a head wound. My memory gives n o clearer con tours than the monotonous white steppe and occasional duels wi th enemy tanks, mostly at about 2,000 meters. Back then we still used " Kentucky windage" and left it up to our excellent gunners and the h igh velocity of our 88mm guns. We usually hit the enemy with the second or third round. My tank achieved that kind of a hit, apparently setti ng off the enemy's ammunition. I n a ny case, when the powde r smoke cleared , the T-34 had van ished. When we got to i ts location, the rem nants were scattered over a broad area. A few years ago, when I visi ted the Panzer Demonstration Battalion in Munster where my son served, he and his young comrades proudly showed me the technical marvels of their "Leo" and explained that there was no more "Kentucky windage." A laser range-fi nder determined the range immediately and adj usted the gun sites on the target. The turret was, of course, stabilized, and this amazed veteran learned that you had a greater than 80 percent chance of hitting the target with the first round while fi ring on the move against a moving target. There was no q uestion about the fact they had the best n ight-vision sights. I had to think back to the "firing halts" that we had to make if we were to use the main gun, and what a good target we then made for the 7.62cm antitank guns. But back to our figh ting. In a situation we had become accustomed to at Ci tadel and as sung in the tan ker's song-"All alone during the fight"­ we were all on our own dur:ing the rapid attack. We formed hedgehog defensi ve positions at n ight. The objective of o ur attack, the Ora toff rail road station was at least ten kilome te rs to the east. We were to meet the spearhead of the panzer division that was coming to l i n k up with us there. A radio message reached me from Battle Group Bake stat­ ing that the corps had ordered us to immediate ly set out for O ratoff.

1 13

Some sort of instinct told me that danger was building in that area from the north, that the enemy, aware that we were closing a pocket around the army that had advanced on Winn iza, wou ld certai nly mount a re lief attack. The gap between our battalion and Battle Group Bake was al ready large enough so that Ivan could si mply push into the vacan t space, if we were to follow the order and roll farther to the east. Therefore, [ resolved to wai t out the balance of the darkness and immediately recon noiter the high ground to the north. As it turned out, as first light dawned, enemy armor rolled forward on a broad front. We were in a nearly ideal position and knocked out thirty­ seven Russian tan ks, whereupon the others pulled back. Our successful engagement there was later eval uated as having been decisive for the success of the encirclemen t. At that poi n t we could again advance at h igh speed and link up with the other u n i ts as i f on maneuvers. The commander of the panzer regiment that made contact wi th us was Oberst von Col i n , whom [ had met n i ne months earlier i n Paris as the class advisor to our course of i nstruction. There was, accordingly, a joyful vodka salu te. When 1 then moved back to my own vehicle and asked the gunner for some bread for my stomach , which had gone empty for six hours, someth ing h i t me a series of hard blows to my righ t leg. I rolled righ t in fron t of the tracks of the tank next to mine and saw a moto rcycl e-sidecar combination with two men drive off at high speed i n to the pocket. It remains an open question whether that was the action of men from the so­ called National Committee for a Free Germany [ Nationalkomitee Freir's Dl'utsrhlanrl] or whether ( i mprobably) it was a couple of Ivans who had remained h idden in some hole. I n any case, I then found myself i n a Russian hut with two shots clean through my right knee. Our excellent battalion surgeon applied a sort of emergency spli n t. Only then did the pain and the high fever set i n . The old Matka brough t warm milk. Of more concern than the pain was our few tanks, which were all alone and m ight have had to ward off an attack at any time. The panzer regi ment that we had linked up with had al ready advanced to the south in order to clean up the pocket. At about midday a radio message arrived from the corps headq uarters aski ng whether a Fieseler

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Storch could land-answer: 'Ja! " The slow bird soon arrived and took me on board. I was only able to take my leave of a few of the comrades. The tanks had already occupied various positions. The flight seemed endless to me-over enemy­ occupied territory and in a slow-moving target for enemy fighters. We finally landed at the airfield at Winniza. Since Hitler's headquarters had been at Winniza during the summer months starting in 1 94 1 , that air strip must have experienced many more distinguished guests than me. I was immedi­ ately taken on to Tarnopol and, three days later, to Breslau, where I spent seven excruciating weeks in a cast from shoulder to toes. My last official act was recommending Oberleutnant Waiter Scherf for the Ritterkreuz. My convalescence lasted much longer than at first expected, so it was soon clear to me that it had been my final departure from my battalion. One day in March 1 944, to my immense j oy, Ober­ leutnant Smend showed up at my room in Breslau and reported to me about what had happened with my comrades since I had left them, especially about the great battle of Tscherkassy. Our Tigers had again played a decisive role there. Smend had now also bade his farewells and been called back to the diplomatic service in Italy by his former boss, Ambassador Rahn .

I cannot close my recollections without thank­ ing the man who kept up my physical strength with his incredible skill at cooking. After hours of operations in the tank, I could always count on a meal in my tent, prepared by that good man, Heinz Kieckers. There were even "straw-potatoes," thin strips of potatoes baked in sunflower oil. I remain eternally grateful for the pains that he took at the most difficult of times. I could never have wished for a better adjutant than Wolfgang Smend. Clever and circumspect, extremely accomplished in dealing with high lev­ els of officialdom, he always understood how to get replacement Tigers for us in a short time when we had losses. Therefore, both I and the bat­ talion were sorry when he left. Unfortunately, the period of time during which I had the honor to command such a unit as Tiger Tank Battalion 503 no longer belonged to the offensive heydays of the years 1 94 1 and 1 942. Instead it belongs to the period of difficult defen­ sive fighting after the "turning point" at Stalingrad. However, it was exactly that which demanded the utmost from officers and men. My oid comrades can be proud that they continually fought at the hot spots and join with me in loyal remembrance of our brave comrades who were killed.

CHAPTER

1 7

Reco ll ections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2) Dr. Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann

BOGODUCHOW Our tanks were loaded on 1 4 April and we wen t to Bogoduchow, about sixty kilometers south of Kharkov. All of the light tan ks were then turned in. The company was outfi tted with a total of fou r­ teen Tige rs and we received three complete addi­ tional crews that al ready had experience i n Russia-Oberfeldwebel Fendesack and U n ter­ offiziere Ribbel and Rubbel. I n tegrating those three crews was decisi vely i m portant for the 1 st Company. I t was only then that i t bonded i n to an i n tense comradeship. At the same time we received a new company commander, Hauptmann Burmester, n icknamed der lange Hein [ " the tal l Hein" ] . Most i mportant for the com pany at that time, however, was the replacement of the Spiefi [ fi rst sergean t ] . Stabsfu n kmeister Nega had been any­ thing but a "top" sergeant to the company. He cer­ tainly understood how to torment the young soldiers with petty harassment. Granted, it had been a long time since we topk him seriously, but we were still glad when he �as fi nally rel ieved. J saw him o nce more i n 1 944 during the Normandy i nvasion. During an attempt to "find" someth i ng alcoholic i n a n eigh boring vi llage, I walked i n broad dayligh t along a ditch beside t h e road. The n I saw him approac h i ng on the other side. His stride was typical. H e fixed his gaze on me promptly and expected a proper greeti ng. Sud-

denly he was qui te bewildered: 'jesus, Lochman n, you sack of shit, who made you an U nteroffi zier?" Before we were sent to Kharkov, all of the Tigers were made combat ready. From that time on, the company consisted of three platoons, each with fou r Tigers. In addition, we had a command tank and a commander's back-up tan k. The com­ mand tank then bore the turret n umber " l OO" and the back-up was n umbered " 1 0 1 ." The crew of Tiger 100 consisted of Pan Vogel, WaIter Martach, Wolfgang Speckin and myself. KHARKOV Soon we arrived at Kharkov, where we had a very good time, almost as if we were on leave. From then on we lived together as crews. Our main con­ cern was to look out for our common welfare. We always had something good cooking and there was always something to dri n k . We celebrated, and anyone who desi red could even go to the opera. Obviously, we also arranged for a fi rst-class com­ pany party while we were there . T h e period of rest at Kharkov was i n terrupted by th ree even ts. First, at Easter we moved our Tigers to the l in es at Tsch uglUew on the Donez, where we boresigh ted i n the guns on our new vehicles. Prior to doing that we had been provided with first-class aerial photographs where the Russ­ ian bunkers were easy to make out. Each tank knew i ts target and execu ted i ts assignment in115

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THE COMBAT HISTOR Y OF G ERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

between the fortified positions of the infan try. It was just like being at the range. The second diversion was the visit of the Turk­ ish generals that blessed us with the so-called Turkenubung [a slang term roughly equivalent to "dog and pony show" ] . As part of a larger forma­ tion we simulated the great event that was approaching, Operation Citadel. The exercise was executed with unheard of realism and demon­ strated a precise cooperation among various army branches and with the Luftwaffe. As the spear­ head, the battalion moved so close to the Stukas' target box that any imperfection in their aim could have led to a catastrophe for us. The third event that enlivened the peaceful routine of our stay in Kharkov was the most impor­ tant. A few days after we had occupied our quar­ ters, we were blessed with our new commander. He was Hauptmann Graf Kageneck. He would lead Tiger Tank Battalion 503 during its most successful period. Hauptmann Graf Kageneck as well as his later successors, Hauptmann Fromm and Haupt­ mann von Diest-Koerber, were typical "line" sol­ diers, who worked well with troops. In Kharkov we were quartered in the "Plechanowski" district. The 1 st Company was in the Starobelska, a street in that industrial district. In our immediate neighborhood there was a schnapps distillery, a sports stadium and the Schewschenko theater. The latter presented both performances of local character and also operatic productions in the Viennese style. One who first visited the schnapps distillery and then attended the opera had a burned out T-34 as a landmark right on the way home between the theater and our quarters. Anyone who ventured into the rela­ tively intact inner city certainly remembers the Red Square and the orthodox cathedral. We also remember that the city electric system was still functioning. It was so peaceful that, in June 1 943, there was even an entertainment troop that made it as far forward as us. CITADEL At that point, the battalion was moved to its assembly area in the forest at Tolekonoje, where we spent the last peaceful days. Everything that our commander, Hauptmann Graf Kageneck, wanted to prevent, happened. The three tank companies were each assigned to a dif­ ferent division . The 1st Company came to a halt

under heavy antitank gun fire in the midst of a minefield in front of an antitank ditch. The com­ bat engineers ( 70th Engineer Battalion) who advanced suffered fearsome losses. They were dec­ imated before our eyes while they cleared entire belts of mines. One tank company of the neigh­ boring panzer regiment on our right attempted an attack. It was not troubled by mines. However, that attack was brought to a halt by heavy antitank gun fire. Most of the tanks of that company (Panzer IV) burned. The company commander of that unit was Oberleutnant Reutermann. We would get to know him later as our company commander. The next night I had to pass on a supply report to the responsible corps by keyed transmis­ sion . Since I could not, of course, keep up with the rapid tempo of a trained staff radio operator, it turned into a joke. Only after I requested he go more slowly was I able to carry out the task in a more-or-Iess satisfactory manner. On the third day we fought our way through the antitank positions. The enemy pulled back. The company only had four vehicles in service. When the crew of Tiger 1 00 was standing behind its vehicle, it was surprised by a heavy mortar ( l 7.2cm ) . We all tried to dive under the vehicle at the same time, but our loader, Wolfgang Speckin, Pan Vogel and I were wounded. We took Speckin to the closest medical clearing station, where he was cared for immediately and sen t on to a hospital in Germany. Pan Vogel and I , each of us with a fragment in our butt, were driven to a rear-area dressing station where we were cared for and then taken back to Kharkov. When they then put us on a hospital train we blew our tops. We got off again, took our uniforms and went back to Bjelgorod. We spent a few days at the company trains recuperating and then were back in our Tiger. Citadel went badly. We were engaged in fight­ ing for days on end. Although we knocked out all sorts of targets, we kept duking it out with those terrible defensive bel ts of antitank guns. At that point I came down with a stubborn case of diar­ rhea. There was the heat in the tank, the constant thirst, and then, every half hour, I had to go. At first I used the oh-so practical muzzle-brake cover, but then nothing mattered to me any more. I climbed out to squat behind the tank. I j ust didn't notice enemy fire. I didn't get healthy until we vis­ ited Kharkov again during the march back.

Recollectiolls of a Pallzer Soldier (Part 2)

Waiter Martach did the cooking. The aroma of Saue rbraten was seductive. An en tire bucket of van illa pudding was an outstanding success. My mouth watered. All day long I 'd had nothing but tea and the hard tack from the emergency rations. I devou red the Sauerbraten-and that was the end of the diarrhea. My m i ne ral balance was nor­ mal again. I regai ned my strength and could han­ dle the sledgehammer. At that poi n t I ti pped the scales at less than 1 10 pounds. DERGATSCHI We were detailed to the 6th Panzer Regiment with Oberleutnant Oemler and an additional Tiger. We were located i n the De rgatsch i area between the 6th Panzer Regi men t's 6th ( Leu tnant Sorge) and 7th (Oberleutnant Tau l i n ) Companies. Wh ile Oberl e u tnant Oemler personally wen t to get us supplies as soon as possible, U n teroffizier Willy Roth joined our crew. For several days i t was the same game. Sudden tank noise, and the endless field of corn in fron t of us would be set to swaying. The n , all at once, the Russians would be righ t in front of us. We knocked out T-34s daily, with an occasional T-60 as wel l . Leutnant Sorge got really angry and repeatedly tried to get his own com­ pany to move forward . We wondered why. The poor swi ne had it a lot harder than we did. What was sport for us was deadly serious for them. It was remarkable that in a pure fight with other armor we fel t like h u n ters: We had n o fears, we knew the superiority of our weapon and relied on the heavy armor. All that we needed was a li t tle common sense and to avoid being foolish. Three days later a damned antitank gun , which we had not spotted in time, shot off one of our tracks. Our second Tiger towed us back with a great deal of effo rt . Our t rack was left lyi ng out in fron t of the Russian l i nes for a wh ile. While we were making ready to go and haul the track back with our second tank, it was already on i ts way back to us, brought by the battalion surgeon in his tank. Those boys were first class.. They had pushed forward and taken our trac k in tow. Our vehicle was quickly put back i n shape. Jochen Oemler was back with us again the next day. We had to move on with our two tan ks during the n ight. We got to a patch of woods. Sudde n ly there was indus­ trious activi ty all around us. We had driven i n to the midst of a Russian tank assembly area. Since all they had was diesel fuel and we did not care for

117

their rations, we decided discretion was the better part of valor and got out of there as quietly as we could. DEFENSIVE FIGHTING ON THE HIGH GROUND AT MEREFA This was not the kind of game we l i ked to be i nvolved in . . . we were posi tioned all day long with one or two tanks on the high ground with no infantry protection . We were providing security against the Russians. Again and again they tried armored assau l ts. Our field of fire , however, was superb. The Russians tried to weaken us with artillery. Every day they started their game early in the morn i ng and did not run out of ammun ition until eveni ng. I f the Russians had advanced dur­ ing the n igh t with i n fantry, they would long since have th rown us off of the high ground. We were able to complete our mission, however, the objec­ tive was bitte rl y contested. Feldwebel Lehman n , U n teroffizier Neuman n , Obe rgefrei ter Kriiger, Gefre i te r Jockwer and Gefreite r Hornberger were killed on our hill. Then we pulled bac k. By win ter, at the latest, a prepared position at the rear had to be con­ structed on the Dnjepr. The crew of Tiger 1 0 1 had been newly assembled. The gunner was now U n teroffizier Heino Kieiner, the loader, Herbert Ritscher and the driver, Piepel Grasse. "SCORCHED EARTH" We were i n the sector of SS Cavalry Division Fegelein. The company was billeted i n a village; the acting commander was Oberleutnant Oemler. Around us were vast pumpkin and melon fields. Everyone was sitting i n the garden at the company commander's quart ers. The alcohol was flowing freely. Suddenly, an exci ted staff officer appeared and showed his disapproval of our undiscipli ned behavior. Twenty five Russian tanks had penetrated the main l ines. The company was to deploy imme­ diately. "What?" asked our commander. "Twen ty­ five enemy tan ks-and you wan t the entire company?-No way! That calls for my 1 st Platoon." We set out with four tanks. One had already dropped out with mechanical problems by the time we got to the next vil lage. In Tiger 1 00 we had Oberfeldwebel Fendesack, along with Heino Kieiner, Piepel Grasse and Herbert Ritscher. Gunther Tessmer and his crew followed us, as did Feldwebel H orncke.

1 18

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

As we moved through the next village, we ran into the commander of the 3rd Company, Haupt­ mann Scherf. He heard about what we were intending to do and joined our group with his tank. Unfortunately, his vehicle also dropped out, so we made it to the lines with only three tanks. We had all gotten pretty lively. Only Heino, our gunner, still lay on the rear deck in deep sleep, fighting with the alcohol in his bloodstream. We decided what we were going to do behind the last high ground. Giinther Tessmer on the left, Feld­ webel Horncke on the right, and us in the mid­ dle-that was how we would engage the bastards. The Oberfeldwebel adjusted the sights. He placed the gunner in his seat and then it began. Giinther Tessmer had some problems with his engine and only appeared a bit later on the high ground. One of our own Pak also managed to get into position. The terrain favored us so we were the first to be able to spot the enemy below us. Feldwebel Horncke showed up a little later to our right. We were the lucky ones and were able to open the festivities. The Russians were fully occu­ pied with their own problems. Several of them had driven into a marshy spot and gotten stuck. Others tried to pull their comrades out. Only a few were immediately able to defend themselves against us. At a range of between 400 and 600 meters, we had knocked out nine Russian tanks in a few minutes. Franz Horncke polished off ' another six. Giinther Tessmer had to content him­ self with one. Even the Pak scored. It accounted for the last of the Russian tanks, which was in the process of making tracks out of there.

A FEW DAYS LATER Giinther Tessmer was now our tank commander. A few days later we were in a village on the steppe in a battle group with the crews of Unteroffiziere Ribbel and Rubbel, again with SS Cavalry Division Fegelein. Our tank was ordered a few kilometers east to pull security, while the SS prepared the vil­ lage for defense and Ribbel and Rubbel stood � ready in reserve. Night slowly fell and it got dark. Nothing stirred near us in the landscape. Everything was peaceful. About an hour later, horse-drawn vehi­ cles drew near us. They were not Russians, but sol­ diers of the Waffen-SS who had become separated from their units. As midnight approached, we were ordered back into the village to ward off an expected

armored attack. We were positioned on the road at the outskirts of the village. Ribbel and Rubbel were posted to our left. It was a strange night. A light ground fog lay over the broad steppe, which was cut partially by Balkas. Overhead, at our posi­ tion, the stars shone in the heaven. As a result, we could barely perceive the noises approaching us. Perhaps the small amount of alcohol in our blood­ stream had something to do with our inability to recognize the sounds. Everyone was awaiting the arrival of attacking Russian tanks. Only Giinther Tessmer and I thought it could be something else. We thought it was the sound of prime movers. Besides, it could be our own units, especially since we had had the experience a few hours earlier with the horse-drawn vehicles. Giinther and I sat on the turret. He had the flare pistol in his hand. Only when the vehicles that were approaching were very close would he illuminate the scene and, if need be, start the engagement. The time had come; a green flare climbed on high (white would blind our own gunners) . Santa Claus had come to town. The T-34 moving out fron t had its gun aimed directly at our Tiger. Behind it were the silhouettes of a great number of enemy tanks. I found it a very impressive pic­ ture. The T-34 looked like it was crouched to spring, and the brilliant light of the flare tinted everything a surreal green that shone, muted, through the ground fog. Then things started happening-fast! Giinther Tessmer leaped behind the turret. I jumped inside through my radio oper­ ator's hatch. At the instant that I disappeared inside there was a blow against our turret. While the other two tanks took care of the enemy, we were unable to take part in the fight. Our turret was jammed and we had to drive back to the rear that night. The radio-operator's hatch was jammed and could no longer be opened. Mter their first surprise, the Russian tanks pulled back and attacked the village again. It did not turn out well for them. Rubbel and Ribbel made good work of it. On the next few days we moved westward through the steppe. The company's tanks were dispersed everywhere. At some point we developed technical prob­ lems. The only gear that would engage in the transmission was fourth gear, and the worst thing was that the main gun would not work. When we got to Poltawa, it was already burning. And despite that they still could not decide to distribute the

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2)

contents of the giant ration dump to the troops without fol lowing the book. Everythi n g had to be done in proper m i l i tary fashion, orderly and by the book. That was when Heino turned out to be our man . Properly u n i formed and with correct, impeccably soldierly bearing, he officially received rations for a major battle group of the battalion. Yes, i t was certainly important to have a proper sol­ dier in the crew. We were able to meet our n eeds for weeks through that opport u n i ty. We set off calmly toward the DrUepr. The German columns flowing to the rear rolled on to Krementschug. We moved cross-country through the steppe alongside those columns. The clear water of a l i t­ tle stream gave no h i n t of i ts actual depth . There was a fearful bow wave that nearly swept our driver from his seat. As the tank climbed the bank on the far side of the l ittle stream, an opened can of mar­ malade ti pped over o n to the d river's head. You can imagin e the words coming out of Piepe \ 's mouth ! And, of course, i t was all my fault. Our move to the rear in fou rth gear was later hal ted by a Fieseler-Storch. Oberst U . materialized-a n o torious d ragooner of soldiers. He ordered us to take over security on the road. We, of course, had no idea how we were to be effective as route security with no more armament than our bow machine gun. The o n ly matter of importance to us was to get our ·tank back in com­ bat-worthy condition. Our m ission was to get beyond Kremen tsch ug ·to the battalion. After the Oberst had flown off aga i n , we resu med our jour­ ney to Krementschug by n igh t. When we got to the Dnjepr, the fi rs t thing we did was to carefully hide our tank. We then reconnoitered for crossing sites across the river. One option was the railroad bridge, which had already been prepared for demolition. I f we had possessed any way to get loaded [on a railroad car] , that would certa i n ly have been the best way. We q u ic kly forgot abo u t the rail road bridge and turned our attention to a group of enginee rs, which was ferryi ng i ndividua� Panzer IVs over the river on rafts. We were certai n that we could have persuaded the you n g engineer to attempt the same for us, specially since we did not have to let them know the actual weight of our tank. How­ ever, we were afraid that we would p u t them i n unnecessary danger. We decided against that as well. That left only the approximately 1 .S-kilome­ ter-Iong "Rundstedt bridge." The pon toon bridge had been constructed during the advance by the

119

engineers and appeared extraordinari ly stable. Even though we passed our vehicle off as a Panzer V ( Panther) , the crossing-si te commander was not about to allow any experiments. When the good man finally headed back to Krementschug that eveni ng, we tried one more time and were lucky. We i n fi ltrated the endless column and were careful to maintain the proper spacing fore and aft and drove very slowly over the D njepr. Once in Krementschug, we ran i n to "Tall Hein" and soon rejoined the company, which was billeted at Snamenka. THE KIEW BRIDGEHEAD I n Snamenka, the crew was separated. Heino went on leave and H e rbert Ri tscher took over as driver for a vehicle that was in the mai n tenance faci l i ty for l engthy repairs. Tiger 100 was q uickly put back in service. Wi thin three days it was ready for action agai n . Piepel Grasse and I had worked at a fevered pace. Soon I was headed off on leave. r had a large duffel bag and fi lled i t with the pre­ cious i tems from the army ration dump at Poltawa. I pic tured it all in my mind: I would be received at home l i ke San ta Claus. The sack was packed full with cigarettes, alcohol , chocolate, cof­ fee, tea, soap-even pudding powder and mar­ malade. I stowed yet another val uable in the sack that I had removed from a T-34. The Russian tank had a kind of periscope in the commander's c upola, and that was to be the fou ndation for my " H amburg Tan k M useum ." My celebration was premature. With somewhat excessive haste, the combat-ready veh icles were thrown together i n to a battle group. Werner and I rolled to the railroad station and received a bitter shock. The l eader of that battle group was not "Tall Hein," as we had expec ted, but H auptmann Scherf. To be sure, the upcoming operation would be in the best of hands, but we were con­ cerned abou t how the crew would be rou nded out. I no longer knew who joined us as loader. Obergefreiter Ringleb joined us as gunner. He had been the sole survivor to escape when one of our l ight tanks had broken through the ice on the M i us. H e was a singularly nice young man and had, un til then , mainly been employed with the fuel and ammunition section, where he had always seemed to me to be especially helpful. For tank commander, we got Leutnant Glll1 ter Grun­ wold. I knew Gunter wel l . Back at D6llersheim he had been the senior occupan t i n our barracks

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

room, after a bit of prior experience with Rommel in the Afrika Korps. We had been together at Dollersheim in an officer-candidate course taught by Leutnant Detlef von Koerber. I remember the course well. At that time I was faced with the question: Who or what was Bucephalos?-and I could not answer it. It was ter­ rible! The name of Alexander the Great's war horse had slipped my mind. At the end the "pre­ selection" course we were tested in our ability to give an extemporaneous speech to the assembled soldiers. Each of us was to talk for ten minutes within the overall theme of "The Eastern Area" on a topic of his own choosing. I spoke on the histor­ ical movements of populations, of the battles between the Germans and Slavs and, finally, of the mixed population that had resulted. Then I got to Prussia, the state that had been so important in the later founding of the Reich and its army. There were the soldiers who had been trained to such unconditional obedience, and the officers, their brave leaders. By listening carefully, one could detect in what I said that the Prussian popu­ lation, as a product of its history, was composed of a melting pot of various races, predominan tly Slavs and Germans. That evening I had to report to Leutnant von Koerber. He talked for about half an hour, with­ out getting into my morning presentation . ·As the conversation drew to an end and I was ready to go, he merely said, "One more thing, Lochmann, that I want to say to you. Your presentation today was very interesting. However, I want to give you some good advice. You should never say such things openly again." Several tankers from that group later became officers. I remember Unteroffizier Mathies, Unteroffizier Lewandowski, Gefreiter Hans-Martin Muller, and Gefreiter Gunter Grunwold. And with that last one, Leutnant Grunwold, we would then head north on the railroad, where the Russians had formed a major bridgehead at Kiev. THE ASSEMBLY AREA During the night we rolled from the railroad into a totally shell-torn patch of woods. Spectral splin­ tered trunks of trees strove toward the heavens. It was pitch black and strangely still. Only four tanks from our train had made it that far. Our mood was depressed, nor did the assembled foot soldiers show any sign of optimism. They were members of

the veteran 70th Engineer Battalion. Their mem­ ory of the first day of Citadel remained fresh , a day that had ended in catastrophe for those courageous men, A bottle of schnapps made the rounds, fol­ lowed by a macabre conversation. "I expect noth­ ing but a shitty situation here-heads must roll for victory." Feldwebel Horncke came later, bringing further bad news about the three Tigers that had not yet linked up with us. Two of them would not be ready for action before the following noon. His own tank had engine problems and had to go back to Snamenka. In closing, Franz told me that I was the next one who would get to go on leave and I should drive back to Snamenka with him. Franz wanted his own radio operator, good old "Schorsch", to get the third combat engagement he needed for the PanzerkampJabzeichen. I declined. I could not leave Werner Grasse alone with Tiger 1 00, since the crew was just a bunch that had been thrown together. Moreover, we did not know whether Gunter had done well on his "homework" at officer candidate school. In leaving, Franz wanted to take my duffel sack with him, which I also turned down . I could look after my stuff on my own . THE UNSUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT Our artillery opened fire with the first light of dawn. It was a murderous barrage. We began our attack. First it led through one of our own anti­ tank ditches. Then came the outposts of our infantry, who had constructed the system of trenches. Then it crossed a gently rising plain. We advanced at a good pace, with Feldwebel Wolf alongside us. We followed hard on the heels of the impacting rounds of our own artillery. Next came a steep climb. We got into a deeply echeloned Russian trench system. Our artillery had churned things up frightfully. I saw scarcely any living Russ­ ian soldiers. We continued to follow the rolling barrage. The terrain was incised with bizarre, deep cuts, until we reached a terraced slope lead­ ing up to the high ground. We entered a broad, flat piece of terrain, about 1 00 meters wide. Again, the picture was the same. In front of us lay a massive system of Russian trenches and, again, one could scarcely see a living Russian . By then, we had covered about two and a half kilometers. Just before the next terrace was when it hap­ pened. Both of us drove onto mines at practically

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2)

the same time. We still had luck in our m isfortune. Werner promptly brough t our rig to a halt. The tracks were still on, and we had relatively good cover. H owever, we had o n ly a very narrow field of fire. Feldwebel Wolf, who was about fifty meters to our left, and a li ttle behind us, was worse off. His tank had been moving forward at a good clip when h is tracks were ripped off by the m i nes. His tank was positioned i n the open without tracks. Our own artillery ceased i ts fi re at about that moment. I t had used up i ts ammunition. Soon thereafter the other side started i ts own barrage. The Russian artillery fired without pause and gave special attention to Feldwebel Wol f's tank. At the same time, an extreme ly large n um­ ber of Russian antitank guns started their target practice. The tanks were ham mered. We were able to silence the Russian antitank guns in our own narrow field of fire, but that didn't do much to help our neigh boring crew. They continued to be h i t and could not defend themselves. Their main gun had been hit. During a break in the fire, the crew bailed out. Several mem­ bers of the crew were severely wounded i n the process. The radio operator did not make it. Werner supported me by tal king me i nto targets, so that we could drive out the Russians who were lying in fro n t of us. If only we had a better field of fire! A panzer regiment arrived . beside us on the right. I heard the dramatic radio conversations of its commander-he, h i mself, was wounded-as h e repeatedly tried t o rally h is crews. But they couldn't get through there either. The deeply echeloned Russian an titank defenses and the lack of adequate cover brought the a ttack to a standstill. The tanks from the panzer regiment pulled back later. Werner and I couldn't h ear the tank com­ manders talking to one another. On both sides of our tanks the Russians brough t forward i n fantry reinforcemen ts. They reoccupied their trench sys­ tem and their own artillery h elped them advance to the trenches that were far behi nd us. We had missed out on the fac t the crew i n the turret had bailed out. We h ad been totally i nvolved i n com­ bating the Russians attacking in fron t of us. The escape hatch h ad been opened in the turret. We were all alone i n the tank. I t was h igh time that we found out what was goin g on beh i nd us. Two of our tanks were i m mobilized not far from our own antitank ditch. The German i n fantry h ad been swept away by the Russian artillery. We were all

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alone out there in the midst of those Russian bas­ tards, about two and a half kilometers in fron t of our l i n es, and Russian infan try re inforcements had again infil trated i ts own system of trenches. The hope that the two tanks that were sitting behind us could be put back i n action and help us turned out to be wishful thi nking. I t was a really difficult decision to abandon our tan k. With cov­ ering f i re from one or two tanks, we could have stayed i n our relatively well-concealed position and fixed the tracks-if the Russian artillery left us i n peace. The other option-waiting until dark and then clearing out-was overcome by events. When there were too many Russian infan try al ready behind us for our own comfort , we decided that we would also bail out. For reasons of safety, we chose to use our own hatches, which we cautiously opened. We then played a l ively game with the Russian infan try. Consta n t ly alternati ng, we set a cap on a machine gun barrel and shoved i t above the h atch. Each time it was greeted with furious infantry fire . We kept that maneuver up until there was only an occasional Russian reac­ tion. Then we both leaped out simul taneously. We crept i n to a shallow depression behind the tank and agreed that, since we were only armed with a pistol, we would attempt to get back to our own lines separately. Werner went around to the right and had a lot of luck. H e crossed an ope n , flat piece of terrain, took advan tage of a Balka to leave a section of the Russian system of trench es behind him on the left and made i t to an unoccupied system of Russian trenches. For my part, I had to get past a shorter bit of open terrain on the l eft, but I quickly landed i n the Russian trenches. I slowly, cautiously worked my way along the left flank of the trench system. As I made it past a corner i n the trench, an Asiatic type with short-cropped hair suddenly stood i n front of me. H e stared a t me, totally aghast , and took to his h eels. I needed a lot of time to cover 500 meters. Again and again I had to steer clear of Russian infantry. Finally, at the left-hand anchor posi tion of the trench system, I had a good view of a Balka and I could not believe my eyes. There, below, was a Panzer IV. Two of i ts crew had apparently j ust fixed the t rack and were climbing back inside. I exulted i nternally: "That looks like my ticket back to the company! " At that moment the tank started up, setting out to drive around some h igh ground. I threw caution to the

1 22

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAUON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

winds and ran for my life. As I got to the rearward base of the high ground, the Panzer IV crossed my path. The vehicle had side skirts. On the run, I leaped at the side of the vehicle, around the loader's hatch. I held tight to the upper edge of the skirts, from which I then pulled myself up and into the loader's hatch. Totally exhausted, I landed on the floor of the tank. A young, smiling Leutnant bent down from the turret, saying only, "He needs a schnapps." I made it back in this tank to our own positions behind the tank ditch unharmed. It dropped me off right by our unit. The first person I saw was my driver. Werner had also made it back. My comrades had already given me up. Only Alfred Peuker had known: "Wilhelm will wangle a way through." Hauptmann Scherf tried another attack on the high ground in the early afternoon with three Tigers. At the very least, he wanted to try to recover the two vehicles that had been left behind. There was no way to get there. A third tank had to be temporarily abandoned. There was only one thing left to do. If we wanted to save our vehicles, we would have to make a nighttime attempt to recover one or another. Werner Grasse and I were detailed to brief the artillery forward observer. The area around our vehicles would be secured against the Russians with occasional shelling by the artillery. We were really lucky. The · night was pitch black. Whether the Russians had gotten tired, or whether they were lulled into a feeling of security, whether they were licking their wounds or were busy with their resupply, I do not know. In any case, supported by a handful of infantry, we were able to slowly work our way forward to our vehi­ cles with our crews. Two 1 8-ton prime movers from our recovery platoon followed us. Without any exchange of fire we were able to get to the Tigers. Feldwebel Wolf's tank had to be aban­ doned. We were able to repair the tracks on our rig and then slowly make it back to our own posi­ tions. An additional Tiger could als6 be recov­ ered. At the start of the next day, we bogged down again trying to cross the antitank ditch. The prime movers had to head for safety when heavy artillery fire began, so it was not until the next night that our Tiger was freed. In the end, we had to knock out Feldwebel Wolf's Tiger with our own gunfire. When we finally got back to the company at Snamenka, my leave papers were already in the

orderly room. Unfortunately, my beautiful duffel bag filled with goodies had been left behind dur­ ing the operation described above. The Russian bastards had taken it from our Tiger, and I mourned for my lost treasures. However, I did not return home empty handed. Fritz Riemer, the mess sergeant, packed me a bag full of precious goodies and, to top it all off, he gave me a twenty­ liter canister of sunflower oil. On about 1 0 November I was deloused a t Kowel and left from there for home for the first time in a year and a half. OBERLEUTNANT ADAMEK I got back from leave just before Christmas of 1 943. The journey on the leave train had not gone without problems. The company was in the little village of Zibulew. The village was surrounded by extensive forest, which was massively infested with partisans. Everything was covered with deep snow and the air was clear. I was in a depressed frame of mind. I felt an ongoing queasiness in my stomach. "Damn! Can one really allow oneself the luxury of melancholy?" I knew the proper therapy. "Action" was called for, and a little alcohol would also do some good-then one would be back into the swing of things. The first person I ran into was Unteroffizier Willy Roth and a part of my tanker comrades. There was vodka, and it helped. Then there was something to eat on the table. I was back to myself again . "You bums! Have you forgotten everything I ever told you about fine dining? Here I am, gone only a few weeks, and everything has already fallen apart." We "found" some ducks and had a choice meal. In the meantime, we got a new company com­ mander. He was Oberleutnant Adamek. He made an excellent first impression. It took a while to get to know him. He seemed to me to be introverted and thoughtful. He carried some sort of burden around with him. Two evenings later I was able to suspect what it was. His appointment to the com­ pany was actually a promotion for him. He saw it otherwise, at least in part. There was something wrong. When his old unit was withdrawn from the mess, he was immediately given a new assignment. He needed to, or more likely, wanted to prove himself. I was able to understand at that point. A few days later he gave me a letter to keep for him, a letter to his family, the duplicate of a letter of farewell. For a while I was worried. I was afraid I

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Pari 2)

was watching someone destined for suicide. In the mood I was in, that was something I didn't want to deal with. I needed a change. For a few days, I went with two other soldiers in a horse-drawn Panje cart and sled to a distant collective farm to "procure" some milk. The fresh winter air and the permanent state of alertness did me good. The woods were full of partisans. We kept constant watch and paid attention to the fresh sled tracks. Any sled was sus­ picious. Machine pistols and mach ine gun were constantly ready. We moved to Shmerinka, a village somewhat south of Winniza. Aside from guarding against par­ tisans, it was quiet. To the best of my knowledge, the 3rd Company had an engagement with Russian tanks during that time. On 1 4 January 1 944 our maintenance section went to Winniza unescorted. Our people were killed in a partisan ambush. Only Gefreiter Ernst Kaplan survived. He spoke Czecho­ slovakian and was taken prisoner by the partisans, ending the war in adventurous fashion on the other side. Ernst was lucky. He drove in the last truck in the column, together with A1ex, our Hiwi [short for Hilfswilliger, an East European or Russian prisoner of war who volunteered for non-combat service with the German Army] . A1ex made it back to the company with our captured Dodge. He told us about the massacre. All of the other comrades were killed by the partisans and laid out in a row along the road. I still remember the names: Unteroffizier Ols, Obergefreiter Heider, Gefreiter Mineck, Gefreiter Dj uba, Gefreiter Minck, Gefre­ iter Wiesenfarth, and Panzersch iitze Barton. On about 20 January the tank elements moved to Winniza. A substantial body of troops were assembled. I remember the breakthrough through the Bila position as follows: The company set out very early in the morning. It was a clear winter day. Everything was under deep snow. The Waffen-SS prepared for the attack in the next vil­ lage. It seemed to be the third wave. We moved on. In the next village were. armored vehicles. I saw Hummels and Hornisses ' [ "bumblebees" and "hornets," nicknames for, respectively, a self­ propelled 1 5cm howitzer on a Panzer I I I / IV chas­ sis and a self-propelled 88mm PaK 43/ 1 L/7 1 anti­ tank gun on a Panzer Ill/IV chassis] . The battalion led the attack. O ur company moved out in wedge formation. Tensely, I sur­ veyed the flat terrain in front of our tank. Sud­ denly, right in front of us, I saw little heaps of

123

snow, quite symmetrical and echeloned in depth. I thought: "Even the most industrious mole isn't that tidy in his work." Without hesitation, I raked a few of those l ittle hummocks with my machine gun. Splin ters of wood flew up. "Halt!" I shouted. "Mines!" The company halted. The vehicle on our left had al ready moved a bit in front of us, but things went well for us again this time. The mine­ field had been spotted in time. Don't count your chickens before they're hatched! Our quick reaction had only partially ruined Ivan's surprise. He hoped to shell us when we were helpless in the minefield, but even on the edge of it we were not exactly in a good position. The company was subjected to murderous anti­ tank gun fire. Tiger 1 00 took an bad hit. An 85mm armor-piercing round ricocheted off the lower part of the gun barrel and penetrated the upper deck of the hull, right between the driver and the radio operator positions. I stared at the hole in disbelief. My radio had packed it in. The driver, Werner Grasse, looked at me in horror. I became aware of an unnaturally warm feeling in the area of my lower abdomen. I was terrified. A stomach wound? I mechanically worked my way in through the winter coveralls and uniform. In my underwear I found a big fragment, almost a cubic centimeter in size. I was relieved. Nothing had happened to the crew. The company started to engage the antitank positions. For us, however, the turret would not move. It was jammed. Oberleutnant Adamek leaned down from the commander's cupola into the fighting compartment and called to me: "Come with me. We're going to 1 3 1 ." I said some­ thing to the effect that, "You can 't do that. That is Oberfeldwebel Fendesack's tank. We have to use another one." The Oberleutnant, however, was already out of the tank. I caught up with him on the rear deck of Tiger 1 3 1 . He sent me back to our own vehicle for his maps, which he had for­ gotten. I ran back. As I was standing behind the rear of Tiger 1 3 1 with the maps, the Oberleutnant stood next to the turret beside the tank com­ mander in order to tell him and the radio opera­ tor to go to our tank. At that moment, a high-explosive round struck the turret of Tiger 1 3 1 . Oberleutnant Adamek was killed instan tly. While the attack continued, we rolled back toward the rear. We ran into Spie/3 Haase. He was all ready to climb aboard as tank commander. It was only with difficulty that we got him to under-

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

sta n d that we had been penetrated by a shell, that our turret was jammed, and that the damage could only be repai red at the mai ntenance facility. During the next few days, the battalion fought i ts way on to Oratoff. If one thinks of what massive opposition the Russians put up, the success was striking. Our commander, Graf Kageneck, was wounded at Ora toff. Spie/3 Haase, who had received another tan k, was also seriously wounded. He lost one eye and was flown out in a Fieseler­ Storch. Leutnant Wilfried von Koerber also was hit. He was severely wounded. Karl Kubin was kil led while resc uing h i m . Another tank suffered the same fate as ou rs-only the crew wasn't as lucky as we were. A shell ricocheted along the gun barrel and penetrated the roof of the hull. Wolf­ gang Bllrger, the radio operator and the son of a pastor from Anklam in Pomerania and a good friend of mine, was killed. I had a chance to look over that veh icle at the mai n tenance facility. I cl imbed in and sat in the radio operator's seat and realized how much good fortune I myself had had. TSCHERKASSY Our company occupied an assembly area i n almost knee-deep m u d , a s w e and our battalion got ready to rel ieve the two corps that were encir­ cled in the Tscherkassy Pocke t. We were part of schweres Panzer Regi ment Bake. The battalion, at that time, was led by t h e commander of the 3rd Com pany, Hauptmann Scherf. It was not until a strong frost set in and it started snowin g lightly that we were able to begi n that difficult operation. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack was our tank com­ mander, and we were in i n tense action daily. The village of Fran kowa was captured and we were able to exact a substan tial toll in tanks from the Rus­ sians, who were operating cleverly. At that time, the overall si tuation-especially on our flan ks-was wholly confused. We had to stand up to repeated Russian surprise attacks. "Vhen our spearhead got very close to the encircled formations, our veh icle had to be towed back to the maintena�1Ce facility at Potasch with a mechanical problem. As we were towed back, I got the impression that our unit had only opened a small corridor. The flan ks con ti n­ ued to be threatened by the Russians. We were quic kly repaired. Along with several other vehicles that had been put back in service, we set out to make our way back to the battalion. We were led by Hauptmann Wiegand. I n the m id-

dIe of the narrow corridor I described above, we found one or our own Tigers that had been towed back. I t was immobile and was posi tioned on the road. There was a vi l lage about one and a half kilometers away. The crew of the damaged tank had already fended off a Russian infan try attack from that direction . Strong enemy forces were expected. Eviden tly, they didn't have any antitank weapons available at the moment. We attacked that village from late in the afternoon until evening and drove off the Russian infantry. Haupt­ mann Wiegand left two of our tanks to stay on the road at that c ri tical poi nt, wh ile he continued on to the battalion with the rest of the veh icles. While we secured that crit ical sector and the damaged tank, the Russians were completely quiet for a while. We became careless. The next day, shel tered from the wind between the t ightly clus­ tered veh icles, we made our coffee. At about mid­ day I h ad an uncomfortable feeling and took a look forward of the tanks to observe the village. I must have had quite a look on my face before I shouted, "Alarm ! " Widely dispersed, the Russians had worked their way un noticed to wi thin 100 meters of our tanks. Our carelessness had almost been severely punished. We j umped i n to the two operable veh icles and threw the battalion of Russ­ ian bastards back i n to the village. In the afternoon the battal ion slowly drew back to our posi tion. The Landser who had been freed from the pocket wee streaming back. The operation had been successful, but at what cost. To be sure, a large number of German soldiers had escaped out of the pocke t , but they had lost practically all their weapons and equipment and, what was worse, they had left behind the majority of their wounded comrades. At that poi n t our new com mander, H auptman n Fromme, arrived at the battalion from Germany. Once again, our tank rolled back to the main­ tenance faci l i ty at Potasch . There was a big cele­ bration. Officer candidates Hans Lewandowski and Alfred Rubbel had been posted to officer can­ didate school . U n teroffizier Alois Trn ka, in charge of the orderly room, was made a Feldwebel . Ger­ aId Hoppner and I became U n teroffi ziere. Even today I can still see my unforgettable l oader, Erich WaIter, gri n ni ng as he said, "That's l i ke setting the fox to guard the hen house ! " Somehow, I was a bit offe nded. Why h ad n 't I been promoted to Obergefrei ter? My com rades put an end to my

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2)

regrets. I was named an honorary member of the Obergefrei ter's mess. Our celebration in Potasc h was not only a binge, it was also a lot of fun . I was still u nable to fully real ize the wish that I h ad nurtured for so long-to even the score with the orderly-room Un teroffizier who had h arassed me so long. Now he had advanced past me in rank. I was o n ly allowed to extract partial revenge. I grabbed a large cooking pot and asked h i m to drink a toast to bury the hatchet . While Alois Trn ka still thought there m ight be something with alcohol in i t, I poured the kettle ful l of pea soup over his head. I t was great. The weeks that fol lowed-right i nt o April­ were filled with more than just work for the tan k elements. We fought i n vai n to hold the Russian pincer movements at bay that eventually led to the formation of the Kamenez/ Podolsk pocket. We could knock out as many of them as we wan ted. The T-34s seemed to mul tiply l i ke rabbits. Eve n tu­ ally we, too, had to fight our way through to the south as part of what was also called the Hube Pocket. We took over the spearh ead toward the west until, finally, thanks to the commitment of the 9th SS Panzer D ivision "Frundsberg" and the 1 0th SS Panzer D ivision " Hohenstaufe n ," we suc­ ceeded in getting out of that hell. OBERLEUTNANT REUTERMANN The operations outlined above began for us i n Proskuroff. Vile h a d a n e w company commander, Oberleutn a n t Reu terma n n . After we h ad gotten to know him at Bjelgorod when he was operati ng with Panzer IVs i n an adjacent regi ment, we i n the crew did not m i n ce words with h i m : "Don't do thi ngs l i ke that with this company. If you lose that many Tigers in a fight, you will be faci n g a court martial. But be reassured, you dontt n eed to do that." H e would soon see for h imself. The battalion attacked north under the new commander, Hauptmann Fromme. On 8 March the village of Frydrychowka . was captured. Ober­ leutnant Reu termann was amazed. One platoon of the company opened the night opera tion with a flank attack from the east. The village burned. The tanks which were employed to the fron t hardly h ad t o ge t i nvolved. We were practically spectators as our comrades knocked out the f lee­ ing Russian tanks. We would only have e ndan­ gered our own side if we had become i nvolved i n

125

that engagement. During that engagement we lost Feldwebel Erdman n . As a result, the bottle of cham pagne that the Oberleutnant had coughed up tasted flat to us. At that time, U nteroffizier Mun dry was gun­ ner. Obergefre i ter Schmidtke was driver, and Obergefreiter WaIter was our l oader. Heinz Mundry knew h ow to do his work well , having spe n t a long period as a loader. Erich WaIter was a armorer by trade, so we were, in that respect, com­ pletely self sufficient. Summing up, Joachim Schmidtke was a very experienced driver, with a lot of action already behind him. Our battal ion's advance to Frydrychowka had gone sensationally deep i n to the Russian flank. Elements of the trains and additional tanks that had been repaired at the maintenance facility could not be brought forward very rapidly by H auptman n Wiegand. I t was still night as we moved many kilometers i n the direction of the trains i n our tank with Oberleutnant Reutermann. We came to a marshy, broad riverbed and recon­ noitered th ree relatively widely separated cross­ i ngs. Then we moved farther south in order to l i n k up with the trains in a village. After we had l i n ked up, our engine wen t on strike. The Oberleutnant took the gunner with him and d rove off toward Frydrychowka i n the command Ktibelwagen ( driver: Obergefreiter Krause ) , together with the trains. One man from the mai n te nance section was supposed to repair the problem. I would then l i n k up with the Ober­ leutnant. The repair work took several hours. Finally, we could follow our unit. In the mean­ time, light snow had started to fall. Again and again we saw fresh track marks i n the ground where Russian tanks had crossed our d irection of travel . I was extremely cautious. We drove with the i n tercom turned on. The Gefreiter from the main­ tenance section had to be ready to fill in as loader, while Erich WaIter took the gunner's place. As we drew neare r to the marshy lowland, I had to decide which of the three crossings we had scouted I woul d use. At that poi n t, there was no radio contact with the unit. The distance was too great. I decided to use the middle crossing. A defile led down in a curve to i t . At the end of the extremely long embankment that led over the marshy terrain were th ree Waffen-SS trucks that had been plundered. Noth ing had happened at that location last n ight. I was wide awake. The

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Pages from the log books of Tigers 1 00 and 1 1 2. The entries have been verified by the platoon leaders and tank commanders for the respective tanks . The left-hand entries are from Leutnant Schroder; the right-hand entries from Leutnant Fiirlinger.

causeway that stretched before us was about 300 meters long. At the other end there was a sort of sandy ridge on which a village was built. Laundry flapped in the wind in front of every house. There was no doubt about it. A Russian unit was quartered there, but we had not yet been spot­ ted. I thought about it. There was no way we could move in reverse since, in that terrain, we would lose our tracks in any sort of turning m�)Vement. Could we turn around in that small area? We would have made so much noise that any antitank weapons in the village would be alerted to our presence. If we then went and turned our vulnera­ ble rear armor toward them? No way! That was not an option. Well, then, forward and through ! We headed down the narrow causeway at full speed. The driver, Jochen Schmidtke, understood

his work perfectly. While advancing, we placed a high-explosive round in the midst of those bas­ tards to create a little confusion . At that moment I heard a cry from our replacement loader. The dumb fool had activated the safety with his right hand and his left hand was still on the gun shield as the barrel recoiled. In spite of smashed fingers, he shoved the next round into the barrel and we fired that one, too, as we drove on at full speed. It all went very fast. We were in the village, the Rus­ sians fled and then we were through. We moved on over some flat high ground and, about 500 meters beyond, I found a position that was suit­ able for transmitting over a long distance to reach our own troops. Oberleutnant Reutermann had chosen the western crossing. Our tanks had already nearly completed escorting the fuel and

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2)

am muni tion trucks past that sector. We then assumed rear-guard duties. Oberleutnant Reutermann had left our gun­ ner, Heinz Mundry, behind as a guide at that loca­ tion . The Oberl e u tnant had gone ahead with Obergefreiter Krause to bring the happy news about the arrival of the trains to Frydrych owka. He was fi red on from a village on the western flank wh ile heading there. We reconstructed what then happened, after the fact. The village, i n to wh ich the Oberleutnant had driven so as to scout i t out, was occupied by partisans. Obergefre i ter Krause was killed with a round to the head. Our company commander, Oberleutnant Reu termann , however, was beaten t o death . MEMORIAL DAY [HELDENGEDENKTAG] We then moved predominantly to the south or the southwest behi nd the Russian pincers. It was 1 3 March. We were located i n some small vil lage with Tiger 1 00, securi ng the trains elements of our bat­ talion. A motorcycle messenger brought U n terof­ fizier H6ppner to us as tank commander to complete our crew. I nfan try in the next village requested our assistance because the Russians had infi l trated. We wen t there and th rew the Russians out. From there we were able to observe h ow a group of Russian tanks was approaching the vil­ lage where we had just left our trains. Behind the tanks we saw endless columns of Russian i n fan try. Since we were all by ourselves, we resolved to fool the Ivans with a trick. Between the two villages was a patch of woods. We moved around it in a wide arc and maneu­ vered so we would were on the flank of the Russ­ ian i n fan try columns and movi ng behind their tan ks. Everyth ing went exactly as we had though t it would. The Russians did not notice i t was a Ger­ man veh icle. They greeted us cheerfu lly. The seven Russian tanks that were movi ng i n fron t of us were T-34s of the latest type. Before the poor guys had noticed what was happen ing, we had knocked out fou r of them . . And, to our general edification , we had to play a few more measures of the march m usic that was so popular that day .Two T-34s turned and fled. The last one was suddenly i n fron t of us, cowering in a Balka. His gun barrel was aimed directly at us. But Mun dry was faster. There was a great j e t of f lame that shot up from the turret. I am sure that I saw that tank com­ mander sitting on top of the flame. Along with

127

the antitan k gun we had elimi nated i n the other village, we had done enough for the day. The battalion rolled on. We were advancing more or less to the south, i n the direction of Skalat. The crew was now a smooth ly functioning team . On 15 March 1 944 we took the village of Skalat. We fought our way onward toward the H ube pocket. The battalion's adj u tant, Oberleut­ nant Linden , joined us on 20 March. H e became the acting commander of the 1 st Company. We duked i t out with the Russians at H ill 40 1 north­ east of Skalat. Due to the lack of an adequate supply of high-explosive rounds, we were havi ng to engage field positions with armor-piercing rounds-it improved morale more than anything else. Whi l e bypassing a patch of woods the next day, we ran onto mi nes. H owever, we were soon back in action and, by the fol lowing day, we were able to partici pate in some h eavy tan k engage­ ments, when the battalion was i nvolved at Grzymalow. Thank God, we had almost nothing but armor-piercing rounds on board. The Russians attacked with very large armored formations. The battal ion no longer had many tanks available. Widely dispersed in h i l ly terrain, we accepted the Russian challenge. After we knocked out the f i rst few tanks, the Russians scat­ tered i n general disorder. They tried to get away from our armor-piercing rounds by scattering in every direction. All of the T-34s carried two drums of diesel fuel with them on the back of the veh i­ cle, so even high-explosive rounds were a disaster for them. Oberfeldwebel Rondorf of the 3rd Company moved to our left. That day he seemed to have all kinds of success. If an enemy tank appeared i n front o f us, i t was gone before you knew it. Rondorf had scored a h i t. I t was unbelievable how he was cleaning up. We were downright envious, though we were not exactly idle. We still managed to get seven T-34s. As the fighting went on and we ran out of high-explosive rounds, we had to engage trucks and other enemy veh icles with armor-piercing rounds. By evening, we had used up a total of forty­ five arm or-piecing and eigh teen high-explosive rounds. Oberleutnant Linden had got off to a good start. (See the veh icle log book elsewhere.) We were off to the southwest again and reach­ ed Touste the fol lowing day. The village was behind a small river we had to cross. The battalion was down to only a very few veh icles by then. The

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

majority of the Tigers provided cover to the north­ east and held off strong en emy formations. We were ordered into t h e village and filled our fuel ta nks. In the process, Mundry, our gunner, was wounded by an a rt i l lery fragme n t . He had recently been promoted to U n teroffizier. Feld­ webel Mertens tem porarily joined us. He was from the Headquarters Com pany. We were instructed to follow the river a l ittle bit to the west with our veh icle to scout out the situa­ tion. About t h ree kilometers from Touste we encountered horse-drawn art illery. It was in the process of crossing the river to the southwest at a ford in order to continue toward Husati n . We heard from those sol diers that there was a tank located i n the steppe to the north of the crossing poi nt. We moved to the spot and found U n terof­ fizier von Borries ' crew with an immobile Tiger. The driver was my former loader, Herbert Ritscher. V·,le reported the situation to the battalion and were ordered back to Tousle. The situation there very quickly became serious. The Tigers had to cross the river, since the Russians had not only started to at tack with major reinforcements, but the main body of the Ivans had already gone around our flank to the east and threatened to cut us off. In add i tion, we heard that H usatin was already in Russian hands. Thus, the horse-drawn art i l le ry was heading · directly toward the Russians, and our comrades on the steppe would n o longer get t h rough either. We continued the withdrawal and repeatedly took over sec uri ng the with drawal route. For once, on 28 Marc h , we did not h ave any con tact with the enemy. On 29 March we advanced to Skala and took it. We were convinced that we would soon reach the H ube pocket . EVENING AT SKALA The c ivi lians had cleared out of the vil l age . We quartered ourselves in an apoth ecary's house and cooked a big batch of ch icken soup. Then we sat down. " Bon Appetit to all," said Ob.ergefrei ter Wai ter, our loader. H e was first to stick his hand into the pot of soup. Obergefreiter Berger and Sch midtke and I followed h is exam ple. Oberleut­ nant Linden watched us, disapprovingly: 'Just l i ke in Bavaria." H e stood up and left the room. We kept on eating ravenously. By that time, we knew Han nes Berger l i ked being part of our crew. He was one of the most experienced soldiers i n the

company. First as a radio operator, then as gun ner, h e had been i n a vast nu mber of armored engage­ ments. By the end of the war he could tally more than a hun dred armored e ngageme nts. He also had the great good fortune of never being wounded. Hannes was a quiet type with a sunny disposition. He l i ked playing chess. When he had to, however, he could attack any job forcefully. While we were still sitting next to the ch icken soup, the door opened suddenly and our com­ mander, H auptmann Fromme, appeared. "What do you have to chow down on?" He was already sit­ ting down with us. He dipped h is hand i n to the soup and grabbed a drumstick. "Where is Han nes Linden h iding?" he inquired, while he chewed. Erich Wai ter opined, "He is too well-mannered to eat wi th us." The commander laughed. Vodka followed the meal . "Man, oh man," said the commander. ''You're pulling out all the stops." ''That we are ," answered "" alter. "What's the occasion?" asked the commander. "Is someone celebrating a bi rthday?" "No, Herr H auptman n . We our celebrating our radio operator's fiftieth tank operation. And, of course, we are also celebrating the scout car and airplane that we bagged today." Our forces consisted of the remains of the 7th Panzer Division, the remains of the 1 st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte" and a freshly consti tu ted infan try division from Germany­ nothing but young guys who didn't have a clue. They were th rown against the Russians and, for the most part, immediately decimated. I n addi­ tion, there was also a wonderful separate Heeres­ Flak-Abteilung. By that poi n t , the battalion was down to only three tanks. There was Tiger "II" of the battalion, Feldwebel Seidel 's tank from the 3rd Com pany, and our Tiger 100. Fuel and rations were i n short supply. Every time, at critical mome n ts, He I I I formations showed up and sup­ pl ied us with the requisite fuel and emergency rations by air drop. Oberst MauB commanded our battle group, which slowly made i ts way to join the Hube pocket. On one occasion we found time to pre­ pare a delicious meal i n a vil lage . I t seems our quarters were selected for a situation briefing. All the officers were sitting together. We passed out " hors d ' oeuvres"-as befitted the situation. The door opened and our loader, Erich Waiter,

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part 2)

appeared. Gran ted, he h ad not "found" any can ned goods, but h e h ad found a top hat. He burst i n to our quart e rs wearing i t. Confused, he removed his h eadgear when h e saw what a distin­ guished gathering had assembled. " Praise be to Jesus, gen tlemen. Th is is what I l i ke, everybody is chowi ng down with the crew of Tiger 1 00." Peals of laugh ter. During the fi nal breakthrough to the south­ west on 3 1 M arch we knoc ked out three more T34s. We had fi nally reached the Kamenez/ Podolsk pocket and then moved with our three Tigers as its spearhead toward the west. I t happened as we were crossing the Sereth on a massive bridge. The construction h ad too l i ttle decking. I t got to shaki n g and, wi thout any fan­ fare, we slid i n to the river. It was a long time before we could get Tiger 1 00 out aga i n . Han nes Linder, the company commander, was fatally inj ured. In the end, the river was crossed at a ford. At that point, Tiger 1 0 0 gave up the ghost. The damage was only minor, but there were no replacement parts. We were forced to blow i t up. One day later there was a n ew m isfortune. Feldwebel Seidel 's tank also had to be abandoned. On 6 April the commander turned over the last of the battal i o n 's tanks, Tiger " J I , " to the battalion orderly, Leutnant Heerlein. The driver, Gefre i ter Lange and the medium-wave radio operator, Gefrei ter Span n remained with the vehicle. We replaced the balance ci f the crew. I took over the ultra-short wave radi o i n the turret and h ad to share the space with our loader, Wai te r. Our gun­ ner, Han nes Berger, took his accustomed position . When the pocket fi n ally broke o u t of the encir­ clement, we formed the rear guard. Tiger " I I " looked pretty bad . T h e run n i n g gear h a d been shot up, but i t still ran . Am m u n i tion was in extremely short supply. We h ad six armor-piercing

129

rounds left. I n the end, we stayed without infan try i n a shell-torn village and wai ted for the Russian armored attack. In the best case scenario, we could earn some respect by knocking out six tanks and then get out of there i ntact. And, as it turned out, that is how it went. We were able to withdraw across the river. We had been fortunate enough to survive the H ube pocket. After a few kilometers, we encoun tered Major Burmester, our former company commander. He was then the battalion commander of Tiger Tan k Battal ion 509. We had to turn over the only tank left in the battalion to h i m . As a result, we could not make a "grand" entry i n to Lemberg, where our battalion had already assembled. As we wearily removed our meager belongi ngs from Tiger " I I ," Hein asked the obligatory ques­ tion : "Have you also unloaded the gun?" My God ! When h ad we ever un loaded the weapon during the recen t weeks? We had to check i t out. Wai ter climbed back i n to the veh icle one more time. He attempted to open the breech of the gun . oth­ ing moved. Shit! There was still a round i n the tube. We traversed the gun toward the east and sent a final sal ute to Ivan. The breech still refused to open. The gun was defective. What i f . . . ? We didn't wan t to think about it. What h ad only been h eard as rumors i n the pocket became fac t i n Lemberg. Group Mitter­ maier had been renamed as Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 ( new) . I t had been formed from battalion soldiers who had not been in the H ube pocket. Group M i ttermaier was employed i n the Tarnopol area. We, however, were withdrawn from the East and returned to Germany, where we ended up at the Ohrdruf train i ng grounds. The battalion was reorgan ized. I was fortunate and, after a relatively short wait, received three weeks of home leave.

CHAPTER

1 8

Fendesack's Platoon A lfred Rubbel

P

latoon Fendesack was the conti ngen t of five crews and Tigers which h ad joined the 1 st Company of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 i n March 1 943. Oberfeldwebel Hans Fendesack had led the contin gent from Panze r Replacement Bat­ talion 500 i n Paderborn. I n addition to Fendesack were tank commanders Petzka, Rippl, Rubbel and Seidel and their crews. Fendesack, Rippl and Rubbel were assigned to the 1 st Company; Petzka wen t to the 2nd Company; and, Seidel was assign­ ed to the 3rd Company. We d i d n ' t stay together in the 1 st Company either. I n the course of reorganizing the battalion according to the 1 944 tables of organization and equipment-the Panzer I lls were turned i n-we were distributed among all t hree platoons of the company. I landed in the fi rst platoon with Leut­ nant Jammerath and commanded Tiger 1 1 4. My companions in the tan k were Waiter J unge (gu n­ ner) , Waiter Esch rig (driver) , Alfred Peuker ( also as driver) and the quiet Johann Strohmer ( loader) . But let's start at the. beginning . . . Christmas 1 942: After al most ten days of travel by rai l , we were assembled as Personalei n h e i t Schober ( cadre u n i t) , along with t h e remnants of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Panzer Regiment. We were coming from the Ordsho n ikidse area i n the East Caucasus to the gunnery school at Putlos. We were to receive new-equipment train i n g on the Panzer VI (Tiger) .

The very pleasant period at Putlos did not last long. We were transferred to Panzer Replacement Battalion 500 at Paderborn and, late r, at the end of the training, to the t raining area at Sennelager. The train i n g was thorough and concerned i tself exclusively with the Panzer V I (Tiger) . The per­ sonnel of the unit mostly came from the 4th and 29th Panzer Regimenter, southern Germans and Austrians from the 4th Panzer Regiment and northern Germans from the 29th. We had been formed i n to a company. All of soldiers had gai ned sufficient fron t experience during a year and a half of action on the Eastern Front. Those of us in Platoon Fendesack h ad gotten to know each other q u i te wel l duri n g the time we were employed in the cen tral sector, on the north­ ern fron t and in the Caucasus with the 29th Panzer Regiment. Judging by the preparations for personnel and tan ks, we were h eaded toward serv­ ice i n the tropics. Company Schober formed the n ucleus for the reorganization of Tiger Tan k Bat­ talion 504. I t was i ntended to use it wi th the Afrika Korps and was i n i tially sen t to Sicily. The surren­ der of the Afrika Korps and the critical develop­ m e n ts i n the winte r of 1 942-43 on the Eastern Front changed the situation for us, too. At Padeborn and Sen nelager we were in a comfortable si tuation. The duties were pleasant, the superiors understanding, the war far away. We asked ourselves what employment migh t be 131

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

planned for us. We would soon ge t the answer. I t was i n the middle o f Marc h , a t t h e morning for­ mation of the company. As was the norm, the tank crews formed up by crew. I t was announced to the company that five crews, with tan ks, would be detailed for service at the Eastern Fro n t. The com­ pany command was faced with the d i fficult task of sending twen ty-five men to the Eastern Front while the main body would remain i n the rear. No one knew h ow long it would stay or whether it would be sen t for service at some other, less diffi­ cult theater of the war. In the search for solutions, it was also considered whether the "Eastern Front" conti ngent should be selected with equal numbers of northern Germans and southern Germans or, i n deed, j ust be chosen by lot. The company com­ mand apparen tly d i d not consider volunteering an option. The ensuing chain of even ts is among the strongest im pressions I ever h ad during the war. I still remember them as if they were yeste rday. We stood at ease. Spie/3 Gruber had explained the sit­ uation to us. What was I thinki ng? I would have l i ked to spend some more t i m e in Westphalia. Wh ile all were generally somewhat non-plussed­ that was how I perceived i t-Fen desack turned from his position at the right side of the first rank, i n which the tan k commanders stood, looked left along the row of tank commanders, nodded, hesi­ tated a moment, and, without a word, stepped five steps forward. That was un usuar, as was what fol­ l owed . Without haste, indeed, somewhat h esi­ tantly, four additional commanders stepped forwa rd . They were the four who came from the 29th Panzer Regiment. They had been i n action i n the central sector at M i nsk, Witebsk and Wjasma, i n the n orthern sector at Tsc hudowo, Schl usselburg, and Tichwin and in the Caucasus at Maikop and Ordschonikidse. Some of them had even fough t with the same crews i n formation with them that morni ng. Only those who were o n the parade ground in fron t of Block 9 at Sen nelager that m?rning can grasp the special nat ure of what happened. The five commanders who spontaneously decided to volun tari ly go to the Eastern Front in response to Fendesack's exam ple, needed crews for their tan ks. We looked back to our former c rews. I n the blink of an eye twen ty-five tan kers had closed ran ks with us and volu nteered freely for the East­ ern Fro n t . I still remember the magn ificence of

that gesture. We wan ted to stay togeth er. Even though we already had enough experience at the Eastern Fron t and knew what was awaiting us there, we chose to stay together over all the other possibi l i ties, including more pleasant prospects. And thus it was that we came to Tiger Tank Battal­ ion 503. It was Easter i n 1 943 when we and our brand n ew Tigers arrived at the billeting area of the 1 st Company at Bogoduchow, about 60 ki lometers northwest of Kharkov. Right off the bat, we were somewhat i rritated by what we experienced dur­ i n g the days and weeks that fol l owed i n the com­ pany. We were dismayed at the composition of the personnel and the mood of the company. The most advanced tank of the day had been turned over to soldiers, most of whom, at the e n l isted level, h ad scarcely any experience at the fron t. That says nothing about their qualities of character. On the contrary, we found an over­ whelming n umber of close friends among those men. As for the noncommissioned officers, we couldn 't help but notice there were four Stabs­ feldwebel i n the com pany. Th ree of them did admin istrative duties. Only one of them, the "Staber" Ehren traut moun ted up in a tank and had a respectable amou n t of combat experience. We later l earned to respect h i m a lot. We were also very put off by the Spie/3's decision to billet tanks commanders separately from their crews in the billeting area Boguchow. Thanks to the authority of our "Little H ans" Fendesack, we were able to remain with our crews. Such an action was not the norm a t that time i n the 1 st Company. We were fortunate that Fendesack knew Oberleutnant Oemler, who was the acting com­ pany commander at the time. As a result, there were no repercussions against our decision to stay wi th the crews. For example, as the youngest com­ mander, it was i n tended for me to turn over my tank to someone who was older but who had no frontline experience. That did not happen . We also found i t unacceptable that the U n teroffiziere h ad priori ty in line at the field kitchen or had their food brough t to them. We consciously fough t against that bad prac tice. When the tank commanders were due for their food, they closed their mess ti ns with a l oud snap and took a place in the enl isted line at the field kitchen with­ out regard to their rank. That did not fai l to make an im pression.

Fendesacll 's Platoon

One more experience that depressed me: I t concerned the medical care with i n the battal ion. Seidel's driver, Schmidt, had an attack of malaria. Since I was fam il iar with the course of tertian Malaria-like Sch m idt, I had caugh t i t i n the Cau­ casus-I brought Schmidt to the battal ion's med­ ical section . Since the medics were unfamiliar with the symptoms of malaria, they called the battalion physician. That doctor's therapy: 1 ) a sharp dress­ ing-down for both of us and, 2) an order to main­ tain discipline and not bother the doctor with such bagatelles. Schmidt survived the malaria, but was later killed. Fendesack's platoon q uickly i n tegrated i tself into the com pany-and wi thout any harm to the company! We found a comradeship that still holds firm today. I am convi nced that Hans Fendesack, more than any other, and perhaps without even being aware of it, was responsible for the good way

133

the company turned out. H e toned down the brash and encouraged the modest. His task was to lead a platoon, but, unin tentionally, he accom­ plished far more. Today one would label what he did with the h igh-brow term of "inner leadership." Hans Fendesack, decorated i n 1 943 with the Ger­ man Cross [ Deutches Kreuz] in Gold, was killed on 1 8 August 1 944 in the Falaise area of the i nvasion fron t . He was t h irty-one years old. He left behind his wife , but no c hildre n , i n Breslau. Like all of us, he was not free of human weakness. He was a par­ ticularly fortunate combination of soldier, com­ rade, superior, friend and human being. Without i n any way diminishing the respect due others in the battalion for those quali ties, Oberfeldwebel Hans Fendesack was an exemplary soldier in both war and peace to me. I n addition to me, many members of the 1 st Company remember him with gratitude and respect.

CHAPTER

1 9

The Do g and Pony Show Alfred Rubbel

I

t is no secret that, aside from the 503's 3rd Company ( the former 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 502 )-things were somewhat better there-the personnel of the 1 st and 2nd Companies were composed to a large extent of personnel who had not had any experience in Russia or with "shots fired in anger." In the "script" for the "Dog and Pony Show," the 2nd Company was chosen to execute a live-fire exer­ cise during one portion of the demonstration. The higher-ranking officers were not entirely satis­ fied with the way it went, particularly Field Mar­ shal von Manstein. I ask my honored former commander, Graf von Kageneck, to pardon me for presenting private details of the battalion here, but he had only just taken over the battalion and certainly could not be held responsible for its state of training-my supposition being that my "reliable sources" have reported accurately to me. Further, I am not at all certain whether the 1 st or 3rd Companies would have fired any better. The consequence: The battalion was ordered to carry out a wide-ranging t�aining program that included weapon and equipment training, breach­ ing obstacles and live-fire exercises at the mam lines on the Donez i n the Tschugujew area.

The companies road marched from Kharkov, either closed up or by platoons, to the previously noticeably quiet infantry positions on the western bank of the Donez. Our appearance made it diffi­ cult for the Russians on the far bank, since we shot their bunkers to pieces. That put an end to the period of quiet for both sides, since the Rus­ sians answered with their artillery. I doubt if the infan try who were holding the positions were very enthusiastic about our arrival. Our period on the Donez also served as a "morale boost". We were sent to the rear elements of the units holding the positions with individual Tigers to demonstrate the new "wonder weapon ." I was at a regimen tal headquarters company with Tiger 1 1 4. After the demonstration was com­ pleted, there was a fearful amount of booze flow­ ing. Someone, hopefully it was the regiment's commander, doubted that the Tiger could smash down a house. I t came to a test, which turned out positive. I t turned out, however, that the "test object" housed the regiment's telephone switch­ board. I t was a good thing that we could head back to Kharkov the next day.

135

The Turkish delegation views the "Dog and Pony" Show on 25 June 1 943 at Kharkov. The senior officer of the Turk­ ish delegation, Colonel General Toydemir, can be seen at the scissors scope on the left. Generalfeldmarschall von Manstein, the commander-in-chief of Army Group South, is observing through the second set of optics.

CHAPTER

2 0

Citadel Richard Freiherr von Rosen

O

n 1 1 Apri l 1 943 the battalion moved to Mariupo l . Three days later it was rai l loaded to Bogoduchow, seventy kilome­ ters southwest of Kharkov. The 3rd Company was given billets in Ssemenjof.: Jar. New tanks arrived. There was little d u ty and soccer was played . On Easter Monday thi ngs started happening again. The battalion road marched along the Kharkov­ Bjelgorod road. The 3rd Company set up in a patch of woods at Tolbkonoje, thirty kilometers behind the fron t at Bj elgorod. The company received combat e ngineer training from Oberfeld­ webel Baumann. In particular, it l earned h ow to remove and defuse the notorious wooden-cased mines. Additional Tigers arrived, as did personnel replacements from the replaceme n t battalion. The company turned i n the remaining Panzer I l ls and then had fou rteen Tigers, organized i nto a company h eadq uarters section with two Panzer VIs, and th ree tank platoons, each with four Panzer VIs. Oberfeldwebel an der H eiden became the platoon l eader of the n ewly formed third pla­ toon. Oberfeldwebel Ron tlorf, the company Spie!3, became a tank commander i n the first pla­ toon. Stabsfe ldwebel Kisseberth became the n ew company first sergeant. On that day Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 achieved i ts authorized strength of forty-five Panzer VIs. As a result, it consisted of three comple te tank compan ies.

At the begi n n i ng of May 1 943 the i n tended attack against the Kursk salient (Operation C i tade l ) was postponed. H itler wanted to delay starting the offensive u n t i l the first prod uction batch of several hundred Pan thers had arrived at the front. On 10 May the e nt i re battalion moved to Kharkov. At Kharkov, i n tensive train i ng was i n i ti­ ated, particularly driver training and practical gunnery traini ng. For that purpose, the 3rd Com­ pany was moved in platoon i ncrements to the front at the Donez River. Once there, the platoons engaged Russian bunkers, antitank gun posi tions and mortar dug-outs that h ad been previously identified on the far bank of the Donez. At the beginning of June the 3rd Company took part in a major exercise wi thin the frame­ work of the 7th Panzer Divisio n . The exercise was near Kharkov and took place in fron t of h igher-ranking commanders of Army Group South . A similar exercise, l i kewise wit h live ammu­ n i tion, was carried out on 27 June in fron t of Field Marshal von Manstein and a group of Tu rkish generals whom H itler had i nvited to i nspect the Eastern Fron t. At about that time, the second commander of the battalion, Oberstleutnant H oheisel, left command to later become com­ mander of the Tiger trai ning courses at Pader­ born . H auptmann Graf Kageneck became the new commander. 13 7

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

It.. PI. ( 110111)

The Southern Sector of the Kursk Salient through 1 1 July 1 943.

Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was placed u nder the operational con trol of the I I I Panzer Corps ( B re­ ith) for Operation Citadel. The corps consisted of the 6th, 1 9th, and 7th Panzer D ivisions. I n spi te of spiri ted objections by the battalion commander, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was spli t u p and attached to the three panzer divisions for the attack. The commanders of those divisions saw the attachment somewhat diffe re n tly from their view­ poin ts: They wan ted to form a battering ram or a strong armored spearh ead so they could better break through the e nemy's strong defe nsive front. The Tiger could do that far better than the i nade­ quately armored Panzer I I I and Panzer IV. As a resul t , the 1 st Company wen t to the 6th Panzer Division, the 2nd Company to the 1 9th Panzer D ivision, and the 3rd Company to the 7th Panzer D ivisio n . T h e 3rd Company was placed u n d e r the oper­ ational con trol of the 25th Panzer Regiment, whose commander was Oberstleutnant Sch ulz, later Generalmajor and recipient of the diamonds to the Kn ight's Cross.

Wi thin the 3rd Company, Leutnant von Rose n 's second platoon was placed in fron t during and after crossing the Donez, which formed the front line. Days preceding the attack, Leutnant von Rosen had already reconnoi tered a ford for the tanks. He had conducted the recon naissance i n a night patrol together with the combat e ngineers and the grenadiers who were at the front. The stream bed was good, but the banks were too steep on both banks and would have to be reduced by the engineers using explosives. Accordingly, the plans were laid out so the grenadiers would fi rst form a bridgehead so the e ngineers could start their activities. The 3rd Company moved on 1 July 1 943 from Kharkov to the assembly area a t Tolokonnoje on the Kharkov-Bjelgorod road. D uring the evening of 4 J uly the company moved to thejump-off posi­ tion that had been recon no i tered for the attack. The second platoo n , in advance of the company, moved to a poin t directly west of the i n tended crossing poi n t at Ssolom imo with a good field of fire on the enemy positions.

Citadel

On 5 July at 0230 hours the German artillery opened its barrage and the infan try crossed the Donez in rubber assault boats. The 2nd Platoon rushed to the bank with the combat engineers, the demolition charges were brought forward and both banks were blown in short order. At that point, the enemy counterfire opened up. Artillery and mortar fire concen trated on the crossing site. The platoon-leader's tank, Tiger 22 1 , moved into the river and disappeared in the water up to the mud guards. The tank waded through the river and started to climb the far bank. However, the tracks could not gain a grip on the soft earth where the bank had been blown, so the river crossing failed. The towing cable had to be attached to the tank underwater and then length­ ened. This was done under heavy artillery and mortar fire. After hard work-under continuous fire-it succeeded and Tiger 2 2 1 was towed back and pulled up onto the firm bank. It was then necessary to wait until the engi­ neers had built a bridge capable of bearing the weight of a Tiger at the same place. The Tigers were positioned on the river ban ks-widely dis­ persed-wh ile the infantry fought their way for­ ward without armor protection. In a superhuman performance, disregarding gunfire and losses, the engineers readied the bridge after five hours of work. Early in the afternoon of. 5 July, the second platoon was finally able to cross the Donez and make it to the front. At long last it was able to bring some relief to the infantry that had shed so much blood in holding the bridgehead for hours. On 6 July the attack of the 3rd Company and the 25th Panzer Regiment continued along the Rasumnaj a stream in the direction of the destroyed village of Generalowka. Antitank guns, artillery pieces, tanks and infantry were destroyed. But our own losses were also heavy. Oberleutnant Scherf, commander of the 3rd Company was put out of action . Leutnant von Rosen then led the units that had been attached to the 25th Panzer Regiment. He was then also �everely wounded five days later. In the 1 st Company, Leutnant Jam­ merath was killed. The 3rd Company battered its way straight through Krutoj Log, Batrazkaja Datscha, Mjassoje­ dowo and Scheino, breaking through one Russian defensive system after another. The company had four total losses by July 1 2 and almost all the tanks

139

had suffered heavy to very heavy damage from the deeply echeloned minefields and antitank posi­ tions. In just a few days, ten veteran tankers were killed. Among them were Feldwebel Wunderlich, Oberfeldwebel Troger, Unteroffizier Miederer, Unteroffizier Angerer, Un teroffizier Clas, and Un teroffizier Petzka. Tiger Tank Battalion 503 gained bitter experi­ ence during the fighting in Operation Citadel. The Russians had learned how to set up defenses in any line they held. They held in great depth, well dug in. "Walls of artillery" and "antitank fronts" were set up facing every breakthrough point. Tanks in unheard of numbers and the newly in troduced Russian assault guns repeatedly blocked the way. The battalion encoun tered for the first time the heavy KV-85 tank and the SU-1 52 assault gun with its 1 52mm howitzer. Thus, the enemy succeeded in bringing our attack to a halt and, finally, in completely shattering it. Carell writes of the fighting on 7 and 8 July: As soon as they had crossed the Donets south of

Razumnoye, the regiments were involved in heavy fighting by Soviet armored forces. The grenadiers of 7th Panzer Division heaved a sigh of relief when the 25th Panzer Regiment from Erlangen at last arrived. Heading the long columns of tanks was Lieutenant-Colonel Adalbert Schulz in his command tank. Lieutenant-Colonel Adalbert Schulz, generally known as "Panzer Schulz," spread confidence wherever he went. The grenadiers knew that wherever he was nothing went wrong. They now watched him prepare for action. Fan out. Batten down hatches. Advance in a broad wedge. And already the first tank guns were opening up. Schulz had got right into a Soviet tank assem­ bly position . The enemy commander clearly lacked combat experience. He led his unit nerv­ ously, losing the overall view. As darkness fell on the battlefield thirty-four T-34s, a curious play on numbers, were littering the ground around Razumnoye, in flames or smoldering. But a strong enemy was well established and brilliantly camouflaged in the thick forests on the ridge of high ground. The division was caught in enfilading artillery fire. The Panzer Regiment was unable to help.

140

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Jl

But the corps had to move on, move forward, un less the whole plan was to be upset . Manteuffel regrouped. On 8th July he succeeded by means of concentrated forces i n breaking t h rough the Russian barrier on the ridge of h igh ground behind the Donets. General Breith immediately exploi ted this suc­ cess. Since 6th Panzer Division was clearly encoun­ tering difficul ties in crossing the Donets bridges at Belgorod to schedule, he did not hesitate long. "The main effort has got to be made wherever the fron t is moving forward," he said to Colonel Merk, his chief of staff. In consequence, he also moved 6th Panzer Division i n to the zone of attack of 7th Panzer Division . T h e two divisions n o w burs t forward towards the nort h east. To their left , 1 9th Panzer D ivision was movi ng forward. Along the Donets, 1 68th I n fan try Division was punching i ts own way ahead; its task was to provide cover for the open f lank of the Berl i n Panzer Corps. Over a broad front the tank regi ments cleared the way for the gre nadiers, Panzer-Schulz on the righ t, Colonel von Oppel n-Broni kowski with his Paderborn 1 1 th Panzer Regiment on the left. Between them was Count von Kageneck's Tiger Battalion 503. An armada of 240 tanks was sweep­ ing towards the enemy posit ions. But east of the Donets too the Russiar.ls were establ ished in well-built defensive zones eche­ loned in depth . Ant i-tank gun emplacements, mi nefields, antita n k d itches were everywhere . Moreover, there were some tricky swamps. Breith, an experienced and sh rewd com­ mander of armored forces, real ized that in the circumstances he would n ever be able to t h rust sufficiently fast or suff icien tly far to the east to keep to the timetable. He therefore made the only correct decision and on 8th July wheeled towards the nort h . I n a small ravine n ear Yastrebovo Bre i th met the commander of 6th Panzer D ivision. The two command tanks halted alongside. The maps were spread out on the floors of these mobile armored signals stations. The corps commander's hand brushed towards the top of the map: " H u nersdorff, you wil l make a thrust to the north and break through. You will cause the enemy's main defensive zone to collapse ! " A n d Wai ter von H lll1ersdorff, one of the bold­ est and most experienced tank commanders i n

the Weh rmacht, moved off. H e toppled t h e Soviet defensive posi tions. H e repulsed an attack by Soviet armored forces near Melekhovo. Together wi t h 1 9t h Panzer D ivision he encircled two Sovie t ri f l e divisions. Forward! Without halting, 6th Panzer Division raced on to the upper Donets. Would it get to Prokhorovka in time? The Soviet H igh Com mand realized the dan­ ger threaten i ng from this massive th rust along the flank of the operation. Stalin ordered his stra tegic reserves from the distant Steppe Front to move towards Prokhorovka in forced marches. Would they arrive in time? Lieutenant Podgorbunskiy jumped out of the way, saluted, and stared after the general in amazement. No one had ever seen the chief of staff in such a state. He was normally a calm, stolid per­ son whom nothing could upset. But now he was run n i ng through the little ravine that housed the advanced headquarters of First Tan k Army, pant­ i ng, his face purple, and without his cap. He stormed up the slope toward a li ttle wood. He dis­ appeared i n the thick undergrowth . Up there was an artil lery observation post. General Katukov and Niki ta Sergeyevich Kh rushchev had gone up there an hour previ­ ously. But when Major-General Shalin burst i n to the command post t h rough i ts camouf lage of branches and fol iage, there was only Kh rushchev left . Katukov had gone on to the HQ of VI Tank Corps. "What's up?" Niki ta Sergeyevich asked suspi­ ciously on seeing Shali n in a state of utter con­ sternation. The chief of s taff, stil l tryi ng to recover his breath , wordlessly handed him a piece of paper­ a signal on a printed form. It came from General Chern iyenkov's XXXI Tank Corps. Khrushchev read: "Defenses penetrated. Troops in f light and not to be stopped. Usychov." Disaster! Disaster recorded in eleven words. "Who is that?" Kh rushchev asked, his finger excitedly tapping the signature. "Lieutenant-Colonel Usychov is chief of signals of XXXI Tank Corps," Shalin replied. "If his report is correct then nothing can stop the Germans from stri king across the Psel at the rear of the First Tank Army," Kruschev muttered.

Citadel

And what he thought, although he did not u t ter it, was this: I f the Germans stri ke at the rear of First Tank Army, then the Russian defense m ust collapse along the southern front of Kursk. That would be the end of the battle for Kursk. That would mean victory for the Germans. Regarding the breakthrough on 1 0 and 1 1 July, Piekalkiewicz wrote: In the early hours of that nigh t, the German 6th Panzer Division ( M ajor General von H unersdorff) was moved to the heavily forti fied Rzhavets. I n a surprise attack they were supposed to seize a bridgehead over the northern Donets and then advance to Provorot. The bulk of this division and the 1 9th Panzer D ivision ( Lieutenant General G. Schmidt) were ordered to continue pursuing the defeated Soviet formations and simul taneously attack the left flank of Fifth Guards Tan k Army (Lieutenant General Rotm istrow) and Sixty-n inth Army ( Lieutenant General Kryuchenkin ) . The 1 1 th Panzer Regiment (Colonel von Oppeln­ Bronikowski ) and h is two armored companies, one panzer grenadier battalion, and the rest of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 started on their n igh t march on Rzhavets. They were led by two cap­ tured T-34s at the head of the column under strict silence and no-fi re orders. The combat group moved toward the town ten kilometers away. After

141

bypassing Kurakovska village, they were behind Soviet li nes. The col umn threaded into the busy traffic on the main road and fell in line with Soviet units heading in the same direction . Dur­ ing a short rest, German and Red Army soldiers were sitting almost side by side without suspicion. One of the captured T-34s unexpectedly stopped because of engine trouble and a Panzer IV pushed it i n to a ditch. At 0400 the head of the column reached the edge of Rzhavets and looked for the way to its bridge in the darkness between march ing Soviet infan try and truck columns. I n t h e vil lage the combat group missed t h e turn to the bridge in their excitement and rolled past a column of twenty-two Soviet T-34s. Apparently the Soviet tank drivers had become suspicious, because they suddenly fell out of line and fol­ lowed the Germans. Major Bake and Lieutenant Zobel were able to knock out three of them in close-range combat with magnetic antitank charges, but now a batch of flares wen t up and machine guns began to rattle from all directions. The combat group had not as yet reached i ts objective when a tremendous detonation blew up the bridge. The grenadiers and engineers, how­ ever, were able to reach the northern bank of the Donets over a footbridge and establ ish a bridge­ head there. The surprised Red Army soldiers hardly put up a figh t.

C HAP T E R

2 1

Ti ger 3 1 1 on the First Day of Citadel Gerd Niemann

TIGER

311 Tank commander Gunner Driver Radio operator Loader

Leutnan t Wei nert U n teroffizier Niemann U n teroffizier Kuh nert Obergefrei ter Lehner Gefrei ter Sttihler

5 July 1 943: At 0200 hours the tanks were ready to depart; the crews assembled for the orders sessio n . By f lash light, Oberleutnant Scherf read the order of the ' day for the attack on the Russian positions east of the Donez between Bjel­ gorod and Orel. Thi rty m i n utes later, simultane­ ously with the fi rst art i l lery and rocket-launcher strikes, the Tigers rolled through a n arrow defile in the woods o n to the plain of the Donez. The river crossing was to be by a ford , not far from the village of Ssolomino. We had run th rough that phase of the opera­ tion several times on the sand tables at Kharkov: 2nd Platoon in the lead, then the command tank, followed by the 1 st Platoon and then the 3rd Pla­ toon. We approached the c;rossing i n that order on this morning as wel l . Leutnant von Rosen 's Tiger 32 1 approached the ford di rectly. The oth­ ers remained a bit to the side i n covered positions. Tensely, we followed the crossing. Slowly, until the water rose over the track guards, the Tiger made its way th rough the Donez, appare n tly without any problems. Just a few meters more and the next tank could fol l ow. But that was not to happe n .

Tiger 32 1 remained stuck on t h e far bank. I n spite of repeated approaches, it could not get firm ground under i ts tracks. I t had to retu rn . The fording operation was scuttled. What was to be done? A bit farther upstream was a provisional bridge. At the moment, the 25th Panzer Regiment was crossing it. Why couldn't we j ust fol low i t? No passage for veh icles over thirty tons! A n ew crossing would have to be arranged for the Tigers. I nstead of "Tanks to the front!" the cry was now, "Engineers get to work ! " In the mean time, the Russian artillery had found the range of the crossing. The shells burst everywhere, as did the un predictable salvoes of the Stalin Organs. The combat engi neers did not let that faze them. They dragged the heavy bridging mate­ rials forward, drove pi les i n to the riverbed and laid planks on timbers. The Tigers remai ned widely dispersed on the open Donez plain . The sun blazed down merci­ lessly on the steel armor. In the fighting compart­ ment i t was as hot as the i nside of an i ncubator. Wounded infa n try, returning from the figh t, could not understand that the Tigers were unable to move forward. Again and again they called to us, " Move on forward ! Move on Forward! Your com­ rades are wai ting for you ! " Finally w e had reached t h e poi n t o f no return: "Company, march ! " After a few hundred meters we were in contact with the enemy. "Two o 'clock, bunker-high explosive ! " I went "automatic." My 143

144

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

feet pressed forward on the pedals of the power turret traversing mechan ism , my left hand set the range on the optics, then reached for the wheel of the gu n 's traversing mechanism, my right cranked the elevat ing gear. "Iden tified ! " Safety off! "Fire when ready! " I pulled the trigger. The target dis­ appeared in a cloud of smoke . Was it a h i t? Leut­ nant vVeinert gave me n o time to observe. The lank was already rol ling on. I n the opt ics I then saw another picture. And so i t we n t several times: d ischarge­ smoke cloud-onward. The Tiger was constantly i n motion, first swi nging to the left , then to the righ t, movi ng forward or moving back. Soon I had no idea of what direction we had come from . Red sold iers appeared in frolll of the tank. We drove directly i nt o a defensive position. "Coax ! " The brown-clad figures rose i n masses, kneel ing and standing, firing with their mach i ne-pistols and ri fles agai nst our steel armor. A few pulled back. Oth ers sough t cover i n a depression i n the ground. They could not stop us. Those who were not cut down by t he bursts of our mach i n e gun fire were run over. To the righ t was a grain field. Watch out for a n titank guns! Leutn a n t Wei nert was given the mission of destroying any enemy there. Short swi ng to the righ t . "One o ' clock-fifty meters­ h igh explosive-safe ty ! " We moved forward very cautiously, my forehead pressed hard against the h ead-protector of the optics. All I ·could see were stalks of grain. An uncomfortable feeling. There, a flash-a dull i m pact against the armor. At that same instant a fou n tain of earth spouted up at a range of t h irty to forty meters. " Bravo, d i rect h i t ! " I was not consciously aware I had fi red the gun . That made no difference. The loader, i n any case, shoved a fresh round i n to the breech. The Tiger received additional h i ts. The shots came from t h e depths of the grain field. The enemy was not to be seen . Neve rtheless, the loader had to work without a break. I fol lowed Leutnant Weinert 's i nstructions exactly. ·Fire, fire aga i n ! Ivan must not fee l that he is safe ! A h eavy impact shook the tank. U n teroffizier Kuhnert called out something about "penetra­ tion ! " ; Obergefrei ter Leh ner shouted something

about "wounded ! " Leutnant Wei nert took it very calmly. "Anyt h ing else?" "Nein, Herr Leut nant." "Then keep going, Kuh nert . " Calmly, a s i f o n t h e trai ning ground, Leutnant Wei nert directed the Tiger th rough the field of grain towards an an t i tank gun. Left, right, l eft. The tracks caught the gun . Under the weight of our sixty tons it broke apart. I wiped out the next antitank gun . Then another clattering for us. The electrical system wen t out; the humming tone went dead i n t h e h eadphones. The tank kept on movi ng, however. Half-righ t , another antitank gun barely fifty meters away. The crew took lO i ts heels. Machine gun fi re. At that moment there was movement at the gun; a f lash , an impact against the Tiger. A fearsome blow resoun ded through the figh ting compartment. Before I knew what was happen i ng, U n teroffizier Kuhnert had al ready turned arou nd on the gun position. The fourth gun was put out of action. But we did not get away scott-free. A h i t in the rear stopped the engine. We stood t here, unable to move . The starter was no l onger fu nctional. I tried to traverse the tu rret by hand. At that i nstant Leutnant Weinert shouted, "Stop ! " "What about the a n t i tank gun?" I asked. "Oberfeldwebel Rondorf got i t . " So we were n o t alone. Operation "Grai nfield" came to an end. Time for a cigare t te and, finally, fresh air. But it did not end with that. Enemy tanks were reported. We started the engine with the hand cran k. As we wi thdrew from the grain field we ran o n to a mine. Fortunately, we only suffered minor damage to the run n i ng gear which was quickly fixed. Then we arrived at a burning village ( Rasumnoje? ) . The enemy tanks were easy to iden­ tify. Range 1 ,200. I needed two rounds to knock out the first tank. The next T-34 moved i n to our line of fi re . It was moving a t speed. That time the loader h ad to shove th ree rounds i n to the breech . After t h a t , i t settled down. T h e company set up secu ri ty for the nigh t . Two days later, Tiger 3 1 1 was i n the maintenance facility. I t was wri t ten off and cannibal ized. The damage to the hull and drive train that had occurred on 5 J uly and during the con tinuation of the attack on 6 July could not be repaired wi th the means available to the main­ tenance faci l i ty.

CHAPTER

2 2

Ti ger 332 in Action froITl July 1943 to the End of January 1944 Gerd Niemann

TIGER

332 Com mander Gun ner Driver Radio operator Loader

Feldwebel Weiland U n teroffizier Niemann Obergefre i ter Mangels Unknown Gefrei ter Ei necke

Maximojha ama, about twenty-five kilometers north­ west oJ Kha rkov

At the end of J u ly, the battalion moved to Kharkov for reconditioning and issuance of tanks. Operation Citadel had cost the 3rd Company ten dead, an unknown number of wounded and four Tigers as total losses. In addition , several more Tigers were i n the main tenance faci l i ty with tech­ nical problems or battle damage. On the eve n i n g of 5 August, the order was issued: Prepare to move out. We were kept waiting until the afternoon of the fol l owing day for the movement order. As a result, the long-distance marriage by proxy that h ad been planned for Feldwebel Wei l and could take place as planned. We spe n t the night of � August in a vil l age southwest of Kharkov. I t was said we would be employed at Merefa. That plan was overcome by eve n ts in the morni ng. Thi ngs were hot north of Kharkov. ew d i rection of march: Bogoduchow. Battle Group Weinert reached i ts area of oper­ ations at Maximofka with three of i ts four Tigers. Leutna n t Weinert 's veh icle dropped out with drive problems. Feldwebel Weiland had to give up his

place to the Leutnant. We were placed under the operational control of the 2nd SS Panzer Division " Das Reich." During the three days from 8- 10 August, the battle group was only em ployed twice for short periods of time. On 8 August, it worked with an SS grenadier batallion, advancing the main line of resistance about 500 meters on to key h igh ground and, on 10 August, on reconnais­ sance-in-force suggested by Leutnant Weinert. Three T-34s and an e nemy truck col umn with ammuni tion and fuel were destroyed during the raid. On 1 1 August the battle groups assembled at the Feski collective farm . In the afternoon the bat­ talion occupied an assembly area near Maximofka with twelve or th irteen Tigers. After an art i llery preparation on the morning of 1 2 August, we assembled for a coun terattack. Tiger 332 h ad a track knocked off in i ts fi rst con­ tact with the enemy. Leutnan t Weinert transferred i nt o another vehicle. Feldwebel Weiland came back to us. Repair of the damage took longer than ex­ pected. Far and wide, noth ing more was to be seen of the combat elements. The sound of battle could only be h eard in the distance. Feldwebel Weiland asked over the radio where the company was. The answer: " Move along the woods and you wi l l soon find us." And that was what we did. Suddenly there was a flash, off to the left in the woods. A round struck a few meters in fron t of t h e tank. Halt! Transm i t ! Feldwebel Weiland 145

146

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

reported that we had been fired upon and wan ted to know who was there i n the woods. To our sur­ prise, we were i n formed, "Not us. Return fire ! " I n t h e meantime, I had aimed t h e gun at the wood line, but could not make out any movement. Th ick undergrowth preve n ted any observation i n to the woods. Driver, move out! The mome n t we moved there was another muzzle flash , right a t the righ t-hand edge of the optics, barely visible. Again, the i m pact was j ust i n fron t of the tank. I aimed at the suspec ted position-and got n o more t h a n a chilly silence. Isn't t h a t w h y w e had machine guns? Right after the first burst of fire came another i m pact on the tank. That time the muzzle f lash was farther to the left, but well i n my field of view. My first round swept the underbrush away. Al most in the center of the space I had cleared stood an anti tank gun . It was ready to fire aga i n , and then b i ts of gun spun through the air. ow the wood line came al ive. Flashes came from several locations at the same time. We c leared the way free with mach ine guns and cannon. Five anti­ tank guns were destroyed. Feldwebel Weiland tried in vai n to report our successes to the company. No more con tact. So on we wen t along the wood line. A small rise in fron t o f us. Feldwebel Weiland was able t o see behind i t from h is elevated posi tion .-Halt ! D river, back up!-A l i ttle later we were told what he had seen : "Four Russian tan ks-two T-34s, two KV- l s­ broadside to us." Still in the reverse-slope position, I traversed the turret as instructed. Then it was Obergefre i ter Mangels' turn. Very delicately he moved the Tiger j ust far enough up the rise un til the target appeared in my optics. Thanks to Feld­ webel Weiland's excellent i nstructions, I scored a direct h i t with the fi rst round. The o ther three Russian tanks pulled back without turning their tu rrets. I knocked out two of them. The fourth disappeared i n to a hollow, from wh ich a cloud of smoke soon arose. While we were still pondering what might have been going on, two Tigers sud­ denly came i n to view from the righ t, emerging ; from beh i nd a point of woods. We had found the combat elements. I nstead of praise for our successes, Feldwebel Weiland got a dressing down from the com­ mander because h e had not responded to the lat­ ter's radio messages. We had, i n deed, moved directly in fron t of the barrels of a Russian tank assembly area. The fact that we discovered the cause of the l oss of radio con tact-we no longer

had any radio antenna, it had been shot off right at the base-seemed to make no difference. For the next few days, the combat elements were occasionally e ngaged in heavy defensive fighting in the Maximofka sector of the front. Leutnant Wei nert was wounded on 1 3 August in armored fighting at Chrutsch tschewo-Niki­ towka. On that day the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wiking" relieved the 2nd SS Panzer Divi­ sion " Das Reich," to wh ich we had been attached up to that point. The history of the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wiking" reported the 1 8 August attack on Hill 228. 1 , northeast of Maximofka, as follows: The artillery barrage began i n the gray of dawn . The enemy i ni tially attacked H ills 228 and 209 on a broad front. After an hour he had advanced to 209.5 wi th tanks and follow-on i nfantry. The 5th SS Panzer Battalion moun ted an immediate COUll­ terattack. A Tiger company (503) was speedily sent forward by the corps. I n tense armor engage­ ments developed along the enti re front. The Schwerpunkt [spearhead] of the enemy attack was on H ills 228 and 209.5. Eighty four out of about a hundred enemy tanks were knocked out. The operations officer of headquarters, 8th Army, sent the followi ng teletype on 20 August 1 943: During the last few days, the corps has two major successes to recognize: 1 . The defensive success of SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wiking," which knocked out a total of 84 Russian tanks after commitment of a Tiger battalion. 2 . . . . My thanks and my ful l appreciation to the leadership and the troops. signed Woehler General der I n fanterie I am pleased to pass on the above message of recogni tion from the Commanding General of the 8th Army to i ts attached divisions and corps u n i ts. signed Breith General der Panzertruppen and Commanding General of the I I I Panzer Corps (Strassner, Die 5. SS-PzDiv. WlKlNC, pp. 2 ] 6 ff. )

Tiger 332 in Action fromJuly 1 943 to the End ofJanuary 1 944

Tiger 332 (Feldwebel Weiland) dropped out of the fighting on 1 8 August with damage to its main gun and had to go to the maintenance facility at Walki. According to the German Red Cross list of those killed in action, the 3rd Company lost the following: 20 August 30 August 31 August

at Maximofka at Scharowka at Goluboff

2 September

at Goluboff

Herbert Bierig Heinz Riedel Heinrich Legath Peter Schilling Alfred Will

As I recall, two Tigers of our company were knocked out by our own assault guns. One radio operator was killed, one loader severely wounded (? Franz Roth died 4 September in Military Hospi­ tal 1 3/X.) On 3 1 August the rearward echelon of the bat­ talion and the maintenance facility moved from Walki to Krasnograd. (At that time-until 9 September-I was in the infirmary with jaundice. Since Tiger 332 was already back in service, I joined Feldwebel Bor­ mann's tank on 1 0 September. ) During the first half of September the great change in the weather came. It rained in buckets. The roads turned into bottomless streams of mud; the open country becaf!1e a landscape of morasses. Even tracked vehicles had trouble moving. At that time, the combat elements were in the Merefa-Taranowka sector of the front. Attacks were only mounted to clean up penetrations. Oth­ erwise it was a matter of putting up a delaying action until, somewhere, a new defensive position was established. And then that did not hold because the forces were inadequate. Again and again contact was lost with adjacent units, leading to kilometer-wide gaps between for­ mations, through which the Russians could con­ tinue their assaults unimpeded. 1 2 September: As night ft:;ll, the routine "with­ drawal" began. First the grenadiers, by squads, then the tanks. Our departure was delayed. We were still waiting for Unteroffizier Weigel's tank, which had been detailed with a squad of grenadiers to secure the gap with the neigh boring battalion. It was already dark. Still no trace of U nteroffizier Weigel. Then came the report by radio: immobilized by transmission problems! Feldwebel Borman was given the task of recovering the Tiger.

147

While the combat elements orientated them­ selves toward the rear, we moved perpendicular to the front, without really knowing whether the Rus­ sians had already infiltrated into the gap. The ten­ sion was very great, because we could hardly see anything and the directions for getting to the location of the breakdown were only vaguely given in terms of kilometers and direction. We had radio contact with Feldwebel Weigel. He directed us by listening. Halt-Stop the engine-Start the engine-Good, move out!-We followed that pro­ cedure several times. Feldwebel Bormann was get­ ting uncomfortable, since we had already gone beyond the number of kilometers that had been given. He wanted Unteroffizier Weigel to send up a flare. Unteroffizier Weigel refused, for fear of betraying the location of the breakdown . Then, at last, we were there. The way back stretched end­ lessly before us. We proceeded at a walking pace. With sixty tons in tow, the soft ground permitted no faster pace. And then there were the swampy pits that we could not make out in the darkness. Twice the towed vehicle bogged down. When that happened, we had to unhook the towing cable, pull the inert Tiger out backwards, and then hook up the tow agai n ! The Russians seemed to be asleep. Long after midnight, Feldwebel Bormann re­ ported to the commander, "Mission accomplished." 1 3 September: Rain. Nothing but rain. We waited for the arrival of the supply elements. They did not come. Instead, we received the next oper­ ations order. As best we could, we filled the holes in the ammuni tion racks and put in the fuel tanks what fuel we could transfer in a hurry from the Tigers that were being towed by the recovery pla­ toon because of mechanical problems. In the action that followed, we were commit­ ted as battle groups. Battle Group Rondorf, with the tanks of Oberfeldwebel Rondorf, Feldwebel Borman n, Feldwebel Blume and Un teroffizier Meinert, along with a grenadier battalion, was assigned to win back some high ground that had been given up the previous evening and hold it until evening. The combat strength of the battal­ ion amounted to little more than a company of tired and burn t-out grenadiers, who only hesi­ tantly followed our attack. The Russians cleared out of the position without offering significant opposition. But, scarcely had the grenadiers set­ tled down between the tanks when it started to liven up in front of our lines.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Suddenly i t was al ive with earth-brown figures. They didn't seem very im pressed by our defensive fire . Then they were a good 200 meters away. Sud­ denly they all d ropped to the grou nd-and a h owling approached: Artillery. The grenadiers abandoned their inconspicuous foxholes in flight. As the final rounds burst, the human steamroller started movi ng forward aga i n . Our fire was unable to bri ng i t to a halt. The f i rst Russians were already push ing i n between our four tanks. There was nothing left for us but to reverse gear. The hill had changed owners. After a short break to regroup, we mounted a counterattack. Our h igh explosive rounds had the same effect as the Russian a rtillery f i re. The posi­ tion belonged to us. But then the h uman steam­ roller returned, supported by artillery and mortars. We lost the hill again. And, agai n , the coun ter­ attack fol lowed. O u r ammunition count shrank rapidly. I n the afternoon we were on the h i l l­ without the grenadiers. They hadn 't followed us on the last coun terattack, h aving d isappeared from the picture without a trace. Oberfeldwebel Rondorf reported the incident and asked for fur­ ther orders. The answer did not please us at all: We were to hold the position until ] 800 h ours ! A while after t h e withdrawal of the grenadier battalion, two assault guns showed up. Our j oy at h aving some more f i repower on our side proved to be wishful thinking. The rei nforcements turned out to be as toothless as we were. They also had no ammunition. Someone had i n tercepted them e n route from the mai n tenance faci l i ty t o t h e i r unit and ordered them into action. After a good half hour, we were alone aga i n . Fortunately, the Russ­ ian infan try didn't undertake any more major attacks, and the Russian art i l lery did not f i re . We pulled out at ] 800 hours sharp. We l i n ked up with the three tanks of Battle Group Oberleut­ nant Scherf at the former battalion command post. U n teroffizier Rieschel's Tiger had to be blown up: Radiator and fan damage : from an art illery hit. The general shortage of fuel i n all of the other tanks meant that a tow was out of the question. Soon i t was dark, pitch black and still rai n i ng. Hand grenades detona ted a short d is­ tance away and rifle fire flashed. It didn't phase us. After a few kilometers, Oberleutnant Scherf called the tan k commanders over to h i m . What he

had to say was already common knowledge: Situa­ tion uncertain, but not hopeless. I t made us think, however, when he allowed us alcohol-"for inner warmth." Then we went on, and always past burn­ ing cottages and haystacks-hall marks of a retreat. As mid n igh t approached we reached German li n es i n the vicin i ty of Krasnograd. Was that the new main line of resistance? A little stream almost sealed our fate there. The bridge we had to cross had already been cleared for demol ition. 14 Septem ber: Krasnograd. Tech nical service. 15 September: Army Group South began i ts retreat to the n ear side of the D njepr. The order went out to the battalion to prepare to move out. The im mobile tanks were supposed to be brought back by rai l . Still ] 5 September: W h i l e w e were still i n the area where we had been quartered, Feldwebel Borman n 's tank dropped out of action due to d river carelessness with a shorn-off final drive. I t had t o be loaded o n the trai n . T h e recovery platoon started evacuating vehi­ cles to the rai l road station that afternoon. The route to the station led through the city and was one h orrible traffic jam. I n n umerable wheeled veh icles had mired themselves i n the viscous masses of paste that were called streets. The pri me movers made no more than slow progress. When­ ever possible, they made their way alongside the road. As darkness fell, the towi ng operations had to cease by order of the military police. There was no more movement in the ci ty. ] 6 September: The evacuation was resumed, though the situation i n the city had scarcely im proved. At the railroad yard there was also crowding and confusion. The Tigers could not be loaded. It wasn't until noon that the first one was towed over an end-loading ramp onto a Ssyms-rai l­ road car. There was no locomotive avai lable for shunting the h i tched-up prime mover. The rai l­ road officials had no i dea where the loaded Ssyms­ cars were to go to assemble the transport train. The rai lroad l i nes were j ust as jammed as the streets. Hours passed before a sol ution was found. I n the meantime, we kept ourselves very busy, clearing out a giant rations depot. The loading d ragged on endlessly. No Tiger could j ust have i ts tracks changed and be pulled right up over the ramp and correctly loaded. Pai nstaking sideward corrections had to be made,

Tiger 332 ill ActionfromJuly 1 943 to the End o/January 1 944

and that during a dark and rainy n ight with no more than flashlights for illum ination. 17 September: Eight Tigers were loaded. Three more stood in front of the ramp without tracks. By order of the railroad station com mander, those would have to be loaded by dayl igh t. I t was feared that in the darkness one migh t slide to the side and block the adjoining track. But it was too late. There was total confusion at the rail road station . The Reichsbahn [ German railroad] took away the switching engine. The train that had been put together up to that point was h itched to a locomo­ tive and, within a few min utes, left Krasnograd. One train after another rolled through to Poltawa with little space between them. 18 September: Railroad siding at Kre­ mentschug. The oversize Tigers were a thorn i n the side of the rail road command. I t took twenty hours before the transport got a green light. 19 September: Snamenka . According to the transport papers, that was our final obj ective. However, there were no fac i l i ties to un load, no end-loading ramp, no means of towing. The rail­ road station and supervisor were agreed on one thing: For want of a rail road sidi ng, the transport would have to keep movi ng. After several tele­ phone calls to the movement control command at Lemberg we were provided with new papers late that afternoon that did not specifY a desti nation. We were sent on a wi ld-goose chase. 2 1 -23 Septembe r : Perwomaisk-SlobodkaShmerin ka-Proskurow. 24 September: Tarnopol. Our journey came to an end after a wooden bridge pillar was shattered by a Tiger. Great head-scratching at the railroad command. No one knew what to do with the train. There was a lot of telephoning, but it did not pro­ duce any results. As evening approached, the transport was moved to the Berozowica rai l road station, which was about eight kilome ters distant. We stayed there until I October. Then back to Tarnopol, wh ich we left on 2 October. On through Shmerinka, Winn i�a, Berdi tschew and Fastow until, on 4 October; we arrived a t Sna­ menka. That evening all of the Tigers were i n the maintenance facility. 20-25 October: Bombing attack on Snamenka. The billets received a severe h i t. There were no casualties.

149

30 October-4 November: Battle Group Weinert was assigned as corps reserve i n Uspenskoje, south­ east of Krementschug. 1 3-22 November: Battle Group CllSOW 1 1 1 Kirowograd. 23 November-24 December: On leave. 27 December: Reported to the com pany at Zybulew (between Winniza and Uman ) . No more tanks available. Oberleutnant Scherf went on l eave. Leutnant Beier was given temporary com­ mand of the company. ] 944 ] Jan uary: Road march by truck from Zybulew to Shmeri n ka ( Rumanian Sector) . 3 Jan uary: Received a new Tiger. Maintenance service, breaking it i n and sigh ting in the guns. 9 Jan uary: The com pany was placed under the operat ional control of the local area commander at Shmerinka for local defense. Th rough "rumor con trol" we learned that the Russians had crossed the Bug and threatened the Winn iza-Shmerin ka­ Slobodka rai lroad line. During the night there was wild shooting i n the ci ty. T h e Rumanian patrols fired on anything that moved. It was extremely dangerous for our sen t ries to cross the street. 1 0 Jan uary: Early i n the morning we received the operations order. The objective of the attack was the enemy bridgehead at Ssutiski, twenty ki lo­ meters east of Shmeri n ka. The weather was rai n mi xed with snow and development of rapidly th icke n i ng fog. The ground conditions were bad . We h eaded out of Shmeri n ka toward the southeast. There were preparations for defense throughout the ci ty. Field positions were con­ structed and antita n k guns positioned on the approach streets. J ust past the the outskirts of the city-the German Red Cross sisters at the Soldiers' Home h ad j ust waved to us-we were fired on from the left flank, catching us completely by sur­ prise. There were four rounds fired. The tank in fron t of us was hit i n the run n ing gear, the other sh ots landed to the right on the rail road embank­ ment. Presumably it was a nervous Rumanian an ti­ tank gun crew that had fired at the sounds of armor. There was nothing to be seen . Visibility was barely 1 00 meters. So we kept on moving.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

The h istory of the 23rd Panzer Division describes the rest of the attack: In Shukowzy the [Tiger company] succeeded in bringing units of the 37 1 . I nfan teriedivision i nt o position for local defense . . . . From there, a t 1 400 hours, t h e 2nd Battalion o f t h e 23rd Panzer Regim e n t and a Tiger company, a company of grenadiers and two platoons of combat e ngineers advanced th rough Nowo Petrowsk to the Bug at Woroschilowka. Nowo Petrowsk was captured and secured shortly after dusk after knocking out two enemy tanks. On the next day, Tiger 322 ( Feldwebel Wei­ land) was al ready back in the mai n tenance facility as the third factory-new tan k that had broken down with e ngine problems. 19 January: Transport by rail from Shmerinka to Wi n niza. 23 Jan uary: By order of Army Group Sout h , Tiger Regiment Bake was formed from Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 and the 2nd Battali o n , 23rd Panzer Regi ment. I ts fi rst m ission was to clean up the Soviet area of penetration that existed east of Win­ n iza by attacking to the east and destroying the e nemy forces that h ad penetrated southward to the Bug. ( Rebentisc h )

24 January: Breakthrough at t h e B i l a position. 25 January: Armored engagements i n the Ssos­ soff area. 26 January: Defe nsive fighting in the Ssossoff area. 27 Jan uary: Armored engagements south of O tschere tnya ( Ochere tnya ) . From the Weh rmacht report o f 3 1 January 1 944: During offensive fighting in the area south of Pogrebitsche from 24 to 30 Jan uary 1 944, more than ten Sovie t rifle divisions and several armor corps were destroyed by formations of the army and Waffen-SS under command of General of Panzer Troops H ube. They were effectively sup­ ported by elements of the Luftwaffe. The Bolshe­ viks lost more than 6,500 prisoners and 8,000 dead during that time period. 700 tanks and assault guns as wel l as numerous other weapons and equipment were either destroyed or cap­ tured. The 1 6th Panzer Division ( from West­ phalia) , under the command of Generalmajor Back, and a Tiger regiment, under the command of Oberstleutnant Bake, especially distinguished themselves during the operation .

C HAPTER

2 3

FroITl the Donez to the Dnj e p r in Se p teITlber 1943 Alfred Rubbel

C

i tadel h ad failed. None of the objectives, neither cutting off of the Kursk sali e n t that jutted so far to the west and whose elimina­ tion would h ave shortened the main l in e of resist­ ance from about 400 kilometers to 200 kilometers nor smashing the Soviet forces of two "fron ts" [equal to German army groups] that had t here grown to threate n i ng proportions had succeeded. Our southern a ttack group, the 4th Panzer Army and Army D e tac h m e n t Kempf, had penetrated ' the strongly fortified defensive positions after heavy and costly attacks. The breakthrough seemed almost wit h i n grasp when the German Army H igh Command canceled the operation after fourteen days (5 July- 1 7 July 1 943 ) . There were two reasons for that: 1 . The attack of the northern attack group of Army Group Center, Model 's 9th Army, did not advance because the Russians preempted the German attack and forced the German troops o n to the defe nsive. That elimi n ated the secon d arm of the pinc�rs for the envelop­ ment. 2. U n i ted States forces h ad landed on Sicily and the I talian army pulled back almost wi thout a fight. Based on that, the Oberkommando der Weh rmac h t ( German Armed Forces H igh Command) had to assume that the I talian forces would respond i n similar fashion to a landin g on the I talian mainland. German

forces h ad to be withdrawn from the Eastern Fro n t, with the major portion coming from the formations that had been commi tted to Citadel. They were sen t i n march to the Mediterranean theater. The Soviets who were concen trated in the Orel-Kursk area-in places with a six-fold superior­ i ty-had operated in the best " Manstein manner." After fi rst parrying the northern half of the Ger­ man attack, they wen t over to the offensive "on the backhand." Their operational objective was the capture of Kharkov, outflanking the German forces between the Donez and Dnjepr, gaining the D njepr l i n e and smashing Army Group South east of the Dnjepr. Kharkov was evacuated i n m id­ August of 1 943. Army Group South began i ts with­ drawal on a broad fron t on 2 September. The i n itiative had finally been lost and i t had gone over to the Red Army. So m uch for the larger picture. Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 h ad to take part in a fighting retreat from the m iddle of July u n ti l the end of September 1 943. I t was committed p iece­ meal. From that period we remember place n ames such as Kowiagy, Merefa , Maximowka, and Achtyrka. I t was a wearisome fight. In small groups, often l ess than platoon strength , we were split up and farmed out to regiments and divi­ sions. Generally, there was no communication with the company. We could find rations for our­ selves, but ammuni tion and fuel were scarce. The 151

1 52

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

worst part of the situation was the lack of recovery vehicles and repair services. Masses of the civi lian population, herds of cattle, transport columns and goods being evacuated trekked along as one giant army "worm" on designated movement routes. I t was t h e same across t h e entire width of t h e 8th Army sector where our battal ion was employed. And i t was no different for the 4th Panzer Army of Army Group South. We were i n action with Tiger 1 1 4. I t was the second Tiger 1 1 4. The fi rst had received several h i ts from 7.62cm antitank guns. There was a hole i n the fron t hull. The left-h and final drive was shot up and the transm ission was out of action . The crew was still the same one we had started with i n the spring of 1 943. During the weeks from the end of August until the end of September 1 943, our task i n that almost unique withdrawal to the "Ostwall" at the Dnjepr was varied. At one poi n t , we provided an escort for the rem nants of an infantry d ivisio n . At another time, we served as rear guard and held a vil lage long enough for there to be some d istance betwee n the withdraw­ ing troops and the pursuing Russians. We also cre­ ated some breathing room by launching local counterattacks. Due to a lack of recovery veh icles, we also had to tow our damaged Tigers. As a rule, we provided cover during the days and l i n ked up with the retreating elements at night. During those types of operations we scarcely got any rest. The equipment could n ot be main­ tai ned. We often had to take wide detours because bridges could not carry us. Whenever the situat ion demanded it, we also withdrew at nigh t . We were then pulled i n close to the u n i ts. One Tiger took the poi nt and also established the ori e n tation. Another Tiger, i ts main gun at six o'clock, moved at the rear of the col u m n , which stumbled along through the night at a walking pace. I particularly re member an operation with two Tigers-t h e other commander was Han n es Rippl-wi th t h e 8 t h S S Cavalry Division. The d ivision was com­ manded by SS-Brigadefii hrer Fegelein (related by marriage to H i tler and shot i n Berl i n at th e end of April 1 945 by a firing sq uad ) . I drove poi n t because I h a d a map. We set out a s n ight fel l . Han nes Rippl drove a t the tail end of the column. The d istance between the two tanks was so great that radio contact was sometimes l ost. It started rai n i ng; the visibil ity was only a few meters. At some point we lost our way. Decision: Get the

com pass, h ead west ! The gun n er, WaI ter Junge, was outfit ted with a machine pisto l , f lare gun and f lashligh t . We fastened a white towel on his back with safety pi ns-the towel could hard ly have been very white !-and he marched cross-cou n try, about five to ten meters i n front of the tank. Because visibility was so bad, the idea was he would be able to warn the driver, Wai ter Eschrig, about terrain problems, trenches, marshy ground and obstacles. During the n ight, we changed "pi lots" every hour. The division followed us on horse-drawn veh i­ cles, mounted on horseback, on foot and in a few motor-driven veh icles. We were lucky: No i nsur­ moun table obstacles, no enemy con tact, no breaks in the column. "Vhen dawn broke we reached the objective of our marc h , a village on the Psiol with a wooden bridge over the medium-sized river. Because we were not sure we would be able to cross the river with our un-tested and non-main­ tained deep-wading equipment ( up to four meters depth ) , the division crossed the bridge first. Then came the tense moment to find out whether the bridge could carry the sixty-ton weight of the Tigers. Everyon e but the driver d ismoun ted. WaIter Eschrig, a master of his craft, drove, no, crept over the bridge, which yielded on i ts p iles. Rippl's driver decided on the "full throttle" approac h . The bridge did not stand up to that. The tan k broke through , pushing the bridge decking together in fron t of i t , and lan ded wi th i ts rear end i n the water. However, even t hat mishap worked out with the same good fortune as the rest of the undertaking. We h i tched our Tiger on i n front and helped the derelict to claw its way out. Alongside the posi tive circumstances of how that m ission turned out, there was a negative aspect i n the behavior of the SS officers of that formation. U p to that poi n t , I h ad always had a h igh regard for the discipline, concern for their men and bravery of the Waffen-SS. During that nigh t's raid, our Tiger was crowded to capaci ty wherever there was room with SS officers-on the turret f loor, at the crew positions and on the rear deck ( to the point the air i n takes for cooling the engine were covered ) . They made themselves comfortable and drank freely of alcohol. They increasingly got in our way i nstead of being con­ cerned about their men. We were glad to be rid of that unit the next morning.

From the Donez to the Dlljepr ill September 1 943

At some point 1 1 1 time we also reached the Dnjepr. The river was supposed to function as the "Ostwal l," behind which we would spend the approaching win ter. We h ad no idea where the battalion or company with the command and trains elements were. I n spi te of the radio, from which you could figure out a lit tle, the flow of information that got to a tank was scan ty. The next req uirement was to get across the Dnjepr, which reached a breadth of up to three kilometers i n places where i t was not regulated. The rail road bridge at Krementschug, a giant, wooden military bridge that the e ngineers had constructed was one possibility. We were, appar­ ently, the last ones on the east bank. I figured that the heavy equipment had been taken over on the railroad. For Tigers, the only possibi lity was to be rail loaded across the bridge. H owever, for that we required the special Symss rail cars, and there were no more of those east of the river. For weeks we had brought our tank through all hazards. Was this to be the end? Necessity is the mother of i nven­ tion . . . and it increases one's readiness to take risks. Since there was no more than a small detail at the bridgehead to provide security for the demoli­ tion preparations, there was no crossing-area com­ mander to i n terfere with us. We found an open railroad f 1atcar with a twen ty-four-ton capaci ty. We also found a ram p. We managed to roll the rail­ road car to the ramp by hand. We did not have much time. The bridge would be blown at 2400 hours. We then moved our Tiger o n to the 24-ton f1atcar. The spri n gs took on a reversed curve and the longi tudi nal beams sagged, but the Tiger was positioned in the cen ter of the f1atcar and the f 1at­ car had remained on the rails. At that point, twenty to thirty men shoved the rai l road car by hand-complete with the Tiger-over the nearly 1 ,000-m e ter-long bridge. There has probably never been a tank movement q u i te l i ke that! The crossing-area commander grabbed us when we reached the west bank and i ncorporated us i n to the bridge securi ty detail. At midnight, a col umn of flame shot h igh i n to the r.f ight sky. The bridge collapsed, i ts components falling i n to the Dnjepr. Operations Ci tadel and Scorch ed Earth ( Verbran­ nle fnl{') were over for us. At that point, the orderly hand of the Army took hold agai n . We were then loaded, provided with t ransportation orders and landed a t Snamenka for a short but intensive period of rest, which restored our senses

153

and blessed us with happiness and, for some, even home leave. According to the proven pri nciple that the sol­ dier should be given no more knowledge of an operation in which he takes part than he needs to have to carry out his mission, we knew li ttle regard­ ing the withdrawal of Army Group South from the Donez to the Dnjepr. It wasn't until serious studies about the eastern campaign appeared after the war that the extent of the uniqueness of the planned and accomplished movements of the withdrawal of an army group in the face of the enemy were revealed. I t was obviously the command skill of Field Marshal von Manstein that made possible the im possible, in spite of all u n toward eve nts, some­ ti mes resulting from the enemy, sometimes released by the h ighest levels of command. The withdrawal from the Donez to the Dnjepr was the greatest withdrawal movement ever exe­ cuted that ran according to the way it was planned. It was necessary to withdraw four arm ies con­ sisting of twelve corps (a total of forty-two divi­ sions ) with about a million soldiers. March movements on a fro nt with a width of 1 ,000 kilo­ meters and depth of 300 kilometers had to be coordi nated across six bridges over the Dnj epr. Addi tionally, 200,000 wou nded had to be evacu­ ated. Li kewise, important war materiel had to be brough t across the river. After crossing the river, the un its had to im me­ diately fan out and occupy 800 kilometers of river position and prepare for defensive operations. At that point, the Russians had succeeded in estab­ lishing several bridgeheads on the west ban k. Those had to be crushed or blocked off. That did not always work. As for the "Ostwal l," there was hardly anyth ing there , other than the naturally elevated west bank of the river. Hitler had forbidden timely construc­ tion of plan ned posi tions because he did not wan t to e ncourage a "bolt to those positions." Thus it came about that the value of the river as a barrier was not developed to the extent that the si tuation demanded. It h as been said that Field Marshal von Manste i n considered that task to have been the most difficult that ever faced him. I t succeeded because •

the strategic commander was able to effectively apply superlat ive skill without hindrance,

154 •

•

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

men of extraordinary ability at the tactical level ( co rps and divisions) knew how to trans­ late the plans i n to action and i t could be taken for granted the troops could be relied o n to react properly and selflessly i n t h e situation.

SOURCES Rubbel, Alfred: Personal experi ences Carell, Paul : Verbrannte Erde H aupt, Werner: Die Schlachten der HeeresgrujJPe Siid Von Manste i n , Erich: Verlorene Siege Zhukov, G. K. : The Memoirs of Marshal Zhulwv

CHAPTER

24

Tscherkassy Alfred Rubbel

!

WOUld l i ke to dedicate this section concern i ng the efforts of the battalion to free the enci r­ cled troops of the I X and XXXXYl Army Corps in the early part of 1 944 in the Tscherkassy area to my former battalion commander, Clemens Graf Kageneck, who was respected by all of us i n the battalion. H e was severely wounded i n the fighting. He was a n expert and a cavalier. Every tanker could see that. I am obligated to thank him since he allowed me to return "home" to the bat­ talion after I was selected to become an officer and had completed my tra i n i ng and was pro­ moted. This dedication comes with my congratula­ tions on the occasion of his eighty-sixth b irthday. IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF THE EASTERN FRONT, 1 943 The wri ters of history have seen the surrender of the 6th Army at Stalingrad in 1 942 as the obvious turn i ng point in the German conduct of the war. The soldier on the Eastern Fron t-the combatant in the foxhole or the tank-had o n ly his personal impressions of the events in his i m mediate vicin­ ity, if he thought of the end of the war. For me, it was the fai lure of Operation Citadel in the sum­ mer of 1 943 that first made i t clear to me that the war was lost for Germany. I n spite of the commit­ ment of large amounts of troops and equipment, only local successes were achieved. At the time, we were not aware the concentration had only been achieved by i rresponsibly thinning out other sec-

tors. When Operation Ci tadel bogged down after i n i tial successes and the Red Army began to drive us back "on the backhand," that could o n ly result from a German i n feriority that could n ever be redressed. The overall result was that, startin g with the summer of 1 943, the German army in the east had lost the i n itiative and could o nly react. That mean t that the war with the U SSR could not be won . At that poin t in time, the i nvasion of the European continent by the Western All ies had not yet begun. The costly war i n the east and the con­ quest and occupation of almost all of Europe had exhausted German personnel and equipment. We were almost e n ti rely dependant on our own sources for production of armame n ts. There were an increasin g number of bottle necks. The supply of aircraft, tan ks and motor veh icles no l onger covered our l osses. During 1 943 the n um­ ber of German divisions in the east sank from 2 1 4 to 1 90. Only the eli te formations had thei r ful l combat strengths. T h e R e d Army could increase the number of i ts divisions from 442 to 5 1 2 and solve chronic shortages of equipment with U .S. equipment, primarily tanks and trucks. By the end of August 1 943, the U .S. had pro­ vided 6,207 aircraft, about 1 0,000 tan ks, 1 38,000 motor veh icles, 1 .5 millio n tons of food supplies­ a total of almost 5 m i llion tons of goods. We expe­ rienced that i n timately start i n g in the summer of 1 943. Almost every thi rd tan k and about half of 155

156

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

the trucks that the Red Army employed against Army Group South were of American manufac­ ture. The followi ng si tuation existed for Germany in ] 943. In the Teh eran Conference i n November ] 943, it was agreed that •

•

•

•

•

th ere would be no conditional peace agree­ ments, the war would be carried t h rough to uncon di­ tional surrender, Germany would be totally occupied by the Allies, measures would be taken to make sure that there would neve r again be an autonomous German pol i tical entity and an i n ternational court wou ld pun ish German war crimi nals.

The German government at the time made sure that the German people knew those i n ten­ tions. By doing that, support from the populace was deprived to the growing opposition move­ ment. The Allied belief that those th reats and the terror bom bing campaign against the civi l ian pop­ ulation would lead to an early end to the war proved to be a miscalculation. The endurance of the German soldier to the b i t ter end was n o i rra­ tional Nazi fanaticism but, rather, the desire to go on figh ti ng, whether vol untarily or forced by the above circumstances. Most of us could not imag­ ine the conseq uences of t h e Teh eran Accord because there was no h istorical preceden t . Also , there was always a kernel of h ope that, in the long run, it would turn out to be i m possible for the western world to work together with the commu­ n ists. That the later course of h istory conf i rmed our hopes might make us feel good but, unfortu­ nately, the poli tical change came too late for us. For soldiers on the Eastern Front, the immedi­ ate experience of the fron t was more decisive i n o u r a t ti tudes t h a n the poli tical background out­ lined above. The tank raid of the 1 st Panzer Army to the Caucasus in 1 942 was, in retrospect, no more than an "armed excursion ." The 6th Army had perished at Stali n grad. Citadel turned out to be a mistake. The retreat to the D njepr position took place i n orderly fashion. Holding that position through the winter of 1 943-44 was rendered illusory by breakt h roughs and outflan king maneuvers.

The Red Army-here we are tal king about the Second U krai n ian Fron t-was n umerically supe­ rior to our formations in both personnel and equipment. Our own superiori t), lay in the capa­ bility of our command and control, start i ng at the level of the squad leader or tank commander and fully developing at the tactical and operational lev­ els. I t was the tragedy of the German military t hat the h ighest levels of German leadership often did more to h inder this tactical and operational lead­ ership capability and force it i n to disastrous oper­ ations than did the enemy. By that I mean H i tl er's i n terference in the operations of the h igher com­ manding officers at the front. It would be false to claim the war would have turned out differen tly without H i tler's dilettantism. The Eastern Front existed i n the wi nter of 1 943-44, however, prima­ rily because of the confluence of the following: The bravery of the German soldiers, the initiative that rose to the occasion and the outstanding quality of the leadership. Both leaders and led were bou nd together right up to the last day by a m utual trust that grew in spite of the worsen ing situation, perhaps, i ndeed, because of it. At that time, the Eastern Front stretched approximate ly 2,240 kilometers from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The spearhead was in the south. That was where we fough t . One should remember the psychological situation i n which the soldier found himself on the Eastern Front i n addi­ tion to the political and military situations. For many soldiers, the origi nal conviction that it was a good thing to serve in the war for the Fath erland had begun to develop i n ternal con flicts. Germany had become the prize of an increasingly irresponsi­ ble, i ndeed crimi nally acting Nazi dictator, as we now know. I think that something l i ke an i nternal emigration began to materialize in many of us. We found refuge with our good comrades, with the tank crew, with the company and with the battal­ ion. We felt ourselves to be shel tered in that mili­ tary sphere; decency and h umani ty had not been lost there. We though t-perhaps later inquiry will even confirm these opinions-that we had to figh t agai nst an enemy that had threatened our coun try and our way of life . We h a d come t o know the enemy a s cruel, which forced us to adapt to something that was foreign to us in order to survive. The long years of war h ad distanced us from our civi lian life style and, above all, from our fam-

Tscherkassy

ilies, wh ich had formerly provided us with securi ty and shel ter. Now we found securi ty in our military fellowship. It was not a total replacement, but it was the center of our existence in carrying out our daily military duties. Practical concerns played a major part, but there was also moral support. Someth ing was displayed there that was not to be found in any other army. The superiors, particu­ larly the officers, l ived without "privileges" among their men and under the same conditions. They were a role model and had been trained to be the same when it came to taking risks as well . The objectives o f o u r operations were •

• •

in attack, to destroy the enemy forces or to capture enemy-h eld terri tory, in defe nse, to ward off enemy a ttacks and in retreat, to fight delayi ng actions so as to hold the enemy at a distance and slow him down.

Although the completion of the m ission was always of primary importance, the respon sible leader also had to ensure that the combat strength of the unit was preserved. If the losses rose disproportionately or if the destruction of the unit was feared, the officer h ad to refuse to carry out the m ission, possibly havi ng to accept per­ sonal consequences in the barga i n . That was the way that our company commanders and battalion commanders had led and, i n so doi ng, protected us from senseless losses. At that poi n t , we were assigned as spearhead of an attack group with Tiger Regiment Bake. Bake's unit h ad been formed to penetrate the encirclement around two army corps with about 50,000 men west of Tscherkassy and preven t the destruction of those large formations. That m issio n would take on a whole new meaning apart from anythi n g we h ad experienced previously. THE SITUATION OF ARMY GROUP SOUTH (VON MANSTEIN) IN THE WINTER .. OF 1 943-44 Although this section of the book is about Tiger Tank Battalion 503 and i ts empl oyment at the Tscherkassy pocket, i t should also seek an answer to the q uestion: How did two army corps manage to get encircled? Hadn't the German Armed Force H igh Com mand learned anything from the catastrophe at Stalingrad, where the 6th Army per-

157

ished with about 250,000 men? Or, in this case, was it the superiority of the Red Army and the weakness of the German army in the east that had such fateful conseq uences? This m ust be stated at the outset: Everything ment ioned above played a role. In add ition there was the following: • •

• •

H i tl er's general lack of i nsight, along with utopian plans for operations, the nearly exhausted person nel and equip­ ment resources (al though a division might be indicated on a map, i t really only had about one third of its strength, that is, a regimen t) , the lack of adequate reserves and the increasi ng strength of the Red Army, i n part d u e t o a i d from t h e U .S.

The German leadership at the fron t was, as it had been earl ier, far superior to that of the Soviets. The Soviets could partially offset that weakness with n umerical superiori ty. The Ober­ kommando des Heeres, that is, Hitler, often helped them in that he often i n terfered with oper­ ational command and con trol on the Eastern Front, preventing it from doing the right thing and what the situation demanded. In this case, the period of win ter calm that the Germans had hoped for while the Red Army pre­ pared for i ts spring offensive after crossing the D njepr did not materialize. Based on that rather shaky assumption, the i n tention was to stabil ize the front line beh ind the Dnjepr, when the oppor­ tun i ty presen ted i tself in 1 943. At the same time, one wanted to create the prerequisite for being able to operate offensively at the local level. Above all, one wanted to establish co n tact with the Crimean Peninsula where the 1 7th Army had been left. H owever, the First U krai n ian Fro n t, with the Sixth and First Guards Tan k Army, had succeeded by the end ofJanuary 1 944 in forcing the left wing of Army Group South south of the Pripjet Marshes far to the west. The right wing of Army Group South was far to the east, echeloned for­ ward to the D rUepr. I n that si tuation , OKH decided that the operations of Army Group A (von Kleist) to reestabl ish contact with the 1 7th Army on the Cri mea would be postponed and that an attack nort h along the Dnjepr from the Win­ niza-Korsun area by the forces of Army Group

158

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Sou th would be launched to establish contact with Army Group Center and e ncircle both of the Russian armies west of the Dnjepr. With that objective i n mind, O KH ordered both of the army corps at Tscherkassy-Korsun to stay put. During the fi nal ten days of January, the Ger­ man attack forces started the approach march to the Uman area. In addition to the X I and XXXXI I Army Corps a t Tscherkassy and Korsun, the XXXXVI I , VI I and LII Army Corps and the I I I Panzer Corps, were to carry out the attack that would have c rossed more than 200 kilometers. A total of between fifteen and eigh teen divisions would have participated. We i n Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 were i ncorpo­ rated i n to schweres Panzer-Regi ment Bake and belonged to Bre i t h 's I I I Panzer Corps. The corps also consisted of the 1 st Panzer Division , the 1 6th Panzer Division, the 1 7th Panzer Division, the 1 st SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte," and the 1 98th I n fantry Division. From the planner's poi n t of view, that represented a powerful tank armada. Presum­ ably, Fli h rer headquarterse was as far removed from reality as H i tler was and had not considered the strengths of these formations. The attacking u n i ts h ad n ' t been i n the locations the planners though t they were for a long time. I nstead of a normal win ter with hard frozen ground, alternat­ ing frost and t haw, the spring mud season, the feared Russian rasputiza, took us ful ly i n i ts grip. One must remember that there were hardly any paved roads in the western U krai n e . The fer­ tile soi l, a m ixture of loam , loess and h u m us, made roads that were h ard as asphalt when d ry and, when wet, turned to m ud that pulled the boots righ t off of the i n fantry and held the veh i­ cles fast. Only tracked vehicles could move, and that movement was slow and involved e normous fuel expenditures. The Russians had the same problem that we did, only they knew better h ow to deal with it and were n ever at a loss at i mprovis­ i ng. When Russian trucks were unable to get th rough , the Russian i n habita n ts were rut hlessly used to carry the loads. And, in contrast to us, the motor veh icles with which the Red Army was equipped were better, thanks to the U n i ted States lend-lease shipments. When you h ave a lot of trucks, it is easier to accept the loss of several veh i­ cles stuck in the mud. Disregarding the development of the si tuation west of the Dr�jepr i n the Tscherkassy-Korsun area,

where the IX and XXXX I I Army Corps had clearly been in the process of being encircled by the mechanized formations of the Russian Sixth and Fifth Guards Tan k Armi es since 20 January, the a ttack troops were laboriously brought for­ ward and scattered for the advance north to Med­ win. They were comm itted without formi n g any kind of spearhead. We recall place names l i ke Oratoff and Balabanowka from that period. On the " Days i n Combat" pages of our pay books, the following places are i ndicated: •

• • •

• • • •

24 January 1 944: Pen tration of the Bila posi tion 25 January 1 944: Engageme n t a t Ssosnoff 26 January 1 944: Defensive figh ting at Ssosnoff 27 January 1 944: Armored engageme n t at O tschertnja 28 Jan uary 1 944: Breakthrough to O ratoff 29 January 1 944: Defensive figh ting at Oratoff 30 January 1 944: Defensive fighting at Oratoff 3 1 .January 1 944: Defensive figh ting at Oratoff

From 2 1 to 3 1 January we battered away in that useless, costly assault north toward Medwin, even though the encircling forces of the Fifth Guard Corps and the Twentieth Tan k Corps had already joined hands at Swenigorodka. I n addition, H i tler's layman's concept of "holding strong­ poi n ts" and, i n so doing, "fixing the enemy's forces" may have won the day in contrast to the i n ten tion to carry out mobile operations as Army Group South had done previously. Only when the people at the Wolfsschanze [ th e Flih rer H eadquar­ ters in East Prussia] final ly grasped the seriousness of the si tuation were we red i rected south over more than 20 kilometers to the original jump-off posi tion. I n doing so, we h ad to tortuously cross our way through the mud agai n . We then set off with the I I I Panzer Corps to the east to open the pocket. The Oberkommando des Heeres seemed only then to realize that there , after the start of the New Year, a new catastrophe was looming. TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN THE SMERINKA-UMAN AREA AT THE END OF 1 943 AND THE BEGINNING OF 1 944 Our battalion had laboriously assembled at the start of January 1 944 a t Smeri nka. It had been pretty well p ic ked over in the "skirmishi n g" dur­ ing the last three months of withdrawal from the

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Dnjepr to the Bug. We wanted to replenish our sizeable losses i n person nel and equipment, espe­ cially in Tigers. We were the reserve of the 1 st Panzer Army. Smerinka was a l i ttle country town in Transn istria, between the Dnjestr and the Bug. It was also i n tended to give the troops a period of rest. The battalion and com pany leadership would have an opportu n i ty to "get their h ouses i n order" after the long period during which they had been scattered to the winds i n tiny battle groups of two to th ree Tigers and conti n ually changing com­ mand and control relationships. O n ly four of the forty-five Tigers were still on hand. About twenty had been lost; the others had all been sen t off for depot-level repairs. We expected the arrival of new Tigers. In January, t h irty-five factory-new Tigers were issued. We, the crew of Tiger 1 1 4 received a new Tiger with the flat commander's cupola. That elim i nated the danger to the tan k commander that a si ngle round from a 7. 62cm antita n k gun m igh t take off the former smokestack-like cupola, comple te with h is h ead. Further, you n o l onger had to expose the upper half of your body i n order t o close t h e new swi nging hatch-cover as had formerly been the case. Smeri n ka was under Rumanian admi nistra­ tion. The shrewd Rumanians offe red wares i n the bazaar that we h ad not seen i n a long time­ even beer. As a footnote , on the Eastern .Front, beer was an absolute rarity, and not because i t was being withheld from the soldiers as a form of pro­ hibition. Beer-piwo i n Russian-j ust was not available, and transport of beer from the home­ land was j ust out of the question, given the perpet­ ually over-stressed supply s i tuation. Therefore, Smeri n ka continues to hold a pleasan t spot in our memories because of the availabi l i ty of beer. We imagi ned ourselves to be far behind the fron t and though t we would e nj oy an opportu n i ty for rest and refi tting. I had private quarters with a Ruman­ ian den tist. Gra n ted, I did not have a bed. I had not known such a bourgeois pleasure since J uly of 1 943 i n Kharkov, but I did h ave an oilcloth-cov­ ered sofa. A loudspeaker droned on all" day and part of the night i n my q uarters. I t could be h eard all over the village. It was controlled cen trally and could not be shut off other than by cutting off the power. We t hough t that, with the arrival of the n ew tanks, we would h ave time for a bit of well­ earned rest. The stowage of the on-board gear, the application of the speckled camouflage, the n um-

bering of the turrets and the i n trod uction of new crew members was not done at a h ectic pace. One night-it was the n igh t of 1 0 - 1 1 January 1 944-we were roused from our sleep by the sound of fighting, i n which h eavy weapons also took part. Mechanized e nemy formations, albe i t weak, h a d broken through t o t h e west north o f us. Command and con trol on the German side h ad apparently dissolved. The advance of those e nemy forces through Win niza to the south as far as our posi tion in Smerin ka had either gone un n oticed or the l i nes of communication to us had tem­ porarily been broken . We were alerted, but there was no fighting. By morning the commotion was over. We were ordered to be ready to road march or be rail loaded. We reached Wi n n iza by rail. Fol­ l owing our arrival, Tiger Regiment Bake was formed. I t i ncluded Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, with about twen ty Tigers, under H auptmann Graf Clemens Kageneck, and the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Panzer Regiment with about twen ty-five Pan­ thers under Hauptmann Euler. The weather was not very wintry, with fog, wet snow and occasional temperatures below freezing. As we set out from Wi n n iza on our march to the nort h , we still knew nothing of what awaited us during the upcoming weeks. TIGER TANK REGIMENT BAKE This formation was unique. Panzer regiments were generally firmly i ntegrated i n to the structure of panzer d ivisions. A panzer regi ment consisted of two or th ree battalions. Tiger Regi ment Bake was a provisional formation assembled for a spe­ cific m ission in the winter of 1 944 in the Win ni za and Tscherkassy area. The commander of this extremely powerful formation was Oberstleutnant D r. Bake, regimental commander of the West­ phalian 1 1 th Panzer Regiment. The regiment existe d for around two months i n January and February 1 944. It was dissolved after the conclu­ sion of i ts mission-the Tscherkassy pocket-on 25 February 1 944. The u n i ts then returned to their original command and con trol relationships. Orga n ization: •

•

•

Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 with 20 Tigers com­ bat ready out of 34 2nd Battalion, 23rd Panzerregi ment ( Pan­ ther) , with 25 Panthers combat ready out of 46 1 self-propelled artillery battalion

Tscherkassy

•

•

1 combat-e ngineer battalion with b ridgi ng equipment 1 mountain regi ment

These pages are primarily written to h onor the memory of the regi mental commander, Dr. Franz Bake, and the regiment named i n his honor. Dr. Bake, a reserve officer and dentist from H agen (Westphalia) who was born i n 1 898, was forty-six years old ( ! ) i n 1 944. H e was an outstanding and beloved armor commander. He possessed a natural authority and decisive­ ness. He did not spare h i mse l f. He exhibited per­ sonal bravery. He was concerned about those who were placed under h is command. Above all else, he had a sort of "seven th sense" for developing the situation . H e was never at a loss for improvising and, what was very importan t, was that h e under­ stood something about the employment of armor. I consider h i m the most capable commander of armor at the level where the formation com­ mander still also acts as a tan k commander, l eads from a tan k and also participates in tank combat. We first met him in the summer of 1 943 during Ci tadel . He was the commander of the 2nd Battal­ ion , 1 1 th Panzer Regi ment. At that time he led a brilliant night attack i n which o u r battalion also took part. We called that operation the "Attack through the Seven Vil lages." As battlefield decep­ tion, Bake had placed two captured Russian T-34s ' at the head of the atta ck in order to deceive the Russians with their characteristic engine noise. It succeeded. At daybreak, when we were deep i n to the enemy, the German crews of the T-34s took off the blan kets that covered the German c rosses on the turrets and opened fire. Here is a short m i l i tary b iography of Dr. Bake [from Will Fey, A T/nor Battles oJ the WaJJen-SSJ : During the heavy fighting in the defense and retreat to the D njepr that followed the fai led Operation Citadel , one man took command over the 1 1 th Panzer Regi ment w�o, although not a ' professional soldier, is l i n ked to the 1 1 th Panzer Regiment. The former commander of the 2nd Battalion, 1 1 th Panzer Regiment, Major of Reserves D r. Bake, became the new commander of the regiment. He participated in the First World War from the time he vol u n teered in 1 9 1 5 to i ts end. He was discharged as an acting Feldwebel and officer

161

candidate after being wounded twice. On com­ pletion of his studies in medicine and dentistry, Bake settled down as a dentist in Hagen. The Wehrmacht had barely been reborn when he reported for reserve exercises and was assigned to Tan k Battalion 65 as a Leutnant of Reserves. As an Oberleutnant, he commanded a tank com pany of that battalion in the Western Cam­ paign in 1 940. Shortly thereafter he was pro­ moted to Hauptmann of Reserves and, in 1 942, took over as commander of the 2nd Battalion, 1 1 th Panzer Regi ment, during the regiment's refitting in France. As a Major he led his newly equi pped battalion to Russia. He prevented a breakthrough by vastly superior Soviet armored forces between the Don and Donetz and was awarded the Knigh t 's Cross for that operation in January 1 943. I n J uly 1 943, northeast of Bjelgorod, he formed a bridgehead deep in enemy territory i n a bold n igh t-time coup de m a i n , passing b y a n enemy armored col u m n . [ T h e so-called "ghost march" described above.] For that deed he received two Panzervernichtungsabzeichen [ tank destruction badges] for destroyi ng tanks on his own and the Wound Badge i n Gold for having received h is fifth wound. The Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross soon followed. D uring the fall of 1 943 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant. As commander of Panzer Regi­ ment 1 1 , he never lost h is com posure or his head. He always led from the fron t of his dwin­ dling tank and b rought the men who had been en trusted to him through all dangers. With the newly formed schweres Panzer Regiment Bake, which consisted of a Tiger battalion and a Pan­ ther battalion, along with other forces, he enabled German forces to break out of the encir­ clement at Tcherkassy. His forces knocked out 268 e nemy tan ks i n the process. For that, Dr. Bake was awarded the Swords to the Oak Leaves of the Knigh t 's Cross. In July of 1 944, he was named commander of the newly formed 1 06th Panzer Brigade. In the mean time, he had been promoted to Oberst. After being mentioned in the Weh rmacht Report on n umerous occasions and having been wounded seven times, he took over the 1 3th Panzer D ivision in H u ngary in 1 945 and was pro­ moted to Generalmajor. In all, he had been knocked out i n his tan k th irteen times.

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After the war, General a.D. D r. Bake, who had taken part i n more than 500 armored e ngage­ ments, returned to den tal practice. H e died on 12 December 1 978 and the age of eigh ty as the result of an auto accident. The fol lowi ng text, which comes from the papers he left beh i n d , concerns i tself with the operations of Tiger Tan k Regim e n t Bake i n Jan u­ ary and February 1 944. D r Bake wrote: The BaIabanowka Pocket, 25 January-30 January 1 944 In m id:January 1 944 I was the commander of the 1 1 th Panzer Regiment of the 6th Panzer Division. I received the order from Army Group South (Field Marshal von Manstein ) to i mmediately report to General H ube at the forward command post of the 1 st Panzer Army a t Pritzkoje . General Hube informed me that I would take over a Tiger regiment (one battalion of Tigers and one battal­ ion of Pan thers ) for a special m ission. The situa­ tion briefing revealed the fol lowing: The enemy h ad advanced east of Wi n niza and had created a broad sali e n t protruding i n to our defensive positions east of there. That salient was to be surrounded and destroyed. That, however, was of secondary importance. Five enemy armored corps had been identi­ fied about 1 00 kilome te rs north of Winniza. Their attack in a southwest direction through Winniza could be expected any day. The army group h ad no u n i ts with which to intercept that feared advance. The e ncirclement of the enemy u n i ts that had pushed forward was intended to draw those five armored corps from the north and destroy them. That was the primary mission of the Tiger Tank Regiment. The Tscherkassy pocket h ad not been formed a t that time. The attack was to begin the fol lowing morning at 0600 hours. Attack east. Objective : Oratow. Link up there with u n i ts advancing from the east. The i O l st Jager D ivision had the mission of securin g the north flank. The attack began punctually a t 0600 hours. I t succeeded i n drawing the five Russian armored corps from the n orth away from the pocket that was forming at Balabonowka. Tiger Tan k Regi­ ment Bake was presen ted with a new armored

1 63

corps to deal with each day. Each was destroyed in heavy figh ting. I n all, during those five days, 267 enemy tanks were destroyed. Our own losses consisted of one Tiger and three Panthers. O n the third day, the attack by the i n fantry divisions on the righ t wing bogged down at Ssos­ sow. Manstein already wan ted to call off the attack. General Wenck (Chief of staff of the 1 st Panzer Army) wan ted to wai t for further radio contact with Bake before doing so. Bake con­ firmed the attack was not making progress at Ssossow. On his own i nitiative, Bake started the Pan ther battalion towards Ssossow, even though i t was not i n his own attack sector. Falling on the enemy's rear, he smashed the enemy resistance. That cleared the way for the i n fantry. I t was i ntended for the 1 st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte," 1 5 kilometers outside of Ora tow, to execute the breakthrough to Oratow after the enemy tank corps that had come from the north had been destroyed. The 1 st SS Panzer Regiment of the divi­ sion had pushed forward but then brought to a h al t waiting for fuel. Since the area between the regiment and i ts logistical elemen ts was held by the enemy, supplies were not able to get through . The enemy armored attack on the supply ele­ ments of the Leibstandarte was smashed and twenty enemy tanks were destroyed by Tiger Tan k Regi ment Bake which, fortunately, arrived at the opportune moment. Without further ado, Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake took over the fuel supplies for the regiment-reporting that fact to the divi­ sional commander, SS-Brigadefu h rer Wisch-and th rust on forward to SS Panzer Regiment 1 , bringi n g fuel to it. The next morning, Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake, on i ts own i n i ti ative, again took the point. In a heavy snowstorm, it overran the strong Russ­ ian a n ti tank defensive system, destroying twenty­ five heavy a n ti tank guns i n the process. The Pan ther and artillery battalions crushed an attemp t by the e nemy to break out of the pocket. At that poin t, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 advanced east to Oratow and established contact with the 1 6th Panzer Division that was coming from the east. I t arrived at Oratow a t the same moment.

1 64

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALlON 503 1N WORLD WAR II

[ See the 1 st Panzer Army order of the day and men tion in the Weh rmacht Report on 3 1 Jan uary 1 944 for Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake . ] Tscherkassy, 3-20 February 1 944 Advance Northeast toward Medwin, 3-9 February 1 944 Tiger Regiment Bake took the lead in advancing with the 1 6t h Panzer Division. Further assaults followed on the t h i rd day. The a t tack began a t 0600 hours. The Russian defensive fron t was massed between two Balkas which ran in the direction of the attack of Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake. There was a distance of about 800- 1 ,000 meters between the two Balkas. Since h eavy l osses would have been expected in a fron tal attack, a fei n t was launched against the enemy around 0600 h ours to fix h i m . At dayligh t , the Panther battalion advanced in a large arc around the righ t-hand Balka until it was possible to cross over in the enemy's rear. At about 0830 hours, the Pan ther battalion attacked i n the rear of the completely surprised enemy. Thereupon the main body of Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake a ttacked, along w i t h the recon­ naissance battalion of the 1 6t h Panzer D ivision. In that n arrow sector alone, eigh ty enemy tanks were knocked out (without counting nurnerous antitank guns or other weapons) . An attack by the reconnaissance battalion was i n tended at 0600 hours. However, as the situation showed, such an a t tack would have been impossible wi th­ out sacrificing the battalion. H igher levels of command were angry that the a t tack had not started a t 0600 hours. Once the si tuation was explained, the matter was settled.

Advance East after Regrouping on 10 February 1 944 In the mean time, m uddy conditions prevailed and i t was difficult to advance. There were many mechan ical problems due to the weather. Order: Capture the bridge over the Gniloi-Ti kitsch at Bushanka. Since it was open to question whether that bridge was still i nt act, a coup de mai n by the Pan ther battalion was directed at the bridge at Fran kowka. That bridge had already been mined and prepared for demolition, but i t was captured

at the last min ute. It was not i n our sector of a t tack. ( Decision made on own i n i tiative.) As assumed, the bridge at Buschanka had been destroyed. Thirty enemy tanks were knocked out on the far bank. The weather caused additional losses. Supplies were compl etely held up by the mud. Resupply by air was inadequate. Chizinzy was captured and contact established with the 1 st Panzer Division. First con tact was made with the encircled u n i ts on 1 7 February as they broke out from the pocket. Advance towards Dsh urzhenzy and Hill 239 on 1 7 February was impossible due to shortage of fuel . O n l y on 1 8 February, after some fuel was brough t forward, was mobility sufficient enough for the assault south of Dsh urzhenzy to Hill 239 to succeed. ( I t was not a hill, merely a point on the ridge . ) O n e Russian column after another moved westward in fron t of us to Frankowka. We halted 200 meters next to the Russian march columns until a gap suddenly appeared in the march for­ mation. With a "Panzer marc h ! " we infiltrated i n to the column and marched westward with them. Shortly ou tside the small bridgehead at Frankowka, the Russians t urned off to the right and left. At that momen t Tiger Tank Regiment Bake swept past the Russian columns: "Button up and enage at wil l ! " The surprise was complete. The German bridgehead had been informed of our i n ten tions. We fi red the agreed on recogni­ tion flares and made it without loss i n to the bridgehead through the completely confused Russians. There we fended off additional Russian a ttacks. The bridgehead was recaptured, the bridge destroyed. In the meantime, the Russians had closed ranks again behind us. In the gray ligh t of dawn the next morning, we also succeeded i n breaking through the enemy li nes without losses. We then had to break through the enemy l i nes one more time before reaching the German ones. That also succeeded. So much for Dr. Bake's account; here's an excerpt from the Weh rmacht Report from 3 1 Jan­ uary 1 944 and the order of the day for the 1 st Panzer Army on 25 February 1 944: I n offensive operations in the area south of Pogrebisc h tsche from 24 to 30January 1 944, u n i ts of the army and the Warfen-SS uncler the

Tscherkassy

command of General of Panzer Troops H ube­ effectively supported by formations from the Luftwaffe-destroyed more than ten Soviet rifle divisions and several armored corps. The Bolshe­ viks lost 6,500 prisoners and more than 8,000 killed in that period. Seven h undred tanks and assault guns, 680 guns, 340 antitank rifles, several hundred motor veh icles and n umerous other weapons and equipment were destroyed or cap­ tured. The Westphalian 1 6. Panzerdivision, under command of General major Back, and a Tiger regiment, commanded by Oberstleutnan t Bake, particularly proved themselves.

Here's an excerpt from the order of the day for the 1 st Panzer Army on 25 February 1 944: Copy! Commander in Chief 1 st Panzer Army

Com mand Post, 25 February 1 944

ORDER OF T H E DAY! As of today Tiger Tan k Regi ment Bake is dis­ solved. The various elements are to return to their units. With this action ends a period of great accomplish ment for the regiment. Created for the relief operation that began in the middle ofJanuary, with the m ission of forming the h eavy attack wedge after the i n fantry had broken through the forward-most enemy posi tions, the regiment moved o u t from Britskoje and hurled back the e nemy. I t then defeated the superior enemy armored forces that hastened to the scene from the north and made possible the further breakthrough of the infan try divisions. During the days that fol­ lowed, the regiment took over the spearhead of the attack and advanced boldly. I n so doing, the regiment establ ished the f i rst contact wi th friendly armor advancing froI!1 the east. With that, the enemy forces locate d to the south were cut off and struggled against their destruction. However, not satisfied with that and acting on h is own ini tiative, the courageous commander then advanced i n to the newly arrived Russian armored forces that were in assembly areas north of the Oratoff railroad station. The regi ment dislodged them as wel l , i n flicting heavy losses.

165

A few days later, after successful reorganiza­ tion, the regiment 's mission was to break through to the encircled u n i ts of the XI and XXXXI I Army Corps. I n that action, Tiger Regi ment Bake formed the spearhead once again. In an audacious sur­ prise attack it broke through the enemy and rolled up the enemy as far as Kutschowka. Then, two days later after reorganizing again, the regi­ ment advanced to Guschanka. Laboriously strug­ gling forward through the mud, continuously weakened by weather-induced losses, the regi­ ment forced a crossing over the Gniloi Tikitsch River. I t maintained its position as the spearhead of the attack despite havi ng only a few tanks and facing ever increasing enemy superiority. Approach i ng to within eight kilometers of the encircled units, the regi ment made i t possible for the encircled units to break out in i ts sector. I n recognition of that outstanding achieve­ ment which was decisive to the battle on many critical days, our Supreme Commander has awarded the D iamonds to the Oak Leaves of the Kn ight's Cross to the regi ment's courageous commander, thus h onoring him and his en tire regiment. I, myself, remember the achievements of the regiment with gratitude. They will remain i ndeli­ bly etched in the h istory of the 1 st Panzer Army. I offer my best wishes for the future to the coura­ geous commander and all the members of Tiger Tan k Regi ment Bake.

signed H ube General of Panzer Troops and Commanding General of the 1 st Panzer Army THE ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE XI AND XXXXI I ARMY CORPS The si tuation that preceded the enc irclement must be described first. Generalleutn a n t von Vor­ man n , the commanding general of the XXXXV l I Army Corps, exam ined a n d evaluated t h e events of that period with un ique clarity in his book, TsrherlUlssy. The XXXXY l I Army Corps was employed south of Swenigorodka to the right of the I I I Panzer Corps. H is evaluation of the diver­ gence in opin ion between OKH and the army group regarding many poi n ts concern i ng the exe­ cution of the operation is extensive. He also puts to rest the accusation that the 1 st Panzer Division

166

THE COMBAT H1STORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

failed to do everything in i ts power to avert the catastrophe of Tscherkassy. Once again , the omis­ sions and errors found their source at OKH. The in excusable, elemen tary mistake: ''Too l ittle and too late . " J ust as a t Stali ngrad, i t was the soldiers who had to pay the price. Von Vorman n wrote: The I I I Panzer Corps thrust like a sharp knife deep into the enemy. To the west, the weak flank guard provided by the 34th I n fantry Division pro­ vided only very dubious protection . To the east, the flank and rear were wide open. An additional thirty kilometers still separated the corps from the pocket, which had, i n the mean time, been com­ pressed around Gorodischtsche and Korsun­ Schewtschenkowskij . It was now exactly due east. As had beell foreseen from the begi n n ing, the operation north had been a serious error. Blood and combat power had been squandered to no avail. In East Prussia the pointlessness of a further advance on Medwin had been recognized. The I I I Panzer Corps was ordered to call off the attack to the north and advance from the Winograd area [ 1 5 kilometers south of Boj arka] to the east through Bushanka-Lissjanka [villages on the Gniloi Tikitsc h ] to Kwitki. That meant nothing less than starti ng the relief attack by the shortest and most direct route. However, five precious days had gone by i n the mean time and · the regrouping cost yet another two days. The ground that had been so pain fully won on the Gniloi Tikitsch was evacuated and the reinforced 1 6th Panzer Divi­ sion pulled back to the south, a difficul t operation under increasing enemy pressure. General Breith again used the 1 7th and 1 6th Panzer Divisions as his battering ram in the m iddle, with the 1 st Panzer Division aggressively covering the south flank and the 1 st SS Panzer Division "Leibstan­ darte" covering the north flank. The eleventh of February brought a promising success. There had been a l ight frost, so .the ground had hardened and the new direCtion of attack seemed to have taken the enemy by sur­ prise. Pressing far forward, the 1 st Panzer Division had made a good start in capturing Bushanka on the Gniloi Tikitsch and the 1 7th and 1 6th Panzer Divisions were engaged i n form ing small bridge­ heads over the stream to i ts left.

The Sixteenth Tan k Corps pressed energetically to the south, obviously encouraged and driven on by the withdrawal movements on 9 and 1 0 February. The 1 st SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte," which had to cover a continually lengthening north flank, pulled back. Elements of the 1 7th Panzer Division-that is, elements from the actual spearhead-were therefore forced to turn in that direction. The 1 6th Panzer Division overcame all diffi­ cul ties, bridged the half-frozen Gniloi Tiki tsch and set out anew to the east. In spite of the stand­ ing threat to i ts open north flank, it captured Daschukowka. The 1 st Panzer Division made no use of the bridgehead that had been captured at Bushanka. I t advanced south of the river to Liss­ j an ka. That move may have been for tactical reasons as a result of enemy pressure, but that route did not l ead toward Komarowka and the pocket. Liss­ janka was on the n orth ban k and the Gniloi Tik­ i tsch, which could only be crossed by bridge, offered a sizeable barrier. It was twenty to thirty meters wide and i ts depth was greater than a man's heigh t. Sheets of ice projected from the soft, swampy banks i n to the river in whose center great ice floes were slowly driven by the current. The encircled XI and XXXXI l Corps were later to pay dearly for the lack of favorable access to the southern bank in that sector. The Thi rteenth and fourteen th of February brough t no real results. The 1 st Panzer Division forced it way into Lissjanka and was dislodged from the village i n hard figh ting. The 1 7th Panzer Division sought in vai n to open a crossing over the stream for its n eigh boring division by launching an attack south from the area east of Daschukowka. The unfortunate operation launched on 1 2 February by the 1 st Panzer Divi­ sion could no longer be made good. The 1 st Panzer Division was unable to cross the Gniloi Ti kitsch. At that same time, the Sixteenth Tan k Corps thrust from Bojarka i n to the rear of the 1 6th Panzer Division , which was advancing toward the east. The Russians forced it to divert substan tial u n i ts to the west and north. Neverthe­ less, Oberstleutnant Bake succeeded in advancing i n to Chish inzy. Barely ten kilometers separated h i m at that poi n t from the encircled comrades. But he could not hold out alone in the village

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168

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

with his tanks against the concen tric attacks of the Fifth Guards Tank Corps. H e was forced to pull back again to the west . The I I I Panzer Corps tried yet again to break through on 1 5 and 1 6 February. With the 1 6th Panzer Division providing protection from the rear and the nort h flank against Boj arka and Medwi n , the 1 st and 1 7th Panzer Divisions were supposed to advance from Lissj an ka over the commanding high ground of Hill 239 south of Dsh ursh enzy. Panzer Group Bake would thrust through Ch ishinz y to Komarowka. The bridge at Lissjanka col lapsed. The entire attack failed to develop and came to nothi ng. The troops had been pushed beyond their capabi lities and the equipment used up. In the mean time, the XI and XXXX I I Corps (Stemmerman and Lieb) had been ordered to break out to the southwest dur i ng the n ight of 1 6- 1 7 February. Dur i ng the evening of the por­ ten tious 1 6 February, the most advanced units of the I I I Panzer Corps were firm ly held in the line Lissjan ka-Okljabr-Chish i nzy. It was simply beyond human capacity to cover the last ten kilometers. Oberstleutnant Bake set out again on 1 7 February and, with his tanks, actually reached Hill 239 south of Dsh urshenzy. H is regiment thus pin ned strong enemy units in Potschapinzy. But he, too, was unable to effe ct any more changes i n the fate of the encircled comrades. The help came too late and was too weak. The Breakout by Gruppe Stemmermann on 1 6-1 7 February 1 944 The decision had been made on 1 5 February. Relief could no longer be expected by an attack of the I I I or XXXXVI J Panzer Corps ( Brei th and von Vorman n ) . The 8th Army gave the order by radio at 1 1 05 hours: The ability of the I I I Panzer Corps to conduct operations is limited by the weather and the sup­ ply situation . Group Stem mermann m �lst carry out the decisive breakthrough to Dsh urschenzy­ H i l l 239 ( u p to two kilometers south ) on its own. It will link up with the l J J Panzer Corps t here. The breakthrough assault force, under command of Generalleu tnant Lieb, XXX X I I Army Corps, m ust force the breach . It will concen trate all i ts attack forces, in part icular the 5th SS Panzer Divi-

sion "Wiking," supported by the main body of the artillery. No separate a ttacks! The plan for the attack had al ready been worked out. At 2300 hours on 16 February, the breakout force would move out with no fire preparation from the line Chilki-Komarowka. I t would employ three assaul t groups, all deeply echeloned. They would silen tly work their way forward and fall on the enemy in a rush with cold steel and " H urra." They groups would advance to the Dsh urshenzy-H ill 239.0 line i n order to con­ duct a passage of l i nes through the I I I Panzer Corps ( Breith ) . The attack groups were assigned assem bly areas and attack zones as fol lows: Right : Corp Detachment B at Chilki. Axis of advance: Over the h igh ground south of Petrowskoj e ( Point 234. 1 )-Dsh urshenzy south. Cen ter: 72nd I n fantry Division in the low ground 1 .5 kilome ters southeast of Chilki. Axis of advance: North edge of woods southeast of Dshurshenzy-north of Poi n t 239.0-0kljabr. Left: 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiki ng" at Komarowka. Axis of advance: Parallel to the 72nd I n fan try Division past Poi nt 239.0 to the south. The VI I I Air Corps was to screen the flan ks, begi n ning at daybreak. The I I I and XXXXV I I Panzer Corps were also t o draw as many Soviet forces as possible and pin them by carrying on their attacks i n the former direction . The divisions were organized with th ree waves: First wave: Bayonet wave ( i n fan try assault force ) Second wave: H eavy weapons Third wave: Artillery and trains The rear guard, composed of the 57th and 88th I nfan try Divisions, had to cover the rear of the breakout groups by occupyi ng a shallow arc around Sch andorowka. The rear guard forces were to withdraw on receipt of a radio code word. The 57th I n fan try division would follow in the wake of the 5th SS Panzer Division "Wi king"; the 88th I nfantry Division foll owing the 72nd I n fantry Division . Artillery, tan ks, assault guns and other heavy weapons were to be em ployed and brought along

Tscherkassy

in relation to their mobi l i ty and ammunition sup­ ply. Everything else was to be destroyed. The order stated that about 1 500 wounded were to be left in Schandorowka with doctors and requisite medical personnel for their own possi­ ble salvation. The later course of events proved that measure to have been j ustified. In the northeast, the Russians had attacked into the wi thdrawal movements of the i n tended rear-guard divisions ( the 88th and 5 7th I n fantry Divisions ) . It was only with difficulty that the dan­ gerous penetrat ion could be successfully sealed. However, that pushed the fron t line back closer than intended to Schandorowka-wi thin th ree kilometers-into which the troops were massed. All traces of command and con trol th reatened to vanish there. In the southwest, where the 5th SS Panzer Divi­ sion "Wiking" was located, the smoldering figh ting flared up at Komarowka on ] 6 February. Appar­ ently, the Russians could not accept the loss of that \�lIage. During the morning hours, it changed hands for the fourth time. The fron t line was forced back there to within barely three kilometers of Schandorowka. The assembly areas that had been planned in the � Ilage were lost. The decision to forego an immediate counterattack was difficult, but it was necessary to avoid premature ign ition of a hot spot. The danger of drawing.in additional new Russian forces was too great. The moment of surprise at 2300 hours might have been endan­ gered. It appeared preferable, in spite of all con­ cerns, to move the assembly area farther back. Countermanding orders to the formations follow­ ing behind were necessary. ot all of them got through . "Order, counterorder, disorder . . . " Napoleon was right again. The pocket was i n a pressure cooker and all the safety valves were closed. Any break i n the cir­ cle of protection would lead to an explosion which, i n this case, meant panic and chaos. Fifty thousand men and all their equipment were i n a 50-square-ki lometer area [approximate ly 1 8 square mi les] . Such compress� d masses can no longer maneuver; they can no longer be con­ trolled. The release could only take place at the appointed hour and i n the appoint ed direction. That was the only hope for freedom. The hours dragged on i n gruel ing tension, far too slowly for the excited nerves and far too quickly-apparen tly-for the regrouping that

169

had been ordered. It went on and on, seem ingly without end. Every unit commander knows that period of time during which he dare not i n ter­ vene. Any i n terference from him can only cause confusion in the precisely measured course of the movements, in the orders of his subordinates that he is not aware of. Those are hours of inactive wai ting in which heart and mind continue to be tortured with the constant questions: Have you done all that is humanly possible, can you justify what is happening here? Under ordinary circumstances, those hours are an ordeal . There at Chilki the responsibi lity exerted a gigantic pressure since there was no other al ternative . Prepari ng for the attack on 1 5 and 1 6 February brought extraordinary diffi cul­ ties and the friction of war to the surface. The only route for the approach marches of three divisions, all of the trains and rear services of both corps led through Schandorowka. In the deep m ud, the movements crept on at a tortur­ ously slow pace. Since they could not be hidden from enemy observation, observed fire from art illery, Sta l in-organs and mortars con tinuously pounded the congested masses. Vehicles that had broken down, burning ammunition veh icles, collapsed walls and burn­ i ng houses blocked the si ngle narrow road. Smoke, screams, the moan ing of the severely wounded and the barking crash of the defending Flak filled the air. I n the m idst of all that thun­ dered the discharges of friendly art i llery. The guns that had to be blown up fired off their remaining ammunition. Attacks by low-flyi ng air­ craft, dropping bombs and strafing, completed the vision of hell in the village. In spi te of every­ thing, n ew formations kept pouri ng i n from the north, east and south. There was no way around, and only to the west was there any chance for freedom . "Freedom" [ Freiheit] was also the official password of the day. All telephone con nections had been torn up for some time. The radio sets, which had been placed on Panje carts, only functioned irregu­ larly. To the extent that reports from the fron t reached General Stemmerman at Chilki, they i ndicated an attempt to squash the pocket with concentric attacks. It had sh run k to a frightfully small dime nsio n . Breakthrough a s ordered. At a n y price! All bridges to the past had been broken . Along with

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the superfl uous weapons and equipment, all papers and files, even the personal effects, had been burned. The parti ng with the treasured everyday things, memorabilia to which the heart clung, all that one owned-that parting was hard. All that was left was what one needed for close combat and could carry. The early onset of darkness, arriving with frost and snow squalls, came as desired. The worse the weather, the greater the probability that the sur­ prise would succeed. The enemy still seemed oblivious. H is fire became more and more irregu­ lar and weak. Even i n Schandorowka the situation worked i tself out and, one after another, the attack groups reported the completion of their preparations. The h ou r of decision could arrive. At about 2300 h ours, the fi rst wave of the three attack groups set out without fi re prepara­ tion. The comple tely surprised enemy was over­ run, his resistance was l i m i ted. The ring was broken and, by any normal standard, the break­ out seemed assured of success, assuming that the I I I Panzer Corps ( Breith) was positioned at Dshurshenzy, o n H i l l 239 and in Potschapinzy. The final radio message as of 1 500 hours read: Okgabr captured. With that, all command and control by Gruppe Stemmerman came to an end; indeed, Group Stemmermann ceased to exist. Since the prerequisites for success of the desper­ ate operation had not been met by the III Panzer Corps ( Brei th ) , what followed was a individual race against deat h , in which all m i l i tary forma­ tions dissolved. The i n fluence of the officers only extended as far as their voices carried. The ele­ mental flow of the masses was u ncontrollable. As a result, the course of events during the hours that followed is difficult to reconstruct. The only sources are the confused and con tradic­ tory i ndividual accounts of the survivors. U n i t staffs a n d command organs no longer existed. The departure of the second and third waves from the assembly positions took place according to plan, under the i mpression that the first wave had succeeded in breaking through. I n a steadily growing stream, abou t 40,000 men flowed to the west. One only had to make i t another few kilo­ meters in order to get to the comrades of the relief force who were rushi ng forward ! The disillusionment and horror was horren­ dous when murderous tank, anti tank gun and artillery fi re tore i n to the crowded mass of

1 71

h uman beings as the day dawned outside of Dshurshenzy-Potschapinzy. The troops had dragged all of their heavy equipment with them through the deep, snow-filled Balkas. Everything was smashed up then i n the hail of Russian fire. Guns and assault guns were left beh ind after fir­ ing off the last of their ammunition. The wou nded whom the units had brought along met their fate. Then the masses of men picked themselves up-left to their own devices and the weapons they carried in their hands. With the courage of desperation , they sought a way out of the chaos. Packs of h undreds of soldiers, t hrown together from every branch of service and formation, pushed on to the west, led by the fi rst officer they could find. Russian infan try was swept aside with cold steel . Even Russian tanks turned away. How­ ever, the Russian fi re beat without hindrance i n to the blind and uncontrolled mass of u nprotected men. The losses mounted. The Russians were positioned for the defense in the line Dshu rshenzy-Potschapinzy, not Bre­ i th 's III Panzer Corps. I ts divisions were figh ting at Chishinzy, Okgabr and at Lissjanka for a cross­ ing back over the Gniloi Tikitsch. Only scattered , small groups were fortunate enough to break through under the protection of darkness and snow squalls. They ran i n to German tanks at Okgabr and were saved. As day broke, individuals turned south in their desperation, since the noise of combat seemed weaker there . The mass followed in a stampede. The Russian i nfan try fled from the eastern portion of Potschapinzy before their wild rush. The way was free . The enemy river defenses along the banks of the Gniloi Tikitsch were scat­ tered from the rear. H owever, there was no bridge, and the ice on the river was broken. Forced onward by gunfire from tanks, artillery, and contin ually strengthening Russian infa n try, the mass of men that had been driven together fi nally leaped i n to the icy flood, leaving their last handheld weapons behind. Many drowned. Those who reached the far ban k were not yet saved. Even there, the fire from the T-34s and artillery pursued the half-frozen men up the long, open h igh ground southeast of Lissjanka. Those who were not h i t and did not collapse from the cold, were received by the 1st Panzer D ivision in the southern portion of Lissjanka.

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Many h u ndreds of men of the rear guard fought their way back to the German lines during the n igh t of 1 7- 1 8 February. They had stood agai nst the enemy in exemplary fu lfillment of duty. Half froze n , starvi ng, weaponless and doubt­ ing their own sani ty, about 20,000 to 25,000 men found themselves assembled i n the i n tended pas­ sage-of�li nes assembly area north of Uman. They found no answers to their rapid flow of questions about the mean ing of the en tire operation. Those who had escaped the hell of that twen ty­ one-day bat tle were , physically speaki ng, no longer fit for ac tion. The damage that the morale of the troops had suffered was i rreparable. They had lost confidence in their leadership. The X I and XXX X I I Corps (Stemmermann and Leib) had ceased to exist. Their disappear­ ance from the front prepared the way for the Russian breakthrough i n March over the Bug and Dnjestr to the Pruth.

The Red Army hoped t o destabil ize the German by employi ng the National Committee for a Free Germany [ Nal.ionalkomil.{!e hell'S Deu/.s{'hland] . The "committee" was composed of German soldiers who had been captured or who had crossed the li nes and changed sides. Air-dropped leaflets, speeches over loud-speakers, radio broadcasts and even armed involvement were all fruitless. For example, our battalion commander, Graf Kage­ neck, was severely wounded by soldiers wearing German uniforms who were riding in a motorcycle­ sidecar combination at Oratoff. Now for several excerpts from Zhukov's book, Erin neru ngen u n d Ceda nken [translator's note: The differences between the text of the German edi­ tion that the author quotes and the Engl ish-lan­ guage edition of The Memoirs of Mmshal Zhukov are substan tial enough that I have chosen to translate th t; German version into English for the following passages] :

So much fOI' what von Vormann had to say. As part of the overall eval uation of the Tsch erkassy operation, i t is also i n teresting to hear from the other side. Field Marshall Zhukov, at that time Deputy of the Supreme Commander [ Stalin ] , presen t s a very one-sided view o f the events o f the Battle of Korsun-Schewchen kowski [ the Russian name for the Tcherkassy figh ting] in his book, Tftf Memoirs 0/ Marshall ZlwJwv. As with all Soviet pre­ sentations, the ideological viewpoi n t , which i n ter­ feres with h istorical veraci ty, is obvious. The Soviet soldier is always a hero; mistakes were never made. The German soldier is cowardly, trai torous and stupid. Nevert heless, if one knows h ow to read between the l i nes, one can discover factual events among the circumlocutions and distortions. H ow­ ever, there is always exaggeration. Manipulation of information is a well-known weapon of psyc hologi­ cal warfare, which is as much directed at one's own people as at the enemy. Zhukov's remarks are striking in their exem pli­ flcation of t h e archaic hate of the enemy that i nsists that even his honor must be taken away. In truth, there were no German generals flown out of the pocket. General Stemmermann was killed in the pocket; Ge neralleutllant Lieb became a prisoner of war. Li kewise , th ere were no offlcers or SS people who broke out of the pocket with armored vehicles. Not a single armored vehicle came out of the encircleme n t .

In order to ward off the inevitable defeat of the encircled troops, the German h igh command began to concentrate forces against our outer front. On 27 Jan uary the 3rd, 1 1 th , and 4th Panzer Divisions reached the Nowo-Mi rgorod area. Two days later the 1 3th Panzer Division also advanced there. The 1 6th and 1 7th Panzer Divi­ sions were then concentrated in the Risino area . All of us who had carried out this operation of encircling the u n i ts of the enemy's ] st and 8th Armies knew full well that the German command would undertake to save the encircled units with a blow from o u tside. The Sixth Tank Army of the First U krai n ian Fron t, which had been reinforced with the 47th Rifle Corps, and the Fifth Guards Tan k Army of the Second U krainian Front, which had been rei nforced with the 49th Rifle Corps and the Fifth Engineer Brigade, were committed to stabilize the outer fron t and guaran tee the destruction of the encircled units. The flanks of the external fron t were covered by the 40th and 53rd Armies. In con trast to the enemy forces that had been encircled at Stal ingrad and defended themselves i n expectation of salva tion from outside, hoping that von Manstei n 's group would advance to them from the Kotelni kowo area, the units that had been encircled at Korsun-Schewtschen­ klowski attempted to break out of the encir­ clement on their own , advancing toward the

front

Tscherkassy

assault group that was to bring them relief from outside. During the first days of February, the enemy units attempted i n vai n to break through the sec­ tor of the outer ring of encircleme n t that was held by the Second U krai n ian Front at Nowo-Mir­ gorod. They used a portion of their armored forces. The enemy then regrouped in fro n t of our First Ukrain ian Front , striking us two heavy blows at Risino and at Tomatsch-Iskrennoje, where he commit ted three additional tank divisions. At Risino h e succeeded i n wedging h is way into our positions. The German command was convinced the breakthrough would succeed this time. General H ube, the commander of the 1 st Panzer Army, did not spare the promises. We intercepted a radio message sayi ng, "I will get you out! Hube." He did not give up the i n te n tion of breaking through our outer ring of encirclement. He brought i n another armor division , a battalion of heavy tanks [Tiger Tan k Battalion 503] and two assault gun battalions. H e moved a large group of armor divisions to the Jerki area and launched a fierce attack. On 9 February I sent an encoded radio message to the Supreme Commander [Stali n ] in which, among other thi ngs, I said: "Accordi ng to interrogations of prisoners, the enemy has suffered great losses i n the pocket. At the presen t time, confusion can be fel t among soldiers and officers. In isolated cases it amounts to panic. "According to information from our recon­ naissance forces, the enci rcled enemy has con­ centrated the major portion of his forces in the Steblew-Korsun-Schewtschenkowski area. H e obvi­ ously prepares to launch a final a ttempt to break through to the armored group that is advancing toward Malaja Bojarka. In order to secure this area we are committing a tank brigade from Rotmistrow and, i n the Krasnogorodka­ Mo�jewka area, the 340th Rifle Division from Schmatschenko. The Armies of Korotej ew, Ryschow and Trofimenko will start their offensive . on 9 February. "On 8 February at 1 550 hours our parliamen­ tary handed our ultimatum regarding the encir­ cled enemy to the German Oberst Fucke [ Oberst Fouquet] who commands the Steblew sector. The parl iamentaries h ave returned and passed on the information that the German command would answer on 9 February at 1 1 00 hours. Zhukov."

1 73

On 9 February at 1 200 hour General Stem­ merman 's staff informed us that our ul timatum had been declined. At the same time, the Germans began a bi tter attack on the inner fron t as well as on the outer fron t . On 1 I February extremely intense fighting flared up. Our troops fough t with extraordinary steadfastness. The enemy's armor divisions [ i n actual ity, only the 1 st Panzer Division was employed ] succeeded in advancing i n to Lissjanka with great losses. H owever, havi ng accom pl ished that, his strength was exhausted and h e went over to the defense. During the n ight of 1 2 February the encircled group concentrated in a narrow sector and attem pted to break out through Steblew to the armor divisions that were i n Lissjanka. That, how­ ever, did not succeed. The enemy was brought to a halt. The distance separating the encircled group and the relief forces had narrowed to 1 2 kilometers, but we felt that the enemy lacked the strength to bridge the gap and link up. During the night of 1 2 February 1 944, I reported to Supreme Headquarters: "The enemy is positioned outside of Krawtschenko with abou t 1 60 tanks [editor's note: the e n tire 1 st Panzer Army did not have 1 60 tanks] and motorized infant ry and is attempting to force h is way forward along the line Risi no­ Tschemeriskoj e-Tarassowka in the direction of Lissjanka . H e has broken through the first defen­ sive line of the 47th Rifle Corps and driven a wedge ten kilometers i n to our positions." On 1 4 February, u n i ts of the 52nd Army of the Second U krain ian Front captured the city of Korsun-Schewtschenkowski . The ring drew ever tigh ter. The soldiers, officers and generals of the German units clearly realized that the promised help would not arrive and they were thrown e ntirely on their own resources. Prisoners reported that the troops were quite desperate, especially when they discovered that a n umber of the division commanders and staff officers had been flown out. D uring the night of 1 6 February a snowstorm arrived. The visibility was only about 10 to 20 meters. The Germans renewed their hope t hat, with the protection of the storm, they would be able to slip through to Lissj an ka and l i n k up with H ube 's forces. That breakout attempt was q uashed by the 27th Army, under S. G. Trofi-

1 74

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

men ko, and by the Fourth Guards Army of the Second U krai nian Fro n t. The cadets of the Non­ comm issioned O fficer's Academy from the train­ ing battalion of the 4 1 st Guards Rifle Division of Major General K. N. Zwetkow fough t with partic­ u lar heroism. A fierce struggle raged during the morning of 1 7 February with the German col umns attempting to break out, most of which were either wiped out or taken prisoner. Only a portion of the tanks and armored veh icles with generals, officers and SS people succeeded i n escaping the encirclement. As we had expected, we were finally through with the encircled group on 1 7 February. According to reports of the Sec­ ond U krainian Front, 1 8,000 men were taken prisoner and the com bat equipme n t of the group was captured. So much for what Z h u kov had to say. The German Weh rmac h t Report of 20 Febru­ ary 1 944 reported: The Weh rmacht H igh Command elaborates on the liberation of the German battle group that had been encircled west of Tscherkassy: The passage of lines by the divisions that were freed has been completed. The units of the army and the Waffen-SS that had been cut off since 28 January have heroically stood off the assault of far superior enemy forces. U nder the command of General of Artillery Stemmerman and Gener­ alleutnant Lieb, they broke through the encir­ clement in furious fighting. Officers and troops provided another shining example of heroic stead­ fastness, audacious, aggressive spirit and self-sacri­ ficing comradeship for the h istory of the German military. The formations of the army and the Waffen­ SS that took part i n the rel ief of that battle group, established the conditions that made the breakout possible. Commanded by General of Panzer Troops Brei th, in cooperation with the u n i ts commanded by Generalleutnant von Vor­ man n , every individual soldier exhibi ted exem­ plary conduct in the severest weather and terrain conditions. The Sovie ts suffered serious and bloody losses and, between 4 and 1 8 February, lost 728 tanks and assault guns. Eigh t hundred guns were captured and several thousand prison­ ers brough t i n .

The V II I A i r Corps, commanded by Gener­ alleutnant Seideman n , provided outstanding sup­ port to the hard-figh ting army troops i n the spirit of combined arms operations. Transport and combat formations supplied the encircled forces under serious weather condi tions and, i n spite of heavy enemy figh ter and an tiaircraft defenses, brough t them ammuni tion , rations and fuel. They also brought back more than 2,400 wounded. I n the process, thirty-two transport air­ craft were lost. Fifty-eigh t enemy aircraft were shot down i n aerial combat and by flak. On 22 February, the Weh rmacht Report had the fol lowing to say: General of Arti l lery Stemmerman , commander of the battle group that was encircled west of Tscherkassy and which then broke out, was killed on the final day of the breakout by an artillery round which h i t his vehicle. He deserves a large share of the cred i t for the u nshakeable behavior and the breakout of the battle group. The Army has lost an especially good, veteran troop com­ mander. Research after the war has shown that the Weh rmachtsberichte were free of actual false statements, which seems amazi ng i n a war in which everything appeared to be allowed. It may well be, however, that political or military develop­ ments that were i nopportune were passed over in silence or presen ted with an al tered bias. Despite that, one can assume the information presented i n the Weh rmac h t report from 20 February was factual . What was not officially mentioned was that 30,000-50,000 soldiers had been encircled. Also left out was that 20,000-25,000 were saved. No one knew exactly how h igh the death rate had been duri ng the fighting i n the pocket or d uring the breakout. Zhukov's figures of 1 8,000 prisoners must be doubted, given the Russian practice of exaggerating successes. I f, however, the numbers were to agree, then the total deaths would have been between 2,000 and 7,000. The German side estimated that Tcherkassy had cost abou t 1 0,000 soldiers. For Tiger Tank Battalion 503, i t was the most difficul t operation of i ts existence.

CHAPTER

2 5

The O p erations of Ti ger Tank Battal ion 503 in O p enin g the Tscherkassy Pocket Alfed Rubbel

OUR SITUATION AT THE END OF JANUARY AND BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY 1 944 On 20 Jan uary 1 944 the batta lion reached Win­ niza by rai l . Although we received several fac tory­ new Tigers during the refitti ng at Smeri nka, we had only thirty-five Tigers o n hand as compared with the forty-five allotted accordi ng to our table of organization. Twe nty-five of those were ful ly operational. That n umber varied conti n ually due to gains and losses as a result of mechanical prob­ lems and tanks repai red . The number of trucks had been similarly decimated. Only 68 out of I I I cross-country vehicles were ready for service, which m ea n t that only 1 1 9 tons out of o ur total 234 tons of transport carrying capac i ty was avail­ able. That would lead to logistical problems, since there were n o paved roads available in that opera­ tional area and supplies wou l d have to be trans­ ported long dista nces over soft ground. The personnel situation did not look good ei ther. The battalion was short seven out of twenty-eigh t officers, including two com pany com­ manders and three tank platoon leaders. Thi rty­ four of the 2 74 noncomm issioned officers were lacking, mostly from the tan k crews. Since 1 Janu­ ary 1 944, th ree officers had been killed and fou r wounded. Twelve noncommissioned officers had been killed and sixteen wou nded. The comple­ ment of enlisted men was at full count, with 694 soldiers. It is i n te resting that, of the n i nety Hiwis, we had been short fifty to sixty of them for a n um­ ber of months. The inclin ation toward a relatively

generous existence, mostly as a driver or assista n t driver i nstead o f t h e deprivations of a prisoner-of­ war camp had declined. The rap idly worsening German situation was having i ts effect. I n the mon thly si tuation report for January 1 944 the state of train i n g and health for the bat­ talion was indicated as good. I n February, the bat­ tal ion reported "morale is outstanding as a result of major achievements." That was the condition of our battalion as we joined Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake , which had been formed for a specific operation . The regi­ ment was mean t to be committed as a concen­ trated armored stri king force-it would form the Schwerpunkt of the operation . At first, the regiment's commitment had noth­ ing to do with the Tscherkassy pocket. I t was i n tended for the I I I Panzer Corps to advance north in the direction of Medwin to i ntercept and destroy three Russian corps. Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake was placed u nder the operational control of the corps. That effort m iscarried due to the three­ fold Russian superiori ty. While that frui tless oper­ ation wasted time, strength and energy, the impending encirclement of the XI and XXXXI I Corps was completed on 28 Jan uary 1 944. The I I I Panzer Corps was then pulled back thi rty kilome­ ters i n order to prepare to open the pocket. I t was under extreme time pressure. The battalion assembled in the Schuben ny Staw area. The Main­ tenance Company was ready for operations at Man kowka. The company combat trains and 1 75

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

maintenance sections were held close at hand and quartered at Rubany Most. On 28 Jan uary 1 944 the battalion commander, Hauptmann Graf Kage­ neck, was wounded. Oberleutnant Adameck, com­ pany commander of the 1 st Company, was killed on 24Jan uary 1 944. In the attack to the north, the entire maintenance section of 1 st Company was killed by part isans in the Oratoff area in a most cruel fashion. TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 WITH TIGER REGIMENT BAKE FROM 2 1 -25 FEBRUARY 1 944 Preparations 1 9 Jan uary: Loading at Smeri nka, rai l trans­ port 20Jan uary: U nload ing at Winn iza 2 1 January: Formation of Tiger Tank Regi ment Bake Attack on Medwin 22 Jan uary: Preparations for the attack on Medwin at Balabanowka 23 Jan uary: Attack on the Bila position 24 Jan uary: Breakthrough at the Bila position 25 Jan uary: Armored fighting at Ssosoff 26 Jan uary: Defensive fighting at Ssosoff 27 Jan uary: Armored fighting south of Otscheretl�a 28 January: Armored figh ting and breakthrough at the Oratoff railroad station 29 Jan uary: Figh ting at Oratoff 30 Jan uary: Defensive figh ting at Oratoff 3 1 Jan uary: Defensive fighting northwest of Ora tofT Attack on Tscherkassy I February: Movement to new area of opera­ tions 2 February: Movement to new area of operations 3 February: Attack on Pawlowka 4 February: Breakt h rough at Pawlowka 5 February: Attack on Wotylewka � 6 February: Defensive fighting at Wotylewka 7 February: Defensive fighting at WOlylewka 8 February: Attack on Repki 9 February: Figh ting in the Repki area of oper­ ations 10 February: Pre parat ions for the attack on Frankowka

I I February: Attack at Frankowka and forma­ tion of bridgehead 1 2 February: Enlargement of the bridgehead at Frankowka I 3 February: Armored fighting at Tschess­ nowka 1 4 February: Defensive figh ting at Tschess­ nowka 1 5 February: Offensive and defensive opera­ tions south of Dshurshenzy 1 6 February: Attack on H i l l 239 1 7 February: Cove ring force on Hill 239; pas­ sage of li nes by the pocket units 1 8 February: Covering force on Hill 239; pas­ sage of li nes by the pocket units I 9 February: Figh ting withdrawal to the Gniloi Tikitsch 20 February: Ready reserve a t Bossowka 2 I February: Road march to Uman 25 February: Deactivation of Tiger Tank Regi­ ment Bake There were no more officers in the battered 1 st Company. The few Tigers-there might have been five or six-were led by Oberfeldwebel Hans Fendesack. At the time, I was a Fahnenjunker­ Feldwebel , about to leave fo r officer-candidate school. I was the tan k commander of Tiger 1 1 4. I no longer remember what the tank situation was l i ke i n the 2nd Company. The 3rd Company was the only company that was st ill commanded by i ts company commander, Oberleu tnant Waiter Scherf. I t had the most tanks. Of the approxi­ mately twen ty-five Tigers with which we had set out on 2 1 Jan uary, there were e igh teen to twenty ready for action as we went i n to the Tscherkassy operation on 3 February. I n l ight of the personnel and tank si tuation, Scherf dissolved the companies and d istributed the tanks among four platoons. The platoons were l ed by Oberfeldwebel Fendesack, Oberfahnrich Rondorf, Oberfeldwebel an der Heiden and Oberfeldwebel Sachs. Wi th the exception of Ober­ feldwebel Fendesack, all of the platoon leaders were from the 3rd Company. I n that si tuation, Oberleutnant Scherf became the acting com­ mander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503. A battalion of mountain troops from the 4th Mountain Divi­ sion with about 200 soldiers and 1 5 SPWs were placed under the operational control of the regi­ ment. That was a good addition to the regiment's combat power, especially since there was always a

The Operatiolls of Tiger Tallk BaNa/ioll 503 ill Opellillg the Tscherkassy Pocket

shortage of infantry. Half of the mountain troop­ ers came to the bat tal ion. Leutnant HaS, the spe­ cial-duty staff officer [ Ordonnanz-OJJizierl of the battal ion, was responsible for t h e forward ing of supplies and maint a i n i n g l iaison with t h e regi­ ment. There were only t h ree officers at the "front": Oberl e utnant Scherf, Leutnant HaS and the battalion surgeo n , Or. Sch ramm. The I J I Panzer Corps, commanded by Gener­ alleutnant Bre i t h , along wi t h the 1 st Panzer D ivi­ sion , 1 6t h Panzer D ivision, 1 7t h Panzer D ivision, 1 st SS Panzer D ivision " Lei bstandart e," 1 98th Infantry Division, and Tiger Tan k Regi ment Bake was assigned the m ission of opening the Korsun­ Tscherkassy pocket wi t h the forces that were encir­ cled there, t h e X I and XXXX I I Army Corps. To ful fil that m ission, t h e I I I Panzer Corps ordered the attack as follows: •

•

•

1 6th and 1 7t h Panzer D ivisions and Tiger Regiment Bake were to a ttac k in the center toward the northeast over Hill 239-Buschanka­ Frankowka and to cross the Gniloi Tikitsch River, capturing t h e h igh ground nort h east of Frankowka and securi ng t here. 1 st Panzer Division, on the righ t , was to follow the attack and cover the southern flank. 1 st SS Panzer D ivision "Leibstandarte" was to follow the a t tack o n t h e left and cover the northern flank.

The attack was to start a t 0730 hours on 1 1 February 1 944. 1 1 February 1 944: The battalion set out i n the first wave while it was still dark. The ground was ligh tly frozen on the surface and there was scarcely any snow. As i t got ligh t , t h e Tigers encoun tered several Russian T-34 tanks and an ti­ tank guns in position on the Bossowka-Bushanka road. Seven Russian tanks were knoc ked out, the others withdrew. I n order to capture the i m portant vil lage of Fran kowka wi th i ts bridge ac�'oss t h e Gniloi Tik­ i tsch , the battalion was ordered to support the Pant hers and grenadiers attacking Frankowka o n the righ t wi t h fire. Frankowka was captured by noo n . U n fortunately, because of their great weigh t , the Tigers were unable to use the bridge and, for the time being, had to remain south of the river a t Frankowka. We found a ford and took up positions for the n igh t on the high ground north of the vi llage. U n fortunately, our rejoicing

1 77

at having the mountain troopers for n igh t security was premature. We had to take care of it ourselves. We formed a h edgehog position, arranging the Tigers i n an oval with their guns poi n ting out­ ward. Most of the tanks faced toward the front, a few on the sides and to the rear. The tanks were close e nough together so that one could see both adjoining tanks in the darkness. The hatches were buttoned up. The person pulling guard in the com mander's cupola had only h is h ead sticking up above the ri m of the open hatc h . H e had a machine pistol , a flare pistol and hand grenades in fron t of h i m . The watch changed every hour. The crew did their best to sleep i nside the tank. The night rem ai ned cal m , if one disregarded the noise of the figh ting around us. 1 2 February 1 944: The Fifth Guards Tan k Corps a n d Twen tieth Tan k Corps, which had l i n ked u p on 28 Jan uary 1 944 at Swenigorodka and completed the encirclement, were of the opinion that t hey had surrounded the e n tire 1 st Panzer Army. Expecting German a t tacks to open the pocket, the enemy held strong forces­ estimated at eigh ty tanks and fifty antitank guns­ ready for e i ther defe nse or coun tera t tack. That grou ping of forces, which h ad moved north of Frankowka against our at tack, had to be promptly and effectively elimi nated in order to advance our attack toward the pocket . The objective of the bat­ talion, which was employed on the left of the regi­ men t, was the road east of Tschessnowka. German dive-bombers supported the attack, which began at 0900 hours. The aerial a t tack was particularly successful against the u nprotected a n t i tank guns. Because those guns were difficult to spot until they fi red their first round, they were extremely dangerous to tan ks. Our a ttack broke all the way through . We destroyed about twenty or twen ty-five Russian tanks. The regi ment and the 1 6th Panzer D ivision that was a t tacking along with us had destroyed about seventy tanks and forty an t i tank guns by eveni ng. The ground gai n ed was a wedge about five kilometers deep and barely three kilometers wide. The 1 st Panzer D ivision and the I st SS Panzer D ivision " Le ibstandarte" had to cover the deep f lanks wh ile operating offensively. The far­ ther the a ttack group-Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake, the 1 6t h Panzer D ivision, and the 1 7th Panzer D ivision-penetrated i n to the area of the break-in, the weaker i ts combat power became, since the two flanking divisions were no longer

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TlGER TANK BATTALJON 503 1N WORLD WAR 11

able to work their way forward. I n addition, the I I I Panzer Corps h ad two e nemy tank corps i n fron t of i t that were less a ttri ted t h a n i t was. I estimate the German formations had less than half of their combat strength left. In the evening the battalion formed a h edge­ hog about one kilometer south of Tschessnowka, which was still in enemy hands, and wai ted for resupply. Because of danger from the e nemy i n the rear area a n d miserable road conditions, t h e supplies could not b e brough t forward b y trucks. I nstead, t hey were supposed to be air-dropped during the night. The battalion had lost five tanks due to enemy action: Four of them complete losses and one capable of being repaired. U n for­ tunately, we had four killed and several wounded. The aerial resupply fai led to show up during the n igh t . Three fires i n a triangle marked the drop site. The night was undisturbed. A light snow­ fall had started and the temperature dropped, but the ground still was not hard enough . Our tanks left deep track marks and the heavy wheeled veh i­ cles had to struggle laboriously through the barely frozen ground that did not yet bear their weigh t . 1 3 February ] 944: A t daybreak w e launched ollr a t tack from the northeast, turning east on the Medwin-Lissjanka road. We knocked out six out of the seven Russian T-34/85s and U . s.-bui l t Sh er­ man tanks approaching from Medwin . Upon reaching the road, our twelve Tigers provided cover to the north and east for a while. I t seemed that uncoordinated, small Russian tank a t tacks in company strength were the rule. Enemy tanks could appear anywhere and at any time. The I st Panzer D ivision had bitten off more than it could chew at Lissjanka. Strong local defense and the Gniloi Tiki tsch River held the division back, which was supposed to provide flank guard for the operat ion. There have been unjustified aspersions cast at the 1 st Panzer Divi­ sion, claiming that it fri ttered i tself away in figh t­ ing in the vil lage. I t thus l ost t h e battle against time, time that was run ning out for the encircled troops. The corps had put the mai n effort on the left . A badly battered armor division that lacked tanks and, even more importa n t , that lacked infantry forces, was in no position to swiftly elimi­ nate the villages of Lissjanka and Oktjabr. I t was at least ten kilome ters to t h e western edge of the encirclement. Those ten kilometers formed a wal l consisting of h eavily armored Russian formations. A tank formation could

and should ignore open flanks during the rapidly changing situations i n a war of movement but, in the deeply echeloned and strong defenses surrounding the pocket , open flanks had to be a t tended to and avoided. Several times enemy tanks emerged 111 fron t of the Tigers of Fendesack's platoon and Rondorf's platoon. About ten were knocked out. The vi llages of Ch ischi nzy and Dshurshenzy were chock full of Russian tanks and infantry. At long last, the prom­ ised airdrops that h ad taken off from Uman arrived wi t h fighter escort. Right on target, and f lying at extremely low altitude-scarcely more than ten meters off the ground-they dropped the fuel drums, fuel pumps and ammuni­ tion for the tanks. Unfortunately, many of the sup­ plies were lost to breakage. Our tanks moved individually to the drop sites, fueled up and resup­ plied wi t h ammunition. U n fortunately, there were no rations, which had become extremely short . The emergency rations h ad long since been consumed. The "eat­ ing off the land" that was usual i n such situations was impossible, since we hardly got i n to villages. Besides, they were em pty of people. It was decided that Tiger Tan k Regiment Bake would a ttack as far as the Chishinzy-Dshurshenzy road and hold there u n t i l the 1 6th Panzer Divi­ sion had taken Chishi nzy and the I st Panzer Divi­ sion had captured Lissjanka . Then we would turn to the southeast and capture the village of Kamarowka, about six kilometers away. The only tanks that were in action from the 1 st Company were those of Fendesack, Erdmann and me. 1 4 February 1 944: The 1 6t h Panzer D ivision captured Chishinzy. We remained in our positions on the road to Dsh urshenzy and had to ward off at least four at tacks by groups of five to seven Russian tanks, each attack thus approximating a weak tank company. At least twenty tanks were knoc ked out i n the process. I ncreasingly, we also h ad to figh t off infantry. I n the meantime, our own i n fantry closed up and we were a bit more secure against h u n ter/killer teams. Snow squalls and fog dampened t h e noise of the fighting; due to poor visibil i ty enemy tanks did not emerge into sigh t until they were extremely close. The operations order was changed, presum­ ably because our forces were i nsufficient for the advance to Kamarowka. The I st Panzer D ivision was still figh ting in Lissjanka. The capture of Dshurshenzy and Kamarowka would have taken

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

too much time and consume too much combat power. The situation of the encircled forces, which was dramatically worsening by the hour as they were forced to repulse ceaseless attacks on all sides and suffered extremely heavy losses, demanded speedy operations. At that poi nt it was either do something or nothing! The n ew object ive was to capture and h old the terrai n around Hill 239 between the enemy-held vil lages of Dsh u rshenzy and Potschapinzy. The encircled forces were to break out on their own to the west past Kamarowka to the passage poin ts on both sides of H i l l 239. Th ose passage points were about eight kilometers from the southern edge of the pocket. That choice was a risk. It rested on the assumption that there was still adequate combat strength within the pocket to realize that plan. There was no alterna tive. The battalion had nine Tigers left. 1 5 February 1 944: A great number of Russian tanks were said to be i n a assembly areas i n fron t of our positions, which were s t i l l on the road from Dsh u rshenzy. While it was still dark, we attacked to the northeast, where the enemy tanks were bel ieved to be. The visibility was very poor in places. We were j ust as surprised as the Russians when we encoun­ tered tanks and engaged them at close range. We were able to confi rm that Dshurshenzy was packed with enemy tanks and infantry. We knocked out a total of fourteen Russian tanks in our attack. Unfor­ tunately, one Tiger was a total loss and two men were killed. It is probable that the main objective of the attack was to convi nce the Russians that the main effort to open the pocket would take place here, between Chish inz y and Dshurshenzy. The Russian concentration of forces there could have been seen as proof that the deception was a success. We returned to our assembly positions before the fall of darkness and prepared that n ight for the new attack against the area around H i ll 239 on 1 6 Feb­ ruary. Seven Tigers were still combat ready. 1 6 February 1 944: I n the rear are� of the I I I Panzer Corps-the slice o f terrain was n o wider than five kilome ters-veh icles, even am bulances, could only move i n convoys escorted by tanks. Our battal ion surgeon, D r. Sch ramm, had tan ks placed under h is con t rol from the regiment that were no longe r capable of fighting but were still mobi le. The fighting then e n tered the decisive phase in establishing the prerequisite conditions for the

breakou t . We were given the l i m i ted objective of attacking south of Dsh urshenzy, advancing to a patch of woods. The terrain was incised by ravines and did not allow good observation. The Gebi rgs­ jager who were accompanying us had j ust combed through the patch of woods when several T-34s attacked. All of the T-34s were immediately knoc ked out. Addit ional Russian tanks conti n ued to appear, in an apparently uncoordinated fash­ ion. Presumably those were tanks that had been employed as infa n t ry su pport . Almost all of them were knocked out. By evening th ere were proba­ bly about twenty of them. But we also had a loss. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack's Tiger was h i t on the side of the h ull by a round from a T-34, resulting i n an engine fi re. The crew was not i nj ured. That was one of the rare cases in which a T-34, presumably one with the 8.5cm main gun, knocked out a Tiger. At short range-less than 500 meters-the eight centimeter side and rear armor could be penetrated. Our attack was sup­ ported by d ive-bom bers at tacking targets well be h i nd the lines. We could only see col umns of smoke from the fires. The regiment began its attack in the morning with eight Tigers, nine Pan­ thers and twelve SPWs. That was the fi n al offen­ sive measure toward the pocket. The i ncreasing opposition which the regi ment had been able to penetrate here tofore i n i ts role as spearhead then amounted to an i nsurmoun table barrier. The other u n i ts of the I I I Panzer Corps had to exert maximum possible effort to maintain the flanks of the wedge and prevent a second pocket from being formed. Elements of the 1 st SS Panzer D ivision "Leib­ standarte" were ordered to support the 1 st Panzer D ivision on the righ t. U p to then, it had been em ployed on the left . Final ly, on ] 6 February, it was possible to captu re the vil lages of Lissjanka and Okgabr, from which the entire operation had been t h reatened for days. The battal ion was ordered to pull back to a line about two kilome­ ters to the rear so as to establish contact on the left with u n i ts of the 1 6th Panzer D ivision and, on the righ t , with u n i ts of the ] st SS Panzer D ivision " Leibstandarte" and the 1 st Panzer Division. The h ighly visible H i l l 239 then became the fateful poi n t that would be decisive in the salvation of the encircled elemen ts-various formations, corps troops, and five divisions or, more accurately, what was left of them, about 40,000 soldiers. The gap between the two vi llages of Dsh urshenzy and

The Operations of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in Opening the Tscherkassy Pochet

Potschapinzy was the door which the regi ment had to hold open. On 16 February 1 944 at 2300 hours the break­ out to the west began ! 1 7 Februal)' 1 944: The army h igh command was still under the impression the breakout would be conducted and led as an disciplined mili tal)' opera­ tion. For the worst-case scenario, particularly with respect to the enemy situation , about which only the sketchiest information was known, the com­ mand considered a hasty attack on Kamarowka. I t would be conducted b y a l l of t h e units that were o n the northeast front of t h e relief wedge t o link u p with the units that were breaking out. I t had been coordinated that, starting at mid­ night, our foremost u n i ts would fi re off white sig­ nal flares at short i n tervals so as to i n dicate our positions to those breaki ng out. The breakout units were to reply i n similar fashion. The sounds of fighting could be heard thro ughout the entire night com ing from the d i rection of the pocket with varying degrees of i n tensity. The Russians had occupied fronts faci n g i n two directions: The ring encircling the pocket facing toward the east and the other, the defensive fro n t , facing west­ ward toward us, the attackers. We could only hope that the forces breaking out would make their way out i n a narrow sector through which the mass of the troops i n the pocket could then follow. We also operated on the assumption that the Rlissians had concentrated their forces on the two fron ts and that the space in between the fron ts would be weakly held. We would be able to assist i n the breakout thro ugh the second front faci ng our positions. Our expec­ tation of how the si tuation would develop turned out to be ill usory since, right at the start in the pocket, there was scarcely any operational free­ dom due to lost ground. After a more-or-Iess orderly start to the operation, the moveme n t west degenerated i n t o a disordered, leaderless and extremely costly mass fl igh t . With hardly a sound, at 0100 hours, footsteps approached the Tigers. Footste ps! Were they Russ­ ian of German soldiers? They were Germans! Mostly on foot, exhausted, mostly without weapons. The acting battalion commander had the ones who had trouble walking moved to the regi mental com mand post i n SPWs. By the time the day dawned, about 500 to 600 men had made the pas­ sage of l i nes n ear the Tigers and been forwarded to the regi mental command post. On our right we

181

could hear veh icle sounds. Were they Russian or German? They were German. The battalion sur­ geon, Dr. Schramm , had moved forward to the reg­ imental command post with the medical section . He supervised the first aid and evacuation of the wounded who had come out of the pocket. Unfor­ tunately, the limited capacity of the medical section meant it was only of limited assistance in dealing with the masses of soldiers. A reception camp was set u p i n the Buki area. At least the comrades from the pocket were safe behind our positions. It was astonishing that the enemy was so quiet. I t would have been a catastrophe if the Russians had fol lowed closely, mixed i n with the Germans f leeing from the pocket. By dayl igh t , two large groups of about 500 to 600 soldiers each had passed the regiment's posi tion, with i ts eigh t Tigers a n d s i x Pan thers. With dayligh t , t h e Rus­ sians became act ive. Our positions were repeat­ edly shelled by art i llery. Russian tanks appeared in small groups in front of our positions. The same took p lace west of Potschapinzy, where the regi­ ment ordered an attack with limited object ives. We got to with i n about one kilometer of the vil­ lage when five T-34s approached us. Three were knocked out. We returned to our j u m p-off posi­ tions near H i l l 239 without any losses. Al though individual soldiers and small and large groups contin ued to come out of the pocket throughout the en tire day, most of them to the south of us, the enemy did little to i n terfere. The breakout had confused him. He had enough units available to h ave dealt with the westward move­ ment or to have h u n ted down the l eaderIess and defenseless troops. Our tan kers were deeply moved by the appearance of those a pathetic sol­ diers who h ad barely escaped death or capture. 1 8 February 1 944: The stream of th ose who had been saved cont i n ued throughout the night. We remained i n our positions at H ill 239 th rough­ out the day without being disturbed. There again the weakness i n Russian leadersh i p was evident­ to our good fortune! I ndividual i n i tiative and mis­ sion-orie n ted o perations were unwanted, indeed, forbidden . Their mission should have been : Elim­ i nate the troops in the pocket! Such concepts were i n direct contrast to German leadership training. It was thanks to that mentality that about 20,000 to 25 ,000 German soldiers made it to free­ dom. The Russian units i n Dshu rshenzy appeared to be the first to have overcome the shock of the breakout. There were several advances by tanks

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

wh ich were repulsed. After it had been deter­ mined that everyt hing which could still walk or move had reached the German li nes, preparations were made for a fighting wi thdrawal, first to the Gniloi Tikitsch River, then to the j ump-off posi­ tions south of Fran kowka. 1 9 February 1 944: With six Tigers and five Panthers-the remnants of the regi men t-we wi thdrew sout hwest according to plan and under the leadership of Oberl eu tnant Scherf. The ] st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte," the 1 6th Panzer Division, and the 1 7th Panzer Division were also part of these withdrawal movements. They were able to repulse the pursuing enemy by means of a figh ting withdrawal and l ocal coun terattacks. The remnants of the regiment were to be relieved the followi n g night and, for the time bei ng, were a ready reserve in the Bossowka area. Subsequently we were to be transferred to U ma n . 20 February ] 944: For Tiger Tan k Battal ion 503, which had only 10 percen t of i ts tank stre ngth left, that was the end of the Tscherkassy operation. Hauptmann Rolf Fromme, the n ew battalion commander, arrived on the battlefield, replacing the severely wounded Hauptmann Graf Kageneck. Oberleutnant Scherf received the Knigh t 's Cross and was promoted to H auptman n . 2 ] February 1 944: The battalion moved to Uman with i ts tracked and wheeled elements.

+ Along with the report from the battalion level, the events of the Tscherkassy operation are presented here from the viewpoi n t of the tank crew. Hans­ Joac h i m Thaysen, radio operator i n the 1 st Com­ pany writes of h is experiences on behalf of all of the members of the combat elements, who proba­ bly experienced similar thi ngs. 24January: The night was spent refueling and loading up ammunition. At 0600 hour s the attack started toward the northeast. J ust as the attack bega n , Tiger 1 00 was h i t on the main gu n . The shell ricocheted and penetrated the h ull between the driver and radio operator without wounding anyone. Oberleutnant Adamek was shot i n the head and kil led wh ile climbing i n to another tank. Le utnant von Koerber took over command. After crossing a m i nefield, the attack con t i n ued. The enemy resisted us with antitank guns and i n fantry

but was th rown back. We reached the village at noon. The attack came to a halt in front of a small river with marshy banks, the Gniloi Tikitsch . Leutnant von Koerber's tank got stuck and was recovered under mortar fire by ours. As evening approached the attack con tin ued along the river. An additi onal village was captured during the night i n spite of very heavy f i re from antitank guns. Leutnant von Koerber was shot in the head and severely woun ded while making contact with the infa n try. Oberleutnant Kubin was killed while resc uing the Leutnant. We withdrew from the \�I­ lage during the night to resu pply wi th ammuni­ tion and fuel. 25 Jan uary: We crossed the Gniloi Tikitsch River at 0200 hours i n the morning i n the bridge­ head the e ngin eers and the 3rd Company had formed. We were immediately met by an intense barrage from a variety of weapons. I t was a miracle that no one was h i t. We moved out in the gray light of dawn . During the night the enemy had put together a defensive posi tion studded with a tremendous n umber of antitank guns. I t exacted a fai rly h igh toll of blood and equipment, particu­ larly among the Pan thers, before they broke through to the north . Oberfeldwebel Fendesack boarded our tank as commander. The center of the defensive fron t was i n a village with both f lanks resting on wooded areas. A bypass was not possible. We moved out agai nst the village once again a t noon . J ust as hopes grew that the enemy was finally on the run , we sudden ly found our­ selves in a mi nefield i n which several tanks were immobil ized. By the time we had breached the obstacle, a heavy barrage from antitank gu ns and tanks set in, leaving several more tanks disabled along the way. Ours was the fi rst veh icle to make i t past the bar­ rier, taking up the battle along with the other veh icles of the platoon. After we had knocked out no less than eigh t antitank guns and twenty enemy tanks and assault guns, the Russians with­ drew. I n the pursuit that followed, we captured a railroad station and the adj acen t village. We had to capture another enemy line in the evening. We captured the village of Ssosoff wi th the last of our fuel and ammunition. 26 Jan uary: We remained i n Ssosoff under heavy fire from enemy antitank guns, tanks and artillery until noon, u nable to defend ourselves due to ammunition shortage. Finally, at about 1 300 hours, the supplies made i t through and we

The Operations of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in Opening the Tscherkassy Pocket

moved out immediately. H owever, after darkness fell, the attack had to halt in the open area since our losses would have been too h igh i n the h eavy ground fog. 27 January: In the morning the attack contin­ ued until we were outside a vi llage . Several tan ks were knocked out along the way. Shortly before we got to the village , the enemy un expectedly opened fire from well-constructed positions. The attack hal ted and a duel began on both sides that con tinued for several hours wi th neither side gaining any sign i ficant results. As we moved out again, several h i ts knocked out our right track. We had to pull back and were towed from the bat­ tlefield by another tank. Several other tan ks turned back wi th h i ts. The enemy attacked with tanks on the right flank and was thrown back after most of h is tanks had been knocked out. We fixed our track and moved to the company mainte­ nance section, since the righ t-hand drive sprocket was unserviceable . On the route back, several enemy tan ks that had been knocked out were "investigated. " 28 Jan uary: The day was ful ly occupied with changing the drive sprocket and repairing other damage. Our work was i n terrupted by several aer­ ial attacks. 29 January: During the most recent fighting, Tigers 1 1 2 and 1 32 were left lyi ng behind the Russian lines after the crews disabled them by making the main guns uhserviceable . We tried to recover the veh icles during the eve n i ng of 29 Jan­ uary wi th our Tiger 1 00, a tan k from the 3rd Com­ pany and several assault guns. The Russians had anticipated the attempt and covered both of the tanks wi th m in es and barriers of antita n k guns. I t was impossible to get close to the vehicles. We received several antitan k gun h i ts. This time Tiger 100 lost i ts left-hand drive sprocket and had a round penetrate. At that poi n t the operation was called off, and we returned to the old posi tion. 30 Jan uary: We atte nded to our run n i n g gear and began the march back to the battalion in the . evening. The Vol kswagen belonging to the com­ pany mai n tenance section happened to get under the track and hull of a Tiger and was squashed flat, killing Gefrei te r Wollmann and Gefrei ter Wi lke. Gefrei ter Donath was rescued from the wreckage of the Vol kswagen , severely wounded. 3 1 January: The march continued to Gaisi n . There, at long last, w e got mail. Gefreiter Burger was killed on that day when a shell penetrated

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Tiger I l l . On the previous day, the battalion com­ mander, Hauptmann Graf von Kageneck, and Hauptfeldwebel Haase were severely wounded. I n Jan uary the following members of the 1 st Company were killed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 1 1. 1 2.

Oberl eutnant Adamek Un teroffizier Oels Gefrei ter Mink Gefrei ter Schuber Gefrei ter Myni k Gefrei ter Wiesenfath Gefrei ter Wilke Gefrei ter Burger Panzersch i:l tze Hayder Panzersch u tze Barton Obergefre i ter Kubin Gefrei ter Wollmann

1 February: Marched back to the battal ion. Damage to the idler wheels while under way, which we were able to fix with a lot of work. We reached the battalion, which was ready for loading at a rail road station, by eve n ing. 2 February: The tanks were loaded at about noon. Dur i n g the l oading, U n teroffizier Scharff received the I ron Cross, First Class, as did Haupt­ feldwebel H aase, who lay wounded in the hospital . I n the evening the train proceeded to Potasch, wh ich was 30 kilometers nort heast of Christi­ nowka. 3 February: We arrived at Potasch at about 0400 h ours. We looked for a billeting area. After that was found, we spent the day clean ing weapons and sleeping. At about 1 700 hours the march resumed to Buki, where we refueled again. From there we moved to the assembly area, which was reached at 0400 hours the next day. 4 February: At 0600 hours the attack began to rel ieve the XXXXl I Corps, which had been encir­ cled at Tscherkassy. We moved as point vehicle and ran i n to h eavy fi re from antitank guns wi thin the fi rst few hundred meters. After knocking out various antitank guns and tanks, the attack ground to a halt in terrain that did not permit observation and i n misty weather that made it barely possible to see the defensive li nes. After a minefield had been cleared, the concentrated attack speedi ly rolled over the e nemy l ines. The final resistance was crushed after we overcame a railroad embankment that had been made into an antitank obstacl e . We then advanced as far as a

1 84

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

major Russian transportation route and bloc ked i t . Long columns of wheeled vehicles-trucks, guns, Panje cart s , etc .-fell i nt o our hands. An enemy tank attack was smashed after we knocked out a n u mber of tanks. Later on, our tank and Tiger 1 1 4 took a village by surprise. (Tiger 1 1 4, commanded by Rubbel , was the only tank besides ours left from the company. ) When we took the village, a few trucks were captured and a Sherman was knocked out. The vil lage was occupied until darkness. ] n the evening, we withdrew from the village and moved back to our j u m p-off positions. Resupply was supposed to take place there. A few Russian trucks were "i nspected . " 5 February: Fendesack 's platoon s e t out in t h e m o rn i n g i n a fresh attack wit h support from infantry and Sturmgeschetze to capture the village of Wotylewka. During the n ight the Russians had dug i n . H owever, they were t h rown out of the northeast part of the village i n a rapid assault, los­ ing several of their heavy tanks in the process. I n t h e course of the day, several t a n k at tacks were repulsed, during which a number of enemy tanks were knocked out. 6 February: Three of us provided cover i n Wotylewka. Because the terrain d i d not allow good observation and t here was th ick fog both day and nigh t , the watch req uired the h ighest level of alertness. For days, n e i ther rations nor other sup­ plies h ad made it to us, since (he perpetual rai n h a d turned every p a t h i n to a sea of mud. Again and again, Russian tan ks and infantry were shot to pieces i n various attacks. Our basic load had been reduced to a few rou nds. A fourth tank brough t us fifteen rounds for the three Tigers. While one tank was called away to the 2nd Company and we were taki ng on the am m u n i tion that h ad been bro ugh t up, Rubbel was attac ked by several Russ­ ian tanks and had to break off the battle. H e pulled back because h e was out of ammunition. We saved the situation by knocking o u t t h ree Russian tanks, i ncluding one T-34 that was polished off at a range of six meters. The security m ission contin ued for the entire day and also, agai n , through the night. 7 February: I n the morning we f i nally set out to clean u p the rest of the vil lage of Wotylewka and the terrain around i t . The at tack proceeded in landscape criss-crossed by defiles. ]n the course of the attack a series of the super-heavy Russian assault guns (SU- 1 52 ) were knocked out. For the

remainder of the day and the night that followed we again secured the village. 8 February: In the gray dawn of 8 February, the enemy attacked Wotylewka with strong forces and numerous tanks and assault guns. At 0700 hours we moved out to coun terattack. The enemy withdrew. When the fog sudden ly lifted, the enemy was identified and an i n tense fi refigh t developed at a range of about 2,000 meters. Five enemy tanks were knocked out. Since the range at which the fighting took place constantly i ncreased, the action was broken off and we attacked the village of Pawlowka to the southwest. H owever, we were halted by lack of fuel before we reached the village. As evening approached, the enemy attacked once again from the southeast with strong armored forces. It cost h i m a large number of figh ting vehicles. We knocked out seven tanks on our own during that e ngagemen t . Late i n the eveni ng, we received fuel and moved i n to the vil­ lage of Pawlowka, which had already been cap­ tured by the Panthers. The tank was readied for further action and then, for the first time, we caught forty winks. The sen tries at the securi ty posts whiled away the time tryi ng to i rritate the nigh t time n uisance bom ber with mach ine-gun fire, with the resul t , h owever, that t hey got bombed for their troubles. 9 February: The day was occupied with slaugh­ tering swine and roasting them; except for arti llery and bombers, the day was quiet. As evening approached, we were suddenly told to get ready to move out. r had to report to the command post as a messenger. We l i ned up at 2200 hours. The departure was delayed u n til 0200 hours. To crown it all off, we had to tow a field kitchen. 10 February: With ceaseless refueling and resupply with ammun i tion-every few kilometers there was a heap of ammuni tion-the n igh t passed. ] t was another whole day before we reached the new assembly area, about thirty kilo­ meters away. 1 1 February: I n the morning we got the first mail in weeks. At about 0800 hours a new attack began to relieve the XXXX I I Corps. The first an ti­ tank gun positions were overru n . Several Stalin organs fell i n to our hands. At noon we reached a village ( Frankowka) that was set deep i n a valley. At the same moment l ots of enemy tanks appeared on the opposi ng h igh ground and a fire figh t opened at 1 ,800 to 2,000

The Operatiolls o/ Tiger Tallk Bat/aliol/ 503 in Openillg the Tscherkassy Pochet

meters range. About twen ty Russian tanks were knocked out. Our tanks also took some h i ts. Rubbel 's track was shot off. Several Panthers burned up. Feldwebel Erdman and our tank secured the village to the west well i n to the night. Then we had the pl easure of maintaining a bea­ con fire for the resupply ai rcraft. However, the "birds" failed to come. 1 2 February: Finally the Jun kers brought us ammunition and fuel. The n ight passed without incident. 13 February: Early in t h e morning we moved into the bridgehead at the vil lage of Frankowka. At 0800 hours the attack began anew i n the direc­ tion of the encircled corps. A vil lage-Bushanka (?)-was captured i n hard figh ting. The vi llage was studded with anti tank guns and tanks and tak­ ing the village exacted a heavy tol l . The Russians had constructed a defensive fron t i n a depression behind the vil lage with about fifty dug-i n tan ks and inn umerable antitank guns. Erdman n 's tank and ours took over the poi n t. When we came over the high ground, h eavy defensive fire tore i n to us. 'Ne succeeded in knocking out two tanks. Then we ourselves took a h i t on the com mander's c upola. It knocked out all of the vision blocks and also knocked the gun out of adjustment. We moved back to the jump-off position, made emergency repairs and then moved forward .to the battalion. Eighty tan ks were knocked out that day by the bat­ talion and the a t tached ' Panthers. We got to the company about midnight and then pul led securi ty duty together with Tiger 1 32 ( E rdman ) . 1 4 February: Early i n the morning our two tanks, along wi t h five Pan the rs, were ordered to clear a vil lage-Dsh urshenzy ( ? ) . Elements of the encircled corps were supposed to al ready be there. I ns tead of ru n n i n g into our own people, the enemy gave us a right proper greeting. Two Pan thers were knocked out. The infan try suffered heavy losses since they bunched up behind our tanks l i ke grapes. We were deal ing with the "Stal­ ingrad" division, a Russian elite troop. Si nce the enemy kept bringing up more heavy weapons and our losses were something fearful, the attack was called off and we held the line we had reached. Al though another company came as reinforce­ ments in t h e eve n ing, t h e si tuation st i l l remained critical, since the enemy blocked the route of the approach march with strong u n i ts. 1 5 February: According to conservative esti­ mates, the enemy brough t up forty tan ks during

185

the night. We were in the center of the village of Chishinz y ( ? ) , and the Russians held the other part. There was obviously no point in holding the village in that im possible situation, the more so since the e nemy could get i n our rear at any time with h is tanks. So we moved out of the village in the direction of our own troops i n the gray of' morn i ng. Erdm an n 's tank and ours covered the retreat , during which we had the bad luck of an overheated engi ne. We could only move at a walk­ ing pace. Thank God that the enemy did not catch on to the situation. We made it back to the battalion, with a two-hour delay and only pursued by infan try. There it turned out that the tank was ready for the maintenance fac i l i ty. The same went for Erd­ mann's tank, so we both moved back toward the main te nance faci l i ty. That evening we set up our billets. On the way we ran into five tanks that were being sent to the front, including Tigers lOO, 1 23, and 1 2 1 . The tanks got lost and moved into a vil­ lage held by the Russians. They ran o n to mi nes and had to be blown up since there was no possi­ bility of recoveri ng them. Only Tiger 1 2 1 was towed back for a bit. It was expected it would also have to be blown up. Leutnan t Linden was i n command o f that bunch. He got sick the following day and vanished. There ends the Thaysen notes on the Tsche rkassy figh t i ng. Alfred Rubbel continues i n t h e following.

+ I took part in that fighting from 24 Jan uary to 1 4 February. I was still i n Tiger 1 1 4. I t was the third Tiger. We had lost two to enemy action since July 1 943. Except for one new man, i t had always kept the same crew. That much luck was un usual ! Several experiences a n d im pressions from that period will be reprinted here, since they were typ­ ical of the figh ting . . . The accusation has sometimes been made against the I I I Panzer Corps and, more frequen tly, against the 1 st Panzer Regiment of the 1 st Panzer D ivision, t h a t it had not done i ts utmost to save the encircled troops. Specifically, the division had allowed i tself to get bogged down too long at Liss­ janka. That accusation is not tenable:

186

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

First of all, consider the force ratios! Five Soviet tank armies against two German panzer corps [ the Russian tank Army is about the same size as a Ger­ man panzer corps ] . Then there was the weather which put the German attacker at an i nconceiv­ able disadvantage due to terrible ground condi­ tions. The Germans had to st ruggle through the mud while the Russians could generally figh t from posi tions. Ammuni tion and fue l , for the most part , had to be f l own i n from the Uman airfield and air dropped. Rations were almost non-existent. The mainte­ nance services were unable to deal with the mounting vehicle re pairs. Those eq uipment bot­ tlenec ks could not be offset by strength of will nor by bravery! The rel ief units knew very well the significance of what was up and did not spare themselves. A sup­ porting exam ple comes from the experience of our own bat talion. We began the advance nort h toward Medwi n with thi rty-four Tigers on 24Jan uary. After reorganizing for the attack on Frankowka on 1 2 February, only n i neteen Tigers were available. Fif­ teen had been knocked out. On 1 9 February we had only six left. The person nel losses were similarly high. The battalion commander was severely wounded, the company commander of the 1 st COI:n pany was killed and seven officers were woun ded. For the start of the at tack toward the pocket, the battal ion had only two l i ne o fficers, one with the combat elements and one i n charge of logistics. The fol lowing details remain i n my memory of the fighti ng, which was marked by unusual cir­ cumstances: •

•

•

The corridor that we cleared was so narrow we could see the Russians on both sides with the naked eye. Rations were so scarce that I instructed my gu n ner, WaIter J unge, to aim at the turrets of Russian tan ks i n hopes that the vehicles would not burn so we could capture � their bread. Once we captured a great big can of U S corned beef and, i n one truck, w e found a half-full 200-l iter drum of vodka. U n fortu­ nately it tasted of gasol ine! For the first time, I experienced psych ological warfare. On the ult ra-short-wave radio fre­ quencies for the tan ks, and also with long­ range loudspeakers, we were flooded with

•

•

•

speeches from our "com rades" on the ational Comm i ttee for a Free Germany. These were supported by air-dropped propaganda leaflets. Those efforts were poorly prepared and totally i neffective. The airmen who brought us supplies in the corridor earned our highest respect. Some of them f lew i n the good, old J u 52. They cor­ rected the general picture of f l iers that was held by the typical lousy, f i lt hy army soldier in Russia. Two crew members of a .Ju 52, an Ober­ leutnant and a Feldwebel, made it safely to us from their aircraft. I t had been shot down in no man-s land. They drank their first shot of liquor with pleasure with us-vodka from a gasol i ne dru m . We presen ted i t to them, even though they were accustomed to better. During the twen ty-two days, from 24 January to 1 4 February ] 944, my crew and I never saw the i nside of a house, even fo r an hour. We slept on our crew stations in the Tiger. The driver and radio operator had comfortable seaLS that were almost up to the standard of today's reclining seats in cars. The loader had no com­ fort at all, but did have room-namely, the right side of the turret f l oor. It was hard, but he could stretch out. The gunner and com­ mander h ad it rough on their narrow seaLS. If the si tuation perm itted, I preferred the warm motor cover on the tank's rear deck. Despite all t hat, we were certainly much better off than the i n fan try during those days. On ] 5 February I took leave of my Tiger ] 14, where I had se rved as tank com mander with­ out a break for eleven months. I went to the 500th Panzer Replacemen t Battalion at Pader­ born, where I attended the three-month-long officer cand idate school. My recollections of the school , which represented a break with everything else, are no longer as clear to me as everything else. What could have been the cause of that?

The battle of Tscherkassy was reachi ng its high point . The 1 st Company had f ive Tigers as total losses since the start of the year-many of the losses could h ave been avoided-and we had six­ tee n killed. We, the crew of Tiger 1 1 4, had made i t through the last eleven months wi th si ngular good fortune. We had run up a score of fifty-seven enemy tanks knoc ked out. When we lost our own Tiger, it had been shot out from under us. We

The Operations of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in Opening the Tscherkassy Pocket

never had to abandon or blow up a si ngle one. I thought at the time and I still think today, that we had an optimal relationship among all five crew members in "our war," the war in which we had taken part, performed our duty and assisted each other. At that poi n t , I departed. I left my crew to go back i nt o the cli max of the bat tle, and I went home to Germany, where mortal danger, u n rest and disorder were not the focal poi n ts of ones existence. I must confess that I gladly traded my tank commander's seat for a seat i n the classroom at the academy at the time. I didn ' t have too bad a conscience with regard to the comrades who had remained behind. According to my wishes, I was promised I could come back to the battalion. And that was, indeed, the way it turned out. 1 7 February 44 Corps H eadquarters, I I I Panzer Corps l a (Operations) to 1 st Panzer Army H igh Command Daily Report 1 . ) I I I Panzer Corps captured H i l l 239.0 in an attack. By 1 300 hours about 6,000 soldiers from the encirclement had been passed through the l ines by the leading elements of the attack. Approxi­ mate estimates lead to the expectation that about 1 0,000 to 1 2,000 men of the previously encircled forces will be passed through the l i nes by the I l l . Panzerkorps by this eve n ing. The troops arrive without heavy weapons and without veh icles; u n i t in tegri ty has been lost. Battle Group Bake is cur­ rently attacking energetically from the vicin ity of Poi n t 239.0 toward Potschapinzy, to assist the breakout of addi tional encircled u n i ts. The Luftwaffe has supplied our own attack units and the battle groups that have broken out under most severe weather conditions. Command and control of the attack groups has been markedly complicated by the fai lure of most of the radio stations. 1 st Panzer D ivision: Numerous assaults on Okuabr and the area n ortheast of it and toward the east brough t essen tial relief to the previously encircled battle groups that were arrivi ng from that direction. Point 239.0 was reached by 1 1 30 hours. After Oberstleutn a n t Frank was wounded, Oberstleutnant Bake assumed command of the battle group in OkUabr. Since 1 545 hours Battle

187

Group Bake has been attacking toward Potschap­ inzy against strong enemy resistance. At present, a coun terattack is in progress against enemy that has advanced into the eastern portion of Okuabr from the east a t 1 6 1 5 hours. 1 st SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte" : In the Okuabr area an advanced guard of the division has become i nvolved i n the fighting and support­ ing Battle Group Bake in offensive and defensive operations. Additional battle groups are on the way to Lissjanka. 1 6th and 1 7th Panzer Divisions: No particular activity. 1 98th I n fan try Division: Two enemy groups, each of about regi mental strength , that had bro­ ken i n to the north and northwest sections of Winograd were th rown back with high losses for the enemy. The village was again brought fi rm ly into our own hands. 6.) Will be reported later. 7 . ) Freeing additional u n i ts by offensive oper­ a ti ons. 8. ) 2 prisoners, 1 33 veri fied enemy dead, 28 tanks, 2 assault guns, 1 antitank gun , 1 4 machine guns, 1 0 a n ti tank rif les, 59 mach ine pistols, 2 trucks. 9 . ) Snowstorm, roads and lanes rough, at times drifted wi th snow, stil l passable with diffi­ culty for wheeled veh icles. la ( operations officer) Reviewed for Correctness [ i llegible signatu re ] H auptmann

+ Corps Headquarters 1 8 February 1 944 I I I Panzer Corps la ( Operations) to 1 st Panzer Army H i gh Command Daily Report 1 . ) I I I Panzer Corps was able to pass addi­ tional strong, formerly encircled German forces through the lines in the Okuabr area of opera­ tions while defending against strong enemy attacks under extremely difficult weather condi­ tions and as the resul t of advances towards the

188

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

south. The passage con tinues. The arrivi ng battle groups were escorted to the rear, organized and, on being received at Buki, were led to the prede­ term i ned divisional assembly areas. Acco rdi ng to rough estimates, about 30,000 soldiers had arrived by this eve ning. The corps does not have sufficient means to supply those elements and evacuate the wounded. Above all, cross-country veh icles are m lsslllg. For statistics on the corps' operations 4- 1 8 February, see the separate report. The enemy stepped up h is pressure on the northern fron t and carried out several at tacks i n up t o regi mental stre ngt h . l st Panzer Division: Strong enemy armor attacks, especially from the nort h , were repulsed in heavy fighting in Oktjabr and at the nort h east outskirt s of Lissjanka; the former main line of resistance was reestablished. 1 st SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte": The forward-most battle groups supported the offen­ sive and defensive operations of the elements of the 1 st Panzer Division com mitted i n the Okt­ jabr-Lissjanka area of operat ions. 1 6th Panzer Division: Local weak enemy advances were repulsed in the divisional sector and Daschukowa was taken over after the division was relieved. 1 7th Panzer Division: An enemy attack from the direction of the woods directly east of Bossowka in approximately regi mental strength was i n tercepted near the collective farm south of Bossowka and elimi nated i n a counterattack with heavy losses for the enemy. So far, about 1 00 enemy dead have been veri fied and 60 prisoners taken. At this time, the depressions southeast of Bossowka are being cleared of the remai ning scat­ tered enemy groups. At this time the enemy is still in the woods at Bossowka. 1 98th I n fantry Division: Generally, the day was quiet. Two recon naissance-in-force m issions by weak enemy com bat groups against Winograd were repulsed. 4th Mountain Divisio n : The following u n its arrived by rai l : Main body 1 3th Mountain Regi ment, Elements of 94th Ant i-Tank Battalion, Elements of the 94th Nac h richten Battalion.

They are c urrently moving to their assembly areas. The liaison party has arrived at corps head­ q uarters. 5 . ) 1 st Panzer Division: Schuben nyj Staw 6. ) Will be reported later. 7 . ) Defense. 8 . ) 73 (2) prisoners, 1 00 verified e nemy dead, 7 tanks destroyed, 1 0 machine guns, 4 antitank ri fles, 1 5 mach ine pistols. 9.) Snowstorm, roads only useable for horse­ drawn veh icles, numerous snowdrifts. (2000 hours) la Reviewed for Correctness [ i l legible signature ] Hauptmann

+ Annex to Daily Report Results of the Operation Opposing the corps at the start of the attack to relieve the encircled German u n i ts on 4 February were four Russian ri f le divisions and one mecha­ nized corps as well as elements of two tank corps still in their approach march. Because of the onset of a thaw and mud­ inducing conditions prior to 4 February-wh ich t urned the roads to bot tomless mud for the course of the operation-the initial successes could not be exploited rapidly and enlarged. The enemy was therefore able to in troduce new units right up to the time that the encircled divisions were rescued, to the exte n t that the I I I Panzer Corps had to break an opposi tion that totaled 1 0 ri f l e divisions or guards air-landed divisions, as well as 5 armored or mechanized corps. The tally for the corps, in particular, the h igh number of destroyed or captured tan ks, assault guns and guns testify to the heavy losses that the enemy suffered as a result of our attack. From 4- l 8 February, the reports to date show 606 tanks and assault guns, 336 antitank guns, 7 1 guns, including 1 6 multi ple-rocket lau nchers destroyed or captured, 1 346 prisoners were cap­ tured and h eavy, bloody losses inflicted on the enemy.

CHAPTER

2 6

Battle Grou p Mitterllleier (Ti g er Tank Battalion 503 new ) "

"

Various Contributors

I

n the spring of 1 944, the I st Panzer Army, which included our battalion as part of the I I I Panzer Corps, had been able to break o u t of the "wandering H ube pocket" to the west i n costly fighti ng. It had been bled white as far as equip­ ment was concerned. According to the battalion status report as of I March 1 944-at that time we belonged to the 4th Panzer Army-we had only twenty-four Tigers. Ten were being repaired. The fighting and the terrain had taken their toll on the other veh icles; 85 percent of them were no longer serviceable and the veh icle complement had shru n k to 64 percent of what the table of organization au thorized. OKH ordered twelve new tanks issued to the battalion from the March prod uction of Tigers. The development of the situation in Army Group Sou th-after Field Marsh all von Manstein was rel i eved in March 1 944 and replaced by Field Marshall Model, the army group was renamed to Heeresgruppe Nordukraine-as well as the dan­ ger of an i nvasion i n the West, brough t us new employmen t . Before that happened, we spe n t a few weeks at Ohrdruf in Germany refitting. H owever, the special detail that had been sen t t o p i c k u p the twelve n e w Tigers was still en route to the western U kraine with them. I t would no longer l i n k u p with the battalion, which was prepari ng to transfer bac k to Germany. Those Tigers and their crews were "con fiscated" by the XXXXVT l l Panzer Corps. Since we only had vague

information about what was happening to the detai l , the rumors flourished. As a result, we wan ted to try to shed some Iigh t on the subject. The evidence is sparse. GLl I1 ter Piepgras wrote the followi ng concern­ ing this episode: On 1 5 February 1 944, the battal ion sent a detail to Konigsborn at Magdeburg to fetch new Tigers. At that time the battalion was at Potasch ( U kraine ) . In addition to myself, the detail included tank commanders Tessmer and Schwarzmann ( 1 st Com pany) , Overmann (2nd Company) , Kitzman n (?) and oth ers from the battal ion. The rai lroad journey through Breslau to the depot at Konigsborn at Magdeburg took about eigh t days. After the Tigers were loaded, the train rolled to Lem berg. The deep Russian breakthrough in the Army Group South area of operations to the Lemberg area preven ted the Tiger transport from conti nu­ ing to the bat tal ion, which was employed in the Proskuroff area. Our Tigers were placed under the operational con trol of General Balc k 's XXXXVT I I Panzer Corps. On 8 March 1 944, we were set in march from Lemberg to the east for employment at Tarnopol. Major M i t termeier, the commander of the bat­ tle group, joined us during the approach march. The approach to Tarnopol was only possible along an approximately 5-kilometer-long cause189

1 90

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

way which was under direct Russian art i l lery fire from both sides. Therefore the breakthrough did not succeed i n reaching Tarnopol until i t got dark. We reported to the local-area commander, General von Neindorf, at midnight. We suffered no losses in that operation. On 9 M arch 1 944 the battle group moved southeast to free German forces that had been encircled in the Smykowce area. During a Russ­ ian counterattack from the area east of Tarnopol, we knocked out several enemy tan ks. We then broke th rough to Smykowce and brough t the encircled forces back to Tarnopol. The area around Tarnopol had to be given up. In the after­ math , a fighting retreat developed to the west. We were then placed under the operational con trol of Generalleutnant Arndt's 359th I n fan try Division . The division command post was in Helenkow. During the defensive fighting on the Strypa i n the Koslow-Horodyce-Plostysza area, we crossed the Strypa at Denisov i n a n ight attack. After the first Tiger had crossed, the bridge col lapsed, and we were all alone on the east side of the river. M ajor M ittermeier gave us the m ission of continuing the attack. We slugged it out with the enemy until we had expended all of our ammunition. Thereupon we received orders to look for a crossing over the river and withdraw to the west. We succeeded i n doing that, with the help of snow squalls. We reported back to the command post. On March 26 we successfully attacked the enemy in posi tions at Teofipolka and to i ts east. U nteroffizier Rothermann was killed in the bitter fighting. The battle group command post was i n Kozowa. We found ourselves continually i n action. A t the begi n n i n g o f April we attacked Soboda-Zl ota. After i nitial success, the attack con­ tin ued against enemy positions in Kalne. After those had been destroyed, the attack con tinued against Uwsie , which was captured i n conju nction with Pionier-Bataillon H aase. There we found cruelly m u ti lated corpses of German soldiers and the local i nhabitants. The defensive fighting i n the Kozowa area lasted from the end of March to the begi n ning of Apri l. Our Tigers were temporarily directed to support a H ungarian cavalry formation (divi­ sion ? ) . I was wounded in an attack on Malowody and brough t to the dispensary at Brzenany and from there to the m ilitary hospital at Roszlocz.

On 30 May I was released from the hospi tal to the battalion, which had, in the m ean time, arrived at Ohrdruf. So much from Gunter Piepgras ( l st Company) . 1 ST TIGER DEMONSTRATION COMPANY OF THE 1 ST PANZER DEMONSTRATION GROUP NORTH UKRAINE ( 1 944) Soldiers from the 503's 3rd Company trained H ungarian tan kers on the Tiger at Nadworna, n ear Stanislau ( south Poland) during the time period from 6- ] 4 May ] 944. Equipment shortages never did allow the issuance of Tigers to the H un­ garians. They were later equi pped with the Panzer IV with the long-barreled 75m m gun . The award recommendations that follow were rece n tly found in Hungarian archives. They were wri tten for five soldiers of the 3rd Company. The poli tical situation may wel l have preven ted the decorations from being handed out. The original H un garian text contains the j ustification for the award of a decoration to Feldwebel Grof3mann as well four other soldiers. GroBman, Fritz, Feldwebel: The Golden Cross of the Order of the Hungarian Holy Crown with War Decorations and Swords On 8 M ay 1 944 he was an instructor at the armor school at Nadworna. Within the framework of the i nstruction , he constan tly discussed small-unit tac­ tics. In simple terms, he explained solutions that would lead to the attain ment of the desired objec­ tive and the m utual support of the tanks. He also drew atten tion to the density and the location of possible enemy antitank defe nses so that m eans could be taken in advance to avoid superfl uous l osses. I n passing on knowledge of the German equipment, he particularly stressed the advan tage that came from qual i ty, preparing the students to use it to their own later advantage and the advan­ tage of the fatherland. Schiinrock, Herbert, Feldwebel: The Golden Cross of the Order of the Hungarian Holy Crown with War Decorations and Swords On 8 May ] 944 he was an instructor at the armor school a t Nadworna. He functioned as a section l eader at the demonstration exercises. He demon­ strated great m i l i tary expertise and knowledge i n the demonstration of the equipment by the

Battle Group Mittenlleier (Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 "lIew ")

instructors. He had a large sh are in the fac t that the course ach ieved i ts objective i n a short time. By his personal commitmen t , h e developed the basis for a great bond of comradesh ip and instructed the students i n an extremely knowl­ edgeable fash ion. Reinhardt, Ernst, Obergefreiter: The Silver Cross of the Order of the Hungarian Holy Crown with War Decorations and Swords On 8 May 1 944 he was an i nstruc tor at the armor school at Nadworna. H e readily im parted his great technical knowledge to the studen ts. He particu­ larly excelled in explaining and teaching the mechanics of the radio equipment. H e laid great emphasis on the practical benefits of learning com m unications. H e was constan tly sympathetic in his instructions to the H ungarian students, par­ ticularly when difficulties arose from li nguistic misunderstandings. Wunderlich, Gotthold, Obergefreiter: The Silver Cross of the Order of the Hungarian Holy Crown with War Decorations and Swords On 8 May 1 944 he served as a tank driver at the armor school at Nadworna. As a very experienced tank driver, he wi lli ngly shared his experience

1 91

with the trai nees. During the hands-on traini ng, h e continually executed h is task with great zeal . H e ski llfully i nstructed the trainees on t h e team­ work needed between the tank driver and the remainder of the crew during operations. H e also explained how tank-driver duties were most easily performed, using examples from real life at places where these duties required extra attention. As a result, he contributed sign i fican tly to the success of the course. Bartels, Hans, Gefreiter: The Bronze Cross of the Order of the Hungarian Holy Crown with War Decorations and Swords On 8 May 1 944 he was an i nstructor at the armor school at Nadworna. Based on his techn ical knowl­ edge, he gave practical i nstruction in the handli ng, maintenance and repair of weapons. He exhibi ted a superior level of com m i tment in teach ing h is Hungarian comrades about the weapons. Further, he stressed the importance of always having a tank's weaponry capable of functioning properl y. He demonstrated the problems that arise in com­ bat and how to deal with them, using examples from experience. H e worked with all h is zeal to train those who had been assigned to him so they could handle the weapon in a short time.

1 92

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

In the Tolokonoje Woods around 20 May 1 943. This was the assembly area for the preparations for Operation Zitadelle. Left to right: Hauptfeldwebel Kiseberth, Oberleutnant Scherf, Leutnant von Rosen, and Hauptfeldwebel Haase. With the exception of Haase, who was from the 1 st Company, the remaining soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Company. Note the custom-made camouflage tunics the officers are wearing. HAASE

Another view from the Tolokonoje Woods around 20 May 1 943. Left to right: Unteroffizier Zeidler, Leutnant Scherf, unknown (probably Leutnant von Rosen, based on the camouflage material), and Hauptfeldwebel Rondorf. These soldiers were all assigned to the 3rd Company. HAASE

The company band of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at Tolokonoje Woods. Left to right: Unteroffizier Fuhrmann, Hauptfeldwebel Haase, Hauptfeldwebel Kisseberth, and Hauptfeldwebel Rondorf. At the drum set is Unteroffizier Zeidler; on the accordions are Gefreiter Werkmeister and Gefreiter Rothschild. May 1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier ( Tiger Taille Battalion 503 "new")

High-rise buildings on Red Square (renamed "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" Square after the successful counteroffensive to retake the city) in Kharkov.

Unteroffizier Seredsufit, Gefreiter DUring, Unteroffizier Diener, Gefreiter Dorschel, Gefreiter Dobert, Obergefreiter Briickrnann, Unteroffizier Heier, Gefreiter Ohrdorft, Gefreiter Siebert, and Gefreiter Pieger.

1 93

1 94

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The battalion ammunition section in Kharkov, May-:June 1 943. Among the soldiers are Obergefreiter Briickmann, Obergefreiter Farnleitner, Gefreiter During, Gefreiter Dobert, Unteroffizier SeredsuBt, Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.), and Gefreiter Dorschel.

This photo shows a rare event: All fourteen Tigers of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, closed up during a maintenance halt during the road march to Tschuguje for gunnery training. Left to right: unknown, Loh, Eschrig, Strohmer, Mewes, Tesmar, Hornke, Rubbel, Peuker, and Junge.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

195

The crew of Tiger 1 1 4. Left to right: driver WaIter Eschrig, radio operator Alfred Peuker, tank commander Alfred Rubbel, gunner WaIter Junge, and loader Johan Strohmer. The crew is taking a break guring the gunnery training at Tschugujew in June 1 943. Note the unique camouflage tunic Rubbel is wearing.

Gefreiter Heinz Philipp in the billeting area at Kharkov.

"

1 96

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Additional views of soldiers from the ammunition section enjoying a few moments of levity.

Tiger 2 1 3 of the 2nd Company undergoing backbreaking running-gear work. Standing behind the drive sprocket is Gefreiter Polzin. Kharkov, 1 June 1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Tiger 2 1 3 is road-worthy again. The tank commander was Unteroffizier GroB, and the loader was Gefreiter Polzin

Tiger 3 1 1 . The tank commande� Leutnant Weinert, was also the platoon leader of the 1 st Platoon. Also shown are Obergefreiter Schneider, Gefreiter Rotschild, and possibly Unteroffizier Petzka.

Motorcycle messenger of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, Gefreiter Reichmann, and Alex, one of the six Riwis (Russian volunteers) who had signed on with the company at Prokowskoje. Kharkov, June 1 943.

197

1 98

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

The crew of Tiger 321 at Tolkonoje Woods in June 1 943. Left to right: Gefreiter Spiekermann, Gefreiter Werkmeister, Leutnant von Rosen, Unteroffizier Fuhrmann, and Unteroffizier Ziegler.

June 1 943. The assembly area around Kharkov was used prior to Operation Zitadelle to familiarize the battalion even better with the Tiger. In this picture, the capability of the vehicle to negotiate marshy ground is tested. If the hull touched bottom, the tracks would turn, but the vehicle was stuck firmly to the ground. By placing a ditching beam in front of the tracks, the Tiger was able to free itself under its own power. This exercise was conducted with Tiger 1 1 4 of the 1st Company.

Mter tank exercises, the crew shares breakfast. Left to right: Johann Strohmer (loader) , Waiter Eschrig (driver) , and Alfred Rubbel (tank commander) .

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

Additional views of Tiger 1 1 4 undergoing troop-initiated testing.

Field Marshall von Manstein and his entourage with the Turkish delegation in June 1943 at a live-frre exercise with participation by armor, panzer grenadiers, panzer artillery, and dive bombers.

1 99

200

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

The commanding general of the ill Panzer Corps, General Breith, at the "Dog and Pony Show."

Field Marshall von Manstein still had a peaceful countenance near the positions of the Tigers before the fIring. According to those who were on the scene, however, his countenance­ wrinkled nose, drawn down corners of the mouth­ reflected the results as the fIring progressed.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Tiger 300, the command tank of Oberleutnant Scherf, during the "Dog and Pony Show" in June 1 943.

A Tiger I of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, has gotten itself stuck. In this case, the "magic" of Oberfeldwebel Konig and his recovery specialists was needed to retrieve the tank from the muck.

Turkish officers get briefed on the Tiger by Leutnant J anunerath of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. At the far left is General of Panzer Troops Kempf. June 1 943.

201

202

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

A s a result of i ts lackluster fi ri ng, the battalion n was ordered to carry out a wide-ranging

tra i n i ng program which included weapon and equipment traini ng, breaching obstacles and gun­ nery practise along the l in es on the Donez River in the relatively quiet Tschuguj ew area. The companies road marched from Kharkov, either closed up or by platoons. The battalion 's

appearance made it difficult for the Russians on the far bank, since i t shot their bunkers to pieces. That put an end to the period of calm for both sides, si nce the Russians answered with their artillery. It is doubtful if the German infan try who were holding the positions were very enthusistic about the tanks' arrival on the scene.

Gunnery practice with the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, during the "Dog and Pony Show."

View from the high west bank of the Donez. Across the river that formed the main line of resistance were the Russian positions that the 503 engaged.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Another view of Tiger 2 1 3. Here it occupies a firing position in order to engage Russian bunkers on the far side of the Donez on 1 9 June 1943.

Additional views taken of the gunnery training around Kharkov in June 1 943.

203

204

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR JI

The 3rd Company road­ marching back to its billeting area after the "Dog and Pony Show."

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 "Ilew")

The 3rd Company demonstrates how to negotiate an antitank ditch with a Tiger as part of the "Dog and Pony Show."

In the bivouac area at Tolokonoje, prior to Citadel, June 1 943. Right to left: Leutnant Ciisow and Oberfeldwebel Roder.

A Tiger of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at Belgorod in July 1 943.

205

206

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Stabsfeldwebel Kisseberth, Stabsfeldwebel Krech, and Oberschirrmeister Hartmann in the Tolokonoje Woods just prior to the battalion moving out for Operation Citadel.

Stabsfeldwebel Kisseberth and Oberschirrmeister Hartmann.

Unteroffizier Hans von Hagemeister is transported to the hospital. Kharkov, July 1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

An unknown crew in a brand­ new Tiger. The lack of battle damage and the completeness of the basic-issue items outside the tank are the tell­ tale indicators that this is a new tank. It would look much different in a few weeks.

The Tiger of Unteroffizier Vogel, who was known as "Pan" in the company.

The Tiger of Feldwebel Lehmann a few days before he was killed. Lehmann is standing behind the turret.

207

208

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Tigers of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, in the middle of a frring halt during Operation Citadel. Because of the intense heat, the turret hatches are open.

Operation Citadel, east of Belgorod, July 1 943. Tankers of the 1st Company gather around Tiger 1 22.

A Tiger crew checks out a knocked-out T-34 during Operation Citadel.

Battle Grou.p Mitter7lleier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

Tank maintenance during a break in the fighting during Operation Citadel. In the foreground (from the left): Leutnant Linsser, Hauptfeldwebel Haase, Hauptmann Burmester, and Unteroffizier Lewandowski. On the tank (from the left): Hans Thome, Heinz Quast, and Rolf Sichel.

During the deep penetration that the 6th Panzer Division made with Tiger Tank Battalion 503, German forces were able to destroy a whole series of enemy tanks. Rshawez area, 1 0 July 1 943.

Loading ammunition into Tiger 2 1 1 . All of the crew was necessary . The number I man took the round from its shipping container and handed it to the number 2 man on the tank He in turn passed it to the number 3 man on the turret. The number 4 man received the round in the turret through the commander's or loader's hatch and then passed it on to the number 5 man, who placed the round in its storage rack. .

209

210

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

All's well that ends well. Turret hit on Tiger 1 0 1 , commanded by Feldwebel Guse.

The crew of Tiger 1 14 (left to right): Alfred Peuker, Walter Junge, Alfred Rubbel, Walter Eschrig, and Johan Strohmer.

SpieB Haase and his driver, Hebenstreit, move through an assembly area that has been vacated by the combat elements. The fIrst sergeant is bringing supplies up front to the troops in the Ukraine, July 1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Another view of SpieB Haase and soldiers of the headquarters section of the company.

Crew members and maintenance personnel address mine damage on Tiger 2 1 1 . Left to right: Feldwebel Nestler, Unteroffizier Krefting, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown, Gefreiter Volz, and Oberleutnant Hansen.

A Soviet SU-85 assault gun that was knocked out and set on fire. One hit can be seen on the casemate, upper left. Citadel, July 1 943. [Editor's note: There are numerous references in German literature concerning the Battle of Kursk claiming the SU-85 was deployed there. In fact, the SU-85 did not enter service until 1 944. Some SU- 1 22s and SU- 1 52s were employed operationally at Kursk.]

211

212

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

July 1 943. Tiger 2 1 3 was commanded by Obergefreiter von Knobelsdorf. That was unusual inasmuch as Tigers were usually commanded by noncommissioned officers. Von Knobbelsdorf came from a famous military family that had provided generals and officers to the army of Frederick the Great. Von Knobbelsdorf is second from the left.

July 1 943. Combined-arms operations. Here Tigers of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 advance with Panzer IVs (possibly of the 6th Panzer Division) and panzer grenadiers. The mechanized infantry moved in front of the tanks or behind them depending on the terrain and the enemy situation.

Vehicles of the scout and reconnaissance platoon of the battalion in the summer of 1 943 at Belgorod. Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Hans von Hagemeister is driving the Ziindapp Ks 750. Behind the motorcycle is a Sd.Kfz. 250, which also belongs to the platoon.

Battle Group Mittermeier ( Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

Tigers of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at the time of Operation Citadel in July 1 943. Since the terrain offered no cover or concealment, a weak attempt was made to conceal the Tigers using stalks of wheat. Gefreiter Welsch can be seen in the middle of the card players.

213

214

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The photos here come from Gefreiter Schley, who was the radio operator on Tiger 2 1 3. Tiger 2 1 3 received several hits from 7.62 cm antitank guns during Operation Citadel, as can be seen clearly in two of the pictures. Although the maintenance team was called forward, it verified that Tiger 2 1 3 was still operational. From the expression on Gefreiter Schley's face, it appears that the enemy's activities have not phased him.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Ammunition truck with ammunition shipping containers on board. Obergefreiter Biermann and Obergefreiter Schmidt share a lighter moment.

Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.) , Soldat K1eine-Langhorst, Gefreiter Dorschel , and Obergefreiter Schmidt (A.) inspect a Russian bomb found on a captured Soviet airfield south of Belgorod in July 1943.

A T-34 knocked out by Martin Burmester's Tiger west of Kharkov in August 1 943.

215

216

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Work on the running gear of a Tiger was intense. These three photos were taken in August 1 943 in the Ukraine.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 "Ilew")

Tigers from the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, on a road march in the Ukraine in the summer of 1 943.

Damage from mines was even harder to repair. On-board means could provide only conditional assistance; provisional measures were often required. (See the wood blocks under the hull of the Tiger next to the drive sprocket.)

The sixth member of a crew takes a snooze while his comrades work.

21 7

218

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

FAMO I S-ton prime movers attempt the recovery of a disabled Tiger.

Tiger 334 undergoes repair work to its running gear. Note the removed idler wheel next to the vehicle.

The ammunition section at Ssneschkoff Kut in August 1 943. From the left: Gefreiter Dormg, Gefreiter Pieger, Gefreiter Schewzyk, Obergefreiter FarnIeitner, Unteroffizier Nobel, Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.), Oberfeldwebel Laden, and Hiwi Pascha.

Battle Group Mitternzeier (Tiger Tank Battalwn 503 "new")

Soldiers of the fuel section of the battalion during a formation. These soldiers were kept very busy satisfying the "thirst" of a Tiger, which consumed 500 liters of fuel for 50 kilometers of cross­ country movement.

A Tiger which had to be recovered from the soft ground in the area around Poltawa. August 1 943.

Another view of the recovery operation near Poltawa.

21 9

220

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

A Tiger turret is suspended from a portal crane in order to exchange or repair an important component. The operation has been skillfully camouflaged against observation from the air.

Withdrawal from Kharkov, August 1 943. Feldwebel Krakow of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, sports the head bandage; to the right of the Waffen-SS officer is Leutnant Ciisow.

An

image from the withdrawal between the Donez and the Dnjepr in September 1 943.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 "Ilew")

221

Unteroffizier Siefert of the ammuntion section sits atop a disabled Tiger at Krasnograd in September 1 943. The strain of the retreat seems to be etched upon his face.

Personal comfort items­ usually alcohol and tobacco products-have arrived. Of the six soldiers pictured here, none survived to see the end of 1 943. Right to left: Unteroffizier Thome, Feldwebel Binder, Gefreiter Woisin, Feldwebel Lehmann, Unteroffizier Scharf, and Unteroffizier Leitzke.

222

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

Another image from the withdrawal operations during September 1 943. Identified soldiers: Unteroffizier Heier, Obergefreiter Farnleitner, Gefreiter Pieger, and Gefreiter Starling. Several infantryman have stopped to check out this Tiger from the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

Tiger 2 1 3 has suffered additional running-gear damage through enemy frre in the area around Krasnograd, 1 2 September 1 943.

The battalion crossed the "Field Marshall von Rundstedt" Bridge over the Dnjepr at Krementschug on 24 September 1 943.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

Scenes from the withdrawal in September 1 943. Columns en route to the Dnjepr pass through burning villages.

223

224

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

Battalion shooting competition. Left to right: Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel von Hagemeister, unknown, Oberleutnant Smend, Oberarzt Dr. Schramm, Hauptmann Graf Kageneck, Hauptmann (lng.) GroB, Oberwerkmeister Neubert, unknown, and Oberleutnant Hall. Snamenka, September 1 943.

Eight of the fourteen tank commanders of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. Left to right: Hornke, Rippl, Fendesack, Knispel, K1einer, Tessmer, Rubbel, Jtmge, Erdmann, Guse (Buse?), Wolf (?), and Binder. Snamenka 1 943.

HeImut Michaelis of 1 st Company leads the "meat on the hoof" to pasture. Knowing him, he would have chosen Waiter Flex or Goethe for his reading. Between the Donez and the Dnjepr, September 1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

A welder attempts to repair the early-model commander's cupola that had been knocked off a Tiger. Based on input from the field, this type of cupola was later replaced with a lower-profUe one. Tank commanders did not like it because it tended to get knocked off the tank by antitank rounds-frequently taking the commander's head with it.

The fuel section in Snamenka in September/October 1 943. Standing, left to right: Gefreiter Dobert, Hiwi Wassili, Gefreiter Neubert, Gefreiter Ohrdorft, Hiwi Pascha, Gefreiter Schewzyk, Obergefreiter Wachter, Hiwi Mischa, and Obergefreiter Briickmann. Foreground, left to right: Obergefreiter Biermann, Unteroffizier Bandt, Gefreiter Schlonsoc�, and Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.).

Another view of soldiers from the fuel section. Left to right: Obergefreiter Biermann, Soldat Klingelhiller, Obergefreiter Schmidt (A. ) , Gefreiter Schlonsock, and Obergefreiter Briickmann.

225

226

THE COMBAT HiSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

A march unit composed of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, in the spring of 1 943. The Tigers take a maintenance halt. Maintenance halts were proscribed for every two hours of march and lasted thirty minutes. The crew checked the running gear, and the vehicles were topped off. The Tigers at the begirming and end of the march unit provided security and air guards for the formation.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

The German military cemetery at Snamenka, September 1 943.

Obergefreiter Biermann and Hiwi Wassili.

227

228

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

October 1 943. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, receives the German Cross in Gold from the acting battalion commander, Hauptmann Burmester. The battalion adjutant, Leutnant Schmend, is in the background.

October 1 943.The withdrawal of the 8th Army from the Donez and the Dnjepr. Tiger 1 33 has changed externally from a fighting vehicle to a transportation asset. Besides the crew, we can see a rabbit hutch, a calf, several containers with sunflower oil, and a 200-liter barrel of fuel. The visible crew, left to right: "Piepel" Bohme, Hannes Rippl, "Bimbo" Binder, and Helmut Michaelis.

Battle Group Mittermeier ( Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

229

Sisters Hala and Musja from the theater troop try out a ride in the motorcycle-sidecar combination. Let us hope this "indiscretion" was not misinterpreted by the Russians after the retreat.

In October 1 943, the battalion enjoyed a brief respite as the army reserve after the operationally difficult but successfully completed withdrawal to the Dnjepr. The Ukrainian populace was not wlfriendly to German soldiers. There were theaters offering cultural events for both the locals and the soldiers. The non­ fraternization order was not obeyed. Here are the female members of the theater troop.

230

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Starting about October

1 943,

the

battalion also started to receive massive aerial attacks, the likes of which it had never experienced before. Hans von Hagemeister measures the depth of the crater­ approximately

7

meters.

A 2,000·

pound bomb created the crater but did not cause any damage.

Tiger formations had a great deal of technical requirements.

As a result, the Tiger crews held the maintenance and other support personnel in high esteem since they allowed the combat elements to execute their missions. Here, two unidentified support personnel are seen during the relatively quiet time at Snamenka in late

1 943.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalioll 503 "new")

tanks and

231

Gefreiter Walter Junge, the proven, experienced gunner

One of those responsible for keeping the

of Alfred Rubbel. Junge was awarded the Iron Cross,

vehicles operational was Oberschirrmeister Wagner of

other

First Class, after his fifty-seventh kill.

the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion

503.

It was the maintenance personnel of the company and the battalion who were able to make the tanks operational over and over again, even though they frequently had only very modest means and manpower to do so. In this photo, they have to work outdoors in bitterly cold conditions.

232

THE COMBAT HiSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Spie6 Hansel of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion

503,

next to an

unidentified soldier and his means of transportation, the indestructible Volkswagen Kiibelwagen.

Christmas

1 943 at Zybulew for

the battalion ammunition section. Left to right: Gefreiter Dobert, Gefreiter Schlonsock, Gefreiter Hoffmann (H.), Hiwi­ Gefreiter Pascha, Gefreiter Tapetto, and Gefreiter Klingelholler.

Panthers of Tiger Tank Regiment Bake top off with fuel in January

1 944 in

the

Oratoff area of operations.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Gefreiter Schlonsaok of the battalion ammunition section came from upper Silesia in present-day Poland.

Gefreiter Klingelholler of the battalion ammunition section.

233

234

THE COMBAT mSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Several Panthers and other tanks line up to join the attack

503 1 944.

of Tiger Tank Battalion Oratoff in January

at

The battalion commander, Hauptrnann Graf Kageneck, issuing orders for an operation with Tiger Tank Regiment Bake in February

1 944.

Left to right: Leutnant

HaB, unknown, and Hauptrnann Graf Kageneck.

The battalion moves out to attack in the Tscherkassy area. The companies have deployed in a double column since that allowed maximum flexibility in the open terrain for developing the situation upon enemy contact.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

A combined-arms

operation

with infantry_

A photograph for the armor recognition experts. Maintenance work being performed on what appears to be a pz Kpfw 35(t) with the barrel of its 37 mm KwK 34(t) L/40 missing. This is possibly a Rumanian or Slovakian vehicle.

The crew of Tiger 1 00: Piepel Grasse, driver; F. W. Lochman, radio operator; Herbert Ritscher, loader; and Heinz Mundry, gunner.

235

236

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

A T-34 that bogged down and was abandoned by its crew_ Feldwebel Erdmann admires the "booty."

Tiger 1 0 1 has recovered the T-34. Werkmeister Spiith (fourth from left) was indispensible for such operations. Unteroffizier Ritscher, of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, can be seen on the T-34's driver position. Ora toff area, February 1 944.

The company commander's radio operator in Tiger 1 00: Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann at his station. Tarnopol area, March 1 944.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tallk Battalion 503 "Ilew")

23 7

Leutnant Linsser and Fritz Riemer of the 1 st Company,

Leutnant Linsser gets clobbered by his men in a barrage

Tiger Tank Battalion 503, are clueless about the fate that

of snow balls.

will soon befall them.

Leutnant Piepgras of the 1 st Company signs passes for his soldiers. He was the leader of a detail sent to pick up

tanks in Germany. March 1 944.

Feldwebel "Fritze" Riemer, who was responsible for the material well-being of the company. He never let them down.

238

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

March 1 944. A Maultier precedes a Tiger of the battalion. The Maultier proved itself reliable

as

a

supply vehicle in both snow and mud.

March 1 944 in the western Ukraine. Soldiers of the 1st Company, left to right: Schirrmeister Wagner, Feldwebel Riemer, Oberfeldwebel Fendesack (leader of the 3rd Platoon), Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Rubbel (commander of Tiger 1 1 4) , Leutnant Linsser (leader of the 2nd Platoon ) , and two unidentified soldiers. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack appears to have found some contraband.

A track gets mounted at the maintenance company. The

tank crews were responsible for doing that. That helped to "moderate" the crews-when they had to fix what they

broke, they tended to be more careful with their equipment.

Battle Group Mittenneier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "Ilew ")

239

The noncommissioned officer corps of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. This photo was taken in April 1 944 at Lemberg after the battalion had turned in all of its equipment and was headed to Ohrdruf for refitting and

issuance of the frrst King Tigers. Left to right: unknown, Moscardini, Markus, HiinseJ, Ehrentraut, unknown,

unknown,

Graumenz, Tessmer, unknown, KnispeJ, Hoppner, Fendesack, unknown, Kiick, Michaelis (?), Wagner,

Riemer, unknown, and Vogel.

Officer candidates Krakow (left) and Riisen shortly defore their departure for officer candidate school in the spring of 1 944. Both were members of the 2nd Company. This photo was taken in the Ukraine.

240

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 1I

The SpieB takes time to enjoy a cigar. SpieB Hiinsel of the 2nd Company stands next to an unknown noncommissioned officer and Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel von Hagemeister from the headquarters company. The Ukraine, spring 1 944.

While the remainder of the battalion entrained for Ohrdruf, elements of it were employed as Battle Group Mittemeier. Battle Group Mittemeier assembled at Teofipolka to assist in the relief effort directed at Tarnopol in March 1 944 and the follow-on defensive efforts in April 1 944.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank. Battalion 503 "new")

Various elements of the relief force assemble at Teofipolka.

A

happy Hannes Kiick receives home leave.

241

242

THE COMBAT mSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The frrst Russian Joseph Stalin tanks were knocked out by the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at Tarnopol in April 1 944. This tank was a dangerous opponent when it could engage Tigers since it could penetrate the Tiger's armor anywhere on the tank Its disadvantage was the slow rate of ftre of its 1 2.2 cm main gun (separate shell and cartridge case) and its limited ammunition supply (only twenty-eight rounds). .

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Rail movement to Lemberg in 1944. Tigers of the battalion are rail-loaded with Panthers and other tracked vehicles from an unidentified unit.

At Brzezany, 1 1- 1 5 April 1 944. A late-production Tiger I with steel-rimmed road wheels.

243

244

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Tigers and personnel of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, during the fighting around Lemberg.

Stanislau, 1 7-20 April 1 944, with its "very modern" maintenance facilities.

Battle Group Mittermeier ( Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new ")

War and

peace.

Vehicles and personnel of Battle Group Mittermeier, 26-30 April 1 944.

245

246

THE COMBAT HiSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

These tankers from the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, enjoy a lighter moment.

From 6- 1 4 May 1 944, soldiers of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 (Battle Group Mittermeier), trained Hungarian soldiers on the Tiger at Nadworna, southeast of Stanislau in southern Poland. During that time, it temporarily bore the designation of 1 st Tiger Training Company of 1 st Panzer Training Group North Ukraine. The Tigers came from Battle Group Mittermeier. In this picture, we see Unteroffizier Giirtner providing instruction on the components of the turret. The turret has been removed from the tank and is suspended from a crane.

Battle Group Mittermeier (Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

Feldwebel Weiland provides training on the radio sets of the Tiger.

The Wehrmacht report of 25 April 1 944 reported that Kurt Knispel knocked out 1 0 1 tanks between July 1 943 and March 1 944. Yet he only won the German Cross in Gold, a relatively modest award. The Tiger was considered to be such a superior weapon that tank engagements were not considered dangerous. Knispel was mortally wounded as a tank commander on 29 April 1 945 at Stronsdorf. He died at the military medical facility at Urbau and was buried there in the community cemetery. Knispel was the most successful gunner of the Wehrmacht. In March 1 945, the battalion reported his 1 62nd kill to Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle."

247

248

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR IJ

The Kolomea Front, training Hungarian soldiers in southern Poland in May 1 944.

Battle Group Mittermeier ( Tiger Tank Battalion 503 "new")

249

250

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The fmal excercise with the Hungarians. Despite these efforts, the Hungarians never received any Tigers. On 23 May, the 503 also got to head back home.

PA RT

F OU R

NORMANDY, 1 9 44

CHAPTER

2 7

The Battalion Receives the Kin g Ti g er Alfred Rubbel

A

fter givi ng up all of our equipmen t, much of which was, i n any case, no longer on hand, to Tiger Tan k Battalion 509 i n the Kamenez Podolsk area, the companies were trans­ ferred to the Ohrd ruf tra i n i ng area in Thuri ngia as personnel u n i ts. An exception was the 3rd Company of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, which was training H u ngarian tankers on the Tiger I near ' Stanislau i n southern Poland. It arrived at Ohrdruf at the end of May. The goal of the com­ plete refitting was to complete the replenishment of personnel and equipment as rapidly as possible. We were to be ready to rail load within two weeks of the arrival of the tan ks, by 1 4 July 1 944 a t the earliest. The command group of the battalion staff as well as the 1 st Com pany of Tiger Tank Battal ion 503 received the new Tiger n . For the time being, the 2nd and 3rd Companies of Tiger Tan k Battal­ ion 503 received the Tiger l. Their re-equipping with the Tiger I I was planne,d for a later time, since the Tiger II had j ust got te n i n to ful l produc­ tion. The fi rst tan ks had the " Porsche" turret. The battal ion 's organization as a so-called "open organization" [ "ji'()ie Glipderung'j was based on the former one, with a headquarters, a headquarters company, three tank compan ies and a main te­ nance com pany. A supply company was not yet

organ ized, since the tank companies had their own supply elements. The supply com pany would be added later. It was planned that the battal ion would be com m i t ted in western Europe, where the OKW expected the i nvasion. The bat talion commander was Hauptmann From me. Hauptmann Wiegand commanded the headq uarters company. Oberieut­ nant Oemler led the 1 st Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber the 2nd Company, and Hauptmann Scherf the 3rd Company. Oberleutnant GroB was i n charge of the mai n tenance com pany. We knew that the battal­ ion, a proven and strong tank formation, would only be allowed a short time of rest. In 1 944, the fifth year of the war, the duration of that rest depended on the development of the war in the west. Responsible l eaders do everything i n their power to gra n t their soldiers as much free time and relaxation as possible, commensurate with the upcoming m issio n . There again, the reciprocal trust between the leaders and the led that had developed in hard combat proved i tself anew. Early summer in Th uri ngia, the green heart of Germany! Ohrdruf was right next to the Th uringian Woods, a wooded range of low moun­ tains with picturesque small ci ties and resorts: Eisenach, Erfurt and Weimar were nearby. The

253

254

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

company commanders were able to guarantee a modest measure of home-leave to the Russian vets and yet receive and i n tegrate the n ew person n el into the crews and, at least for the 1 st Company, train with the new Tiger I I . The most pleasant task was "breakin g i n " the new veh icles we received. "Breaking i n" was done, at that time, partly to accustom the driver to the n ew vehicle and also to verify the builder's specifi­ cations. Naturally, we did not drive around o n the trai ning area at Ohrdruf. I nstead, we tested the vehicles o n road marches to Oberhof or Erfurt or the l i ke . At that time, I was i n the hospi tal at Ohrd ru f getting over a bout of malaria acquired in the Caucasus. One day my comrades appeared suddenly in fron t of the hospi tal and a sympa­ thetic medical officer gave me permission for an excursion in the n ew Ketten krad to Suh l to pick up rubber-stamps for the company. The Ket­ ten krad was new to us. We thought i ts cross­ country capabiliti es were h ighly suited for Russian condi tions. H owever, the total lack of spring suspension was a torture on paved streets. Never­ theless, i t was a wondrous trip. On 6 June the i nvasion began in the Seine bay between Cherbourg and Le Havre. The battalion's days at Ohrdruf were numbered. Company festivi­ ties, to which family members were also i nvited, are a lasting memOl),. At that time, the- battalion was not ready for a rai l load , let alone combat. On 1 6 June the first Ki ng Tigers ( Konigsliger) were unl oaded at the Ohrdruf rail road station. The statio n 's fac i l i ties and access ramps were not sui ted for those 70-ton tracked vehicles. The movement to the North Camp , where the battal­ ion was set up, led th rough the adjoining fields. That special even t-the fi rst issue of the Tiger I I to a u n it-was marked by havi ng the I nspector General of the Armored Forces, Generaloberst Guderian , complete the issuance of the veh icles at a battalion formation in Oh rdruf. After the officer candidate school for the armored forces h ad been moved by the O KH , · from Wunsdorf to Oh rdruf, the i nspec tor general took advantage of his presence at Ohrdruf to l ook i n to the state of the train i n g of the Fah n e nj un ker (officer-candidates) of the panzer troops. What wil l now be sketched can only be compared with the probabil i ty of a m ajor win i n

the lottery, only i n reverse. The school had three i nstruction groups (armor, mechanized i nfantry and armored reconnaissance/ant i tank) , each with three groups of officer candidates. Each candidate group was further divided into th ree sections. The armor instruction group was practicing battle drills in tanks on the training ground. That aroused more attention than did the activi­ ties of the Panzergre nadier-or Panzeraufklarer/ Panzerjager-instruction groups. That the i nspec­ tor general decided to visit the first group with Hauptmann Matthias and then go i n to Leutnant Barbist's section was a dark turn of fate. That train i n g session was studyi ng "the l ead platoon of a tank company." Fah nenj u n ker Feldwebel Alfred Rubbel was sitting i n a Panzer IV-a fairly un­ worthy piece of armored equipment-as tank commander. After three years at the Eastern Front, he was not a novice at the busin ess of tanks. Fate took i ts course as the i nspector general mounted that particular tank, had h i mself provided with a communications headset, and became tied in with the combat exercise on the radio net. The i nspector gen eral could now l isten in on the conduct of the figh ting. As targets then appeared on the armor battle run and I , the commander, assigned targets and gave firing com­ mands i n a vel)' uniquely personal, but proven­ successfu l , fashion, the Generaloberst Guderian's patience came to an end. Bellowing l oudly-and he could do that wel l-he ordered me to d is­ mount and sent me packing to the barracks on foot-a terrible fate for a tanker. I thought that marked the end of my career as an officer. That was not the case. But it was an impressive enrich­ ment to my repertoire of educational training measures. M uch later, if tankers were gui l ty of fla­ grant violations against the hallowed standards, I ordered them home "on foot," wel l knowing that "a tan ker lost his self-esteem in proportion to the amount of kilometers he had to walk." On 26 June the battalion left Ohrdruf by rail to the i nvasion fro n t i n France. The detraining station lay west of Paris. The war there forced us i n to another dimension that we had not yet known and i n which we were i n ferior. We were c rushed i n battle by an u n imaginable material superiority against which courage and experience at the fron t were unable to prevail.

The Battalion Receives the Killg Tiger

OKH ORDER FOR TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 TO PREPARE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN NORMANDY The order alluded to in the section heading reached us i n Oh rdruf. As of ] 8 June ] 944 we were supposed to be ready for em ployment, which mean t " ready for action." At that point, we had the first two Tigers. On 26 June the arrival of the bulk of the tanks was completed and rail transport started to France.

255

I t can be seen i n the copy of the order how H i tler, as "supreme commander of the armed forces," i nterfered i n the affairs righ tfully belong­ ing to subordi nates. Thus the order states: " 1 . ) By order of the Fli h rer, the Tiger Tan k Battalion (Tiger) 503 is to be prepared for operational com­ m i tment by 18 June."

CHAPTER

2 8

Elll p l oyrnent on the Invasion Front, July-August 1944 Richard Freiherr von Rosen

A

t the begi nning of May 1 944 the battalion­ tem porarily minus i ts 3rd Company­ moved to t h e Nort h Cam p of t h e train­ ing area a t O h rdruf i n Th uri ngia. Under the des­ ignation 1 st Tiger Demonstration Company of the Panzer Demonstration Group North U kraine, the 503's 3rd Com pany was training H ungarian sol­ ders on the Tigers received from Battle Group Mittermeier. That assignment was completed in the second half of May and the 3rd Company also arrived at Oh rdruf. Roster of officers as of 1 J u ne 1 944 (i ncomplete) : Com mander Hauptmann Fromme Adjutant Oberleutn a n t Barkhausen Ordon nanzoffizier Leutnant H eerlein 1 st Company Oberl e u tnant Oemler Leutnan t Piepgras Leutn a n t Sch roder 2nd Company Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber Leutnant Beyer 3rd Com pany Hauptmann Sch erf Leutnant von Rosen

Leutnan t Koppe Leutnant Rambow H eadquarters Company H auptman n Wiegand Leutnant Sch u lz Stabsarzt Dr. Schramm Flak platoon Leutnan t Fllrl i nger Reconnaissance Platoon Leutnant Brodhagen Hauptfeldwebel Neubert, the leader of the sec­ ond mai n te nance platoon, received the Knigh t's Cross of the War Service Cross with Swords at Ohrdruf on 1 9 May. At the begi n n ing of June, U nteroffi zier Gartner, tank commander in the 3rd Company, received the German Cross in Gold. On 6 June 1 944: the Allied i nvasion began on the coast of Normandy. The men were ordered back from leave, as were the special details to the H e nschel works at Kasse l . In mid:June the battal­ ion received i ts new tanks. The 2nd and 3rd Com­ panies received the Tiger I; the I st Company was the first com pany of the army to be equipped with the new Tiger II ( Konigstiger, or Ki ng Tiger) . On 1 5- 1 6 June: Generaloberst Guderian, I nspector General of the Armored Forces, visited the battalion. At the officer's night at the mess, he discussed with us how serious our impending mis­ sion i n the expected operational area at the i nva­ sion fro n t would be. " I f we are not successful i n 257

258

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

eliminating the enemy beac hhead in the next fou rteen days, then we will no longer be able to win the war." On 26 and 27 June: The battalion was loaded on eight trains headed for the invasion front. As a result of the syst ematic All ied air attacks on the rail road network, especially i n France, the trains frequen tly had to be rerouted and only reached the planned desti nations at the rail road stations a t H oudan a n d Dreux, about 7 0 kilometers west of Paris, on 2 and 3 July. The companies moved i n several n ighttime road marches through Verneuil­ L'Aigle-Argenta n-Falaise to the future area of oper­ ations east of Caen. The enemy figh ter-bomber activity made it i mpossible to march by day. There­ fore, every night we m arched from 2300 hours to 0300 hours, then took cover in woods. We then moved another increment the following n igh t. During the fi nal march segment on 6 J uly, the 3rd Company lost its first tan k. While crossing a bridge over a rail line in an embankment near the village of Canon at Mezidon , the bridge collapsed under the weigh t of the tan k. Tiger 323 (commanded by Feldwebel Seidel) fell through to the rai lroad tracks below, suffering so much damage that, even though it was recovered, it was beyond repair. In so doing, the com pany suffered its first tank total loss and casualties at the Normandy front. On 7 July, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 was placed under the operational con trol of the LXXXVI Army Corps and, for the time bei ng, directed to support the 1 6th Luftwaffe Field Divisio n . The Luftwaffe division had taken over the sector of the 2 1 st Panzer Division on the previous day. After the heavy losses the 1 6th Luftwaffe Field Division suf­ fered on the followi ng day in the figh ting at Caen, the entire sector was again taken over on 8 J uly by the 2 1 st Panzer Division; the remnants of the 1 6th Luftwaffe Field Division were placed under the operational control of that division . Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was then a ttached to the tank regi ment of that division, the 22nd Panzer Regi ment. The 22nd Panzer Regi ment consisted only of a Panzer IV battalion � at the time. The commander of the regim e n t was Oberst von Oppel n-Bro n i kowski. Hauptmann von Gottberg com manded the 22nd Panzer Regi ment 's 1 st Bat­ tal ion. Together with Tiger Tan k Battal ion 503, that formed the armored operational reserve of the 2 1 st Panzer D ivision. Our battalion was assigned an area east of Troarn for its assembly

area. Our battalion com mander was ordered to report each evening to the regi mental com­ mander in Troarn for a situation briefing. The situation at the i nvasion fron t had devel­ oped as follows up until the arrival of the battal­ ion: With mounting losses, twen ty-one divisions of the Weh rm ac h t defended a fron t stretching 1 40 kilometers between the mouth of the Orne and the west coast of the Coten ti n peni nsula. East of the Orne, the British had held a bridgehead of about 25 square kilometers since the i nvasion began. A fixed front line and wel l-bu ilt positions were not available. Because of an abundance of isolated attacks, defensive successes, and pinning operations by both sides, the front l i ne was in a constan t state of flux. The Allied forces had not, however, ach ieved a decisive breakthrough. It was clear to everyone that they would make that attempt. On 8 July the battle of Caen began. The Ger­ man forces evacuated the ci ty, as ordered, during the n igh t of 1 0 J lily. The fron t was pulled back to the east bank of the Orne. The southeast suburbs remained in German hands and blocked further Allied advance on the plain of Falaise. The enemy artil lery activity, which i ncreased during the days that followed-and to which the battalion was also subjected-and the attempt to broaden the Orne bridgehead indicated an immi­ nent British attack. Where would it occur? An e nemy attack from Caen i tself was considered i mprobable since it would req uire a contested crossing of the Orne. The m ost li kely direction appeared to be an attack to the south or southeast from the Orne bridgehead. On 9 July, by order of Panzer Group West, the 1 st Battalion of the 22nd Panzer Regiment and Tige r Tan k Bat talion 503 were brought forward i n to the main lines. This was con trary to the rec­ om m endations of the battal ion commanders, the 2 1 st Panzer Division and the LXXXVI Arm)' Corps. From that point on, the battalion was located only a few kilometers behind the main line of resistance in the eastern Orne bridgehead. The battalion staff m oved to E m ievi lle. The 503's 1 st Company and the 1 st Battalion of the 22nd Panzer Regi m e n t were southeast of that village. The 503's 2nd Company was nort heast of E m ieville and i ts 3rd Company was in a patch of woods on the land of the Maneville stud farm, 2.5 kilometers from the battalion com mand post.

Employment on the Invasion Front,Jul�Altgust 1944

I n the second week of July, the battalion com­ mander, Hauptmann Fromme, had to go to a hos­ pital in Paris because of an i n f l am mation of his eye, which had been i nj ured i n the war. Haupt­ mann Scherf assumed temporary command of the battalion in h is absence and Leutnant von Rosen led the combat elemen ts of the 3rd Company. The companies reconnoi tered the future area of operations with all of the tank commanders so that they would be prepared for any eve n tuali ty. One company a t a time was detailed for twen ty­ four hours as the " ready" company. During that time i t had to rema i n immediately operationally deployable. H owever, for the time being, the fron t remai ned calm. On 1 1 July a t 0530 hours, the 3rd Company was alerted. After short, heavy artillery fi re , the enemy forces-British tanks and Canadian infan try-had penetra ted our main line of resist­ ance between Cuverville and Colombelles and taken possession of the high ground north of the factory complex a t Colombelles. The 32nd Luft­ waffe Rif l e Regiment, which had been i n position there, pulled back to Cuverville. The way was then open for the enemy to Gibervi lle and i n to the area east of Cae n . An immediate counterattack of the 503's 3rd Company from Gibervi lle to the north was able to reestablish the former main line of resistance without German losses. Eleven Sherman tanks and fou r a n ti tank guns were destroyed. Two u n dam aged Sherman tanks were captured and moved to the rear. After the 32nd Luftwaffe Rifle Regiment had reoccupied i ts posi­ tion in the late afternoo n , the 3rd Company was withdrawn and returned to i ts assembly area at Maneville. LEUTNANT VON ROSEN'S REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE 3RD COMPANY ON l l jULY 1 944 On 1 1 J u ly 1 944 a battalion messenger woke me up at 0500 hours: Prepare for immediate employ­ men t ! I was ordered to the battalion command ' post. I rapidly issued my orde rs, briefed Leutnant Koppe and had the motorcycle take me to the command post. There Hauptmann Scherf gave me a quick briefing on the situation : Enemy tan ks and i n fantry had succeeded in overrun n i n g the l i nes a t Collombelles that had been held by a battalion of the 1 6. Luftwaffenfelddivision. The most recent report from the fron t stated that the

259

enemy was al ready three kilometers northwest of Gibervi lle. A strong massing of armor had been observed. The greatest possible speed was needed. I received the foll owing mission: "The 3rd Com­ pany is to elimi nate by coun terattack the enemy forces that have broken through , reestablish the former main line of resistance and hold that posi­ tion until further orders are received." In the meantime a t the company, engines had been warmed up and the tank commanders were wai ting for my return at the command tank. Brief­ ing the tank commanders went q uickly and, wi thin thirty minutes of the i n i tial alert, the com­ pany rolled at top speed toward Giberville. I led the company to the fro n t , establ ished contact at the outskirts of the village wi th the unit that was there and had good observation of the attack ter­ rai n from a roof gable. I t was easy to make out sev­ eral of the enemy tanks that were at a farmyard abou t two kilometers away. I ret u rned to the com pany, brough t i t u p to date on the new situation and then ordered: " Panzer marsc h ! Move out!" The first tank ( Leut­ nant Koppe ) had barely reached the northern o u tski rts of the village when i t received heavy fire from e nemy tanks. That resulted in a brief halt, but then the company deployed. The fi rst pla­ toon , under Feldwebel Sachs, sheared off to the left, the second platoon ( Leutnant Koppe) to the right. I stayed even with both platoons. The third platoon ( Leutnant Rambow) remained beh ind me. D uring that maneuver the tanks took a signifi­ cant n um ber of h i ts. H owever, at that range, they could not do us m uch harm . I then gave the order over the radio to advance by alternating bounds. That meant one platoon would provide cover and fire wh ile the other platoon advanced. H owever, there was no reaction to my order. I repeated i t over the radio, but nobody stirred. I nstead, my tanks were engag­ ing the enemy. At that great range, there was little that could happen to our tanks. It was easy to observe the effect of our fire on the enemy, how­ ever, thanks to the resul ting clouds of dark smoke. After nothing had sti rred on our side, I threat­ ened over the radio to traverse m)' turret to six o 'clock and open fire to the rear if people didn't move out immediately. At the same time, enemy tank rounds continu­ ally struck my tank. At that point I saw through the vision slit of m)' command cupola that the

260

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR I1

Locations of the battalion headquarters of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 and its 3rd Company in the Caen area of opera­ tions (9- 1 0 July 1 944) _ The battle for Caen began on 8 July 1 944. On the night of 9-1 0 July, German forces evacuated the city to establish new lines east of the Orne River. As a result, the southeastern suburbs of the city remained in German hands, thus blocking the Allied advance on Falaise. The increasing artillery activity as weU as the attempts to expand the bridgehead on the Orne in the days leading up to 1 1 July had indicated a British attack was imminent. Where would it take place? It was milikely the enemy would attack from Caen itself, since the Orne would then be a contested crossing in a built-up area. It appeared more likely that an attack would be launched from the south or the southeast out of the Orne bridgehead.

antenna had been shot off my tank, resulting i n the loss of radio con tact. At that p o i n t i t became clear why my orders had not been carried out. I had my tank move forward 300 m eters i'n a single bound and, as I looked arou nd m e , I saw, to my relief, that the fi rst platoon fol lowed m e while the second and t h i rd platoons kept f i ri ng. We then conducted the entire attack with no radio com m u­ nication. All the maneuvers were automatic. One platoon secu red and provided covering fi re , the other m oved forward i n a single bound. Little

more was to be seen of the enemy tanks, since the farm where they had taken position was then only a dark cloud of smoke. The enemy infantry then withdrew with the aid of a smokescreen. As the smoke cleared some­ what, I spotted several enemy tan k . At that extremely short range, every round from our gun sen t another Sherman up in f lames. The crews bailed out of their yet undamaged tanks in terri­ fied panic. We received no more fire and covered the final 200 meters in a single bound. We were i n

Employment on the Invasion Frollt,Jul�Allgust 1 944

261

Mission: "The 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, destroys enemy forces which have broken through in an imme­ diate counterattack. It restores the front lines and holds it positions until receipt of further orders."

the farmstead and had regained the former main line of resistance. All of that had taken about thirty m i n u tes. 1 then regrouped the com pany for security i n that open terrain. Scarcely h ad w e m ore-or­ less completed that movement when an artillery observation plane appeared overhead and we were pounded wi t h a sudden barrage of artillery that overwhelmed the senses. That lasted for about two to three m i n u tes. Then calm returned. We changed positions from time to time, some-

times 500 meters forward, sometimes 500 meters to t h e rear so as to avoid t h e artillery fi re, which opened up with the next salvo about twenty m i n­ utes later. That's what we did, positioned l i ke tar­ gets on a range, for eigh t hours until the infan try came forward and again occupied i ts former posi­ tions. My tank had taken a direct h i t from the artillery. Thank God the English were using super­ quick fuses and, thank God , shortly before we left Germany the turret armor had been reinforced with a second armor plate. I nside the tank we

262

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

received q u i te a blow. The ligh ts wen t out and we were dazed for several moments . Several welded seams were broken i n the armor, so that I had to swi tch to another tank. During a long pause i n the shelli ng, I took a somewhat closer l ook at the en emy tanks. Twelve Sherman tanks sat there , burned out. Most of them had 75mm guns, but several h ad the more modern 1 7-pounder ( Sh erman 1 1 Fi re fly) . Four 57mm ( 6-pounder) antitank guns were knocked out. Then I spotted two u ndamaged Shermans among the houses of the farmstead. They had run into each other i n the attempt to turn and had been abandoned by their crews. One of those tanks was a command tank. I n side it I found a whole handfu l of annota ted maps, radio docu­ ments, orders e te. I moved back by the fastest rou te to the battalion command post, which had been tem porarily located at the rai l road line at Demouvi lle. D u ri ng the course of the morning, Hauptma n n Fromme had arrived there , returned from the hospi tal i n Paris. When I reported there, h e gave me the mission, if possible, of bringing back both Shermans. I moved back to the fron t and got t here j ust a s t h e infa n try arrived and relieved us. Leutnant Koppe led the company back to t h e old assembly area at Maneville, where everyone disappeared i n to the same position they had occupied previously. I stayed at the fro n t with my tank and two drivers from the company main­ tenance section. After a bit of experi mentation, we got both Shermans ru n n ing and disentangled. In plain view of the English, who could watch all that from a modest distance, we moved back wi th the two Shermans, escorted by a Tiger. We fel t that was a triumph. But the triumph did not last long. On the fol lowi ng day, wh ich, aside from German art i l lery barrages, was quiet, there were i n creasing signs of an i m pending major British a ttack. After the s uccess on ] 1 J uly, we really believed we could deal with i t . However, we had no idea of what was actually about to happe n . END O F REPORT: OPERATION "GOODWOOD," 1 8 JULY 1 944: THE DARKEST DAY FOR TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 The overall situation on the i nvasion fron t was rel­ atively posi tive i n the middle of J uly. The Allies had made t h ree u nsuccessful attacks. Their a ttem pt to a t tack across the Odon had been repulsed by panzer divisions. On 8 July the British

and Canadian u n i ts were unable to reach the southeastern portions of the city in their attack on the c i ty of Caen from the north . Finally, the U .S. attempt to break out a t St. La had failed. All of those were positive indicators. The British wan ted to force a change at any price, to break o u t of the bogged-down front and gain ground in depth . They had to get their armored formations out of the hedgerow country that was so favorable for defe nse and unfavorable for armor and get i n to the plains around Falaise that was so congenial for armor. The fulcrum and h i nge for that l arge-scale plan was possession of the Bourgebus ridge. That key position for the operation was eight kilometers east of the British Orne bridgehead. That was where the British i n tended to engage, pin and destroy the German tank formations and their reserves in bat tle. That would open the route to Paris. The result of those British considerations was the operation that was given the code name "Goodwood," named for the famous British race track. On 1 8 J uly 1 944 the British VII I Corps attacked out of the bridgehead east of the Orne with the 1 1 th and 7th Armored Divisions as well as the Guards Armored Division-a total of 877 tanks. The left flank of the attacking divisions was covered by the British I Corps, the right flank by the Canadian 1 1 Corps. The o ffe nsive was pre­ pared by 2,077 bombers, wh ich dropped 7,800 tons of bombs, and 720 medium and heavy field pieces, which had 250,000 shells at their disposal. From 0545 to 0630 hours, 1 ,056 heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command attacked ( targets A, H, M ) . From 0700 to 0730, hours 529 bombers of the US Army Air Corps a t tacked ( targets C, D, E, F, G) . From 0800 to 0830 hours, 482 Bombers of the US Army Air Corps attacked ( target P) . That fi re preparation h i t the villages of Em ievil le and Cagny, as wel l as Maneville, the assembly area of the 3rd Com pany, particularly hard. Maneville lay i n the target zones of both the British and American h eavy bombers and was the target of m u rderous a ttacks, with only short breaks, from 0545 to 0745 hours. That was a black day for Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. Never before had such an armada of bombers been employed. In comparison, in the attack on Dresden in Febru­ ary 1 945, "only" 1 ,084 aircraft of the RAF and U.S. Army Ai r Corps were employed, dropping 3,425 tons of ordnance.

Employment on the Invasion Front,july-August 1944

263

At 0800 hours t h e British 1 1 th Armored D ivi­

available tan ks d i rectly south of Maneville, secur­

sion crossed the l i n e of departure with i ts 29th

i ng toward Le Prieure and preventing an enemy

Armored Brigade and 1 59th I nfan try Brigade.

breakth rough between Maneville and Vagny. At

They ran into almost no opposi tion , since the bat­

that point the battalion commander had no com­

talions of the 1 6t h Luftwaffe Field Division that

m u n ication with the

1 st and 2nd Compan ies.

had been com m i t ted forward h ad been totally

The 3rd Company was able to get to the desig­

wiped out by the carpet bomb i ng. A t 0830 hours

n ated position with six tanks by 1 0 00 hours . All

the Bri tish spearhead h ad a l ready c rossed the

those tanks were actually ready for the main te­

Caen-Troarn rai l road line. Thus, there were no

nance fac i l i ties, but whatever could still creep

longer any German u n i ts i n fron t of the assem bly

along in some fashion and could make i ts way out

areas of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. And what a

of the sea of craters at Maneville was brough t i n to

sight at the l ocation of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503!

posi tion. Two tanks had engine fi res during the

The battal ion staff survived the carpet bomb­

march and could only fol low slowly. A l i ttle later,

ing in the tower of the old vi l l a where the com­

t h e headquart e rs tank of the battal ion headq uar­

mand post was located. The staff had no l osses

ters showed up wi th the battal ion commander.

but, on that m o rn i ng of 1 8 July, there was no com­

Hauptmann

mun ication wi th the staffs of the 22nd Panzer

appeared. He had remained with the battalion

Regiment o r with the 2 1 st Panzer Division. The

staff after Hauptmann Fromme had returned

1st Com pany of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 in

from the hospi tal .

Scherf and

his

Tiger

300

also

Emieville had lost tanks but n o personnel were

A reconnaissance i n force by a company of the

killed. J ust as was the case with t h e neighbori ng

5 t h Guards Armored Brigade was repulsed there

1 st Battal ion of t h e 22nd Panzer Regiment, it was

a t abo u t 1 1 00 hours. I t was o n ly then that i t

in the m idst of a sea of craters. The tanks had to

became clearly evid e n t w h a t h i t herto unseen dam­

be dug out th rough i n tensive m an ual labor.

age the tan ks had received during the carpet

The re was no report from t h e 2 n d Company.

bombi ng. The worst res u l t was that a l l of the

It appeared that i t had been h i t least by the carpet

tan ks ' guns were completely out of align m e n t with

bombing. The 3rd Company seemed to be in the

the sigh ts. We needed th ree rounds now where

worst shape. U n teroffi zi e r Westerhausen 's tank

only one would have been adequate before. The

had taken a d i rect hit and was t horoughly s h red­

field of fire was obstructed by hedges and brush so

ded. Oberfeldwebel Sachs' tank l ay upside down,

t h a t the company could n o t take effective action.

on i ts turret. The air pre's sure had blown over the

Loud tank noises could be heard from the d i rec­

58-ton colossus. The t h ree m e m bers of the c rew

tion of Le Prieure.

that were inside the tank survived. There was a

Leutnan t von Rosen ordered a change of posi­

giant crater in fron t of my Tiger 3 1 1 a n d the

tions forward in order to get a better field of f i re .

tank's engine cover was pushed i n .

Rounding a s m a l l patch of woods, the com pany

There was also a d i rect h i t on t h e con tact team

moved toward the southwest toward Cagny for a

from the company maint e n ance section. I n their

while, so as to then turn to t h e west toward Le

case, there were also only c raters and no traces of

Prieure. During that movement two sharp detona­

the veh icles. A n umber of tanks had such severe

tions came, one righ t after the other, and Feld­

damage, especia l ly to the ru n n i n g gear, t h a t they

webel Schon rock's tank i m mediately caugh t f i re ,

were im mobilized. Several had been pushed as

penetrated b y a round from the fro n t . T h e same

m uch as a m e ter sideways by the air pressure. Al l

happened to Feldwebel M t: !I ler's tank. We rescued

of the tanks were buried in d i r t and had to be dug

the wounded and brough t them to the forward

out. They stood i n the m idst of a field of craters. I t

aid s tation at Maneville. Un teroffizier M a t thes

seemed nearly i m possible to get them out of that

d ied t here as a result of h is severe burns.

and onto sol i d ground. Hauptmann Fromme had

Shortly thereafter, at the battali o n command

personal contact with Leutnant von Rosen , who

post, Tiger 300 took a h i t on the gun mantlet­

went by foo t to the battali o n command post at

probably a ricoc h e t-that had no penetrating

about 0900 hours and reported on the situation at

power. By order of Leu t n a n t von Rosen , the 3rd

the company. Leut n a n t von Rosen was given the

Com pany pulled back about 200 m eters and took

mission of i m mediately goi n g i n to position with all

u p a new position there . I t was not possible to

THE GOODWOOD BATTLE PLAN l'I

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Employmellt 0/1 the Illvasioll Frolll,Jllly-Allgllst 1 944

determine where t h e rounds had come from. Since both tan ks had been penetrated from the fro n t , the rou nds m ust have come from the direc­ tion of Cagny, which was 1 ,200 meters distant. However, at that point in time, Cagny was still i n our own hands. Only i n 1 966 was i t discovered that a Luftwaffe 88mm f lak battery that had been employed i n a ground role as an an titank battery. I t had apparently mistaken our Tigers for British tanks and was responsible for t he fron tal penetra­ tions of the two Tigers. English reports attributed the fact that Cagny could not be captured by Bri tish troops until late afternoon , far later than the Bri tish had planned, due to the action on the left flan k of the attack sec­ tor of six Tigers of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 that had miraculously escaped the carpet bombing. At 1 600 hours, the 3rd Company had o n ly one tank that could be considered combat ready. Some of the others could still move , but they could not f i re . Hauptmann Fromme ordered the 3rd Company to withdraw and recover those tanks that were repairable with i ts own means. As a resul t, t h e remnant s of the 3rd Company assem­ bled that eve n i n g in Rupiere with the combat trains. It had succeeded i n towing two more tanks out of the sea of craters at Manevi lle. It had also rescued al ive Feldwebel Sachs and two men of his crew from Tiger 3 1 3, which was u pside down , rest­ ing on i ts turret. LEUTNANT VON ROSEN'S REPORT ON THE CARPET BOMBING OF 1 8 JULY 1 944 I was in the posi tion we had dug out u nder my Tiger 3 1 ] with U n teroffizier Werkmeister. It was, indeed, a bit cooler there and, as a result, more comfortable than in the tank. The remaining three members of the crew were sleeping in the tank. On I 8 July I was awakened at about 0600 hours by the i ntense noise of e ngines i n the air. Still half asleep, I heard the sound of falling bombs. They hit about 200 meters in front of us, but the concus­ sion was so strong that the tank shook. I t was immediately clear to me that tlie attack was aimed at us, but there was no time to think about i t . The air was filled with the rushing of the falling bombs, and I instinctively pressed firmly against the ground. Then came the ear-bursting crash of the detonation, the earth heaved, but I was not yet hit. I was still alive. And then, agai n , I heard the rush of the falling bombs and again the detonations. I felt completely hel pless against that power, there

265

was no escaping, I could not think of anything at all. I have no idea how long that lasted. All concep­ tion of time was lost. Sudden ly, U nteroffizier Werkmeister and I were th rown i nto a corner by the concussion . I was completely covered with eart h and lay, unconscious, for a while, until the slow retu rn of consciousn ess and the realization I was still al ive. But then the next bombs came and with them, the realization that this was not all a bad dream, but that, at that i nstan t , I tru ly had no choice but to let that f i restorm engulf me agai n . As I remember, i t lasted-wi th short pauses-a good two and a half hours. I t is hardly possible to describe that period of time with words. I only know that I lay under my tank, held my ears and bit the blan ket so as not to scream . Finally the attack seemed to come to an end. As I crept out from un der the tank . . . what a picture ! Of that o n c e s o beautiful park, a l l that were left were spli ntered trees that lay every which way, plowed up meadows and gigan tic bomb craters that were so numerous that they overlapped each other. It was a gray, hostile moonscape enveloped in an impen e trable dust cloud that made it hard to breathe. Trees were on fire, as were the f ields of grain, and one saw the red re flection of the fires in the thick clouds of smoke. I went to the tank beside me, U n teroffizier Westerhause n 's tank. I t had taken a direct h i t a n d tongues of f lame played in the wreckage. There was no trace left of the crew. I worked my way th rough the craters and over giant trees, through a true primeval forest , and then got to Obe rfeldwebel Sachs' tan k. In fron t of i t there was a giant crater. The tank had been tossed by the conc ussion and lay on i ts tur­ ret, the running gear in the air. We found two of the crew, dead, and no t race of the ot hers. Two excellent men of the company maintenance sec­ tion had been killed. They, too, had sough t refuge under that tan k. I immediately had the tanks readied for action. First they had to be shoveled free, since they were covered in earth right up to the turrets. Trees had been toppled onto them, tracks torn off-how were we to ever get the com pany ready for action? The work had to be broken off fre­ quen tly, because the naval art i llery began to regis­ ter on us with heavy 42cm [ 1 6-i nchJ rounds. At that poi n t I also noticed that, 15 meters in fron t of my tan k, there was a 6- or 8-meter-deep crater in which the Tiger could easily have fit. The strong

266

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

armor plate on t h e rear of the tank was severely

Troarn-Caen road toward Demouvi l l e . It is no

deformed as if a shell had struck i t . The concus­

longer possible to determ ine h ow many King

sion had torn off t h e engine's radiator. I t is s t i l l

Tigers were actually serviceable. The 1 st Battalion

u nclear to m e today w h a t c o u l d h ave caused t h a t .

of the 22nd Panzer Regiment had a total of about

I n a n y case , my tank was u nserviceable and I h ad

eigh t Panzer IVs ready for action. A total of four

to change tanks yet agai n .

tanks m ust have reached the village of Demouville.

O u r situation became ever m ore uncomfort­

H owever, they had to pull back again because of

able. We could hear tank and mac h i ne-gun fire at

s trong pressure from the enemy. ( Report by Major

a short d is tance. H ad the British already got ten as

von Gottberg, commander, 1 s t Battalion, 22nd

far as our position? It was i m possible to establish

Panzer Regiment, 1 5 August 1 975 ) .

commun ications with the battali o n . So I set out

The 1 st Company had heavy losses. Tiger I I I

on foot to try to accompl ish that. Leaping from

was penetrated by a round. Leut n a n t Sch roder

c rater to crater, d iving for cover a t every on­

a n d Gefrei ter Schulze were killed. Tiger 1 0 1 was

rush i n g salvo, I reached the rou te to E m ievil l e .

also knocked out. The a t tack was broken off.

Fewer bombs had fal l e n there a n d I was a b l e to

The 2nd Company and i ts Tigers, along with

make better progress. Around a curve i n the road

the t rai n i ng battalion of the 1 6th Luftwaffe Field

Tiger " I " approached me wi t h the commander i n

Division and A n ti-Ta n k Battalion von Obstfelder

it. T h e b o m b carpet h a d also h i t the area of t h e

of the 346th I n fan try Division, were comm itted by

battalion command post, but the a t tack had n o t

the commander of the 1 6t h Luftwaffe Field Divi­

been a s i n tense t here a s i t had been a t t h e 3 rd

sion, Generalmajor Sievers, in a coun terattack

Company. The battalion commander, Hauptmann

northwest of Troarn . That countera t tack brought

Scherf, a n d the officers and soldiers of the battal­

the enemy advance toward Troarn to a halt.

ion staff survived the carpet bombing packed tight

Tiger Tan k Bat talion 503 wi t h d rew its 1 st and

together i n the n arrow wi n d i n g stai rcase in the

2nd Companies in the late afternoon and assem­

t u rret of t h e buildi ng. The house, i tself, was

bled at Maneville. By order of the 2 1 st Panzer Divi­

demolished, but the tower remained standing.

sion , the battalion moved to the south to the

I received orders from the battalion com­

Frenouville area on the Cagny-Vimont road. There

mander to set out wi th the 3rd Company as rap­

i t preven ted a further advance by the enemy to the

idly as possible a n d form a defe nsive fron t on the

southeast. Cagny had fallen to the British in the

left flank of t h e a t tack corridor a t the buildings of

late afternoon. The 1 st Company lost Tiger 1 22 in

t h e stud-farm a t Manevei l l e . It ' m i g h t have been

a somewha t u n usual fashion during i ts operations

1000 hours, perhaps even later, when we fi nally

i n the area east of Cagny. There are two reports of

had six tanks ready. They were ready for a m a i n te­

that, one by Lieutenant Gorman, platoon leader

nance faci l i ty, b u t at least they could move a n d

and commander of a Sherman tank of the I rish

b r i n g their weapons to bear. I t was d i fficult to f i n d

Guards, and the other by H ansjoach i m Thaysen,

a route t h rough t h e sea of craters wit h o u t h aving

at that time gun ner in Tiger 1 22.

a tank slip i n to a gigantic crater. B u t we succeeded and, after a 1 .5 kilometer m ove along the park

The Gorman Story

wal l , we took position southwest of Maneville. ( End of von Rosen 's report . ) What was t h e situation wi t h the other compa­

[ Ed itor's Note: With the exception of the first and last paragraphs, which were not available,

nies? The 1 st Company was able to get a port i o n

this passage is taken from the account in

of i ts Ki ng Tigers operationally ready b y noon.

Alexander McKee's Caen: Anvil of Victory. ]

Oberl e u t n a n t Oemler's Tiger 1 00 slipped i n to a bomb cra ter a n d could not be recovered. The 1 st

My name is Gorman, and at the t i m e of Good­

Bat talion

wood, I was a platoon leader in the 2 1 st I rish

of the 22nd Panzer Regim e n t also

worked feverishly to dig out i ts tanks and get ready

Guards Armored Regiment, which was equipped

for ac t i o n . Com m i t m e n t before 1 200 hours was

with Shermans. During the afternoon of July 1 8th

im possible. Between 1 200 and 1 400 hours, on

we fough t in the h edgerow cou n t ry nort heast of

orders from t h e 22nd Panzer Regi m e n t , the 503's

Cagny. Two o r t h ree groups, each with fou r or

1 st Company and the 22nd Pan zer Regim e n t 's 1 st

five Tigers that were making good use of the

Battalion carried out a coun terattack along the

cover, seemed to be opposing our 5th Guards

Emplayment on the Invasion Front,Jul�August 1 944

Armored Brigade. They would suddenly emerge from their cover, fire, and cost us several losses. We attempted to attack with the company closed up, whereupon the Tigers again disappeared in their cover, only to appear again and repeat the whole process anew. This was my first time in action and I was excited. I had got across the little stream running into Cagny from the northeast, but the rest of my troop got stuck. However, I pushed on alone for a bit and found plenty of targets and was beginning to think this war business was not too bad after a\1; in fact, I was beginning to enjoy myself. But this didn't last long for, on glancing to my left, I saw to my horror the unmistakable shape of a Royal Tiger coming through a hedge under 200 yards away. I ordered my gunner: "Traverse left­ on-fire ! " He fired and I saw with dismay the 75mm shot hit the front of the Tiger, bounce off and go sizzling up into the air. I ordered the gun­ ner to fire again, but a ho\1ow voice came up from the bowels of the tank, saying "Gun jammed, sir." This was a situation for which I had not been trained and I did not know what to do. Glancing anxiously at the Tiger, I saw with horror that his long gun was slowly swinging around in my direction. Someone had once told me that when in doubt the thing to do was advance, so I ordered my driver to advance at full speed and ram the Tiger. We lurched forward, gathered speed, and hit him amidships with a terrific crash , j ust before he got his sights on to me. Both crews bailed out on impact and, since there was quite heavy shelling, both crews dived for cover. My wireless operator saw a convenient slit trench and, jumping into it, found it already occupied by the Tiger's crew. However, they both stayed there together, keeping their heads down. I crawled back, brought up my 1 7-pounder Sher­ man and managed to brew the Tiger. I then col­ lected my crew and the Tiger's crew, and we went back and got another tank. I recount this little story b�cause it may well be the only example in the late war in which an army unit used the old naval tactic of ramming. Sources l . Staff College, Camberly: Battlefield Tour ( 1 956) , p. 44 (fi rst and last paragraphs) . 2. Alexander McKee, Cam: A nvil of Vic­ tory ( 1 964) , p. 273 ff. (remainder of narrative) .

267

The Thaysen Story As I remember it, the English attack started at 1 500 hours. Up until that time we kept ourselves busy wiping away sweat. It was a blistering hot summer day. We could scarcely keep the hatches open because of the on-going artillery fire. The attack that started at about 1 500 hours was sup­ ported by a tremendous number of British tanks. The main line of resistance was overrun in a few minutes. Only the 1 st Company and a few anti­ tank guns held for a little time. Soon the British were between , in front of and behind us. That had as a result that neither we nor the English knew who or what was where. In the meantime, both the German and English arti\1ery fired wildly into the midst of it all. And, of course, the British and German infantry were right in there, too. Tiger 1 1 2, the tank in which I was gunner, was engaged with one Englishman while we were fired on by others. That caused my tank commander (a newcomer, without combat experience ) , to well, let's say . . . to have the tank put in reverse, almost in a panic. We lunged back, right through a hedge, the type you usually found there. Obviously, the commander was a bit out of it, since he must have seen that another tank was behind the hedge. In any case, there was ajolt, and we were hung up with an Englishman. There was no way that we intended to ram the enemy, the more so since we ran into him with the rear of the tank and I was still at 1 2 o'clock, busy with the Tommy that was firing at us. Scarcely had we run into the Englishman when, apparently, a 75mm PaK firing at the Eng­ lishman hit us instead. I t hit us in the left between the track and the running gear. The round penetrated and sliced the seat right out from under my backside. I found myself on the turret floor. At the same time, the round tore open a shell casing and the propellant charge ignited in ajet of flame. There was nothing for us but to bail out. The radio operator, loader and tank commander were the first ones out. The driver, Horst Becher, who lives today in Braun­ schweig, was able to grab his pistol and, after bail­ ing out, did target practice at the Englishmen who were around the tank. And that was quite a sight, since he still had his headphones with the ripped-out cords dangling on his ears. On dismounting through the turret hatch, 1 landed on a member of the English crew who,

268

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 1I

presumably, was also somewhat out of i t. Appar­

depth of 1 2 kilometers and was, t h us, unable to

en tly he th ough t I was one of h is crew. For a

ach ieve a breakthrough . During that time period,

moment, we looked at each other in a daze. Then

the British lost 437 tanks, many of which were due

a rush of heroism awoke i n both of us. Each

to the actions of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503.

grabbed for the place where he'd usually find his pistol . H e roism failed from a lack of lethal mate­ rials. Since our tank started to b u rn , both of us

DEFENSIVE FIGHTING ON THE ORNE: THE END OF OPERATIONS IN FRANCE

started to crawl away from it and, since t h ings

While the s i tuation south of Caen was s tabi lized,

were lively all around, we both sough t cover in a

t h i n gs became i n c reasingly critical south of St. Lo.

hole beh i n d the Tom my's tank. With one of us i n

The fron t was torn open on both sides of St. Lo.

t h e left corner and the o t h e r i n the right o n e , we

Panzer-Divisionen had to be pulled out of the

eyed each other and each tried to convince the

Caen area and t h rown i nt o the area of the break­

other, with hands and feet, that the other was his

t h rough . Between 23 and 25 J u ly Tiger Tan k Bat­

prisoner. Since i t turned o u t that each of us had

talion 503 moved with i ts armored elemen ts out of

opposite opinions about that, both of us

the Troarn area to the southwest i n to the Orne

shrugged o u r shoulders, gri n ned at each other

val ley and crossed that river a t Th u ry-Harcou rt . It

and bolted for our own sides.

is no longer known how many tanks the battalion

So that was that. I t would be n ice i f I could

had when i t reached the Orne Valley. It is certain,

meet one of the Englishmen. ( Hans:Joachim

h owever, that the combat trains and the main te­

Thaysen )

nance com pany did not accompany the tanks and the supply l i nes became longer. The replacement

And so e nded 1 8 J u ly, the day that brought the

parts si tuation became m ore precarious. On 30

greatest losses i n personnel and equipment to the

J u ly the British 8th Corps broke th rough the weak­

bat ta l i o n . The 3rd Com pany alone had fourteen

ened German fro n t . A coun terattack by the rem­

dead to mourn. On 20July the company turned i ts

nan ts of the 22nd Panzer Regi m e n t and Tiger

last serviceable tank over to the 2nd Company and,

Tan k Battalion 503, led by Oberst von Oppeln­

by order of the OKH, was pulled o u t in order to

Bro n i kowski , was u nable to make any progress.

receive new tanks from Germany at the Mailly-Le­

At that poin t in time, the battalion still had

Camp tra i n i ng area. On 22. J u ly an advance party

t h i rteen tanks in service. Sixteen tanks were in the

was sent with Feldwebel M t:l ller, which, after a two­

m a i n tenance fac i l i ty for short-du ration repairs.

day stay in Paris, arrived in Mailly on 25 J u ly. The

Up u n t i l 30 J u ly, two officers and th i rt y noncom­

com pany fol l owed a few days later and was q uar­

m issioned officers and e n listed personnel had

tered in a bivouac area near the village of Sompuis

been killed in Normandy; one officer and t h i rty

u n til it could receive the tanks that were com ing

noncom m issioned officers and enl isted person nel

from Germany at the begi n n i ng of August.

had been wounded; and eigh teen soldiers were

But back to the bat tal ion:

m issi ng. Regardi ng battalion morale, the com­

On

mander wrote:

19 J u ly the battalion m oved t h rough

Argences and St. Pair to Troarn and secured there on the western o u tski rts of the village . Several

In spite of the enemy's absolu te air and artillery

enemy advances were repulsed. On 20 July the

superiori ty, the morale in the u n i t is good. I t is

enemy renewed h is attack on Troarn with armored

depressing that the losses suffered have a very

support , but that attack also failed. Five enemy

u n favorable relationsh i p to successes gained due

tanks were knocked out. The 2 1 st Panzer Division

to the farmi n g out of the u n i t during opera­

was pulled o u t , but the rem nants of the 22nd

tions-due, i n part , to the terra i n . U n i fo rms and

Panzer Regim e n t remained a t Troarn. The battal­

equipment: Good. Rations could be far better in

ion remained under the operational control of

an area such as Normandy. ( Mo n t h ly Report of

that regi m e n t .

Tiger Tank Battalion 503 on ] August 1 944 ) .

T h e British broke o f f Operation Goodwood o n 2 1 J u ly. I n spi te of the greatest fire preparation o f

That m o n t h ly report also makes i t clear that

all ti mes, an E n g l i s h armored corps with t h ree

the battalion was still under the operational con­

armored d ivisions was o n ly able to penetra te to a

trol of the 2 1 st Panzer Division .

Employment o n the Invasion Front,}1I1y-AIIgllst 1 944 Duri n g the first days of August, the tanks of the

269

Rouen . Even the tanks which had been made

battalion were also involved in the figh ting at Mont

mobile again during the last few days at the main­

Pincon and Plessis-Grimoult. It was un usually hard

tenance fac i l i ties t ried to reach that destination.

fighting, in which the defense was favored by the

Fate took its course, h owever, when they ran out

hilly landscape of " ormandy's Switzerland." The

of fuel ; resupply was no longer conceivable. Thus,

limited fields of observation in that terrain repeat­

everyone tried to get as close to the Seine as he

edly forced the enemy armor to move at the speed

could wi th h is tank. They wan ted to reach the

of the dismounted advancing infantry.

river, even if i t mean t on foot.

On 1 0 August the Brit ish c rossed the Orne sligh tly south of Thury-H arcourt. On 1 1 August

H ans Welsc h , of the 1 st Company, wrote of that i n his diary:

Hauptmann Wiegand provided cover in the south­ east port ion of St. Pierre with the last two servicea­

1 3 August: We towed Tiger 1 1 3, which fin ished

ble tanks. That day, at about 1 1 30 h ou rs, the

off our Tiger 1 1 2. Tiger 1 24 towed us further

Engl ish at tacked east with t h i rty tanks and strong

t h rough Trun . Art i l l e ry fire.

infantry support past the village. H auptmann Wie­

1 4 August: Halt on the h ighway. Th ree aerial

gand counterat tacked wi t h h is two Tigers, set the

attacks on our tank. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack

three lead i n g enemy tanks on fire with gun fi re

was severely wounded and died the next day.

and forced the British to break off their attack for

1 6 August: I n Ticheville in the even ing. Civil­

a time. H owever, both Tigers also took such a

ians blocked the exit from the cellar where we

beating that t h ey were no longer mobile. That

had stayed. We shot our way free and ran to the

day, 1 1 August, was the last day the battalion was

tank. Tiger 1 24 wen t kaputt.

employed on the Normandy front. On 14 August , the Canadians began an offen­

1 8 August: Tigers 1 1 3 , 1 1 1 , 100 and 1 22 were blown up shortly before the pocket was closed .

sive and pushed forward on both sides of the

Feldwebel Tessmer, Gefreiter Fiedler, and I stayed

Caen-Falaise road to the sou t h . By t h a t eve n i ng,

wi th Tigers 1 1 2 and 1 24 as demoli tion party.

they were a l ready 8 kilometers north of Falaise.

1 9 August: The pocket of Falaise was closed.

American forces, c o m i n g south after their break­

20 August: I blew up Tiger 1 1 2 at 2200 hours.

through at Avranches, were d i rectly south of

Gefrei ter Fiedler did the same to Tiger 1 24. Back

Argentan. The spearheads of the two arms of the

t h rough Ticheville, Le Sap and Monnai.

All ied attack stood barely 28 kilometers apart. An encircleme n t of the Ger m an forces in the Falaise­ Trun area appeared i m m i n e n t . T h e battalion succeeded i n getting all o f i ts wheeled elements , which i nc luded the H eadquar­ ters Com pany and the Main tenance Company, as

2 1 August: Rainy weather. Thank God. Onward on foot, about 1 0 kilometers. Then Leut­ n a n t Wi t t took us along with h i m through Broglie and Bernay to Elbeuf. 22 August: We crossed the Seine at Rouen by barge i n the morning. Ten kilometers by staff car,

well as the company t rains, promptly on the march

then on foot. Rest in Sottevi lle and wai t for vehi­

to the Seine a t E l beuf. It was ordered that priority

cle. Con t i n ued the journey with Leutnant Brod­

in crossi ng was for armor, SS, Flak and arti llery for­

hagen to Fleury.

mations. As a resu l t , a l l of the batta l i o n 's wheeled elements were able to make it to the other bank of

So m uch for the diary excerpt .

the Sei n e i n time. I f they were no longer needed,

T h e 1 st Com pany assembled at Pontoise a n d ,

they moved as far as possible to the north. There was no chance for �he tanks of t h e bat­ talion to cross the Seine. There was no bridge that

on 28 August, headed for Germany. T h e tank crews moved in requisi tioned a u tomobiles. On 3 1 August the company arrived at Pade rborn .

could be reached a n d ferries were n o t avai lable

Less is known of the fate of the Tigers of t h e

for 60- o r 70-ton vehicles. Therefore, i f the tanks

2nd Com pany. Several tanks , coming from t h e

had to be left beh i n d d ue to enemy act i o n ,

main tenance

mechan ical problems o r l a c k of fue l , they were

Bourgtheroulde/ Roue n . There was no possib i l i ty

faci l i ty,

reached

the

Seine

at

blown up. The tanks t h a t were engaged at Thury­

of c rossing, h owever. There are several photo­

Harcourt were able to escape the pocket that was

graphs of Tiger 2 1 3 wandering along the Grande

formi n g at Falaise. All tried to get to the Seine a t

Rue of Bourgtheroulde, searching for access to

2 70

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

t h e Seine. A n umber of Tiger I s were abandoned

While t h a t was going o n , a propaganda film crew

at Vimoutiers. Several Tigers of the 2nd Company

arrived and photographed "a day in t h e l i fe of a

were

tank company i n combat," in the course of which

s tran de d

Nationale

1 79

without

fuel

on

the

between

Vimoutiers

Route

and

the

Elloard farmstead. Others were abandoned on the road from Canapvil l e . A Tiger I l of t h e 1 st Com­ pany also gave u p the ghost t here.

Feldwebel Seidel's and U n teroffizier Jickel's tanks dropped out with transmission problems. On 1 1 August the 3rd Company left Mailly-Ie­ Camp by rail . The two damaged tanks stayed

One of those tan ks s t i l l stands today as a last

behind. The first train , led by Leutnant von Rosen ,

wi tness to the figh ting i n Normandy. During those

was a t tacked b y five Thunderbol ts early i n the

days of f l i gh t i n August 1 944, a Tiger ] was left i n

morning on 1 2 August between Esternay and

t h e middle of Route

Sezanne. A portion of the carloads of basic-load

ationale ] 7 9 a t Vimoutiers.

The crew had set demolition c harges o n the turret

ammu n i tion that had been brought along immedi­

ring and engine, leavin g the turret somewhat

ately burned. The l ocomotive was shot up and

t i l ted and the engine cover torn off i ts mountings .

Tiger 3 1 1 also burned . I n the a ttempted emer­

Later, American bulldozers shoved t h e h eavy

gency u nloading, the tank came off the rail car

colossus to the side. The Tiger lay i n t h a t condi­

and tipped over. And, again, the company had

tion for t h i rty years, each year sinking deeper i n to

losses to mourn. Un teroffi zier Weh rheim lay dead

the earth and i ncreasi ngly overgrown by vegeta­

beside the tracks and was buried on the spot by the

tion. A scrap dealer bought the wreck, from which

company. Feldwebel Bornschier died during trans­

t h e val uable i tems had been removed over time.

port on the hospital train . The company had five

C h ildren played o n t h e tank and d i d gymn as tics

severely wounded and five with minor wounds,

on the long gun barr e l . Gradual ly the Tiger at

including the t rain commander, Leutnant von

Vimout iers became, f i rst a local, t h e n , a national

Rosen . The rai lroad line to Paris was blocked. I t

curios i ty that drew sigh tseers from near and far. I n

took t h ree days u n ti l that and the fol l owing train

October 1 975 t h ree men got together who had

could resume the journey to Paris. Leu tnant Ram­

particular i n terest i n that tan k. One was a former

bow had relieved Leutnan t von Rosen , who wen t

member of the Division Leclerc, who knew the sig­

t o a field hospital at Reims. Two days l ater, Tiger

n i ficance of t h e Tiger. The others were a young

3 1 1 was recovered by a railroad crane and towed to

historian and a weapons collector. They were able

Route National 4, which was close by. That was as

to convince the m u n i c i pal council of Vimoutiers

far as the salvage operation got , since the Ameri­

that the tank should be preserved. They collec ted

cans got to the tan k before the prime movers that

money and set i n motion t h e recovery and exter­

had been made available by O B West could arrive

nal restoration. Today that Tiger I , i ts exterior

on the scene. As a resu l t, t h ree of the crew mem­

fully restored, i s l ocated a t the same place as a

bers were captured by the Americans.

memorial and witness to i ts time.

In the meanwh i l e , the 3rd Company got to

It remains to report o n t h e 3 rd Company:

Paris, unloaded i ts tanks and was quartered i n the

On the evening of 1 8 J u ly, the company assem­

Bois de Vincennes. Hauptmann Scherf wrote:

bled at the location of t h e trai ns at Rupiere. The only tank that was still ful ly operational was turned

The local-area commander for Paris ordered the

over to the 2nd Company.

company to stand by for possible commitment in

The order arrived on 20 J uly to move to t h e

the city, since the French resistance was already

train i n g area a t Mailly-Ie-Camp a n d receive new

actively fighting there. When the situation i n tensi­

tanks. On 22 July an advance party left Rupiere

fied and H au p tmann Scherf we n t to Paris to find

and, after a two-day layover i n Paris, arrived at the

the command post of the local area commander,

trai n i ng area o n 25 J uly. On 29 July t h e e n t i re

he could n o t find it. Everyone had disappeared

com pany fol l owed . I t was quartered i n a bivouac

without a trace. According to i nformation previ­

area at the vil l age of Sompuis. The new tanks

ously received from the local area commander,

arrived at the begi n n i n g of August-Tiger l Is ,

the battalion was supposed to be positioned some­

twelve with Porsch e turrets and two with t h e new

where along the Seine to the north of Paris. After

production ( H ensc h e l ) turrets. The days were

an additional two days of waiting-without hear­

filled wi t h getting t h e tanks operationally ready.

ing anything from the local area commander-

o I

o

I.SS·Pz..l'orps .;, oIt -

UflUS

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The breakthough at Caen began to take shape starting 20 July 1 944. Its prerequisite was the destruction of the German armor forces (the 2 1 st Panzer Division and Tiger Tank Battalion 503).

272

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

H aupunann Scherf considered that he was no

any maint enance elements from the battalion, so

longer obligated to remain under the con trol of

that major tank repairs were not possible.

the local commander. The 3rd Company set out

Tiger 334 became disabled with transm ission

through Paris to reach the northeastern bank of

problems during the marc h t h rough Paris at the

the Seine and locate the bat talion.

Porte Maillot. Another tank became disabled at

The company marched from Vincen nes along

Themericourt . I t is not known whet her addi tional

the Boulevard de la Chapelle to the Gare St.

tanks became d isabl ed. The company main te­

Lazaire and from there along the Madeleine to

nance sec tion under Oberfeldwebel Grof3mann

the Place de la Concorde. The march cont i n ued

worked arou n d the clock and made the i m possi­

along the Champs Elysees and the Place de I ' E toile-Maillot-Pont de euilly and, from t here,

ble possible.

on the righ t bank of the Seine toward Pon toise.

Hauptmann Scherf was unable to get i n forma­ tion on the "big picture." It was hard to d i fferenti­

The company had scarcely left the northern

a te what was fact and what was rumor. The first

part of Paris behi nd-about 10 to 1 5 kilometers­

American troops reached the Seine at Man tes on

when it was obligated by a Luftwaffe field division

1 9 August. By the even ing of 20 August, they had

that was com m i tted on the Seine to occupy posi­

constructed engineer bridges at Tosny and Mantes.

tions there. Under im possible em ploym e n t condi­

Between Vetheuil and Porschevi lle there was a

tions, the majori ty of the Tigers were knocked out

solid bridgehead. Ten thousand soldiers had taken

by figh ter-bomber attacks within a week.

the righ t bank. Numerous artillery formations were i n position and reconnaissance was being

OPERATIONS OF THE 3RD COMPANY AGAINST THE AMERICAN BRIDGEHEAD AT MANTES ( 22-30 AUGUST 1 944)

conducted in depth. I n i tially there were no Ger­ man combat-capable formations in place, at least noth ing which could have opposed the Americans.

The fact that Hauptmann Sc herf did not receive

All available troops were assembled u nder the

specific orders as the commander of the 3rd Com­

command of Group Schwe rin as q uickly as possi­

pany in the last days of Paris is a sign of the com­

ble. It was placed under the operational con t rol of

plete confusion which re igned there. In fac t , the

t h e 1 st SS Panzer Corps e ffective 23 August.

local area command simply forgot about the com­

Group Schwerin was given the m ission to form a

pany. It demonst rates the disc i p l i n e of the com­

cohesive defe nsive front a n d contain the U.S.

pany commander that h e wai ted for days for

bridgehead. This was particularly u rgent. Contain­

orders, even t h ough the si tuatioli in Paris became

m e n t was needed in order to preve n t German

ever more obtuse. H is decision to t ry to l i n k up

u n i ts , staffs and i ns tallations f l owing back from

wi th

Paris and the area north of i t from being cut off

the battalion-at whatever cost-demon­

strates h is i n i t iative. Com i n g from Vincen nes, Hauptmann Scherf and the com pany m arched th rough Paris on 3 1

or even su rrounded and to give them time and space to conduct the wi thdrawal. The 1 8t h Luftwaffe Field Divisio n , the rem­

August 1 944. H e wanted to reach t h e battalion

nants of t h e 1 7th Luftwaffe Field Divisio n , and

which was rumored to be n o rt h of Paris. Scherf knew the battalion h ad c rossed t h e Seine with all

a parach u te d ivision were brought up. All of them were formations whi c h were not motorized

of its elements after havi ng lost o r turned over all

and had h ardly any long-range antitank or antiair­

of i ts tanks. I t was on the move to the Belgian bor­

c raft weaponry. The 1 8th Luftwaffe Field Division

der. There had been no opport u n i ty to c ross the

assumed

river with the remai n i n g few opera ti�)J1al tanks. The 3 rd Company had eleven Tige r l I s a t i ts

Meulan on 2 1 August with i ts 35th and 36th Jager

the

sector

between

Vetheuil

and

Regi m e n ts .

disposal at the start of t he marc h . The orga n i c

H a u p t m a n n S c h e r f moved ahead of the com­

supply elements of the company were also w i t h i t .

pany to the command post of Group Schweri n at

A s a result, the company h a d a certain a m o u n t o f

Magny e n Vex i n . He wanted to get i n formation on

ammuni tion and fuel . It was autonomous for a few

the overa l l si tuation and fi nd out the location of

days. It o n ly had the company m a i n tenance sec­

Tiger Tan k Batta l i o n 503. He was i mmediately

tion to perform repairs , however. It d i d not have

pressed i n t o the service of Group Schwerin and

Employment on the Invasion Front,}1I1y-AlIgllst 1 944 Limay

over

the wooded

and

2 73

placed under t h e operational con t rol of the 1 8th

on

d i fficult-to­

Luftwaffe Field Division . The company was turned

approach h igh ground of the " Bois des Blancs

off of i ts route of m a rc h . Late i n the evening it

Solei Is"; and ( 2 ) followi ng that, support the attack

reached an assem bly area at Gai l lonet (east of

of the 36th . lager-Regiment at Fontenay.

Oinevil l e ) after report i n g at the command post of the 1 8th Luftwaffe Field Divisi o n . T h e com pany was divided a m o n g b o t h the

To accompl ish t ha t , the two platoons of the com pany were deployed so that each platoon enveloped the wooded h igh ground from the right

35th a n d 36th . lager Regi ments for employme n t .

and the left. Both platoons a t tacked at 0700 hours

The supply elements of the company set up some­

wi th light i n fantry mounted on the Tigers. The

what to t h e rear in the park of the castle at

platoon attacking on the righ t reached the farm at

Marines. I t appear seven tanks were operation on

Melier where it received heavy defensive fire from

that eve n i n g of 2 1 August . I t i s possible that one

US tank destroyers which had terri fic positions on

or even two tan ks that had become disabled d u r­

the h igh ground at Les Rues. The four Tigers of

ing the move reached t h e com pany t h a t night or

the left-hand platoon reached the h igh ground at

on the fol l owi ng day. With the exception of the

"Bois des Blanc Soleils." They knocked out one

headquarters tan ks-Tigers 300 and 3 0 l -the

tank destroyer there and then wen t i n to posi tion

remai n i n g tanks were d ivided i n to two platoons

on the southern edge of the woods where they

under the leaders h i p of Leutnants Koppe and

received

Rambow.

destroyers posted on the ou tskirts of Limay. The

heavy defensive

f i re

from

the

tank

After estab l ish i n g con tact wi t h both of the

Americans reported the followi ng at 0845 hours:

Jager regi men ts, the terra i n and the approach

"Tigers broke though the I Company positions; the

routes i n to possible areas of operation were

company moved back to Limay."

scouted by t h e platoon leaders and tan k com­

At the same t i m e , one company of 33rd Luft­

manders on 22 August. The terrai n between

waffe .lager Regi m e n t , supported by a Tiger,

Fontenay-Guitrancourt-Garganville sloped down

a ttacked south from Guitrancourt t h rough the

to the Seine. I t was d i fficult for tanks, since it was

"Vallee aux Cai l loux" in the d i rection of the N90.

ful l of cliffs. Defiles a n d partially wooded high

At the road, it swung west and reached the eastern

ground with long l i nes of sigh t , as well as several

ou tskirts of Limay after knocking o u t a Sherman.

quarries, m ade e m ploym e n t of· the e n t i re com­

As a result of the direct f i re , the position of the

pany i m possible. The regim e n tal commanders

Tigers on the edge of the woods at the "Bois des

wanted to split up the ' tanks down to company

Blanc Solei Is" became u n tenable. 1 55mm art i llery

level, i n order to provide corset stays along the

had registered; two or four Tigers received consid­

fron t to which the l ight i n fa n try could cling and

erable damage to their run n ing gear and had to

have some antitank defense. Of course, t h a t con­

be towed out of the i m pact zone. As a resul t , the

tradicted the tanker's maxim of Klotzen n icht Kleck­

left-hand platoon was tem porarily out of action.

em, but the situation a n d the terrai n necessi tated

The Tiger at Limay also received a hit on its run­

compro mise. The o n ly source for the operations conduc ted

n i n g gear, however, it was able to reach friendly l i nes at Guitrancourt under i ts own power.

that eve n i n g comes from an American report:

All of the operations recoun ted here were met

"2040 H o u rs. Attack i n battalion strength sup­

by the Americans with heavy art i l le ry fi re and

ported by 5 Tigers aga i ns t the 3 1 4th I n fantry Regi­

massed attacks by figh ter-bombers. The l ight i n­

ment at Fon te n ay." The American advance guard

fan try of the Luftwaffe suffered severe casual ties,

was forced back. Prisoners were take n . The Amer­

fi rst m o u n ted on the tanks and then while attack­

icans were fearful of a n igli t a t tack. The loud

i n g dismounted. After the corset stays provided by

armor n oises t h e Americans reported during the

the Tigers were removed, the Luftwaffe l igh t

night refe rred to the tanks of the 3rd Company

i n fa n t ry was no longer able to hold the l i n e and

wh ich were moving i n to j u m p-off posi tions for the

large portions of the captured terrain had to be

attack planned against G u i t rancourt early on 23

given u p .

August . Two t h i ngs were expected of the Tigers:

T h e a ttack of the 3 6 t h Luftwaffe .lager Regi­

( 1 ) spur on the a t tack of the 35th .lager Regimen t

m e n t at Fontenay also began at 0700 h ours. I t

2 74

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

started without Tiger support. Aft er the " Bois des

teen Tiger l Is. Aft er being refitted i n Germany, i t

Blancs Soleils" had been

by the l i g h t

was u n l oaded n o r t h of Paris and arrived i n t h e

i n fantry, the righ t-hand platoon a t M e l i e r received

area of operations of the 1 st Battalion of the SS

taken

the order to support the attack at Fon tenay. The

Panzer Corps after a long road marc h . Seven

Americans reported t h e fol lowi n g a t 1 1 30 h ou rs :

Tigers had become disabled during the long

"Tigers o u tside Fon tenay." A t 1 350 hours there

marc h . The s ituation of the 1 st Company of Tiger

was a new attack wi t h Tiger support as far as the

Tan k Battalion 1 0 1 was similar to that of the 3rd

water tower a n d a t Le Mouchel, a part of Fon te­

Company of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503: organic

nay. There was also heavy fighting at the Prieu

supply elements but no main tenance fac i l i ty.

farm. The Tigers were pulled back at 1 6 1 0 hours.

Tiger Tan k Battalion 1 0 1 's 1 st Company was

I t was a hard day for the company. Although i t

assembled at Arthies. I t wen t i n to action for the

d i d not have any total tank l osses o r casualties, i t

fi rst time on 25 August a t Drocourt. The company

was d ifficult for t h e company t o get i ts disabled

was o u t f i t ted with the Tiger 1 1 wi t h the Henschel

tanks operational aga i n with the means at h a n d .

turret. In contrast, the 503's 3rd Company had the

T h e operational tanks established security a t

Porsche turret (wi t h the exception of Tigers 300

Gui trancourt and Fontenay on 24 August. Enemy

and 3 1 4 ) . As a resul t , i t is possible to determine

close air support was constan tly in the air. It

from photographs of knocked o u t or disabled

a t tacked everyth i ng that wasn't under cover or was

tanks which company they belonged to. I t is also

movi ng. H auptmann Scherf was able to establish

possible to determine the bui l t-up areas where the

contact with the battalion. It can no longer be

companies were employed .

determi ned how the con tact was established­

O n 26 August, both Tiger companies a ttacked

whether by m o torcycle messenger or by keyed

together t h rough the woods at Mon tgison towards

transmission . There was a medium-wave radio i n

Fontenay.

both Tigers 300 a n d 30 1 . They were capable o f cov­

fifteen Tigers. It can be assumed that the 503's

American

sources

reported

about

eri ng greater distances. Hauptman n Fromme and

3 rd Company and the 1 0 1 's 1 st Company each

Leutnant H eerlein came to the company o n 24

employed about seven Tigers. Exploi ting the

August. They discussed how the battalion m igh t be

protection offered by the armor and the support

able to help with supply. I t was not possible to

of

arti l lery

and

Nebelwerfer,

the

Luftwaffe

release a m a i n tenance platoon because it was fore­

l i g h t i n fan try battalion was able to advance i n to

seeable that the fron t in this sector would soon

Fontenay.

become f l u i d . Superfl uous personnel were sup­

Hauptmann Scherfs Tigers-employed on the

posed to be sent back to the battalion. Because the

left-attacked the water tower and the outski rts of

company d i d not need two lieutenan ts after the

Fon tenay a t Le Mouce!. Aro u n d 1 625 h o urs, U.S.

recen t losses of tanks, H auptmann Scherf agreed

f i gh ter-bombers d ive-bombed the Tigers and the

to detail Leu tnant Koppe to the headquarters com­

accompanying i n fantry. A hail of lead poured over

pany of the battalion to lead the supply section.

the a t tackers, who were now also being shelled by

Koppe had already proven h i mself once before in

American art i l l e ry. The Tiger of Feldwebel Wei­

that area. In the curre n t situation , fue l was an

land received a h i t' o u tside of Le Mouce!. While

extremely rare commodi ty and absol u tely neces­

bail i n g o u t of the tank, Feldwebel Weiland was h i t

sary for the company to get back to the battalion.

b y a burst from a mac h i n e g u n a n d was killed

25

August.

The

Americans

continuously

immediately. The Tiger was still capable of moving

strengthened their bridgehead. Except for local

and was evacuated. Tiger 322 of U n teroffizier

attacks there were n o offensive operations. Just l i ke

Sch m i d t was disabled by a h i t at the water tower at

every other day, the enemy air forces were con­

Fontenay. Tiger 1 1 2 of the 1 0 1 's 1 st Company

stantly overhead. The Tige rs were once again the

came to help in order to p u l l it out of the i mpact

fi re brigade. They made an appearance a t Guitran­

area. American sharpshooters forced the c rew

court and Fon tenay. Over the past few days rein­

under cover aga i n a n d aga i n , so i t was i m possible

forcemen ts arrived: rem n a n ts of the 49th I n fantry

to a t tach t h e tow cable. Tiger 30 1 of Fel dwebel

Division as wel l as the 6th Parach u te Division.

Neeb received five direct h i ts from the front; none

Among the rein forceme n ts was also the 1 st Com­

of them penetrated, however.

pany of Tiger Tan k Battalion 1 0 1 , which had fou r-

Emplayment on the Invasion Front,Jul�August 1 944 American sources h ave reported the fol lowi n g concern i n g t h ese engage m e n ts:

275

The operational Tigers of the 503's 3rd Com­ pany were u n der cover at Sailly i n expectation of what was to come. The e n t i re fron t exploded at

1 430 h ours. Tan k n oise in fro n t of the 3 1 4t h

1 600 h ours. The Americans started to storm the

I nfan try regi m e n t i n Fontenay.

German posi tions u n der the cover of artificial

1 625 h ou rs . Tan ks i n fron t of the positions of the 1 st Battalion in Fon tenay. 1 646 h o urs. The U .S. Army Air Corps a t tacks

smoke. At 1 700 hours, the Allied air forces joined i n . American losses a t Fontenay were h igh and the amoun t of terrain captured small . Guitrancourt ,

with Thunderbolts. The ai rcraft strafe the Tigers

on t h e other hand, was lost towards the evening

and the i n fantry.

after see-saw figh ting. By then the Tigers were i n

1 650 hours. Two addi tional Tigers approac h ; 1 t a n k destroyer destroyed and 2 Tigers h i t . 1 700 hours. German art i l l e ry a n d Neberwer­ fer step i n to action. 1 755 hours . Tigers approach C Company i n fron t o f t h e water tower a t Fontenay.

posit i o n . They h a d been identified by t h e Ameri­ cans, however, and were under extremely heavy arti llery fire. Two Tigers had been "made a mess" accordi n g to a note wri tten by Gefreiter Liedtke that day. After darkness had fal l e n , the Tigers pulled back to Sailly to resupply so they could

1 840 hours. One Tiger h i t at the water tower.

occupy defensive positions again on the morning

1 905 hours . Three Tigers break i n t o the L

of 28 August.

Company pos itions. 1 9 1 5 h ours. Three Tigers pull back outside of

Tiger 30 1 of Feldwebel Neeb and Tiger 1 23 of the 1 0 1 's 1 st Company, which had lost contact

Fontenay on t h e road to Meula. Artillery shells

with i ts company, were i mmediately taken under

them b u t they are able to flee i n to the woods.

fi re when they left the cover of their positions by

1 920 h ours. Tiger in fron t of B Company. The 1 55mm cannon shell i t . T h e figh t i n g was broken off when i t turned dark. The Tigers p u l led back. H au p tmann Scherf

figh ter-bombers and tank destroyers. Wal ter Jung, the driver on Tiger 30 1 , reported: We were the last tank to pull out of posi tion. We were under strong enemy pressure. The only

and the rest of the company wen t to Gai llonat, the

option available was to move t h rough the woods,

company assembly area. The company mainte­

where we created our own path . After a consider­

nance section was fully engaged one more time.

able amou n t of time we got to a road, but I am

Tan ks rendered combat i neffective but still mobile

unable to recon s truct everythi n g in much detail

towed i m mobile tanks to M arines. I t was t hough t

any more. In any case, we wanted to get to our

there m i g h t be somewhat more time to repair

support area at Gaillonet. I do not know where

them t here.

the other t h ree tanks got to. I also don't know

The U . S. XV Corps i n i tiated i ts offe nsive to break o u t of t h e bridgehead on 2 7 August after

whether they were tanks from the company or from the SS.

having received additional rein forcem e n ts. I t had been c o n tained in the bridgehead for almost a

I t is known t h rough p h o tographic evidence

week and had to fen d off vigorous German coun­

that Tiger 300 was disabled a t the outskirts of

terattacks again s t i t . Two armor divisions and two

Oinville with run ni n g gear damage. The left-hand

i nfan try divisions were ready to be committed to

final drive seized and the left track broke. The

battle, abo u t 40,000 men and 500 tan ks. I n addi­

Tiger slipped i n to a ditch on the side of the road

tio n , t here was a monstrous n�mber of artillery of

and was no longer capable of moving u n der i ts

all calibers and air supremacy ·above .

own power. I t had to be towed. H auptmann

On the n igh t of 27 August, a barrage of artillery

Scherf we n t i n to the vil lage o n foo t to arrange for

pounded the forward-most German l ines starting at

recovery. The gunner, U n teroffizier H eider, and

0 1 45 hours. By the l igh t of dawn, the fighter­

the loader, Gefrei ter Deutsc h , were sen t back to

bombers started their daily work: Everything that

get to the company somehow. The s ituation was

moved o n the ground became their target. I t was

very eerie, since there were no soldiers or civilians

easy to see that big plans were i n motion.

to be seen any more. The village appeared to be

2 76

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

clear of h umans but the tack-tack-tack of machi ne­

shots were f i red. U n teroffizier Reitz was wounded

gun fire could be heard not too far away.

and captured.

After wai t i n g for a fai rly long t i m e , during

Leutna n t Rambow passed th rough Beauvais on

which n o t h i n g happened , a SPW of the SS came

30 August with two Tigers during the wi thdrawal.

roaring down the road. The soldiers i n the SPW

One tank became d isabled with a broken t rack in

called o u t : "We ' re t h e last ones. No one else is

the vic i n i ty of the p rison on rue Antoine Caron.

com i n g

The crew was i n the process of repai ring the track

after

us!"

U n teroffizier

Wun derlich

and U nt e roffizier Sch neider, the radio operator

when the f i rst British tanks from the 4/7 Dra­

of the commande r's tank, prepared the two

goons advanced i n to the ci ty. The t h i rd round

demol i tion grenades which were found i n the

from a Firefly h i t home. The surp rised crew f l ed

tank. When t hey saw the f i rs t enemy tanks on

t h rough the residential rubble and was able to

the h igh grou n d , they set the charges. Both were

make i t back to the batta l i o n . Leutnant Rambow

able to make i t back to German l i nes, but they

was able to figh t in his Tige r as far back as

did n o t see t h e company aga i n u n t i l t h ey were

Amiens. The Tiger had to be abandoned there

in Germany.

due to a lack of a m m u n i tion a n d fuel after i t had

That was the f i nal operation where t h e com­

fired i ts last round.

pany was employed as a whole, even though i t had

One Tiger of the 503's 2nd Company was able

been st rongly decimated. What fol l owed then was

to c ross the Seine, con trary to p revious reports.

only a series of i n d ividual actions in which the

Together with Tige rs of the 2nd and 3 rd Com pa­

tanks formed a rear guard again and again against

n ies of Tiger Tan k Battalion

the hotly pursuing enemy. O n 29 August t h ree

crossed at Elbeuf on 25 August. The Tige r was

Tigers under Leu t n a n t Rambow were employed

abandoned by i ts c rew at Saussay la Champagne

1 0 ] , Tiger 222

with 200 or 300 parat roopers of the 2 1 st Para­

nort h east of Les Andelys. There is a photo of that

chute Demonstration Regi ment in defensive f i gh t­

tank i n the m useum a t Les Andelys nowadays.

i ng along the road from Vigny to Gadancourt.

The battalion staff intercepted the remaining

During that fighting one of the Tigers was so

ret reating elements of the 503's 3rd Com pany

severely damaged between Avernes a n d Gadan­

north of Beauvais. I t used elements of the recon­

court that it had to be abandoned.

naissance and scout platoons to guide the retreat­

The supply elements of the company, l ocated

i ng vehicles-some in groups of t h ree or four,

on the cast le grounds at Mari nes, moved t h a t

others by themselves-i mmediately on to Lille.

night towards Beauvais. Tiger Tan k Battalion 503

The battali o n staff was a t Lille; the battal ion was

was supposed to be assembl i n g somewhere north

assembling in Sac l i n , a suburb of Lille.

of the Som m e . I t d i d n ' t h ave any tanks a t that

Gefrei te r Blunk was killed by a close-a i r attack

poi n t . The tank of Feldwebel Mtlller was blown up

on the marc h coh,l m n on 3 1 Augus t . He was the

during t h e depart u re of the supply elements. I t

n i n e teenth soldier to be killed during the eight

was n o longe r able t o be repai red . The same fate

weeks of operations i n the west.

befell a Tiger near the village of San tieu i l , five

Over the course of several n ight road marches,

kilomete rs south of M ari nes. It h ad become dis­

the battalion m oved to the a rea around Maas­

abled shortly before reach i ng Mari nes. Two addi­

tricht. The battalion received the order to move to

tional Tigers that were also in Marines with the

Paderborn to be refi tted at Sennelager. The battal­

supply

e l e m e n ts

became

d isabled

between

Marines and Auneuil during the p u l l back. When

ion reached Sennelager on 8 Septem be r, m oving by rai l from Du ren .

the Americans approached the next morni ng,

This concludes the report of Alfred Rubbel .

they also had too be abandoned. At 0830 hours on

H e l m u t Kle i n , gun ne r i n Tiger 334, remembers:

30 August, the 3 1 4th Regi m e n t of the U .S. 79th I n fa n t ry Division occupied Marines. On the previous eve n i ng, U n teroffizier Rei tz, the senior medic of t h e 503 's 3rd Company, was

After passing the Arc d ' Triomphe, we had t rans­ m ission problems at the crossroads on the near bank of the Sei n e . It took q u i te a long time until

suddenly su rprised by Americans when he was

the company main tenance section arrived i n i ts 1-

making his way forward from Marines to the tanks

ton prime mover to repair the damage. The

engaged at the fro n t . I n spite of the Red Cross,

Parisian populace stood i n crowds at the edge of

Employment on the Invasion Front,jllly-AlIgllst 1 944 the road and fol lowed t h e progress of our evacua­

277

next bend in the road. After lighting the fuses on

tion with grim coun tenance. There was firing

the demolition c harges, Giirtner and I left the

everywhere i n the surrounding streets. Cries and

tank, ran to the nearest cover and waited for the

muttered t h reats were consta n t ly getting louder

detonation . Sixty seconds are a long time. They

and m ore numerous. The crowd pressed ever

seemed l i ke an ete rn i ty to us. We wanted to run

closer to the tank. At that poi n t , Heinz Giirtner

directly back to the Tiger because we thought we

(com mander of Tiger 334) ordered the turret

h ad done something wrong. Then there was a

cleared for action. I took the main gun out of

rumble and the hatch flew off the commander's

travel lock, cran ked the elevation down and tra­

cupola. Flames blew out of the engine compart­

versed the tu rret t h rough 360 degrees. I n

m e n t and cupola. An d that was how ollr good

mome n ts, t h e square was em pty. O n ly caps, wal k­

Tiger 334 wen t to the final hunting grou nds.

ing sticks and um bre llas lay around. After the damage was repaired, we moved on beh i n d the com pany. The steering mechan ism

Then we went back and forth across France until we again found the battalion and crossed the Rh ine at Aachen.

finally gave up the ghost in a suburb of Paris and we could o n ly d rive straight ahead. They wan ted to i nstall a new transmission. We were i n a patch

So m uch for H e l m u t K1e i n 's report. It remains to pick up the story of the two dis­

of woods to the left of the road. For days we

abled tanks that had been left at Mailly-Ie-Cam p.

waited i n vai n for the crane and the main tenance

On 24 August Leutnant von Rosen , ret urning

company. From day to day, the stream of refugees

from the hospi tal i n Reims, succeeded i n arrang­

increased and more and more German troops

i n g with the transport commander at Chalon for

moved eastward. Waffen-SS troops took up posi­

Ssyms rai l cars to transport the two Tigers. On 25

tions at a stream about two kilome ters in fron t of

August the rail road cars arrived at Mailly with a

us. By then the Weh rmac h t had already evacu­

l ocomotive.

ated Paris for some time, but the Allied troops had not yet arrived in the c i ty. So we roamed

Gerhard Nieman n , Feldwebel Seidel's gunner, reports:

through the suburbs during the day. We mounted a tank m ac h i n e gun on a captured automobile

25 August: The front was drawing nearer. The

and t h us provided cover for our patrol activi ty.

two tanks crept at a snail's pace toward the load­

On one of those exped i t ions with Heinz Gartner,

ing ram ps . There was a low-level air attack during

we visited a motor-vehicle repair shop and saw

the loading operation . The locomotive was put

two Frenchmen spraying blue pai n t on a

out of action with a shot-up boiler. Even worse, it

Weh rmacht veh icle that had been abandoned.

blocked the tracks. It was not u n ti l the next day

We secured the Weh rmacht propert), and, in add i t i o n , found an American Packard automobile

that a new locomotive arrived. First the shot-up locomot ive had to be cleared from the way. Then,

that we later used to flee in a n d which then did

finally, the train could get movi ng. The objective

long service i n the 3rd Company. ( I t finally gave

was to reach the depot maintenance faci l i ty at

up the ghost in November in Budapest . )

Tilleu r in Liege. I n Epernay, Reims and

We learned from the SS that they were going

Charleville there were difficulties with the local

to wi thdraw on the next day after blowi ng up the

commanders and the Reichsba h n since the train

bridge. At that point there would no longer be

was not being fully utilized. I t was o n ly pull i ng

any German u n i ts i n front of us. The commander

twenty axles. Feldwebel Seidel was able to arrange

of the SS unit ordered us to d�stroy our tank. We

for the movement to continue past both of the

removed the machine guns ana the radio equip­

first stations, but i n Charlevi l l e the engine was

ment and put one demolition charge each in the

simply uncoupled and swi tched to a train loaded

fighting and engine compart m e n ts.

wi th wounded. There was hopeless confusion at

When we heard tank noises on the road and

the rai l road station. They had stopped forming

the last refugees confi rmed that enemy u n i ts

up trai ns. Feldwebel Seidel took over the still

were at the bridge, Heinz G�l rt ner ordered the

i n tact telephone swi tchboard and, after several

destruction of the tank. The d river, radio opera­

telephone calls, received the prom ise that a loco­

tor and loader waited i n the Packard around the

motive would be sent out.

2 78

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

28 August: The locomotive actually did arrive, and the train rolled on in the afternoon.

29 August: D ue to the lack of replacemen t parts, i t was n o t possible to repai r the tank at Tilleur. The tan k was loaded agai n . 3 September: We reached Paderborn b y way of Aachen and Cologne. 9 September: The main body of the 3rd Com­ pany arrived at Sennelager.

So much for Gerhard N iemann 's report. Both of the tanks were repaired and returned to the 3rd Company. That was why, i n many of the p h otographs from the upcoming employm e n t in H u n gary, two Tiger lIs wit h Porsche turrets are to be seen alongside the newer models wit h "produc­ tion turrets." Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was refi t ted a t Sen­ n eJager. H au ptman n Scherf was scheduled for the next battalion commander course and, by then, was o n ly a guest with Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. O n 30 September, Leutnant von Rosen also offi­ cially took over command of the company.

CHAPTER

2 9

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part Ill) Dr. Franz- Wilhelm Lochmann

KING TIGER

For the first time I was able to marvel at the

After my leave I retu rn ed to Ohrdru f. The battal­

new vehi cles of the antiaircraft platoon. They were

ion had received new tanks. The 2nd Company

quad 2cm and 3 . 7c m guns on tank chassis. The

was equipped with the Tiger I. The 1 st Company

q uad 2cm vehicles had rhomboid turrets that gave

got the new King Tiger. A trem endous vehicle. We

the gun crew q ui te good protection from gun fi re .

certai n ly had l ittle to worry about regardi n g

W e started the campaign with a really long

rounds penetrating the front. H opefully, the vehi­

road marc h , wh ich we c o n ti n ued in the days that

cle could deal with the h eavy weight. The first

fol l owed . Our assembly area was south of Cae n .

King Tigers were equipped with. the Porsche tur­

O n t h e way, w e passed a totally bombed-out village

ret. The fron t of the turret was very rounded and

during the day. That gave us an idea of what we

could prove problematical with a d irect hit to the

could expect from the air. Our column moved so

turret. Turret jams and, in a worst case s ituation,

that there was an a n tiaircraft vehicle between

penetrati o n t h rough the upper deck of the h u l l

every th ree Tigers. That made us fee l completely

were conceivable. We d i d test runs a n d made our­

secure. Suddenly the Amis [ German slang for

selves at h o m e in our new compan ions, m ea n i ng

Americans] were there with their Jabos [ German

that we removed u n necessary racks so as to make

slang for figh ter-bombers ] . Because they did not

optimal use of our storage space.

have a good firing posi tion they flew in a wide cir­ cle so that they could then attack us, four at a

FRANCE

time. The column halted. We looked curiously out

Early i n the m o rn i n g of 28 June 1 944 we were

of the hatc h es. Then our an tiai rcraft vehicles let

loaded by rail and m oved out toward France. Our

l oose with a storm of fi re. The Jabos veered off.

move was overshadowed by a terrible accident.

They certa i n ly had n o t expected that sort of

U n teroffizier Otto Oelsner was fatally i nj ured . when h e climbed out of the hatc h of the comman­

wou l d drive i n broad dayligh t was u n t h i n kable.

reception. For them, the idea that a column

der's cupola during the j ou rney while the train

The company positioned i tself well camou­

was under a bridge. We bypassed Paris and were

f l aged and widely d ispersed on a field road.

unloaded somewhere in Normandy. Everyon e was

Almost every tan k was under a tall tree. Otherwise,

extremely n e rvous for fear of possible aerial

the landscape was similar to that in Schleswig-Hol­

attacks. The combat tracks were put on in a fever­

s te i n . There were fields with breaks in their slope

ish manner, and the veh icles were assem bled i n an

and, a t large i n tervals, one m i g h t see a farmstead

adjacen t patch of woods.

wi th red-tile roofs.

279

280

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

The company t ra i n s were a few kilometers

company lost Obergefre i ter Mara t ,

Feldwebel

away at the Chateau de Canteloup. We sat arou nd

Vogt and also Oberfeldwebel Fendesack, who died

the veh icles, idle. What d i d the wai t i n g mean?

after being severely wounded.

Every day the All ies fi lled their bridgehead with

Hornke was also severely inj ured. On 1 8 J uly Leut­

Oberfeldwebel

troops and equipment. Attack! That was our idea.

n a n t Sch rider and Gefrei ter Sch ll tze were killed.

The c loser we were to the enemy, the less danger

Daily we were plagued by the dam ned Jabos.

the f l iers offered to us. O n 1 7 J uly our tank wen t

Once, the prime movers left us stan d i n g next to

t o t h e Chateau de Canteloup. There was gaso l i n e

the road between a few t rees. In our own i n terest

i n the h u l l . The mai ntenance section was busy a l l

we had camouflaged the veh icles very wel l . Never­

night a n d t h e fol lowi ng d a y get t i n g everyth i ng

theless, a short time later they discovered us. Four

straightened out. I n t h e morning of l 8 J u ly we saw

Jabos dived down on us, one after the other. Some­

armada of fou r-e ngine

ti mes they o n ly st rafed us, but then t hey h i t us

bombers and h eard t h e never-e n d i n g t h underous

aga i n wi t h their rockets. Apparen tly they had

roll of bomb i m pacts near our assembly area.

selected us as a rewarding target. In the mean­

''''hen we got to the company i n the eve n i n g

t i m e , t h ree additional f l ights arrived. Without a

an

i mmeasurably vast

w e were faced wi th an u n i magi nable spectacle. All

break, the fou r groups, each consist i n g of four

of t h e once-green landscape was now gray-black.

Jabos, dove on our tank. All hell broke loose.

The air was hazy, as i f it had never really got light

Werner and I sat way forward under the front

the e n t i re day. The greatest carpet bombing of

slope. It was quite a racket when the planes strafed

World War 11 had dealt with o u r company rela­

us on all sides of the tank. In between the strafing

t ively lightly. Several of t h e com pany's tanks were

runs, they favored us with their rockets over and

able to m ake it t h rough the tort ured landscape

over again. The t h i ngs seemed to have very sensi­

and stop the enemy, who was then launching a

tive i m pact fuses. In all tru t h , we were of the opin­

massive armored a t tack. The Allied armored for­

ion they were not necessarily a lethal danger to us,

mations had h eavy losses and had to fal l back

but it was hard on the nerves. We cursed a blue

again behind Cae n . The other companies suffered

streak and swore if we ever got hold of any of them

substan tially more from the carpet bombing. They

we would extract our revenge i n a most horrific

had heavy losses. There were Tigers that had

manner. When the ruckus was over, we saw an

t ipped over a n d lay i n deep craters.

a � m u n i tion truck burn ing nearby. The truck had

We remained n ear t he water tower at Troarn

caugh t fire righ t at the begi n n i ng, and the explod­

and were worked over by extremely heavy artil lery

ing shells had torn away our good camouflage com­

f i re for two ent i re days. Oberfeldwebel Fendesack

pletely. As we con t i n ued to be evacuated that

was our tan k commander. The heavy rounds l i ter­

evening we ran i n to some captured Tom mies in the

ally plowed up t h e e n t i re landscape. At fi rst we

next village. The kids looked completely worried

still made occasional position changes, somet i m es

and upset. Our rage had blown over. "" e gave them

a h u n d red m eters forward , sometimes a h undred

something to eat and offered them cigarettes.

meters to the rear. But that was poin tless. Finally we gave i t up. We were totally done i n and stoically

THE END OF TIGER 1 00

let every t h i n g fly over us. Oberfeldwebel Fende­

The last stop during our evacuation was in a nar­

sack got stomach cramps, and everyone in the

row road. On the one side of the road i t d ropped

tank took note: Even t h a t m a n had nerves. When

steeply i n to a val l ey and, not far from our tank,

someone asked what time it was we had to take a

there was a house. O n the other side was tall vege­

vote on whether it was m o rn i n g or eveni ng.

tation and sharply rising terrai n . We were told we

D uring the days that fol l owed we moVed north

had probably gotten safely o u t of the j aws of the

from Falaise to St. Malo. O u r tank dropped out of

pocket of Falaise and we wou l d soon be looked

the attack on 1 August with engi ne t rouble. All

after. We had camouflaged the tank wel l and gone

day long we were towed east i n small i ncremen ts.

down i n to the val ley where the farmhouse offered

The main tenance section had i t rough . Besides us,

the prospect of good quarters . The road was gen­

t h e re were other tanks that were i m mobile a n d

erally peaceful during the next twen ty-four hours

had to be evacuated o u t t h e of the danger zone

and there was h ardly any traffic . From overhead,

one at a t i m e , usually at nigh t . At that time the

the grou nd-at tack airc raft left the isolated farm-

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part Ill)

281

stead in peace. The fol lowi ng day, a h i gh-ranking

blow the t urret off the tank so i t would land

officer showed up and o rdered m e to hold that

d i rectly next to it.

road agai nst expected strong Allied armored

We rel ished o u r last Chablis and also supplied

forces. I n the village beh i n d us a new blocking

the last two squads of the Waffen-SS that were

position was to be set up along a stream. The

moving past us wit h the precious f l u id . Half an

All ied a ttack was expected the fol lowing morning.

hour later it was time. The f i rst Sherman tank sud­

I wen t down to the h ouse and outli ned the sit­

denly rolled aro u n d the c u rve. He was n ' t paying

uation to the c rew. Han nes Berger, Wai te r Fischer

much attention. The tank l ived up to i ts nickname

and Piepel Grasse were enth usiastic. U nt e roffizier

of " Ronson lighter"-one strike and it l igh ts u p !

Wi lly Fischer, who had been assigned to us to com­

Only after Willy Fischer had rescued his l a s t car­

plete t h e c rew, said t h a t , for once, h e wan ted to

ton of Wilhelm I I cigars d i d I l igh t the fuses on

get a good n igh t 's sleep. Late in the afternoon,

t h e charges and we bolted. We had used a fai rly

Leu t n a n t Piepgras came and we were happy to

long fuse so we could get i n to cover as far as possi­

finally hear som e t h i n g from the batta l i o n . The s i t­

ble from the tan k.

uation was catast rophic. I n fa n t ry f i re rapidly drew

Then i t wen t u p , that u n l ucky tank. The tank

near from the west. It was coming from the quite

had been o n ly ballast for us and t h e battalion in

weak forces of the 1 2t h SS Panze r Division " H i tler­

Normandy. The t urret landed exac t ly where we

jugend." I n t h e d istance we were a l ready hearing

had planned i t , right next to the h u l l . The Sher­

the m assive sou n ds of armor. The Leutnant gave

man we had knocked o u t blocked the road for his

me t h e task of remai n i n g at t h e tank wi th one

people. The tanks that were fol lowi ng had no

man from the c rew and wai ti n g until the last Ger­

chance to get around i t , with the valley on one

man t roops were past. Then I was to blow up the

side and the hill rising on the other. As a resul t ,

tank. After that was done we were to fal l back to

we h a d a t least brough t t h e Tom m ies t o a stand­

the east, reach the Seine somewhere and attempt

s t i l l . During the days that fol l owed , Wi l ly Fischer

to rega i n con tact w i t h t h e battalion a t Rouen. All

and I made our way to Elbeuf on the Seine. A l i t­

u n i ts were exhorted to unconditional resistance.

tle downstream from there we crossed the river in

Only Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 and u n i ts of the

a rowboat and contin ued our journey to Rouen.

Fallsc h i rn-uager

wi t hdraw

Purely by acciden t , we encoun tered a mess veh icle

th rough t h e German l i nes since,. as was said, we

were

perm i t ted

to

from the battalion. Somewhere beh i n d Fleury we

had been c h osen to defend the V-2 launching

reached the company. Th ree days later we t rav­

si tes. I stayed at the tank \¥i t h Willy Fischer.

eled by t ruck t h ro ugh Cambrai to Germany and

Left to o u rselves, we started on a good bottle

reached Aachen i n the eveni ng. At the end of

of c i rca 1 923 Chablis and the preparations for the

August we were q uartered i n a barracks of Panzer­

demolition. Since we had t h ree Z85 demoli tion

ersatzabteilung 500 at Paderborn.

charges avai lable, we wan ted to do a rea l ly good

The 3rd Company had been pulled out of the

job. The road took a sharp bend about 1 50 m e ters

l i nes in France in the meantime. It was outfi tted

west of us. That was where t h e f i rst enemy tan k

with the Ki ng Tige r at Paderborn. I t turned over

wou l d have to appear d i rectly in fron t of us. We

i ts remai n i ng veh icles to the 2nd Company. While

plan ned to knock out the lead veh icle a n d hoped

we were i n Paderborn , the 3rd Company was still

that we wou l d then be able to have the demolition

employed i n France.

282

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Refitting at the Ohrdruf Taining Area in June 1 944. It was here that the battalion received its frrst King Tigers. While there, the battalion also had the opportunity to allow its soldiers to participate in excursions to local areas of interest.

Tankers visiting the Wartburg in beautiful Thuringia, the "heart" of Germany. Left to right: Obergefreiter Albers, Leutnant Rubbel, Obergefreiter Dahlmann, and an unidentified soldier.

Tiger 322 of the 2nd Platoon of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, with the Porsche turret. Ohrdruf, June 1 944.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part Ill)

Initial gunnery exercises with the new King Tiger.

The period of refitting nears its end. The 1st and 2nd Companies of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 were issued the King Tiger. The 3rd Company had to deploy with the Tiger Transport tracks are being fitted at the home base of Panzer Regiment 2 at Eisenach.

Camouflage is being applied to the new King Tigers.

I.

283

284

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The officers and noncommissioned officers of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, during a NCO night out at Waltershausen, Thuringia, on 1 4 June 1 944. First (top) row, right to left: Feldwebel Graumens, Unteroffizier Schwarzmann, Unteroffizier Michaelis, unknown, unknown, Unteroffizier ElIerbrock, unknown, unknown, Unteroffizier Sroka, Unteroffizier Sepke, Unteroffizier Johannsen, Feldwebel Vogt, and Unteroffizier Hoppner. Second row: Feldwebel Tessmer, Unteroffizier Warms, unknown, Feldwebel Martach, unknown, Feldwebel Moscardini, unknown, Feldwebel Mewes, Feldwebel Wolf, unknown, Feldwebel Trenka, Unteroffizier Kuhtz, Stabsfeldwebel Ehrentraut, Stabsfeldwebel Schmidt, and Unteroffizier Zaic. Third row: Unteroffizier Vogel, Oberfeldwebel Hornke, Oberfeldwebel Fendesack, unknown, unknown, Leutnant Linsser, Oberleutnant Oemier, Leutnant Schroder, and Hauptfeldwebel Wendt. Fourth row: Unteroffizier Schiilke (?), Unteroffizier Eschrig, UnterofflZier Wilde, Unteroffizier Grasse, Unteroffizier Weidenkaff, Unteroffizier Knispel, Unteroffizier Scharf, Unteroffizier Kiick, and Unteroffizier Manthei.

The tanks are zeroed in.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part Ill)

Fighter-bomber attack on the rail movement of the 3rd

Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at Esternay. Tiger 3 1 1 toppled over during the emergency unloading.

The tanks are ready to be loaded by rail. The transport tracks have been mounted and the skirt guards removed. The tanks are moving out to the rail station at Ohrdruf.

285

286

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Another view of the approach march during the night to the invasion front.

During the night road march to the invasion front in the Caen area on 7 July 1 944. Soldiers of the 1 6th Luftwaffe Field Division, to which the 503 was attached, marvel at the Tigers.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

Tiger 1 23, commanded by Feldwebel Seidel, rolls towards the front.

And here it is after its fall.

18 July 1 944, northeast of Cagny: The Sherman of Lieutenant Gorman of the 21st Irish Guards Armour Regiment rammed Tiger 1 22 of Feldwebel Gerber of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503. The course of events is portrayed differently by Gorman and Gerber in the text of the book. This photo, coming from French sources and only recently discovered, shows that the Tiger had not pointed its cannon at the Sherman. In addition, the German crew was not captured by the British.

287

288

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR 1I

Assembly position of the 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, on the grounds of the Chateau de Canteloup, 1 6 kilometers east of Caen, midJuly 1 944. One can see two British prisoners of war (with guard) who are transporting two food containers. They did not belong to the 503.

Unteroffizier Giirtner, 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, was awarded the German Cross in Gold in July 1 944. To his right is the company commander, Hauptrnann Scherf.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

July

1 944,

from left to right:

Leutnant Heerlein, Hauptmann von Eichel­ Streiber (company commander of the 503's 2nd Company) and Hauptmann Fromme (battalion commander) .

Elements of the supply company in Normandy. Note the widespread use of the reed-green panzer uniform.

Battalion officers, left to right: Leutnant Heerlein, unknown, and Hauptrnann Wiegand.

289

290

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

A break in

the action in Normandy. Left to right: Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber (commander of the 2nd Company,

Tiger Tank Battalion 503 ) , Hauptmann Wiegand (commander of the supply company), Oberarzt-Doktor Schramm (battalion surgeon), and Hauptmann Scherf (commander of the 3rd Company).

Oberfeldwebel Rondorf and Hauptmann Scherf of the 3rd Company. The battalion insignia can clearly be seen on Scherf's field cap. No reason is known for the presentation of the "adult beverages."

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

The battalion command post at Emieville prior to the carpet bombing on

Mter the carpet bombing at Maneville on

1 8 July 1 944.

18 July 1 944.

291

292

THE COMBAT HlSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Tiger 3 1 3 was flipped upside down. The tank commander, Feldwebel Sachs, and another crew member were rescued alive.

Tiger 322 did not fare well either as a result of the carpet bombing.

Leutnant Hee.t,"lein, the battalion adjutant.

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

293

The dramatic situation at Falaise-Trun can be read on the faces of these soldiers from the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

Left: Tiger 2 1 3 moves along the Grand Rue Bourgtberoulde at Elbeuf in search of a Seine crossing.

294

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Tigers of the 2nd Company of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 take a break on the move east to the Seine.

On the west bank of the Seine at Rouen. No bridge, no ferries. Waiting for a miracle, but frrst a bit of sleep. Who knows when there may be another opportunity? The vehicles do not belong to Tiger Tank Battalion 503.

Unteroffizier lIeier, 1 944.

Recollections of a Pallzer Soldier (Part ill)

In the bivouac area at Sompuis near Mailly-Ie-Camp. The 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, awaited new tanks there after its complement was destroyed during the fighting in Normandy.

Orders being issued to the 3rd Company. Standing in front of the formation, left to right: Feldwebel Schad, Feldwebel Grohmann, Leutnant Koppe, and Hauptmann Scherf. The battalion insignia can also be seen on Leutnant Koppe's cap.

Tiger 30 1 on 1 6 August 1 944 at the assembly area at Sailly.

295

296

THE COMBAT mSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BAITAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

British soldiers investigate a knocked out Tiger IT of the 1st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, which was abandoned at Plessis-Grimoult on 1 0 August 1 944.

ReCOllecti01lS of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

Two Tiger lIs of the 1 st Company which became disabled at Vimoutiers and were blown up by their crews. The photos were taken by British soldiers between 1 3 and 20 August 1 944.

297

298

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

The 3rd Company road-marches through Paris in August 1 944.

On the Boulevard de la Chapelle in Paris. This photograph of Tiger 3 1 1 by a member of the Resistance.

was

reputedly taken

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part ill)

Two views of Tiger 300 at Oinville on 26 August 1 944. This was the company commander's vehicle. Hauptmann Scherf's Tiger was later recovered.

299

300

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR LI

King Tiger o f the 3rd Company at Beauvais on 30 August 1 944. This tank was knocked out by a Sherman Firefly after it had become mechanically disabled.

Gefreiter WaIter Junge of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, points out battle damage on his tank, Tiger 30 1 , at SailIy on 26 August 1 944.

RecollectiollS of a Panzer Soldier (Part m)

301

A demonstration conducted for the weekly newsreel at the Senne Training Area near Paderborn in September 1 944. The 3rd Company was reinforced with tanks from the 1 st Company for the "show." In the photo, Leutnant von Rosen passes in review. At the time, he was the acting commander of the company.

Tiger 3 1 3 (?) takes the lead in a company march formation. The commander is Feldwebel Kuhnert. The driver is Unteroff"Izier Runge.

302

THE COMBAT mSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

In the foreground-still without a turret number-is a tank from the 1st Company. The tank commander has not been identified; Obergefreiter Schlenzek is in the loader's hatch. The newsreel wanted eight tanks in line to create a more dramatic effect.

The 3rd Company road-marched to the entraining station at Paderborn on 9 October 1 944. The 80-centimeter-wide combat tracks were exchanged for the 60-centimeter loading tracks for the rail movement, since that reduced the overhang when the Tigers were loaded on the special railroad cars (Ssyms) .

PART

FIVE

IN HUNGARY, AUSTRIA , AND CZE CHO SLOVAKIA , 1 9 44-4 5

C HAPTER

3 0

Ell1 p loYll1ent in Hungary Richard Freiherr von Rosen

[ German Weekly Newsref'fJ . T h e pictures are s t i l l i n

TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN BUDAPEST: THE HORTHY CRISIS

existence a n d repeatedly show up in various Ger­

The battalion assembled in the Paderborn area.

man and foreign publications.

The staff was at Neuhaus; the compan ies in the

Whe re were we headed? 'vVe soon con firmed

surro u n d i ng vil lages. The 1 st Company was bil­

that we were undoubtedly headed east: Halberstadt­

leted at Ben t feld, the 2nd at Elsen , and the 3rd at

Halle-Eger-Pilsen-Prague-Brun n-Pressburg. On 1 3

Hovelhof. As m any soldiers as possible were sent

and 1 4 October the trains arrived at Budapest. The

on leave, since there was no q uestion the time i n

tanks were unloaded at the East Railroad Station.

Germany would b e short. H owever, t h e next area

1 3 October 1 944: The battalion command post was set up in Dunaharaszti. The 1 st Company

of operations was n o t known . The companies were again filled out wi t h per­ son nel. The new men came from Panzer Replace­ ment

Battalion

500

at

Paderborn .

Leutnant

moved to Czonemedi. ] 4 October 1 944: The 3rd Company occupied

billets at Taksony, ] 5 kilometers south of Budapest.

Wagner was transferred to the 503's 3rd Company

During the move from the East Rail road Station,

to become the t h i rd platoon leader. The n um be r

the company received an e nt h usiastic greeting

of wheeled veh icles was also i n c reased to t h e

from the populace. The soldiers were given apples,

exten t t h a t replacements were available. T h e civil­

prali nes and cigarettes. H owever, we also saw street

ian automobiles that h ad been brough t along

barriers occupied by the H onveds [ Hungarian

from France were turned in. Between 1 9 and 22

army] . An t i tank and antiairc raft guns were posi­

Septem ber 1 944, forty-five Tiger l Is were rapidly

tioned with their barrels all directed th reateningly

issued to the batta l i o n , bring i n g i t back to i ts ful l . com pleme n t o f tanks. Time remained for instruc­

toward the streets. What did that mean?

tion of the new perso n n e l , p repari ng the tanks

the day rumors also reached us of the possibi l i ty of

Something was i n the air. During the course of

and zeroing the weapons u n t i l 9 October. The

a Putsc h . H eightened precautions were ordered.

tanks were loaded i n pouri ng rain at Paderborn , a

The soldiers remained in the local pubs with the

few days after the 3rd Com pany, rei n forced with

villagers until late in the n ight.

tanks from the 1 st Company, had to perform some

1 5 October ] 944: Leutnant von Rosen was

"dog and pony" shows for the Deulsche Wochenschau

ordered to the battalion command post at 0200

305

306

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

hours. New orders: "At dawn the 3rd Company

t h e radio proclamation the signal for t h e i r long­

moves with all of its elements to the o t h e r side of

awaited hour of seizing power, occupied the radio

the Danube at Budakeszy."

station and proclaimed a counter-order. The

A putsch by t h e H u nga rian regime and m i li­

Arrow-Cross organ izat ion, along with numerous

tary was c learly a possi b i l i ty to be rec koned w i t h .

H onved and police units and office rs, spon ta­

That necessi tated t h a t t h e few German u n i ts there

neously placed themselves on the German side.

d raw closer together so as better to meet any even­

In the c i ty gunfi re erupted i n places. ( N i kolaus

tuali ty. Therefore, all available u n i ts of Tiger Tan k

von H o rt hy, fin L"ben fii r UngaTn, Bon n : 1 953, p.

Baualion 503 were ordered t o Budakeszi , a suburb

325)

on the edge of the Budapest H i lls. That move­ ment also negated the possi bility that t h e t racked

The battal ion's Tigers moved to all the bridges

and wheeled u n i t s of the battalion might be cut

over the Danube and blocked all t raffic between

off by a possible demolition of the bridges over

the city halves of Buda and Pest. H ungarian u n i ts

the Danube.

that were not known to be loyal to the Germans

The company marched at 0500 hours i n t h e early

m o rn i n g-ready

fo r

were disarmed.

combat-th rough

Budapest. It set u p under tall t rees to the right of

The m i l i tary action that had been plan ned for

the Budapest-Budakeszi road. The bat talion com­

the 22nd SS Cavalry Division, Tiger Tank Battal­

mand post and the wheeled elements were i n

ion 503, and the forces ava i lable to the sen ior SS

Budakeszi.

and police commander had to be postponed

The situation c leared up at noon on 1 5 Octo­

until the morning hours of 1 6 October, since all

ber. A.fter t he Red Army had also advanced i n to

of the tanks had not yet arrived. ( Friedrich H use­

H u ngary, the i m perial rege n t , Adm i ral H o rt hy,

mann, Di" guten Claubens wrtTen, Osnabriick:

institu ted negotiations with the USSR and the

M u n i n-Verlag, 1 973, p. 424)

Western powers. On 15 October h e declared he had asked for a cease-fi re with the Sovie t U n ion:

1 6 October 1 944: At 0430 hours the Germans

"I i n formed a representative of the German Reich

promised a cease-fi re , wi th the condition t hat t h e

that we were about to agree to a m i l itary truce

H u ngarians d i d the same.

with our former enemy and halt all m i l i ta ry

At 0535 hours Adm i ral Hort hy, under pressure

operations . . . . The commanders of the H onved

from the German coun termeasures, gave his body­

have received correspon d i n g i nstructions from

guard the order to offer no resistance.

me" ( Ni kolaus VOIl H o rthy, Ein [J'bm lux UngrtTn, Bon n : 1 953, p. 325 ) .

At

0555

hours

Ad m i ral

H orthy

left

h is

residence.

That proclamation, which was an nou nced a t

The m i l i ta ry action started at 0600 hours.

1 300 h o u rs over the rad io, spread l i ke wildf i re .

Ad m i ral H orthy's o rder had not reached one bat­

The a t t i tu d e of t h e H u ngarian u n i ts toward t h e

talion of the bodyguard in t h e park next to the

German u n i ts deteriorated rapidly a n d took on a

residence, which resul ted i n a skirm ish that left

host i l e character in some cases. The H onveds had

four German soldiers dead. The residence was

e rected barricades i n Budapest. The maj ority of

occupied. The 503 's 2nd Company took part i n

the H u ngarian civilian population viewed it all

t h a t operation. Elements of the 3rd Company

uncomprehendi ngly. Resignation set in because

stood by i n readi ness at the bottom of the h i l l

th ere was a sign i f i c a n t fear of the Russian t roops.

where t h e residence was located. " I n t h e c i ty there

The battal ion was ordered to p repare for

were o n ly insign i ficant skirm ishes. The German

operations!

u n i ts could therefo re be pulled out i n groups.

I n the mean time, the p re-plan ned measures and

over security d u ty" ( Kriegstagebuch des OKW,

actions of the opposition on the right proceeded.

Band TV/ I : l . Jan uar 1 944-22 . Mai 1 945 ) .

The H onved and armed Arrow-Cross men took

The "Arrow-Cross" men [ Ferenc Szalasi 's H ungar­ ian Fascist Nyi las movemen t ] , who had seen i n

With that, the m ission o f Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 in Budapest was ended.

The Operational Area of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 from October 1 944-February 1 945.

308

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

THE ATTACK ON THE SZOLNOK BRIDGEHEAD AND THE FIGHTING ON THE THEIB 1 7 October 1 944: What was the s i tuation?

that division did not arrive in and around Szo l nok until sometime during the cou rse of the day of 1 8 October. Therefore, the leaders' reconnaissance for the assembly position and attack had to be extraordinarily brief. Practically nothing was

The im mediate consequence of the call by the

known about the enemy positions, not even the

im perial rege n t , Admi ral Hort hy, for a cease-fire

fac t that a Rumanian i n fan try division was in the

was that the Second H u ngarian Armored Division, by order of the Commander-i n-Chief of the Sec­

opposing posi tions. ( F. M . von Senger und Ett er­ l i n , Die 24. PanzelcDivisio1'l, vonnals 1. Kavalleri()­

ond H ungarian Army, Colonel General Verres,

Division, 1 93 9-1 945, Neckargem lll1d:

abandoned i ts positions in an extremely i m por­

Kurt-Vowi nckel-Verlag, 1 962, p. 266 ff)

tant sector and pul led back to the TheiB. The withdrawal took place without any consideration of its consequences for the neighboring forma­

Tiger Tank Battalion 503 was placed under the operational con trol of the 24th Panzer D ivision

tions which were still figh ti ng. ( Friedrich H use­

and was to support the i m pending attack of that

mann, Di() gute1'l Claubens waren, Osnabrllck:

division at Szo l n o l k . As it tu rned o u t , a part of

M u n i n-Verlag, 1 973, p. 424)

the battalion wen t to the 4th SS Pol ice Division for

The IV Panzer Corps-com manded by Gener­ alleutn a n t K1eeman and assembled from the rem­

the a t tack. The tanks were en trained i n Budapest . The

nants of t h e staff of t h e IV Army Corps that had

wheeled veh i cles moved by road marc h . Because

been smashed a t Jassy-had been given the m is­

of a shortage of the special Reichsba h n rai l road

sion to break t h rough t h e enemy on the east

cars ( Ssym s ) , the compan i es could only fol low

ban k of the TheiB River east of Szolnok as soon

each other, e n t rai n i ng when t h e t rain returned

as possible-but by 1 9 October at the latest-with

with the em pty cars.

the 24th Panzer Division and the 4th SS Police Division. It would then advance i n a generally

1 8 October 1 944: The e n t i re 1 st Company un loaded at Abony. As evening approached two

eastward d i rection i n to the deep flank of the

trains carryi ng the 3rd Company were sent to

Russian armored forces that were engaged with

Cegled. The operations o rder for the com i ng

the I I I Panzer Corps at Debrecen .

day's a t tack arrived.

T h a t m ission i nvolved a relief a t tack a s much for the weak German defenses along the TheiB

The 2nd Company and a platoon of the 3rd Company ( Leutnant Wagner) did not arrive u n t i l

River as for the hard-fighting German armored

the next day a t the n e w area of opera tions and, by

formations in the Puszta. As part of that opera­

order of the IV Panzer Corps, were placed under

tion, the 24th Panzer Division had to cross the

the operational control of the 4th SS Police Divi­

bridge over the The i · that was still available at the

sion. As a result, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was spl i t

edge of Szolnok. It then had to assem ble on the

i n to two parts. Hauptmann From me, t h e battalion

extremely narrow meadow area on the east bank

commander, found h i mself with h is command

of the river and, after a short artillery prepara­

tank, Tige r " I ," with the half of the battalion that

tion, set o u t a t first light to break th rough the

was with the 24th Panzer Divisio n . It had been

enemy positions on the h igh bluffs. Following

given the m ission of lead i ng the t h rust i n to the

that, it had to turn toward the city of Mezotur,

Russian flank as spearhead of the division.

which was abo u t 25 kilometers away. The division

19 October 1 944: In pitch-black night, the 1 st

had to capt u re Mezot u r and then, proceedi n g th rough Th urkeve, take the h igh groun d south­

and 3rd Companies moved i n to the attack posi­

east of Kisluszallas and later establish con tact with

portion of Szolnok. The commanders were briefed

the I I I Panzer Corps.

tions in the tiny TheiB bridgehead in the southeast in the last calm before the storm . Leu t n a n t Ram­

The 4th SS Pol ice Division was to fol low the

bow received the I ron Cross, Second Class he had

24th Panzer Division i n i tial ly, then advance along

earned in France. The a t tack was to start at 0500

the Szolnok-Debrecen road and t h us cover the

hours. The 1 st Company was to be in fron t , led by

deep left flank of the 24th Panzer Divisio n . As a

Leu t n a n t Piepgras. I t would be fol lowed by the 3rd

result of the operation in Budapest , the u n i ts of

Company. Von Rosen wrote the fol lowing in 1 946:

Employment in Hungary Shortly aft e r the lead tank had crossed the main

ently had been un loaded on the open tracks

line of resistance, the first Rumanians-they were

southeast of Mezotur also became i nvolved.

the ones who held the positions in that sector­

309

For Tiger Tank Battalion 503, the n ight in the

approached t h e tanks with their hands raised. I t

hedgehog position was not quiet. Russian

was possible to cross a n emban kment that ran

ground-attack planes attacked for a wh ile in the

across the d i rection of the a ttack and which had

evening. They dived on the battalion's tanks with­

been a serious concern for the armor command­

out causing sign i ficant damage. D uring the nigh t ,

ers during t h e i r map studies. The next village was

a Russian patrol was able to approach the com­

rapidly reached, from which the Rumanians tried

mander's tank. The patrol was driven off by fire

in vai n to f lee. They were waved to the rear since

from m ach ine pistols and several hand grenades.

the tan ks had no time to concern themselves with

( Frei he rr von Rosen , personal notes, 1 946)

prisoners. An an t i ta n k belt faci n g the d i rection of the attack was overrun . As it t u rned out, the

20 October ] 944: I t had al ready been deter­

ent i re depth of the defe nsive position had been

m i ned the previous evening that the enemy had

penetrated. M i nes were d iscovered twice on the

drawn strong forces from the Debrecen area to

avenue of advance, but i t was possible to drive

t h row agai nst t h is advance that en dangered his

around them. As a resu l t , the Tigers t h rust ever

f l a n k. As a resu l t , stro nger e nemy opposition had

deeper i n to t h e h i n terland. Enemy trains were

to be reckoned with that day.

surprised; e n t i re columns swept from the road. Nothing could halt t h e forward advance. The

I n the gray light of daw n , the 3rd Company took over the poi n t of the attack. Whereas the

tanks appeared l i ke ghosts, a total surprise for the

tanks had, u n t i l that poi n t , advanced to the south­

enemy.

east, t hey then

At about 1 0 00 hours, after advancing about 20 kilometers, the 3rd Company crossed a rai l road line just as a long freigh t t ra i n approached the

made a 90-degree turn and

attacked toward the n orth east. Orders gave the c i ty of Turkeve as the new objective of the attack. From there the attack was to con t i n ue as far as

rail crossi ng with much steam and smoke . Tigers

Kisujszal las. The lead tanks were already being

were rapidly brought int o position both righ t and

fi red on by a n t i ta n k guns after the first 500

left of the rai l c rossi ng. One round and the loco­

meters. The enemy had worked his way that close

mot ive disappeared in a cloud of"smoke and

during the night. The si tuation was serious, since

stea m . The t ra i n came to a stands t i l l . It was an incom preh ensible scene � H u ndreds of Russian

way with marshy terrain on both sides. The 3rd

the route of the advance t h e re ran along a cause­

soldiers streamed from the cattle cars, all

Company could not deploy. Only the lead tanks

attempting to reach the safety of a small patch of

could engage the enemy. Six antitank guns on

woods. Riderless horses gal loped i n all d irections.

both sides of the road opened f i re on the Tiger by

Rail cars loaded with veh icles and equipment

surprise. They were e l i m inated i n less than ten

were set ablaze by gunfire. The tanks had

m i n utes, but the Russians had addi tional a n t i tank

encoun tered a t rain carryi ng elements of a Russ­

guns organized i n dept h . They defe nded them­

ian guards cavalry division. However, there was l i t­

selves b i t terly and with stubborn determ i nation.

tle time to spe n d t here. The ] st Company was

The tanks of the 3rd Company took many h i ts.

al ready movi ng forward and the 3rd Company

I f the Panzer IVs of the 24th Panzer Division had

had to fol l ow.

been forced to take t h e lead, not a si ngle one of

The c i ty of Mezotur, the first intermediate

them would have made i t t h rough . The strong

objective of the bat tle group, �vas reached late in the afternoon . Forty kilom eters had been cov­

fron tal armor of the Ki ng Tiger wi th stood the a n t i ta n k rounds. Noth i n g could stop them and

ered. It was h igh time to refuel . The battalion

the tanks at the poi n t chewed their way right

wen t into a hedgehog position outside the c ity.

t h rough the strong a n t i ta n k defense until they

The combat trains were brought forward. Mezo­

could gai n open and negotiable terrain. However,

tur, i tself, was cleared by the 24th Panzer D ivi­

the satisfaction at the success did not last long, for

sio n . That developed into local i zed figh ting in

w i t h i n a few kilometers t hey came up against t h e

several parts of the relatively large ci ty. During

n e x t a n t i tank g u n bel t . Aga i n , the lead tanks were

the n igh t , elements of Russian u n i ts that appar-

h i t dead o n . Aga i n , several tanks were disabled

310

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR /I

with damage to guns or tracks. That defensive belt

approached the ci ty. They reached the KisLuszal las­

was also penetrated. W i th i n a few kilometers the

Devavanya road. From there, they had a good view

com pany found itself in the m idst of an i n fan t ry

of the im proved road from Debrecen to Kisluszal­

tank h u n t e r/killer teams. They

las a few kilomet ers away. An unbroken l i ne of

attacked the Tige rs with satchel charges and Molo­

tanks , trucks and, above all, a n t i tank guns rolled

tov cockta ils. There was only one way to deal with

along it i nt o the ci ty. Between fi fty and seve n ty

posi ti on with

that: Blast t h rough at ful l t h rottle and with all

an titank guns were coun ted in a very short time.

mac h i n e guns blazing.

There was no way to take the city in a coup de

The battle group approached Turkeve. We had

main against that sort of superiority and even less

plan ned to bypass the c i ty on t he left and then

chance of holding it if it were captured. The battle

a t tack i t from its rear. But that was easier said than

group assumed a hedgehog position not tar from

done, since the e n t i re o u tski rts of t he place were

the city. Supplies came during the night without

thick with a n t i ta n k guns. The tanks again took

any serious i n te r ference. Reconnaissance effo rts

frontal h i ts, with the result that, gradual ly, almost

revealed early in the morning that the enemy had

a l l of the tanks were disabled. Leu tnant von

rei n forced his armor forces to the nort heast.

Rose n 's tank received a h i t d i rectly benea t h the

2 1 October 1 944: During the m o rn i ng of 2 1

main gun, preve n t i n g the tank from f i ring. H ow­

October, the bat tle group received orders to pull

ever, h e con t i n ued to lead the at tack. Final ly,

back to Tu rkeve. The Russians had recaptured the

t h e re were only t h ree Ki ng Tigers from the 3rd

city of Mezotur beh i n d the batt l e group. H aupt­

Company left in the a t tack. The company com­

mann Fromme and the 1 st Company rolled back

mander covered the last 1 ,000 meters to Tu rkeve

to Mezitur and were i m mediately i nvolved t here

with t h e m . He then reached the northeast out­

in heavy street figh t i ng. During the short time t hat

ski rts of the city and advanced i n to it from there .

the Russians had been back in the city they had

T h e Russians began to c l e a r o u t .

even been able to position a 7.62cm anti tank gun

D u r i n g the nearly five hours of attack, the 3rd

in a ch urch steeple. For the f i rst time, the battal­

Company had dest royed t h i rty-six a n t i ta n k guns,

ion encountered t h e American 5 . 7c m a n t itank

thereby chewing i ts way kilomete r by kilometer

gun. It was capable of penetrating even the fron tal

through the enemy in u ncommonly tough and b i t­

armor of the Tiger. Leu t n a n t Beyer was wou nded

ter fighti ng. The com pany had several wpunded,

by j ust such a round that pen e t rated his tank.

but no men were killed and none of the tanks

Oberfeldwebel Markus and U n teroffizier Schielke

were total losses.

were killed.

During t h e hours that fol l owed, i ndividual

As ordered, the 3rd Company remained at

tanks that had succeeded i n repairing their dam­

Turkeve. Figh ting developed at Turkeve with Russ­

age l i n ked up with the company. As a resul t , the

ian tanks a ttacking from the nort heast . The com­

com pany had six tan ks operationally ready. That

bat

was a part icularly p raiseworthy accomplishment

elemen ts during the attack, were at tacked by the

trains, which were following the combat

for Feldwebel Gro · ma n n , who was always at the

Russians. The company lost i ts first soldiers kil led

very fron t with

in H u ngary. A prime mover and a t ruck were lost.

his mai nt enance section and

The main tenance section worked feverishly to pre­

acco m pl ished m i racles of repair. As noon approached, the division commander

pare disabled tanks and wheeled veh icles for tow­

came fo rward with praise for the company and a

ing. As evening approached, the company received

short discussion of the con t i n ued attack. The sec­

orders to pull out. They were to reestablish con tact

ond i n termediate objective was the c i ty of Kisujsza­

with the battalion staff in the Mezo l U r area.

lIa. It was i m portant the success shoulcr be rapidly exploi ted and the enemy den ied furt her time for

Since enemy pressure, particularl y on the neigh­

renewed defensive measures. Apparent ly, the King

boring formation to the left, the 4th SS Police

Tigers had had a sign i f icant effect on his m o rale

D ivision, had markedly i n c reased along the

and he slowly began to soften up.

Debrecen-Szolnok road, the attack was com­

The attack i n i tially con t i n ued well the next afternoon. N "t er moving about

1 5 kilometers ,

the tanks turned off t he main road and slowly

pletely broken off on 2 1 October. The 24th Panzer Division had to make possible the forma­ tion of a new Theif3 bridgehead by defending the

Employment ;n Hungary village of Torokszen t m iklos. ( F. M. von Senger

311

The 503's 3rd Company suffered a painful loss

und Etterl i n , Dif' 24. PanZf?l�Division, vonnals I .

in the p rocess: Le utnant Wagner was so severely

Kavallerip-Division, 1 93 9- 1 945, Neckargemund:

wounded t h a t his left a rm had to be amputated.

Kurt-Vowinckel-Ve rlag: J 962, p. 266 ff. ) The 24th Panzer Division and the lead battle

On 2 1 October that at tack also had to be bro­ ken off because the forces of the Russian 6th

group of Tige r Tan k Battal ion 503 were to exe­

Guards Tank Army that had bee n brought up

cute the withdrawal to the h i l l at Torokzen tm i k­

were too powerfu l . Bat tle Group Wiegand then

los during the night and fol lowing m o rn i ng.

made i ts way back to the h i l l at Torokszentm iklos,

They would l i n k u p there wi t h the formations of

as ordered. I t then l i n ked up with the main body

the 4th SS Police Division and the t rail battle

of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503.

group of Tige r Tan k Battalion 503 under Haupt­ mann Wiegand. Battle Group Wiegand consisting

U n t i l that happened, however, the 24th Panzer Division with the lead bat tle group of Tiger Ta nk

of the 2nd Company and one platoon of the 3rd

Battalion 503 fi rst had to fight i ts way there. What

Company under Leu t n a n t Wagne r d i d n ' t arrive

made the situation bad was the fact that the

at the ofnoad station un t i l 1 9 October. By t h a t

enemy s i tuation was totally unclear and that, by

poi n t , the battalion ( m i n us) , consisti n g of the 1 st

then, any im mobile tanks had to be towed there if

Company and two platoons of the 3rd Company,

they had n ' t a l ready been repaired. Since the

had al ready been a t tacking with the 24th Panzer

maj ority of the operat ional Tigers were needed

Division. Con t rary to prior plans, Battle Group

for the towi ng, the motorcycle soldiers [ Krad­

Wiegand was not sen t by the rv Panzer Corps to

sch iiLzen] of the 24th Panzer Divsion had to take

the 24th Panzer Division. I nstead, it was comm i t­

over the lead.

ted with the 4th SS Police Division. That divi­

The Tigers moved in the fi rst t h i rd of the long

sion's m issi on read t h at it was to advance from

army colum n . In an emergen cy, they would be

Torokszen t mi klos t h rough Kenderes to Kisujszal­

q u ickly available. There was a row of tanks, each

las and attac k that c i ty along with the 24th Panzer

with a secon d in tow. Since the march could o n ly

Division. On 20 October Hauptmann Wiegand set out wi th his battle group from Torokszentmiklos. His mission was to advance 35 kilometers deep into

be conducted at nigh t , the distances covered were q u i te l i m i ted and everyone hoped that the Rus­ sians would not be active. 22 October 1 944: Early on 22 Octobe r, Haupt­

enemy territory while braki ng any opposition . He

mann Fromme and his Tige r battle group were

was to capt u re and hold " Kenderes as his day's

about 1 5 kilometers from Torokszen tm i klos when

objective. Whe n the battle group got to Sza­

the order was received: " H al t ! " Friendly reconnais­

parfalu, it ran i n to a strong a n t i ta n k and armor

sance had reported strong enemy forces on the

defenses which brought the attack temporarily to

left f l a n k. The hope of get ti n g t h rough to Torok­

a standsti l l . The situation became critical when

sze n t m iklos w i t h o u t enemy con tact

the enemy fired on the tanks from the fron t and

dest royed .

flanks of the battle group. H auptman n Wiegand

was

thus

T h e battalion at tacked. T h e 3rd Company,

advanced i n to the m iddle of the a n titank belt with

wi t h five tanks, was in the lead. The 2nd Company

his tanks, overran two an titank guns, and then

fol lowed. I t was early morni ng, brisk and foggy.

rolled u p the e n t i re defensive belt from the flank,

The a t tack sector was meadowland with fruit trees,

even t h ough he took d i rect h i ts on the t urret and

scattered farmsteads and hedgerows, a highly

gun . The battle group was able to dest roy twenty

unsui table terra i n fo r attacking tanks. Visi b i l i ty

heavy an titank guns and art i llery pieces as wel l as : knock out an enemy tan k and break the enemy

was l i m i ted to 1 00 meters at best. Von Rosen wrote the fol lowing in 1 946:

resistance. The day's objective, Kenderes, was taken as o rdered (Tiger Tan k Bat talion 503 "Feld­

After abou t 2 kilometers we made out the f i rst

herrnhalle": Award Recommendation for the Ger­

Russians. They fled head over heels in the fog,

man Cross in Gold for Hauptmann Wiegand,

abando n i ng a l l their eq uipment. The company

dated 1 8 March 1 945 ) .

had dispersed, meaning it a t tacked i n l i ne with an i n terval of about 50 meters between the tanks.

312

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

All of a sudden , I saw a gun in position about 80

ian hands on 2 1 October. H owever, i t was able to

meters in fron t of me. I n the same i nstan t , we

slow the Russians down and thereby con tributed

also had a d i rect h i t on t h e turret which took our

to preventing the Russians from advancing i nt o

breath away. I could not even f i re the gun . The

t h e rear o f Armeegruppe Wih ler, which was

gun had been put out of action two days earlier

painfu l ly figh ti n g i ts way back to the Theif3. The

by a d i rect h i t I received at Turkeve. I had not

con ti n u i ty of the fron t had been assured. ( F. M .

changed tanks since I did not want any other

von Senger u n d Etterl i n , Dip 24. PrtnZfr-Divisiol1,

tank commander leadi n g a tank that was not

vonnals 1 . Kavallerie-Division, 1 93 9- J 94 5,

completely ready for act i o n .

Neckargemund: Kurt-Vowinckel-Verlag, 1 962, p.

That h i t was i m mediately followed b y a second

266 ff)

direct hit on the righ t final d rive. It was fol l owed by a t h i rd one on the left final drive. We sat, God

24-3 1 October ] 944: During the days t h a t fol­

forsaken , in a lank that was no longer capable of

lowed, the operational elem e n ts of the battal ion

moving. "\le were wai ting for the rou n d that pene­

were com m i t ted i n several small battle groups on

trated. The n eigh bori ng tank finally not iced my

both si des of Szolnok to secure the crossings at

situation and knocked out the gu n . Afterwards we

the Theif3. A bridge head was able to be held at

saw that it had been a 1 0. 5 centi meter howitzer

Szo l nok. The damaged tanks were towed away.

that had plastered m e over open sights. The front

The m a i n tenance faci l i ty at Jaszladany worked in

armor on the tu rret was torn and a deep hole

h igh gear. From 23-26 October, a battle group of

had been bored i n the armor, but the rou n d had

the 3rd Company, led by Leu t n a n t Rambow,

not penetra ted. Leutnant Piepgras was wounded

secu red in the Theif3 bridgehead. Another bat tle

in that a t tack.

group, under Leu t n a n t von Rosen , launched

Leutna n t Fiirl i n ger, who had taken over Tiger ] 1 2 , had contin ued to attack with somewhat too

several local a ttacks. The Russians were hard to pin down and often d isappeared as soon as

much zeal . Wi thout payi ng attention to the other

the Tigers arrived. In the meant ime, the rainy

tan ks , which was, i ndeed, d iffic ult in the fog, he

period had begu n and i t poured i n torren ts. The

stormed forward and suddenly fou n d h i mself in

gro u n d , especially at the banks of the river, was

the rear of an antitank defensive belt that had

bot tomless mud.

not yet been e l i m inated. At first the Russians

I n several places the Russians had already

were stu nned, but they then d ragged their guns

crossed the Theif3. On 28 October, the 3rd Com­

around and fi red on Leu t n a n t Fllrli nger's tank at

pany was comm itted sou th of Szo l nok on the west

pointblank range from all their guns. I t was a m i r­

bank of the Theif3 at Toszeg. Tiger 32 ] was dis­

acle that his tank remained capable of movi ng

abled with a h i t on the rear deck by a mortar

and could make i t back to the German tanks. He

round. Gefre i ter Mef3 was killed on 2 7 October in

had twen ty-four d i rect h i ts on h is tank. The tanks

a battle group of the 1 st Company. The operations

of the 3rd Company were also able to knock out

on the Theif3 offered li ttle satisfaction, since there

several a n t i ta n k guns. The resistance was broke n .

was hard ly any visible success and yet one had to

Two Tigers towed m i ne away a n d w e were able to

remain ready for action a n d prepared for an

establish contact that afte rnoon with the u n i ts

enemy a ttack. I t was wet and cold and totally

that were already i n Toroksze n t m i klos. Tiger

depressing.

Tan k Bat talion 503 reassem bled there. ( Frei herr von Rosen , personal notes, 1 946)

In the mean t i m e , the Russians had strength­ ened their bridgehead over the Theif3 . The Tigers could o n ly delay i ts expansion .

23 October 1 944: The at tack was broken off in

At the end of October, the battalion assembled

the m o rn i ng. It had bee n re ndered pointless by

at Cegled, 35 kilometers west of Szo l nok. Seven

changes i n the overall situation:

tanks of the 3rd Company were again operational. A new operation was i m m i ne n t . The battalion

The i nvolve m e n t of t h e two divisions wi t h the

m oved to

at tached battle groups of Tiger Tan k Battalion

extremely uncomfortable. Russian ground a t tack

503 had been unable to affect the outcome of the

ai rcraft f i red on anyt h i n g that m oved on the

figh t i ng around Debrecen, which fel l i n to Russ-

grou n d . The companies suffered losses.

agykoros. The situation there was

Employment in Hungary

313

OPERATIONS IN THE CEGLED-KESKEMET

pick out the enemy positions by the m uzzle f lashes

AREA

of the guns as they f i red. Those were the only aim­

I Novem ber 1 944: Jaszladany was evacuated. The

ing poi n ts available for f ighting the enemy in the

maintenance fac i l i ty had been there . The dam­

twi ligh t . There was no way to fron ta l ly at tack the

aged tanks were towed to Cegled, or c rept t h e re

Russians in this i nstance.

on t h e i r own , to t h e extent that they were still

The lead elemen ts came to a halt and Haupt­

somewhat mobile. The route from Jaszladany

mann Fromme o rdered the 3 rd Company to

through Abony was al ready under artillery fire.

swing far to the right and a t tack from the flank.

The situation outside of Budapest had drama t­ ically worsened:

H owever, the Russians knew well why they had placed their a n titank guns in position there. The terrain on both sides of the road was marshy. Two

On 1 1 ovember 1 944, strong Russian forces were

Ki ng Tigers of the 3rd Company bogged down ,

advancing from Kecskamet toward Budapest. I n

an uncomfortable si tuation to be in when in ful l

so doing th ey went around t h e 24th Panzer Divi­

view of the enemy. The marshy ground therefore

sion on e i t h e r side of Kecskamet. They tem porar­

made i t im possible to go around the a n t i tank gun

ily spl i t t h e 24th Panzer Division i n to t h ree

posi tion. As a resul t , assault troops of grenadiers

groups, as wel l as overru n n i n g the forward divi­

were employed. They rooted out the Russian

sion command post . In the early afternoon of

posi tions and pockets of resistance under cover­

that crisis-rich day, a Russian-Rumanian assault

ing fire from the tanks. When t h e Russians saw

group got i n to the southeast part of Nagykoros,

what was happening, t hey pulled o u t relatively

but was beaten back again a l i t tle later. ( Ernst

Rebentisc h , Die Cesr/tic/tle df'f 23. Panzndivision,

1 94 1 bis 1 94 5, p. 434)

quickly. After that, it was possible to establish con­ tact with the u n i ts that had been enci rcled in Kecskamet with no further problems. That com­ pleted the m ission . The Russians, however, were

Tiger Tan k Bat tal ion 503 attacked a t abo u t 1 500

h o u rs

toge t h e r

with

the

2 1 st

again u n i m peded in their advance on Budapest.

Panzer

D u ri n g the nigh t , the tanks that had got stuck

Grenadier Regi m e n t from the area southwest of

in the soft ground were recovered. That is quickly

Nagykoros to the east i n order to cut a way clear

written down , but how many bad breaks were suf­

for the u n i ts of t h e 24th Panzer Division that were

fered? How often did the tow cable have to be put

encircled in Kecskem e t . That t i m e the 2nd Com­

back on? How often did i t break? How often did a

pany led the a ttack. The 3rd Company, batta l ion

tank that seemed freed return to i ts starting

staff, and the 1 st Company fol lowed. A l i t tle later

poi n t? That was the hardest of hard work. ( Frei­

the battalion e ncountered enemy troops that were

heIT von Rosen, personal notes, 1 946)

moving ac ross t h e fron t . They were fol lowi ng the Russian

formations

that

had

a lready broken

2 November 1 944:

t h rough toward Budapest. They were comple tely surprised to again run i n t o oppos i t i o n . U p t i l l

During the course of the night, Tiger Tank Battal­

t h e n , n o one h a d stood i n t h e way of their for­

ion 503 was placed under the operational con trol

ward push toward Budapest . Von Rosen wrote the

of the 23rd Panzer Regiment of the 23rd Panzer

following i n 1 946:

Division, which was commanded by Oberstleut­

Our attack proceeded further along the road to

newly formed battle group, to which some Panzer

Kecskemet. All of a sudde n , th � 2nd Company encountered strong a n t i tank gi.ll1 s . From my posi­

moved to Sashalom , 1 0 kilometers southwest of

tion, I was u nable to participate. The lead veh icle,

Cegled. Start i ng at 0940 hours, i t would advance

commanded by Leutnant Brodhagen, wen t up in f lames. The terrain on both sides of the road

in the d i rection of the 1 st Panzer Division, which had to m ove out at the same t i me from O rkeny.

offered l i m i ted observation, consisting of vine­

The i n tent was to sever the rearward l i nes of com­

yards and gardens with bits of meadow and fields

m u n ication of the enemy who was advancing to

nant Prinz

in between . In the meantime, dusk was fal l i ng and the visibi l i ty got worse and worse. One could only

Zll

Waldeck. At the same time, the

IVs were added from the 24th Panzer Division ,

Budapest. ( Ernst Rebentisc h , Die Cesc/tiritle der 23. Pa17Zndivision, 1 94 1 bis 1 945, p. 434)

314

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

The m i xed battle gro u p , consisting of St ur­

t rack guards. We couldn't stop then; we had to go

King

on. I t was al ready getting noticeably dark, and we

Tigers, as wel l as SPWs, encoun tered strong

had several more kilometers ahead of us. So I left

mgesch u tze,

Panzer IVs,

Panthers,

and

enemy resistance shortly after the start of t h e

Feldwebel Weigel and his tank to protect Tiger

a ttack. T h e P a n thers led the attack and h a d diffi­

3 1 3. H owever, it was easy to see that the terrain

c u l ty i n engagi ng a skillfu l ly constructed antitank

was too unfavorable. There was no firm ground

gun position on the edge of marshy terra i n

for the recovery tanks to negotiate.

a m o n g low-lying vegetation . T h e a t tack soon came

We made it to the objec tive of our attack by

to a h a l t . The c ry rang out: "Tigers to the fron t ! "

dark, a road i ntersection i n the m idst of the

Von Rosen wrote t h e fol l owi n g i n 1 946:

woods. Sec u ri ty was established in all d i rections. We establ ished radio contact wi t h the 1 st Panzer

I attacked with the 3rd Company. The situation

Division, but they were still far away. A l i n k-up

i n i tially looked very sticky but, after a short time,

wi t h the 1 st Panzer Division in the foreseeable

we h ad knocked out ten a n t i ta n k guns. Several

fut u re seemed to be ruled out. Our situation,

antiairc raft guns, trucks and other equipmen t

therefore, was anyt h i n g but rosy. Once agai n , we

were abandoned; the Russians had q uickly pulled

were i n the m idst of the Russians and deep

o u t under the pressure from the Tigers. After that

behind their l i nes. We had used up half of our

l i ne of resistance had been broken, we then

fue l . From near and far we could hear the typical

advanced as the spearhead, ever deeper behind

sounds of Russian tanks .

the Russian l i nes. Our m ission was to reach a des­

T h e Russians seemed to have been th rown

ignated poi n t abo u t 25 kilometers away and link

i n to confusion somewhat by our advance. After

up with the 1 st Panzer Division which was advanc­ ing to meet us from O rkeny. That would cut the

several hours, the order came from our corps to break off the a t tack and return to the previous

Russians advancing toward Budapest off from

start poi n t . Our new order: "To the rear, marc h ! "

their suppl ies. H owever, that was not what hap­

B y order of t h e battalion, t h e 3rd Company

pened. After we had advanced another t h ree kilo­

remained as the lead company. We t h us had to

meters, the company encountered enemy tanks i n

coun t on enemy contact during the ret urn

difficult, u p h i l l terrai n . The enemy armor was well

marc h . When we got back to Feldwebel Seidel

concealed i n the edge of the woods and was not

and his Tiger 3 1 3, we broke off the march and

spotted until after i t had opened fi re .

again studied the possibil i ties for recovering the

Afte r the first of the Russian tanks h a d been

tan k. Then Hauptman n Fromme gave the order

set on fi re , the others took off i n to the country­

to blow it up. I t was the first total loss of the 3rd

side. Our a t tack conti n ued. I n order to advance

Company in H u n gary. Leu t n a n t Heerle i n 's tank

more rapidly, the riflemen rode on our tanks.

set it ablaze with a main gun round. We reached

Only the two lead tanks of the com pany moved

our starting point, the village of Sashalom, as

without i n fan try m o u n ted on t h e m . We put kilo­

morning broke. ( Freiherr von Rosen , personal

meter after ki lometer beh i n d us i n t h a t manner.

n o tes, 1 946)

The Russians could emerge from beh i nd the cor­ ner of every patch of woods and, after a while, we encoun tered enemy tanks aga i n . We spotted

With that, the f i rs t operations

1 11

H ungary

came to a close. Several days fol lowed in which the

enemy tanks in an isolated farmstead at 1 ,500

battalion was not com m i t ted. O n ly a few tanks

meters and i mmediately opened a fi refigh t . We

were operational, and o n ly for l i m i ted action , at

noticed a part i cu l arly brilliant m uzzle flash from

that. In the last two weeks there had n o t been a

several of the Russian tanks . That was our fi rst

si ngle day we were n o t employed and no t i m e at

encounter with the Stalin tanks with a 1 2. 2c m

all for main tenance service. The tanks had p u t on

gun and very heavy armor. Wha t would be t h e

between 400 and 500 kilometers and urgently

outcome of that engage m e n t? T h e n the fi rs t

needed service and mai n tenance. Since a l l of the

Stal i n tank was i n flames! Onward! The a t tack

tanks had held up well until that poi n t, the

sector became i n c reasi ngly marshy a t spots.

m o m e n t arrived when a l l of them needed atten­

Feldwebel Seidel and his Tiger 3 1 3 found a

t i o n . The recovery means available were totally

soft spot, and i t was i mmediately buried up to the

inadequate to deal with such a massive breakdown

Employmellt ill HUllgary

315

of tanks. Therefore, the few tanks n o t disabled

tical purposes. I n the days that fol lowed, they were

had to tow the others. Top priori ty became restor­

able to advance i n to the ou tski rts to a certain

i n g combat readi ness as rapidly as possible. The

exte n t , but then remained where they were for a

maintenance fac i l it ies needed several days of

long time. For the batta l i o n , however, the direct

undisturbed work for that. The remainder of t h e 3rd Company moved

route to Budapest was blocked. It had to fal l back to the n orth and, in the afternoon, i t moved to

t h rough Cegled to Cegled Bercel , where the

the Aszod area. The 3rd Com pany was given bil­

mai n tenance company had been for a short time.

l e ts in Koka.

It was i n te nded to tow the damaged tanks on to Budapest o n the i mp roved road. Rail load i n g

4 November 1 944: Cegled and Abony fel l to the Russians.

would h ave taken t o o much time, which the Rus­

5 November 1 944: The battalion and the tank

sians no longe r al l owed. They pressed from a l l

com pan ies moved to the Godollo area. The corps

sides and were even nearing Cegled Bercel .

staff was also there. The battal ion was m e n tioned

A t 2300 h ours a col u m n o f about twelve dam­

in the Weh rmach t Report.

aged tanks, some of them in tow, moved from Cegled along t h e road toward Budapest. The col­ umn was led by Leutnant Rambow.

JASBERENY AND GYONGOS: FIGHTING IN THE MATRA MOUNTAINS

3 November 1 944: Early in the m o rn i n g t h e

The 3rd Company moved back to Koka. The over­

colu m n passed Bercel . Between Albertisa and Pilis

all si tuation was rather ticklish . A Kampf-gruppe

it was s trafed by low flying ai rcraft. At U l l o , about

was formed from the eight battalion tanks that had

1 5 kilometers o u tside of Budapest , it encountered

been made operational in the meantime. They

a Russi a n a n t i ta n k obstacl e , totally by surprise.

included several tanks from the 3rd Company,

The sector had seemed secure, but the Russians

which were led by Leutnant Ram bow. Oberleutnant

had succeeded during the night i n breaking

Oemler commanded the battle group, which was

through that far. There were no German u n i ts

placed under the operational con trol of the 1 3th

available to seal o ff t h e breakthrough . Probably i t

Panzer Division. I t was employed until 13 Novem­

had n o t yet been reported. For Leutnant Rambow,

ber in the Jaszbereny-Nagykala-Tapioszele area.

as commander of t h e m arch group, the si tuation

9 November 1 944: The battalion command

was abom i nable. Wi t h t h e disabled and partially

post moved to Tura. The company train s went

immobile Tigers, h e could not defend h i mself. The lead i n g tank, Tiger 3 00, was set on f i re by the

back to Godollo.

a n t i ta n k guns. The c rew bailed o u t . In spi te of the

over command of the battle group, which assem­

enemy fi re , Leu t n a n t Rambow and h is men were

bled in the H a tvan area. Twelve Tigers from the

able to c u t t h e tow cable a n d , fi n a lly, save the

tank companies were operational. In add i tion, the

15 November 1 944: Leu tnan t von Rosen took

other tanks. ( See also t h e report by Nieman n . )

battali o n 's flak platoon was attached to the battle

The march m oved back t o Pilis and from there

group with i ts veh icular-mounted quad an tiairc raft

through Kava, Gomba, and U ri to Tapiosuly. Two

guns. I n order to mai n tain radio comm u nications

mai n tenance platoons moved there on 3 Novem­

with the battalion over long distances, Tiger I of

ber and set to work in h igh gear. The t h i rd main­

the battalion headquarters, which had medium­

tenance platoon moved to Tot megyer, almost on

wave radio equipment, was provided to the battle

the Slovakian border, where i t could work on the

group. The battle group was also given i ts own

most serious damage without being e ndangered

combat trai ns, which i m parted a degree of auton­

by surprise shifts of the fro n t . Jhe damaged tanks that were i n te nded for t h a t p l atoon were loaded

omy in both supply and repair. Thus, in addition

at Tapiosuly onto the Ssyms rail cars that had been

nance services under Werkmeister Spath belonged

sen t forward. The tanks w i t h the most serious

to the trains. The command and con trol relation­

to a field k i tchen, recovery eleme n ts and main te­

damage of a l l , which even the t h i rd m a i n tenance

ship of the battle group was c hanged; it was then

platoon lacked means to repair, were sen t to

placed under the operational control of the 1 st

Vien na for repair a t the depo t .

Panzer Regi ment of the 1 st Panzer Division.

W i t h the breakthrough to U ll o , the Russians

1 8 November 1 944: U n ti l 1 8 November, the

had reached the o u tskirts of Budapest for all prac-

battle group h ad to cover a large sector, which

316

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

could o n ly be guarded with difficulty due to unfa­

were i m mediately to close up with that division,

vorable terrain conditions. The battle group then

but the route led d i rectly t h rough the center of

covered the w i t h d rawal of elemen ts of the 1 st

the c i ty and was, thus, i m passable. Von Rosen

Panzer D ivision to a new l i n e of defense a t

wrote the fol lowing in 1 946:

Gyongyos. Again and aga i n , i t h a d to i ntervene as the " fi re brigade" if enemy tan ks appeared some­

Therefore, we had to go cross-cou n t ry. That was

where in the sector or i f some other problem

d i fficul t in the h i l ly terrai n . We moved right

developed. O n 1 8 November, the Russians sur­

t hrough the vineyards. The Tigers, which sank

prised us with an i n tense raid by grou nd-a t tack

deep i n to the soft earth , laboriously crawled up

ai rcraft. The bombs fel l among the tanks which

the steep slopes and down again on the other

were getti n g ready to move o u t . There were sev­

side. A stream had to be forded, b u t the last 50

e ral seriously wounded among the f l a k plato o n ,

m e ters, in particular, were t h e most diffi c u l t . [ n

t h e open an tiai rcraft vehicles provi d i ng l i ttle pro­

order t o reach t h e hard-surface road on which we

tec t i o n . Late in t h e afternoon t h e battle group

were to provide cover toward the ci ty, we had to

reached Gyongyospata i n the Matra m o u n tains

negotiate a steep slope.

where i t i n i tially served as the divisi o n 's reserve. 1 9 Novem ber 1 944: Dur i n g the n ig h t of 1 8- 1 9

The fi rst tank climbed the slope, but then the soft ground was so chewed up that that tank had

November, t h e Russians advanced i n to Gyongyos

to tow the others up, one veh icle at a ti me. That

by surprise. Elements of an i n fan try d ivision were

was all fu rther complicated by the fact that the

in the ci ty. With the surprise appearance of the

Russians had set up an antitank gun on a water

Russians, they f led. Since i t was feared t h a t t h e

tower at the edge of the c i ty with which t hey

e n e m y would break th rough the fron t between

maintained an accu rate f i re on us. H owever, we

Budapest

then proceeded to take them out.

and

the

M a t ra

M o u n tains,

it

was

ordered "from above" that the c i ty be retake n .

The Panzer [Vs of the 1 st Panzer Regiment

H owever, the req uisite means to do that were n o t

did not make i t on that route. The few tanks that the regi m e n ts still had got stuck back i n the vine­

on hand. The battle group, which had been alerted i n

yards. O n ly Major D's command tan k-towed by

Gyongyospata i n t h e early m o rn i n g h ou rs , i m me­

a Tiger-made i t th rough the d i fficult terrai n .

diately m oved out to Gyongyos. About l O kilome­

Several o f m y Tigers were also disabled along the

ters o u tside the ci ty, the battle group encoun tered

way, some early i n the m o rn i ng. Others hope­

a confused mass of f leeing soldiery t h a t blocked

lessly bogged down in the d i ffic u l t terrai n , so that

the e n t i re h i ghway with its vehicles. It was difficult

my proud figh ting force o n ly consisted of five

to swi m agai nst that stream .

Tigers at that poi nt.

[ n add i t i o n , an

i n tense at tack by Russian ground-attack a i rc raft sti rred up the pot in that cauldro n of confusion.

[ covered the approaches to the c i ty with t h ree tanks. U n teroffizier Gartner ( 3 rd Com­

The battle group only m ade it to the ou tski rts

pany) and Feldwebel Jakob (2nd Company) were

of the c i ty of Gyongyos. German u n i ts had blown

with me. Feldwebel Bornschier and an addi tional

up a road bridge over a ravi n e just outside the c i ty

Tiger covered another exit road about one kilo­

that could not be c i rcumve n ted. As a result, the

meter away.

tanks took u p position there for a while and raked

When darkness fel l , [ was ordered to M ajor

the suspicious h ouses on the ou tskirts of the c i ty.

D 's command post. I drove there with the Ket­

That soon stil led what h ad i n i t ia l ly been q uite

tenkrad. The order had come from the corps that

l ively enemy i n fan try fi re.

the i n fantry division was to recapture the c i ty with

Gradually the Panzer [Vs of Panzer-Regim e n t 1

our help. N o t a n ice m ission, b u t we could see

also arrived, accom pan ied by the regi m e n tal com­

the purpose. When I then learned the details,

mander, M ajor D.

however, [ was a bit shaken.

New situation: The armored u n i ts of the 1 st

It was ordered that we were to a t tack in two

Panzer Division-all com manded by Major D and

a t tack groups on two diffe rent approach roads at

including t h e Tiger battle group-were placed

night. The righ t-hand attack group, under my

under the operational con trol of the i n fa n t ry divi­

command, consisted of my t h ree Tigers, six or

sion that had just f l e d out of Gyongyos. All u n i ts

seven SPWs that were armed with triple antiair-

Employment in Hungary

31 7

craft mounts and, in add i t i o n , abo u t 1 0 0 i n fa n try­

nant H eerlein to the corps command post to in ter­

men who came d i rect from a march company of

vene. H owever, the decision of the commanding

ret u rn i n g convalescen ts . They had been hastily

general remained unchanged.

assembled as a company. They o n ly had i n fa n t ry

19 November 1 944: A t 0200 hours on the dot,

weapons and lacked all drive and spi r i t. The

we set o u t from Maj o r O's command post . He led

spear poi n t of the attack-if that's what you

the two a t tack groups by radio from there.

wan ted to call i t-was with my a ttack group. The left-hand a ttack group, with Feldwebel Born­

U nt e roffizier Cart ner's was the point vehicle. Beh ind my tank came Feldwebel J akob. The

schier's two Tigers, was about equal i n i ts

SPWs with the mounted grenadeirs fol l owed the

"strengt h . " We were i n m u tual com munication by

Tigers and the 1 00 i n fa n t rymen trotted along to

radio. Led by Maj o r 0 , t h a t figh ting force was meant

the rear. They were supposed to be even, advanc­ i n g to the righ t and let of them. We got to the

to force its way t h rough the c i ty starting a t 0200

first houses of the c i ty and fired i n the darkness

hours. It would then establish con tact with the

with everyth i ng we had, simulating a larger com­

eleme n ts of the i n fan t ry that were on the far side

bat force. The an tiai rcraft SPWs with their t ri ple

of the c ity. H owever, t hose i n fa n t ry u n i ts, for their

mounts did the same. The Russians decamped.

part, were n o t to take part i n the a t tack. That

By the light of the flares we fired we could see

operation would have led t h rough t h e houses

their abandoned posi tions as we passed them.

and confused streets of a c i ty that was n o t exactly

The m u zzle flash of the first a n t i tank gun blazed

small and that had been held by the Russians for

o u t on the left. I t fired too h igh , which was easy

twen ty-fo u r hours and who expected us to a t tack.

to do at n igh t . The tracers whizzed past us, over

What i nsan i ty !

our heads. The lead tank fired and the ant i tank

I briefed my commanders. T h e old, experi­ enced tank men knew what a n igh t a ttack in such a c i ty i nvolved. At around 2200 hours I was called

gun was silenced. We slowly shoved our way forward and reached the water tower from which we had been

to the i n fa n t ry division for a briefing on the oper­

fi red on at mid-day. The pale l igh t of flares briefly

ation. A coordination meeting fol l owed with the

i l l um inated the street ahead of us. The darkness

commanders of the SPWs and the i n fa n t ry. My

of the night was all the more i m penetrable when

protests against the operation were rejected by

they wen t out. I could not make out the vehicle

the division com man der. The corps had ordered the a t tack and no one da'red to raise objections.

i n fron t of me. Only h is exhaust flames shim­

The i n fan try division 's conscience still twi nged

There, blatsch, an a nt i tank round i m pacted i n

mered fai nt ly. Slowly, we fel t our way forward.

after it had been overrun by the Russians during

fron t o f us. U nteroffizier Canner, ahead o f me,

the previous night and it had abandoned the c i ty

also reported h i ts by a n t i tank rounds. I f o n ly the

head over heels.

i n fan try would advance even with us and clean

By radio I requested my supplies from Tiger Tank Batta l ion 503, as I did every evening. The supplies had to be brought to us over about 50

out the houses to the righ t and left. They were packed with Russians. At that poi n t , we had advanced about one

kilometers of deeply snow-covered roads t h rough

kilometer i nt o the c i ty. Blam: A h i t from the

the Matra Mountains. The large trucks could not

righ t . The Russians had a nt i tank guns posi tioned

follow our c ross-cou n t ry path t h rough the vine­

in the doorways of the houses. They were pre­

yards. I then reponed to the battalion command

pared and had i n tentiona l ly allowed us to get

post regarding the operation ordered by the

that far i n to the c ity. We fi red h igh explosive

corps. I had an encoded, keyed transmission sent :

round after h igh explosive round along the rows

"The corps has ordered a n igh t a t tack o n

of houses. I t calmed down somewhat. I was

Cyongyosch . Long live t h e Fli h rer!"

almost o u t of flares. A further advance, without

That was no expression of special Nazi senti­ ment . I nstead, it alerted the battalion we had been sen t on a suicide m ission where the chances of sur­

havi ng the i n fantry on line with us to clean o u t t h e houses on b o t h sides was i m possible. Accordingly, I ordered: " H a l t . " I dismounted

vival were slim. The battal ion staff i m mediately

and, armed with a machine pisto l , hastened back

understood that, and the commander sent Leu t-

to the i n fa n t ry. At last I found their leader, an

318

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Oberleutnant. He was helpless and had no con­

be heard back a t the command post . I then

trol over his m e n . A spi ri ted U n te roffizier vol un­

reported by radio that an advance past the i nter­

teered and wen t with me wit h his squad to clean

section was i mpossible. Our situation grew more

out the houses on both sides of my t h ree tan ks.

dangerous. All of a sudden , Molotov cocktails

As the i n fa n t rymen e n tered the f i rs t courtyard

h urtled down from the roofs and satchel charges

with the U nteroffizier in the lead, he fel l , fatally

were h u rled from doors and windows. The enemy

shot. At that i nstant the i n fa n t rymen van ished

assaul t troops renewed their approach . In the

and I stood t h e re , all alone. A flare h issed on

m ea n time, U n teroffizier Gartner's tank suffered

h igh , fired from our f i rs t tank, and I saw that I

damage to a track. Woe to us if a t rack broke

was barely two meters from a Russian a n t i tank

here! And so we remained there for a few more

gun. The c rew had bolted. How easi ly that could

hours .

have gone wron g ! At that poi n t, the grenadiers

W h y d i d w e have to h a n g o n to that part of the

moun ted on the SPWs h ad to get i nvolved. And

city? Our though ts regarding the h igher levels of

t h ose men d i d , i n fac t , advance with mac h i n e pis­

command were not exactly friendly! The Russians

tols, hand grenades and Panze r fauste. They

renewed their a t tack. Once aga i n , they had slowly

cleaned out t h e houses and street to our righ t

worked their way forward on our righ t and left

and left. We renewed our forward progress and

and poured a sudden blast of fire on the poor

soon reached a maj o r i n te rsection. There, however, the grenadiers encountered

grenadiers. They were on the receiving end of a veri table hail of bullets. They h ad to pull back,

such heavy Russian resistance that they could n o t

suffering substantial losses. Finally, the order also

move forward. T h e attack again c a m e to a halt.

reached us to fal l back. By then it was two hours

As the day dawned, we knocked o u t two a n t i ta n k

past noon. We had held the posi tions for twelve

guns a t the i n t e rsection. There was n o way to tell

hours . I covered the wit h d rawal with the Tigers.

h ow many, however, l urked beyond that poi n t .

By then, however, the Russians had closed i n

The Russians exerted heavy pressure from both

beh i n d us. I t was h igh time to get out. Roll i n g

sides and returned over roofs and t h rough back­

slowly backwards, and fi r i n g on everything, we

yards. The situation got even m o re u n comfo rt­

pulled back.

able . We closely watched the street in fron t of us,

That was the end of the a t tack. I t was the only

the houses, doors, windows and roofs. The Rus­

a ttack I can remembe r where we fai led to accom­

sians were emergi ng everywhere. I f you were so

plish our m issio n .

careless as to stick you r head a bit out of the tank, then a shot zipped past. Sudden ly, I saw a man come out of a house

I g o t n e w orders from M aj o r D: T h e battle group was to m ove to Gyongyospata as the ready reserve of the 1 st Panzer Division . In the mean­

and approach U nt e roffizier Gart ner's tank q u i te

time, the division had scouted out a rou te that

cal mly. He was a civi l i a n , and I waved to h i m to

was ostensibly negotiable for t racked veh icles. On

come to me. Then h e suddenly th rew a satchel

that rou te , however, a Tiger that had been re­

charge, which he h ad skillfu l ly kept hidden.

paired by the company mai ntenance section got

Before I could react h e had again disappeared i n

hopelessly stuck in a defile when it t ried to get to

the house. T h e grenadiers were t h e n h i t from

the battle group. I got that report as eveni n g

beh in d with fire from m ac h i n e pistol fi re. They

approached, when I had al ready s e t o u t toward

had to clear out of the houses. One could n o t

Gyongyospata with my tanks. At the same time,

deny the Russians a certain level of aplomb.

we received another piece of bad news. Leutnant

I n the midst of that mess, I received a radio

Rambow had set out along that route i n a Ket­

message from M aj o r D who was still i n his com­

tenkrad to get to me. He had an acciden t and

mand tank o u tside the c i ty: "Co n t i n ue the

had to be taken to a hospital. A t that poin t , I no

a t tack." Was h e totally i nsane? I l e t h i m repeat

l onger had any officers i n the company. That

the message, then I acknowledged i t. It would be

made eigh t Leutnan ts that the battalion had lost.

l unacy to continue the a t tack by day. Therefore, I

Before it got dark, I borrowed a Sch­

h ad a l l t h ree Tigers at our location rev up their

wimmwagen from Major D and d rove to the spot

motors and we del ivered another barrage from

where the tank was stuck. I t is almost i m possible

all barrels, so that the noise of the figh ting could

to conceive of the state of the rou te . It consisted

Employment in Hungary

319

of deep, bottomless m u d which even t h e cross­

called o ff and t h e tank had been blown up. What

coun t ry Schwim m wagen barely navigated. We

had happened in my absence?

had to push t h e vehi cles for whole stre tches, so

The tank that had been stuck had been

the trip took several hours. It was a p i tc h-black

pulled out and was being prepared to be towed

night. We had to d rive in black-out conditions

when the first Russians appeared. With a " H ur­

and d i d not know whether we were still ahead of

rah" the Russians came o n . The towi ng cable was

the Russian spearheads or whether they had

attached under fi re . The Russians had al most

a l ready passed us. There was no established l i nes,

made it to the tank when i t slid and became stuck

and no one knew where friend or foe was. Every

more than ever. There was no more chance to

now and then we stopped, turned off the engine

save it. With great worry, the tow cable was

and l istened to see i f we could hear the noise of

released and t h e tank set ablaze by gunfire.

tanks or veh icles. Final ly, I got to the tank that was stuck. I n the meantime, u n beknownst to m e , a sec­

The tanks then pulled out. They had a 1 0-kilo­ meter march th rough no man's land-or were the Russians already there? I moved toward the

ond Tiger had arrived t h e re. I t had also been on

recovery group with two tanks so as to help them

its way to the battle group . With t h e help of that

i n an emergen cy. Final ly, as darkness fel l , we

Tiger we t ried to pull o u t the stuck vehicle, b u t a

reached our own forward l i nes, which then lay

singl e tan k j ust could n o t get i t out. We d iscon­

roughly between Gyongyos and Gyongyospata.

nec ted the t racks and t ried everything possible,

Everyone there was expecting the Russians who

but t h e tank would not stir from t h e spot. At

were advanci ng. The battle group was q uartered

about m i d n ight, I ret u rned to the u n i t to order

in Gyongyospata and the mai n tenance section

up a second Tige r and also specialists from the

i mmediately got back to work.

recovery plato o n from Gyongyospata. In the process, I scouted o u t a better route that led

21

ovember 1 944: Early in the morni ng, sev­

e ral tanks came back to us from t h e main tenance

the re . We moved down hill along narrow vineyard

fac i l i ty. My figh ting force had grown to ten tan ks.

pat hs and then steeply back up the other side,

The battalion sent Leutnant FLl rl inger to the bat­

forded l i t tle streams a n d wen t t h ro ugh villages in

tle group to give me some support. There was an

which t h e re was no longer any t race of German

alert i n the afternoon . The Russians were a ttack­

soldiers .

20

i ng. We knocked out nine tanks. Some of them ovember 1 944: Early i n the morning I

was back at t h e recovery site. The recovery opera­ tion was gradually com ing toge t h e r and i t could

had got ten stuck i n the boggy terra i n . 22 November ] 944: Two tanks moved forward to provide securi ty. They gave me a situation

be assumed the tank would be recovered. 1 was

report hourly. Everyone else was allowed to rest.

concerned whether t h e Russians would give us

There were several more tanks knocked out by

enough time. The remaining element s of the bat­

the tanks up fro n t . Our presence stabilized the

tle group fi nally made it to Gyongyospata-along

situation.

a d i ffe re n t route. I left o n ly two Tigers for the

23

ovember 1 944: We were rudely awak­

recovery operation. I n o rder to be prepared for

ened. The Russians shelled the place with Stalin

any even tuali ty, I had the tank that was stuck pre­

organs. In our q uarters, the windows came c rash­

pared for demol i t i o n . I went to the division com­

i n g i n . U n pleasant ! I sen t fou r tanks forward to

mand post again in order to report that a portion

provide cover. Soon thereafter I received report

of my bat tle group was still o u t i n fron t of the

from them that another eigh t Russian tanks had

German t roops and that, no Il'! atter what h ap­

been knocked out. That made twen ty-five in

pened, t h ey would n eed to hold t h e ret u rn route

t h ree days. In t h e afternoon Jabo attacks were

open for us. Therefore, the division could not yet

added to the Stali n organs, another un pleasant

withdraw from Gyongyospata. Then ] moved for­

appearance. The com munications SPW-used to

ward aga i n . I h ad several radio contacts with t h e

mai n tain radio con tact with the bat tal ion-in the

tanks that were working at t h e recovery operation

cou rtyard of my command post took a d i rect h i t

wh ile I was en rou te . I had hoped that everyth ing

t h a t penetra ted. Alt hough I s e t the battalion flak

would go wel l . Then I got a rad io message from

platoon to work, the Russians kept up t h e pres­

up fro n t that the recovery operation had to be

sure.

320

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

24 November 1 944: Feldwebel Bornschier's tank was penet rated by a h i t t h rough the side of the h u l l . Thank God not much happened ! 25 November 1 944: Feldwebel Bornsc hier's tank was back i n service. The hole i n the armor

over to me. H e had just been wounded i n the head and was bleeding h eavily. H e had been mov­ ing with the commander's hatch open . There was, i ndeed, no other al ternative at night. Just at the moment he leaned over to say something to

was still t here. It was stuffed with a rag, since it

the gunner, his t.ank took a h i t on the comman­

was very d isturbing to have ligh t penetrate i nside

der's cupola. H e was hit in the head by a few frag­

the tank from an u n expected place. U n fortu­

m e n ts. H e ' d had extraordinary l uck.

nately, we also had a person nel loss. Gefreiter

Leutnan t Flirli n ger reported to me that, with­

Bahler was h i t by a bomb fragment and had to go

out bei ng allowed to wai t for my ret u rn , the com­

to the hospi tal . He was visibly anyth i ng but eager

mander of the 1 st Panzer Grenadier Regi ment

to be in the hospi tal, and I counted it to his

ordered h i m to a ttack as soon as his forces had

cred i t that, even th ough still far from healed, h e

arrived. In addi tion to the battle group, our

would f l e e the hospital a n d c a m e back to us t o

armored flak platoon was also there. Wi t h i ts

avoid b e i n g moved to the rear.

q uad antiaircraft guns, it had perfomed

The division command post of the 1 st Panzer

admi rably. The a ttack had driven forward about

Division m oved another 10 kilometers back that

10 kilometers to the p resent position. No

eve n i ng. I also sent my unarmored elements

grenadiers were available to help clear the ter­

back. 26 Novem be r 1 944: By order of the 1 st Panzer Division we m oved to the Panzergrenadierregi­ ment 1 sector. The m a rch was q u i te difficult.

rai n . Ftlrli nger considered it a m i racle ] had safely got te n that far on the Kettenkrad. Furli nger had to get back to a doctor as soon as possible and ] had to arrange as soon as possi­

Once more we had to make detours t h rough

ble to get the tanks out of that idiotic situation.

vineyards with their difficult terra i n . After cross­

Without i nfan t ry, i n the m idst of the Russians­

i n g t h e most d i ffic u l t places, I had Leu t na n t Ftlr­

that was totally senseless and insane. We took up

l i nger lead the tanks to the designated place. I

a hedgehog position with the tanks. I i m medi­

then moved back in the Ketten krad . I wan ted to

a tely received perm ission from the division to

give i nstructions to several tanks that had been

pull the tanks back. They obviously had a bad

left beh i n d . In particular, I wanted to inform

conscious about the asi n i ne operation we had

myself abo u t the si tuation at t h e division com­

been ordered to execute.

mand post. When 1 got back to the 1 st Panzer

In the withdrawal operation that fol l owed, two

Grenadier Regi m e n t an hour later, ] discovered

of the Flak veh icles got stuck in the boggy ground

that my tan ks were a l ready in action. After ] was

that had been chewed up by the tanks. Another

shown t he situation on the map, ] fol l owed after

Tiger bogged down i n the a t tempt to tow them

them in the Kettenkrad.

out. The tanks could do l i ttle maneuvering on

] moved kilometer after kilometer along the

the soft ground, since any t u rn i n g movement

h ighly visible tank t racks. J udging by the distance,

made them sink in deeply. On top of all that

the attack m us t have made good p rogress. In the

there was the total darkness and the proxi m i ty of

mean time, night had aga i n fallen and the ground

the Russians, which we j ust had to ignore i n that

got softer. Without exaggeration, the m ud was

s i tu a t i o n . We could hear Russian voices with

nearly knee deep. I wondered how the tanks had

frightening clarity from a neigh boring small

ever made it t h rough . I moved on addi tional kilo­

patch of woods. We freed up the Tiger aga i n . We

m e te r after kilometer-at least that's the way i t

could scarcely move i n the deep mud that sucked

seemed to m e i n the dark. T h e si tuat ioil got

our boots down. The tow cables were hooked up;

stranger and strange r. Nowhere was there a Ger­

the towing tanks took up the slack. Then came

man soldier or even a sign of his p resence. I f I

the big moment when the two tanks pulled for­

had not had the u n m istakable Tiger track m a rks

ward on a single command. The tank that was

in fro n t of me, ] would have cert a i n ly believed ]

being towed moved several cen timeters. The

was well beh i n d the Russian l i nes.

tracks of the tanks that were pulling spun wildly,

Sudden ly, the Tigers emerged d i rectly in fro n t o f me i n t h e darkness. Leutnant Ftl rl i nge r came

but could not get a grip i n that ground. They ground deeper i n to the eart h . The recovery tanks

Employmellt ill HUllgary

321

came w i t h i n a hairsbreadth of get t i n g stuck them­

to Kassel before our transfer to H ungary, they

selves. Then, a metallic clang, shouts, motors

had fai led to see a Feldwebel of the street patrol

were stopped and everything was as still as before.

service and had not saluted h i m . I t was actually

A tow cable had snapped. So that wouldn't work.

demanded that I was to punish my veteran men

Something else had to be t ried. The next a t tempt

for such a t h ing! For the t h i rd time, the report

was also fru itless.

found i ts way i n to the waste basket. I was certai n ,

2 7 Nove m be r 1 944: It was 0 1 00 hours. I had the two flak veh icles prepared for demoli tion, but

h owever, t h a t another warn ing would arrive w i t h i n the next eigh t weeks.

we did not give up. I moved back to the 1 st Panzer Grenadier Regi ment. They were already eagerly awa i t i n g my retu rn there. At 0300 h ours the German withdrawal was to begi n , including

OPERATIONS LEFf OF THE DANUBE LAKE BALATON-STUHLWEI6ENBURG­ MOR-ZAMOLY

the evac uat ion of the vil lage i n which the regi­ mental command post was l ocated. I t was i mpos­

29 November 1 944: I was ordered to move to a

sible to get my tanks back by 0300 hours. Since

village that was 1 5 kilometers away. Terrible quar­

the division had t h rown us into such an i mpossi­

ters, mostly wi th o n ly one heated room that we

ble situation , it now had to suffer the conse­

had to share with great-grandmother, grand­

quences. The withdrawal would be postponed

mother, mother and c h i ld .

until my tanks were out. The final deadl ine, how­

30 November 1 944: A t 0200 hours a messen­

ever, was dawn. For us, that meant we had l i tt le

ger arrived from the bat talion with the written

time left. When I got back to the Tigers-I got

order: "The bat talion is moving to a new opera­

through wi th the Ketten krad-the situation had

tional area. Tracked vehicles wi ll load on the rail­

not changed.

road at Waitzen (Vac ) . Leutnant Koppe is to take

During my absence, another Tiger had

the armored elements there. Move out im medi­

bogged down. H owever, it had got ten free again.

ately." I had to report to the bat talion command

Fortunately, the Russians had remai ned quiet. If

post . ( End of von Rosen 's i m mediate postwar

they had been a b i t m ore aggressive they could

notes)

have wiped out the e n t i re battle group. I saw no al ternative to blowing up the two flak

There I d iscovered the si tuation :

veh icles, and that is what happened. We reached the village with the regiine n tal command post by

The Russians had reorgan ized after t h e costly

dawn and there received the order to move to

figh ting east of Budapest in the last ten days of

Jobbagyi, where I was to report to the command

November and redirected the spear poi n t of their

post of an SS division. After that n i gh t 's activi ties,

a t tack against the southern wing of Army Group

I was dog-tired. Such a n igh t took more nerves

Sou t h . In the mean time, the Soviets had suc­

than conducting a heavy armored a t tack. The bat­

ceeded in l i nking their two bridgeheads over the

tle group was temporarily back to being division

Dan ube south of Mohacs. Opposing them were

reserve. It set up in q u i te nice q uarters and

o n ly weak forces, mostly H ungarian . Flll1 fki rchen

im mediately s tarted tech nical service on the

had been captured and nothing was available that

tanks. Leu t n a n t Koppe, who had been moved a

could preve n t a rapid advance toward Lake Bala­

few days earlier to the 3rd Company as a platoon

ton. On 1 December the Russian armored spear­

leader, came forward to me. I was pleased to

heads had al ready reached Dom bovar and

aga i n h ave help.

Kaposvark 80 kilometers west of the Danube.

Feldwebel Groh m a n , my orderly-room NCO,

( E rns t Rebe n ti c h , Die Ceschichte der 23. Prtnzndivi­ sion, 1 94 1 bis 1 945, p . 436)

. 28 November 1 944: I t was 'a peaceful day.

came forward. There were after-action reports to write and the paperwork had to be disposed of,

By short e n i n g the fron t

111

the Hatvan area,

but the mail had also come t h rough , including

the 23rd Panzer Division and 1 st Panzer D ivision

the official mail. That i ncluded, for the t h i rd

were freed up i n order to be commit ted against

time, a blotter report that had origi nated in Kas­

the Soviet formations under the command of the

sel against eight men of my company. On a d e tail

LVI I Panzer Corps ( General of Panzer Troops

322

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Kirc h ner) . The 2 3 rd Panzer D ivisi o n , advancing

4 December 1 944: I m m ediate coun terattack i n

ahead of the corps, had already reached the area

conj unction wi t h the 3 r d Company of the 1 28th

south of Lake Balaton on 30 November. It covered

Panzer Grenadier Regim e n t. Order to wi t h d raw

the Pecs-Pecsvarad-Bataszek area and the roads

arrived in the eve n i ng. Leu tnant Koppe received

leading n orth from t h e re with motorized patrols.

the I ron Cross, Firs t Class. The battle group was

The m ission of the 23rd Panzer D ivision was to

once aga i n placed under the operational control

delay the Sovie t advance as m u c h as possi ble.

of the 1 st Panzer Regim e n t of the 1 st Panzer Divi­

Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was placed u nder the

sion. It moved to Lepseny. The command post of

operational control of the 23rd Panzer Division.

Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was in Polgardi .

The battal ion was faced with a diffic u l t prob­

5 December 1 944: Two alerts. E m ployment

lem: f i fteen dam aged tanks were in the m a i n te­

5 kilometers west of Siofok. The main line of

nance fac i l i ty at Kllrt .

resistance consisted of n o m o re than isolated

It would take at least

fou rteen days to repair them since replacem e n t

strongpoi n ts. The Russians attacked aga i n and

parts h a d t o b e brought from Germany i n t h e

aga i n . They wan ted a decisive breakthrough at

un it's own trucks. T h e corps ordered t h a t the

Stuhlweif3enburg at any cost.

mai n tenance company had to remain i n Kll rt

6 December 1 944: I t was necessary to divide

u n t i l the tanks were repaired. For the t i m e being,

the battle grou p . Three Tigers, led by Leutnant

the enemy situation i n that section of the fron t

von

did n o t cause a n y conce rn . There was, i ndeed , no

c leared a vi l l age, destroying six a n t i tank guns i n

other alternative, since that n u m be r of tanks

the process. T h e second part of the battle gro u p ,

could not be towed the appro x i m a tely 50 kilo me­

l e d b y Leutnant Koppe, a t tacked a t Siofok. I t lost

ters to a rai l road station where t h ey could be rail

one tank. Obe rfeldwebel Ki tzmann of the 2nd

loaded. There were no prime movers available for

Company was killed. The terrain was difficul t , very

that.

m a rshy in places. The tanks of the battle group

As

a

resu l t ,

the

mai n tenance

faci l i ty

Rosen ,

launched

cover

in

a

c o u n terattack.

vineyards.

H eavy

They

remained in Ki·l rt. The t h i rd maintenance platoon

provided

was i n Vagselly ( Sala) . Repair work that would take

attacks. The ground in fron t of the tan ks teemed

i n fan try

even longer was done t here. Hauptmann von

with Russians, as i f an a n t h i l l had been disturbed.

Eichel had been there for t h ree weeks al ready. He

Because of the mac h i n e-gun f i re of the tanks, the

main tained con tact with the forward elements of

a t tack came to a halt i n a depressio n . T h e 1 st Panzer Regim e n t ordered b o t h parts

the battal ion. 1 December 1 944: Leutnant vOn Rosen moved

of t h e battle group to pull back at 1 800 hours . I t

t h rough Budapest with t h e commander to the

was intended t o p u l l back t h e i n fa n t ry a t 2 10 0

new area of operations.

h o u rs . During the withdrawal of one o f the sec­

2 December 1 944: Establ ished con tact with the

tions, two tanks got s tuck i n the total darkness. A

LVl I Corps and the 23rd Panzer Division. The

t h i rd one bogged down w h i le a t tempting the

division h ad a sector that was al most 1 00 kilome­

recovery. The place where t h a t h appened was

ters wide. As a res u l t , only a covering-force m is­

barely 1 00 meters from the forem os t Russian

sion o r a delaying action could be conducted.

u n i ts. German i n fantry were not available to pro­

Fart h e r to the rear, at Lake Balato n , it was

vide securi ty. To make the catastrophe complete, a

i n tended to construct a blockin g posi tion. We

radio message arrived from the other section-led

wanted to stop the Russian steamroller there. The

by Feldwebel Seidel-that two tanks were stuck

Russians were covering between 20 and 30 kilome­

fas t in boggy ground. To have five tanks stuck at

ters a day. I n the afte rn o o n , t h e wheeled veh icles

the same t i m e was e nough to drive you to distrac­

arrived via road marc h . The battal ion 'command

t i o n . The tanks of the second section were recov­

post was set up at a manor h o use at Simon tornya.

ered within an hour. Leu tnant von Rosen was able

3 December 1 944: The battalio n 's tanks arrived

to coordinate with the regi m e n t , ensuri n g the

by rail transport and were unloaded at Balaton ke­

i n fantry would n o t withdraw to the new l i n e u nt i l

nese.

the recovery of t h e tanks h a d been completed.

Secu r i ty at

Simonto rnya.

The

battalion

moved towards Lake Balaton. One battle group led by Leutnant von Rosen remained beh i nd.

Von Rosen wrote the fol l owi ng i n 1 946:

Employmellt ill HUllgary I tu rned over command of my t h ree tanks to Feldwebel Seidel and moved to Leu t n a n t Koppe's

323

I moved back to the battalion command post at Polgardi. The doctor said I had to go to the

section. There I found the fol lowi ng situation.

h ospital . Leutnant Koppe was given temporary

Three tanks appeared to be hopelessly bogged

command of the 3rd Com pany. ( En d of von

down in the m o rass 20 to 30 m eters from the

Rosen 's i m mediate postwar n otes . )

road to Siofok. The road was almos t i mpossible to recogn ize i n the dark and the tanks h ad turned a few m eters too soon to make i t o n to the hard

8 December 1 944: Alert at 1000 hours at the battalion command post. The Russians were attack­

road. As a res u l t , t hey e nded up in the marshy

ing Polgardi. Tiger 1 24 was knocked out. The staff

ground. The Russians were alert to everything

moved to StuhlweiBenburg in the Varpalota area. A

and fired w i ldly whenever there were engine

mai ntenance platoon had set up in Bodajk. At the

noises on o u r side. That i n c reased the d i fficulty

same time, there was a catastrophe at the mainte­

of the recovery operation i m measurably. Before

nance faci l i ty at Kiirt. Naturally, the Russians had

any of the Tiger's engi n es were started, everyon e

not been blind to the fac t that numerous German

h a d to take cover i n the tanks. T h e Russians fired

combat formations were being withdrawn from the

with everyth ing they had at their disposa l :

H a tvan area. I t was hoped that those formations

Art i l l e ry, m orta rs, m ac h i n e g u n s and an titank

would be freed up as a result of shorten ing the

guns. They had the main road as a guide line and

fron t . What h ad to happen happened. The Rus­

fired blindly along that "com pass headi ng." We

sians i mmediately launched an attack on that weak­

had to move on the road and start the recovery

ened sector northeast of Budapest.

operation from i t . Finally it was done. After hours

Hauptmann From me's concerns in connec­

of t i resome effort, we succeeded in getting at

tion with moving the battali o n to the Stuhlwei ·

least the first tank o n to the h ard road. Another

e nburg area were dramatically ful fi l led. The Rus­

barrage. One m a n was wounded. 7 December 1 944: It was past m i d n igh t . We

sians broke t h rough the German front in a sur­ prise a t tack with strong forces and poured i n to

had to hook several tow-cables together i n order

the open h i n terl a n d lyi ng before them. Early i n

to reach from the i m proved-surface road to the

the m o rn i n g of 6 December, Russian tan ks were

tanks that were e mbedded in the mud. A second tank made it o n to the road. However, our s i tua­

brought i n to posit i o n . A large n u mber of Russian

o u tside of Kiirt. Anyth ing t h a t could sti l l f i re was

tion became ever more cri tical. There were n o

tanks were knocked out. The recovery platoon was

friendly u n i ts to the left or righ t of u s . We were

able to tow the i m mobile tanks out of the i m medi­

without any protection. Renewed hail of g u n fi re .

ate danger zone. On 7 Decem ber, however, the

T h e Russians aga i n fired a l o n g the road. T h e n I

Russians were bac k agai n . They advanced past

was h i t . I received a light blow from behind on

e i ther side of Kiirt and caught up with the tanks

the shoulder and my righ t arm i m m ediately h un g

that had a l ready been towed out. Feldwebel Born­

l i m p . S h o t t h rough t h e upper a r m . I t bled copi­

schier of the 3rd Company was killed in that fight­

ously. I gave i nstructions to Leutnant Koppe and,

i ng. There was no al ternative left in that situation

when a m otorcycle messenger came to us from

but to blow up eight Tige r I I tanks. At least the

the rear to see h ow much l onger the recovery

crews and the maintenance platoon wi t h i ts entire

operation woul d take, I ret urned to the com­

complement of equipment had been saved and

mand post and the doctor on the m otorcycle.

sent back to the battalion.

Leutnant Koppe was back with the tanks wit h i n

9 December 1 944: The battal ion commander,

another h o u r. T h e last t a n k c o u l d n o t b e recov­

Hauptmann Fromme, was moved to the armor

ered. The Russians had worked their way up to

school as a tactics i nstruc tor. Hauptmann Wie­

the tank and had already made i t o n to the road

gand was given temporary command of the battal­

beh in d . The tank had to be knocked o u t with our

ion

own gunfire . H owever, despi te a l l the d i fficulties

Hauptmann von Diest-Koerber.

of that night, I was pleased we o n ly had a s ingle tank as a total loss.

un til

the

arrival

of Fro m m 's

successor,

1 0- 1 7 December 1 944: The battalion com­ mand post was in StuhlweiBenbu rg. The Russians had n o t yet succeeded in breaking t h rough the

324

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

narrows between Lake Velence and Lake Balato n .

The Soviets advanced as far as the h igh ground 5

Several

kilometers east of Stuh lwe i 13enburg.

tanks

from

the

main tenance

faci l i ty

arrived in Vagsel l i . The bat talion kep t busy as " f i re

By doing that, the Soviets succeeded i n break­

brigade". Wherever anyth i ng heated up, the bat­

ing th rough the narrows between the lakes and

talion had to handle i t alm ost single-handedly.

i n to the deep flank of the German-H ungarian

Practically by itself, t he battalion stabil ized the

forces posi tioned yet farther south . . .

fron t through i ts appearance. The fron t fi rmed up

While the 1 st Panzer Division held i ts l i ne-i t

o u tside of Stuh lwei13en burg. On 1 7 December, six

wasn ' t in the spear poi n t of the offensive-its left­

Tigers led by Oberl e u t n a n t Oem ler ( l st Com­

hand neighbor, the 23rd Panzer Division , only

pany) were in action at the fro n t . Two tanks were

occupied strongpo i n ts on the even i n g of 20

knocked o u t by d i rect h i ts. The ordnance officer,

December. This l i ne ran from the rail road em­

Leu t n a n t Rol l i k , brough t the new commander

bankment east of Alsosom iyo-rai l road station at

from the command post of the I I I Panzer Corps.

Szabadbattyan-Foveny-south of Stuh lwei13enburg­

By t h e n , the corps had taken over command i n

h igh ground east of the c i ty . . . ( Ernst Reben-

the Stu h l wei13enburg area. The corps staff was i n

tisc h, Die Geschichte der 23. Pa nzer-Division, 1 94 1 bis

Fehervarczuro. 1 8 Decem ber 1 944: The 1 1 1 Panzer Corps aga i n placed Tiger Tan k Batt a l i o n 503 under the operational con t rol of the 1 st Panzer Divisio n . The order arrived b y radio i n the evening from the division that t h e battalion was to i m mediately move to Balatonkenese. 1 9 December 1 944: Early i n the morni ng, t h e

1 94 5, p. 459, 46 1 -64)

One of the battalion 's main tenance platoons moved to Varpalota. 2 1 December 1 944: It was still relatively calm i n our sector. Supply and tec h n ical service. 22 December 1 944: The 1 st Panzer Division i n tended to launch a local c o u n terattack in the

battalion marched to Balato n kenese at the eastern

enemy's left f l ank. As ordered, the tanks moved at

tip of Lake Balato n . The i n tended attack was

about 0 1 00 hours to Nadasladany ( 40 kilometers ) .

called off. T h i rteen of t h e battal ion 's tanks were

The local coun terattack was t o be launched

operational. I t had rained for days. Once off the

against the village of U rh ida during the after­

roads, the ground was bottomless, with deep mud

noon. The attack would be led by the battalion

everywhere.

commander. The line of departure for the attack

20 December 1 944:

was set in Sarkeszi, where t h e re were still 200 friendly i n fan t ry.

At 0720 hours , the Soviet art il l e ry fired an i n ten­

Furious fire from an t i ta n k guns and m ortars

sive barrage o n the Lake Velence-Tac sector and

m e t our tanks as t h ey a t tacked. Several an titank­

to i ts east . For 25 m i n utes it pounded the main

gun and m ac h ine-gun nests were dest royed or

l i n e of resistance and the depth of the main

overru n . As darkness fel l , the maj ori ty of the vil­

defense area. Heavy preparatory fi re, t hough not

lage had been captured. The rest of the village

as heavy as that i n the eastern sector, also fel l on

would be taken in the dark. Five Tigers suffered

the area as far as Lake Balato n .

sign i fi c a n t damage from gun f i re . The command

A t 0740, massively superior Russian i n fa n t ry formations a ttacked , supported by several tanks. The H ungarian troops that had been newly

tank had also been hit. Leutnant Koppe moved to Tiger 3 1 4 after losi ng h is tan k. Shortly before the commander left the battal­

brough t forward abandoned their pos i tions . . .

ion command post i n Berida at noon on t h a t 22

Simul taneously, other Soviet formations

December for the attack on U rhida, Leutnant von

a t tacked the positions of the 2 7 1 s t People's

Rosen reported back from the h ospi tal i n Vien na.

Grenadier Division east of Lake Velence and

The commander i nt errupted his report: " Le u t­

broke t h rough them . . . A Soviet formation of abo u t 2,000 men

nan t ! You r report is incorrect ! Effective 1 Novem­ ber 1 944, you have been an Oberleutnant. . . .

advanced t h ro ugh D i n nyes toward the north and

Congratulations." A t the same time, the com­

n o rt h west. The grenadiers and the flak artillery­

m ander ordered another eigh t days of convales­

men were u nable to halt the vastly superior

cence, si nce von Rosen 's wounds had not yet

enemy. Kislafaludimajor and Pakozd were lost.

healed.

Employment ill HUllgary

325

23 December 1 944: U rh ida was com plete ly

O n Christmas Eve t h e e nemy pressure grew

cleared of t h e enemy in the gray light of dawn.

stronger and stronger. Sakeresge had to be aban­

Tiger 1 33 was knocked out by an a n t i ta n k gun

doned. During t h e withdrawa l , Leu t n a n t Ram­

and burned out during t h e f i nal clearing of the

bow's tank got stuck and had to be blown up. A sad Christmas. One positive eve nt : U n teroffizier

village.

Gartner was promoted to Feldwebe l . Wh i l e heavy art i l l e ry f i re l anded on Stuh lwei!3en­ burg, the Russian i n fa n try prepared for a t tack

2 5 December 1 944: T h e battalion was aga i n placed under t h e operational con trol of the 23rd

sout h of the c i ty. Shortly after midnight the last

Panzer Divisio n . It remained with Battle Group

units of t h e 23rd Panzer Division cleared out of

Weymann , which was providing cover im mediately

Stuh lwei!3enburg. The 1 26th Panzer Grenadier

north of Sakeresg e . The Tigers knocked out two

Regi m e n t and t h e 5 1 s t Panzer Engineer Battalion

enemy tanks. The f lak platoon shot down a Russ­

moved i n to t h e Csormoha line . . . [ 5 kilometers

ian II 2. H eavy art illery and mortar f i re .

north of Stuh lwe i !3enbu rgl ( Ernst Reben tisch,

Dip Gesciticitte der 23. Panzer-Division, 1 94 1 bis 1 945,

26 December 1 944: More securi ty m issions. The Russians penetrated deeply east of Sakaresge and were o u tside of Sakbereny. The command

p. 459, 46 1 -64)

post of the 4 t h Cavalry Brigade was there. U rhida con t i n ued to be held. The tanks were pulled back to Nadasdladany t h a t eve ning. At

2 7 December 1 944: Five Tigers in action. Two T-34's knocked out.

about 1 900 hours a new order arrived from the I I I

28 December 1 944: During t h e night the

Panzer Corps: The battalion was placed under t h e

Tigers wiped o u t two T-34s and t h ree a n t i tank

operational control of t h e 4 t h Caval ry Brigade,

guns. The battalion was again attached to t h e 4th

com manded by General Holste. It i m m ediately

Cavalry Brigade. It was further placed under the

moved to Fehervarcsurgo. The depart u re took

con trol of t h e heavy battali o n , com manded by

place at 2200 hou rs. At the same time the main te­

Rit tm eister Graf Plettenberg. Von Plettenberg's

nance faci l i ty m oved to Dudar.

command post was in Mor.

24 December 1 944: The tanks arrived at about

29 December 1 944: The bat talion command

0500 hours i n Fehervarcsurgo and, after a catnap,

post moved to Bal i n ka . The battalion battle group

rolled on to Sakaresge at 0630 hours. From there ,

consisted of o n ly t h ree tanks , which were posted

t h e 4th Caval ry Brigade i n tended to m o u n t a local

at the western o u tskirts of Mor as ready reserve.

coun terattack sou t h . For t h a t , t h e Tigers were

Even more than en emy act i o n , t h e weeks of con­

attac hed to a battle group from the 23rd Panzer

t i n uo us e m ployme n t as " fi re brigade" and t h e

Division

by Oberstleutnant Wey­

m a n y kilomete rs i n diff i c u l t and extreme terrain

commanded

man n , which was also participa t i n g i n t h e a t tack.

conditions had taken their toll. The number of

Eigh t Tigers arrived from the battal ion, but o n ly

tanks with techn ical problems was large . The bat­

six were f i t for combat. At dayligh t , t h e Russians

talion commander reported the fol lowing in his

shelled Sakaresg e from a l l sides with art i l l e ry,

m o n t h ly report of I Jan uary 1 945:

Stalin organs and mortars. The planned a t tack did not come off. The Russians had acted f i rst.

The primary difficul ties lie i n the fol lowi ng areas:

I nstead of a t tacking, t h e German forces became con t i n uously involved i n fen d i n g off heavy Russ­

1 . Lack of spare parts ( i ncluding major end

ian assau l ts . Leutnan t Rambow knocked out seven

i tems such as power plan ts, t ransmissions,

tanks by noon with h is tank. 9bergefrei te r Kii h n

differen tials ete. )

stopped their progress. Exactly eight m i nu tes were

2. Lack of recovery means in a terrain i l l

needed to knock o u t t h e seven tan ks . Then the

sui ted for tracked veh icles, resu l ting i n t h e

track came off that tank. Obergefrei te r Leif and

use of tanks over a n d over again for t h a t

Hans Welsch put t h e track back on t h e tank under

purpose.

enemy f i re while Leu t n a n t Koppe and h is tank provided covering fire.

3. I n adequate or no avail abi l i ty of Ssyms rail cars for transporting disabled tanks to the rear and bringing repaired tanks forward.

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

326

2 Jan uary 1 945: Local countera ttacks in con­

As a result of i tems 1 -3 above, the battalion cannot be employed i n the strength it should be

j u nction with the heavy battalion of the 4th Cav­

able to muster.

alry Brigade. Three Tigers i n action. 3 J anuary 1 945 and 4 Jan uary 1 945: The battle

Of great concern to the battalion was the n um­

group was a t Felsodobos aga i n . Hauptmann von

ber of disabled veh icles located all over the place;

Diest-Koerber came to the battle group, as did

it was an i m possible m ission for the recovery ele­

General H ol s te , commander of the 4th Cava l ry Brigade. I n the afternoon, we were ordered to

m e n ts at t h e time.

pull back to M ol'. A n i g h t a t tack was ordered on

H eavy art i llery and mortar f i re on Mor. 30 December 1 944: Recon naissance in force

Pusztvam. There were o n ly two Tigers operational.

along with the 2nd Troop of the 5th M o u n ted

A t h i rd tank dropped out shortly after crossi ng

( Reiler) Regim e n t (von Mackense n ) to Pusztava m .

the l i ne of departure. The heavy battalion had

Four tanks e m ployed.

t h ree Panzer Ils and grenadiers m o u n ted on

3 1 December 1 944: Oberl e u t n a n t von Rosen

SPWs. After a 1 0-ki lometer n i g h t marc h t h rough

reported to

the forests of the Ve rtes Mountains, the a ttack

Ri t tmeister Graf Plettenbe rg i n M or. The "co nva­

group appeared a t Pusztva m , t o tally surprising the

lescence" was over. No ac t i o n , b u t heavy mortar

Russians and capturi n g the place i n short order.

f i re on the vil l age start i n g at 2200 h ours. The

The grenadiers advanced with t h e tanks; the Rus­

quarters of two tank c rews were destroyed by

sians were completely ove rrun. I n addi tion to a

took over t h e battle gro u p and

d i rect h i ts . Fort unate that the men were i n t h e

great

tanks!

weapons and veh icles and eleven an t i ta n k guns

1 J a n uary 1 945: The battalion command post

n u m ber of prisoners,

many hand-held

were captured. Back to Mol'.

moved to Sur. Aerial at tack on Mor. Alert for the

The battalion's tanks were ordered to Bakonys­

battle group i n t h e m o rn ing. The Russians were

zombathely, one after the o t her, where the main­

exerting heavy pressure on the grenadiers. The

tenance faci l i ty had moved the preceding day.

tanks conducted a relief a t tack o n H i l l 1 28 , five

Another post-manufac ture modification. The tur­

kilometers north of Mor, which was s trongly held

ret races and the tracks were changed out.

by the Russians. The heavy battalion of the 4th

5 January 1 945: The redesignation of Tiger

Cavalry Brigade and Moun ted Regi m e n t von

Tan k Battalion 503 as Tiger Tan k Battalion " Feld­

Mackensen

herrn halle" was an nounced. We contin ued to

a ttacked

from

the

sou theast,

the

Tigers from the south. The two a t tacking groups

t h i n k of ourselves as "five-oh-t h ree" ! Leu t n a n t der Reserve Rubbel o f t h e 1 st Com­

were to meet on the objective. Oberl e u t n a n t von Rosen lost h is way with his Tigers on the approach m arch . In the snow-cov­

pany was moved to the 3rd Company and took over the second platoon. 6 Jan uary 1 945: The battalion remained u nder

ered l andscape, one h i l l l ooked l i ke another. Where was t h a t damned H i l l 1 28? There-s trong

the

Russian a n t i ta n k defenses o n a h i l l . The battle

Brigade; i t was d irected to coord i n a te wi th the

opera tional

control

of the

4th

Caval ry

group had a l ready lost a great deal of time, so

brigade's heavy battalion u n der Rittmeister Graf

there was o n ly one thing to do: Attack the h i l l

Plettenberg. The tanks moved to Bakonycsernye

without t h i nking about w h a t m i g h t b e to the righ t

in the eve n i ng. An a ttack in the Zamoly area was

or left . The Russians fled, abandon i n g a l l t h e i r

plan ned for 7 January.

equi pment. I t was even the righ t H i l l 1 28 , and the

The s ituation:

tanks were o n t i m e and without losses on the des­ ignated objective of t h e a t tack. When the a t tack

O n 2 Janua ry, two German corps i n i tiated an

group of the 4th Cavalry Brigade arrived , the

advance from Komorn to Budapest . The c i ty had

tanks had everyth i n g well i n hand.

been encircled for fou rteen days. On 5 J anuary,

Then security at Felsodobos. Tiger 332 had

after overcoming b i t ter resistance, the spearheads

engine trouble and had to be towed back. Since

of the a t tack were o n ly 25 kilometers west of

the route back led t h rough no m a n 's land, a tank

Budapest. Newly arrived enemy forces, however,

from the 3rd Company accom pa n ied i t to Bodayk

preve n ted further progress. The leadership there­

to provide cover.

upon decided on a rapid reorgan ization and a

Employment ill HUllgary shift of the spear point of the a t tack to the area

327

soon as t hey arrived at Borbalamajor, a new order came: Ret u rn i mmediately to Lajamajor. In the

d i rectly south of the Danube. The I Cava l ry Corps-with the 1 st Panzer Divi­

meantime, about sixty Russian tanks had been

sion, 23rd Panzer D ivisi o n , and 4th Cavalry

reported there .

H owever, aside from art i l lery

Brigade-was ordered to advance toward Zamoly­

and mortar fi re , it remained relatively quiet in

Cesakvar. I t would move east with i ts spear poin t

Lajamajor. 9 January 1 945: Alert in the morni ng. The bat­

on t h e left . While t h e 1 st Panzer D ivision con­ ducted l i m ited-objective attacks toward Stuh lweil3-

talion i m mediately moved to Alsopuszta in the

enburg and Cyulamaj or, the 4th Cava l ry Brigade

area of operations of the 23rd Panzer Division.

would advance on Zamoly from the sector east of

The battalion was split u p agai n . The 503's 1 st

Sored. The 23rd Panzer Division was to cover the

Company, with Leu tnant Piepgras, remained with

right f la n k of the 4th Cava l ry Brigade with a

the 4th Cava l ry Brigade, knocking out seven Russ­

simul taneous a t tack to the southeast and east.

ian tanks during the course of the day. The other

( Ern s t Rebe ntisc h , Die Geschichte der 2 3. Panzerrli­

part of the battalion was placed under the opera­ tional con trol of the 23rd Panzer Division. Led by

vision, J 94 1 bis J 945, p. 467)

the commander, that group attacked sout h and to

was able to restore the old main l i n e of resistance

Feh e rvarcsurgo. At abo u t 1 1 40 hours , the combat

at Sarkeresztes. At the start of the attack, Leutnant

elements p roceeded t h rough Magyaralmas-Also­

Rambow's tank was e l i m i n a ted from taking a part

puszta to Borbalamaj o r to launch i ts a ttack on

in the engagement when a shell burs t in the gun

7 Jan uary

Zamoly from

1 945: The

battalion

m oved

t h e re . Two battle groups were

barre l .

H owever, the tan k and its a m putated

formed. One was to a t tack to the north , the other

stump of a main gun remai ned for two addi tional

to the sou t h . The battalion commande r was with

days with the combat elemen ts.

the sou t h e rn battle group , which h ad six Tigers

The battle group then turned to the east

and ten Sturmgesch ii tze of the h eavy bat tal ion.

toward a vineyard village that had been lost. The

Heavy snow squalls and extremely poor visib i l i ty.

i n fa n t ry, a Luftwaffe u n i t t h a t had been attached

The Tigers soon e n coun tered a n an t i t a n k bel t .

to the 23rd Panzer Division, was hesi tant in follow­

T h e tanks were f i red o n from the fro n t a n d , what

i n g the tanks, bunching lip beh i n d the rearmost

was m o re u n pleasant, from the side as wel l .

veh icles.

Feldwebel Cartne r of t h e 3rd Company h a d a

The Russians had dug a broad and deep an ti­

round penet ra te the side of his tank. Apparen tly,

tank d i tc h o u tside the village that the tanks were

we were also deali n g with Stali n tanks. Cartne r was

unable to negotiate. We continued the a ttack.

brough t back and bled to death on the way to the

Then there was a heavy blow to the tan k . As I was

medical clearing station. Before h e died, h e had

able to determ i n e l ater, i t was a round that pene­

stoically removed the rem n a n ts of h is pistol from

trated the engine compart m e n t from the righ t .

the wound, doing it as if i t were something t rivial.

O t h e r tanks i n my company also received d i rect

His death was a very serious loss for the 3rd Com­

h i ts. In conj unction with the other tanks of the

pany. The a t tack was broken off. The tanks were

battalion we reached the designated h igh ground

pulled back to Borbalamajor where they p rovided

from which we had an effective field of fire cover­

cover. I t was an abom i nably cold, wet n i g h t in the

i n g Zamoly. At the same t i m e , Craf Plettenburg

tanks. Supplies did n o t arrive until m o rning. The

and h is heavy battalion pushed i n to Zamoly. Craf

southern battle group was ordered to link up with

Plettenberg was severely woun ded in that opera­

the northern one i n Lajamaj o r. That was also the

tion and his adjutant, Craf Oberndorf, was killed.

location of Craf Plettenbe rk's command post.

We h ad a good view from the h igh ground over­

8 J a n uary 1 945: It was evident on 8 January

looking Zamoly and the area beyond i t . Feldwebel

that the enemy still held the i n itiative. Orders and

Sachs and h i s tank destroyed t h ree Russian l i aison

coun ter-orders competed with each other. The

a i rcraft t h a t were on a meadow at the edge of

combat echelons and the battalion commande r

Zamoly just as they started to rol l .

arrived at 0 7 0 0 h o u rs as o rdered i n Lajamajor. At

We had no t i m e to lose a n d con ti n ued our

1 10 0 h o u r the o rder arrived to i m mediately pull

a t tack. The successful penetration had to be

back to Borbalamaj o r. The tanks rolled there. As

broadened. We put an addi tional number of an ti-

328

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

tank guns out of action and then came to a sloping

to be disconnected from each other in the tank.

vineyard. I t was difficult to ide n t i fY, but it appeared

Wh i l e that was being done, I stood guard against

to drop off quite steeply in frotll of us. Further

surprises with

movement i n that d i rection was blocked. As a

bably had more of a psychological value than any

resu l t , we set up sec uri ty, spaced well apart from

real one.

my mac h i n e pisto l . That pro­

each other. I n the mean time, we also survived an

U nder t h e noses of t h e Russians, we evacuated

attack by ground-attack ai rcraft that also dropped

our tank using one from the 1 st Com pany. I saw

bombs. The enemy h ad very ski l l fully posi t i on ed SU1 52 assault guns i n the vineyard . We had not ye t

how lucky we had bee n . A large c h uc k of armor had been blown away. Despite that, we h ad had o n ly one wounded soldier.

spotted t hem w h e n , suddenly, the f i rs t of our tanks went u p i n f lames. Th ree of its crew were

+

killed and the o t hers were severely burned. After another half hour, t h e same t h i n g happened to a second tank. We pulled back a l i ttle. Appare n tly, the Russian assault gun crews had observed us i n i­

The Russians h ad posi tioned themselves under

tially while dismounted. When they had us spot­

cover of the earth t h rown out of the d i tch. Behind

ted, they then f i red a single, aimed roun d . Then

t h e d i tch the ground rose to a vineyard, which

they i m mediately m oved back to t h e i r rear i n to

meant the Russians could n o t withdraw without

cover. Thus, we had l i t tle chance to knock t h e m

being see n . They gave no sign they would surren­

out. We were unable to f i n d a n y reverse-slope posi­

der in their hopeless situation. We moved righ t up

tions in t h a t open terrai n . However, it was i m po r­

to the d i tch with the tanks in order to enable our

tan t to hold our posi tion on the rise and provide

own i n fan t ry to advance and i n fi l trate. The Rus­

cover, since that was the only way to provide flank

sians replied with satchel c harges, hand grenades

protection for Zamoly. I n spite of small changes of

and antitank rif l es . They aimed their f i re at the

position-a bit forward, then a b i t back, a bit to

vision slots of the

tanks.

O u r own i n fa n t ry

the left, then aga i n to the right-it was i m possible

remained beh ind our tanks and made no move to

to c hange the fact that the Tigers stood out l ike

leave that cover. They suffered losses even though

great big targets i n the open terrain.

t h ey were behind the tanks. Then I saw how

After another half hour, a t h i rd tank, the one

H auptmann von Diest-Koerber cl i mbed o u t of his

to my left, was knocked out. Crew membe rs were

tank and, righ t arm gesticulating forward, tried to

also killed in that tank. We could not ide n t i fY the

urge the i n fa n t ry forward with him. A scen e l i ke

assa ult guns. I figured that my tank would proba­

som e t h i ng out of an old battle pai nting! I couldn't

bly be the next, since the Russians were systemati­

breathe. We tried to hold the Russians down with

cally f i ri n g on o n e tank after another, working

our fire and give him cover. The i nf�tn try, however,

from left to righ t . I observed i n ten t ly. It was a very

did n o t fol low h i m . He was a l l alone in front of

nasty situation. Slowly i t got darker. H ow I longed

t h e t re n c h . He hastened back again beh i n d our

for the n i g h t ! I was probably t h i n ki ng just that

tanks. He f i nally succeeded i n approac hing the

when I saw a m igh ty st reak of f i re and t h e re was

d i tc h with a few courageous i n fa n t rymen. They

an explosion in my own tank. We were a l l t h rown

brought a mac h i n e gun up i n to action and rolled

around, and suddenly t here was dayl igh t in my

up t h e e n t i re enemy position.

tank. That was my f i rst i m pressi o n . We h ad been

When I think back to that at tack I always h ave

penetrated ! Bail ou t ! We all got out. Only the

a second i m age before my eyes: A large Russia n ,

driver was wounded. The darkness that was then

appare n tly an officer or commissar, covered wi th

fal l i n g sh ielded us from further l osses. I had two

blood. H e stood upright behind h is cover and

operational tanks left . The i m mediate next move

with wrat h fu l , hate-fi lled visage screamed some­

was back to t h e com mander's tank.

t h i ng in our d i rection and t h e n collapsed. You

Armed with mac h i n e pistols, another member

had to have respect for such brave i n d ividuals.

of our c rew and I wen t back to our tank. We

There were many dead lyi ng in the d i t c h .

had to retrieve i t . We p repared i t for towi ng.

About 300 Russians were captured. T h e tanks

That meant t h a t the engi n e and f i nal drive had

gathered in the village . We encountered no resist-

Employment in Hungary

329

ance t here. After t h e i n fa n try had reoccupied i ts

to Magyaralmas . I was sen t to t h e battalion trains

former positions, the tanks returned to Alsopuszta

for eigh t days. Hauptmann von Eichel came for­

to be resupplied. Snow con t i n ued to fal l heavi ly.

ward from the rear.

We spe n t the night in t h e tanks. I t was cold. We

1 3- 1 7 January 1 945: The main tenance fac i l i ty

l lsed t h e blowtorches for heat, so we all ended up

at Su r and the company mai n tenance teams

with black hlCes.

worked ful l speed ahead at restori ng the combat

1 0 January 1 945: At m idday another a t tack was

readiness

of

the

damaged

tanks .

Leutnant

to start against Zamoly. H owever, it was then post­

Fll rl i n ger was still in Magyaral mas with his battle

poned to the fol lowi ng day.

group. An

1 1 J a n uary 1 945: Oberleutnant von Rosen

a ttack

toward

Stuh lwei13enburg

was

planned for 1 8 January. The battalion was to be

reported: It was a t haw, slush . At 0600 hours we rolled

comm i t ted along with t h e 23rd Panzer Regim e n t

out. The attack was to begin a t 0640 hours after a

of the 23rd Panzer D ivisio n . At t h e same time,

short p repara t i o n . The battal ion had a total of

other forces were to carry out the main effort past

thirteen Tigers operational. I was with the tanks of

Stuh lwei13en burg.

the 3rd Company on the left f l a n k. After a Nebel­

1 8 January 1 945: At 0645 hours eigh t of the

werfer barrage, we overran the e nemy positions.

battalion 's tanks, together with t h e 23rd Panze r

As the lead tank, I was able to c ross the Zamoly­

Regi ment, set out for t h e a t tack. T h e attack origi­

Stu h lwei13enburg road, which the Russians had

nated from Margi tm ajor and was led by the com­

doggedly h ung on to. Then we had to make a 90-

mander. Very soon after the start of the attack, the

degree tur n . My left f l a n k was u ncovered. Ten to

lead Tigers ran i n to a m i ne f i el d that was covered

twelve guns were i n posi tion to my left, but t h e

by a n t i tank guns. While t h e tanks suppressed the

Russians bolted.

anti tank guns, t h e battal ion 's panzer engineers

Of the t h i rteen tanks of the battalion that had

cleared the m i nes. West of the h igh ground at

set out i n t h e m o rn i ng, only three were still in

Point 1 53, the tanks were only able to cross an

service by eve n ing. Tigers 1 2 1 and 1 22 were total

extremely marshy stream bed with d i fficulty. The

losses. Fel dwebel Kukla, U n teroffizier Hoppner,

tanks were raked with gun f i re from a l l sides.

Obergefre i te r Woisin and Obergefreiter Waiter of

Seven enemy tanks and ten an titank guns were

the 1 st Company a n d two additi0nal solders had

destroyed. The Tigers could n o t avoid damage

been killed. The rema i n i n g tanks, some of which

from the heavy art i l l e ry, mort a r and a n ti tank gun

had taken serious

and

fire. One after another, four Tigers were put out

bro ught back to the rear. Le utnan t Heerlein was

of act i o n . They h ad to be evacuated and then

h i ts,

were

recovered

wounded during one of t h e towi ng operations.

towed back to the rear. The commander's tank

That day had brought h eavy losses to the battal­

also took a d i rect hit that preve n ted the main gun

ion . On the other side of the balance sheet stood

from f i ring. As eve n i ng approac hed the enemy

the successes:

Zamoly

h ad

been

recaptured,

thanks to the em ployme n t of t h e Tigers, which

launched several local coun terattacks that were repulsed. The battalion was w i t h d rawn and moved back

had establ ished t h e prereq uisites. During the course

of the

opera t i o n ,

the

battalion

h ad

dest royed twen ty-one tanks and assault guns,

to Magyaralmas. Two Tigers remained forward, providing cover for the grenadiers.

twenty ant i ta n k guns, t h ree a i rplanes, and one

1 9-2 1 January 1 945: The battalion stayed in

multiple rocket launche r. Once m ore, we reti red

Magyaralmas and repaired the battle damage or

to Alsopuszta.

the

1 2 Jan uary 1 945: In the 'm o rn i ng, I moved back to the command post at Bodaj k with the

m echan ical

problems.

Oberleutnant von

Rosen relieved H auptmann von Eichel. 22 January

1 945: The

1 st Panzer Division

com mander. There 1 was told I was officially the

moved out against Stuhlwei13enburg. Together with

company commander; h e re tofo re , I had only

the 23rd Panzer Regi ment, Tiger Tank Battalion

been the act i n g commander. In the m ea n t i m e ,

503 was to advance east of the city to cut off the

Leu tn a n t Fll rl i nger was with the five tanks in Also­

withdrawing enemy. At 1 10 0 hours the battalion

puszta which had rece n tly been made operational

moved out east of Sarkeresztes with nine Tigers

aga i n . The remainder of t h e battle group moved

and several Panthers and Panzer !Vs. The Gyulama-

330

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

jor farmstead was recaptured. Strong enemy anti­

arrived to relieve us. We moved to Stuh lweil3-

tank defenses. After that the advance con t i n ued

enburg and were able to get a good night's sleep

sout h . Von Rosen wrote the fol lowi n g in 1 946:

there. ( End of von Rosen 's i m mediate postwar notes)

We were beh i n d the Russian l i nes and no longer had strong opposition. We moved right along a

24 Jan uary

1 945: The battal ion was again

depression. Suddenly we saw h un d reds of Russian

placed under the opera tional con t rol of the 4th

i n fa n t ry retreati ng. Up to that poi n t , they had

Cava l ry Brigade and moved to Magyaralmas. Plans

been h idden

were made to a t tack the Zamoly area again tomor­

by a small patch of woods. We l ivened up the

row.

withdrawi ng t roops. They had n o t expected us

25 Jan uary 1 945: The bat talion was only able

there . The n , all at once, seven assault guns

to provide one small battle group with

appeared. O u r appearance seemed to put them

Tigers. I t was led by Leu t n a n t Beyer. The attack

tota l l y at a loss. Fire-targe t ! Fi re-target ! Seven

did not get off the starting blocks until the Tigers

assault guns were ablaze. We reached the road

got involved. Two tanks were damaged by gunfire

from Stuh lwei13enburg to Csala. The con t i n uation

and m i nes. One of them, commanded by Leut­

a

few

of the advance had to be stopped as eve n i ng d rew

nan t Rubbel, lost both tracks in a mi nefield. It

near, since m ost of the tanks had fired off their

could only be towed o u t wi th the help of all the

a m m u ni tion a n d half had become disabled d ue

tanks in the eveni ng, in a snowstorm. The battle

to damage from gunfire . The suppl ies did not get

group wen t back to Zamoly at nigh t.

forward u n t i l nearl y m i d nigh t . The roads were m iserable a n d the Russian art i l l e ry was also very

26 Jan uary 1 945: The battalion moved to Bor­ balamajor. An a t tack with l i m i ted oqjectives was to

active during the night. Since only five tanks were

be launched from there . Only t h ree Tigers and

still operational, the commander turned over the

several H u ngarian Panzer IVs attached to the bat­

operation to me. I t was the coldest night so f�lr

talion were operat ional. The attack of the small

that winter a n d we froze h orribly in the tanks.

battle group made good progress at f i rst, but the

Sleep was out of the q uestion.

H u ngarian i n fa n t ry i n tended to support i t could

23 Jan uary 1 945: As dawn broke we conti n ued

not fol l ow. The tanks became disabled by stronger

the a t tack toward Csala. It wen t well for .t h ree or

and stronger tank and an t i tank gun f i re and were

four kilometers. Then we ran up against a H un­

w i t h d rawn . Moved aga i n to Magyaralmas. The

garian farmstead that was wel l defended. We took

snow swi tched over

a goodly n um ber of h i ts. There was no way to get

paths and roads to slush . Later there was a hefty

at it frontally. We pulled back again, went around

snowstorm .

the enemy and came a t i t again from the flank.

27 January

to rai n and turned the

1 945:

The

battalion was not

Aft er we had knocked o u t fou r tanks, the Russians

employed, since none of the tanks were opera­

pul led out. In occupyi ng the Puszta, two of my

tional .

tanks moved onto m i nes. We could no longer con­

28-29 Jan uary 1 945: The battalion remained

tinue the a t tack. The defense had become too

under the con trol of the 4th Cava l ry Brigade. The

strong. We spotted five S talin organs, as wel l as

mai ntenance faci l i ty in Fehervarczurgo had five

several guns, that were taking us u nder d i rect fire.

tanks ready for action agai n .

That kep t us busy. We were able to disengage from the enemy and then set up in the Puszta. I n

3 0 Jan uary 1 945: The bat ta l ion command post m oved to Iszkaszen tgyorgy; the combat elements

s o doing w e had t o endu re several artillery bar­

moved to Sarkeresztes, where the heavy battalion

rages. We were also aggressively attacked by

of the 4th Cavalry Brigade was also located. Nine

ground-support aircraft. They flew at us in flights

Tigers were opera tional .

of fou r o r five a t a t i me and d u m ped heaps of

3 1 Jan uary 1 945: I t was uncomfortable in Sark­

small and very small OI-dance on us. Fortunately,

eresztes. There was a lot of harassing fi re from

they were not very accu ra te and the e n t i re lot

artillery. The Russians advanced everywhere along

wen t i n to an open field about fifty meters away.

the front with strong forces and ach ieved a n um­

That eveni ng, H u n garian tanks and in-fantry

ber of penetrations. Orders from the 4th Cavalry

Employment in Hungary

331

Brigade: The battalion was to move out i m medi­

there. At a road embankmen t , Hauptmann von

ately with the brigade's heavy battalion to coun ter­

Diesl-Koerber spotted twenty to twen ty-five enemy

attack and take back Gyulamajor. Hauptmann

tanks. At that poi n t he was all alone, but he still

Son n tag was t h e act i n g commander of the heavy

opened f i re. After the f i rs t round, which was a hit,

battal i o n . The battle group, led by Hauptmann

the enemy tanks came to life . The commander's

von Diest-Koerber, set out south from the vine­

tank was then covered with f i re from the enemy

yards east of Sarkeresztes. The at tack started wel l .

tanks and received n umerous h i ts that made it

As usual, it ran i n to artil lery a n d mortar fire. Then ,

u n fi t for combat and incapable of moving. Thank

however, the battle group was h i t by fire from anti­

God that Le utnant Piepgras arrived at that j unc­

tank guns and tanks. I t was im possible to approach

t u re with h is two Tige rs and knocked out t h ree

Gyulamajor from

the fron t . The commander

enemy tanks, whereupon the others decamped to

attacked H i l l 2 1 4 with fou r Ki ng Tigers; the tanks

the sou t h . I t was possible to restore l i m i ted mobil­

enveloped from the left. There were enemy tanks

i ty to the commander's tank and bring it back.

there as wel l . Several were set afire by gunfi re. The

Le utnant Piepgras remained forward and con t i n­

remainder withdrew. Friendly grenadiers occupied

ued to engage individual enemy tanks.

the enemy's positions-some of which were con­ structed very well-and h u n kered down .

Several tanks that had been repaired came for­ ward from the rear. One of t h ose tanks got i n t o a

One Ki ng Tiger was h i t by a round that pene­

marshy spot at Gyulamajor and became hopelessly

t rated the t u rre t , probably from a Stalin I l . Two

stuck. The village was evacuated in the eve n i ng

members of the crew were severely wou nded.

and the tank had to be blown up. Two tanks

Leu tnant Koppe succeeded in advancing i n to

s tayed forward to provide cover. All of the others

Gyu lamaj o r with

t h ree tanks. Si nce our own

were brough t back for repairs at Sarkeresztes. On

i n fan try fo rces were too weak, the village had to

the plus side, the battalion could count seven teen

be given u p aga i n in the eveni ng.

tanks or assault guns knocked out that day.

1 February 1 945: Leutnant Koppe forced h is way back i n to the vil lage d u ri n g the night with

2 February

1 945:

The si tuation

remai ned

unchanged .

reinforced infa nt ry elements while Leu tnant Piep­

3 February 1 945: Five of t h e battalion 's tanks

gras remained with two tanks on H i l l 2 1 4 and pro­

were at the fro n t. Leu t na n t Furl i nger led the bat­

vided cover. Gyulamajor was f i nally captured in i ts

tle group, which was again to attack at noon along

entirety. H owever, the Russians remained f i rm ly in

with u n i ts of the newly brough t up 5th SS Panzer

contro l of the i m proved road east of Gyulamaj o r.

Division "Wiking." At the same time, the Russians

An order from t h e 4th Caval ry Brigade arrived

a ttacked from several posi tions. Gyu lamajor was

by radio in the gray light of dawn : "Al l u n i ts are to

f inally capt u red that eveni ng. I n the course of that

proceed i m med iately to Poin t 1 66 south of Gyula­

opera t i o n , five a n t i ta n k guns were captured. The

major. " The Russians were said to be there wi t h

tanks had to remain i n position during the n igh t .

fifty tan ks . O n l y fou r Tigers were ava i lable, since

H eavy fog.

Leutnant Piepgras had to remain on Hill 2 1 4. I n accordance with

that

order,

the commander

im med iately set o u t from Gyu lamajor with the

4 February 1 945: The Russians attacked Gyula­ major with tanks as dawn broke. Battle Group Fur­ l i nger knocked out eigh t

Russian

tanks and

ava i lable tanks . Shortly after moving o u t , one of

overran five enemy a n t i tank guns on a hill south

Le utnant Koppe 's tanks broke a track, which h ad

of the vil lage. As eve n i n g approached, the battle

to be repai red under a rt i l lery fi re. The second

group was pul led back to Sarkeresztes.

Tiger t h e n reported extremely h igh engine tem­

5- 1 0 February 1 945: The battalion was not

peratu res and was u nable to fol low the group.

commi t ted. The m a i n tenance fac i l i ty and the

Short ly thereafter, the t h i rd Tiger ran onto a m i ne

com pany maint e nance sections worked l i ke mad­

and was stuck. There are days when nothing goes righ t .

m e n . At the fron t , n o t h i n g but art i l lery duels. Rain and thaws.

T h e commander moved on alone to Point 1 66,

9 February 1 945: The battalion was to be with­

cal l i n g e n route for support from Le utnant Piep­

d rawn from the sector. The desti nation was not yet

gras. I t took a while, however, before he could get

known.

332

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

THE BATTLE OF THE GRAN BRIDGEHEAD 1 2 February 1 945: Loadi n g the Tigers began at

ground from which the attack was to be con­

Mor. The battalion became part of Panzer Corps

At 0420 hours the a t tack began. The 2nd Com­

ducted. Not a si ngle tank got stuck.

"Feldherrnhal le" and was to take part in the

pany went forward on the left, the 1 st Company

planned e l i m ination of the Gran bridgehead. The

forward on the righ t . Behind them, i n t he cen ter,

battalion was placed under t h e operational con­

were several tanks of the 3rd Company. The

t rol of the Reich Grenadier Division " H och- und

Tigers rolled forward t h rough our own positions

Deutschmeister." The start of the attack was set for

during an artill e ry barrage. When the tanks then

1 7 February. 1 3 February 1 945: The f i rst t rains arrived and

made their way i n to the m idst of the Russian posi­

unloaded at Perbete. The battalion was q uart e red

barrage that ensued, t h e grenadiers of " H och­

in Csuz. Since not enough Ssyms rail cars were

und Deutschmeister" who were fol lowing suffered

available, the 3rd Company had to wait until em pty

sign ificant losses. Leutnant Piepgras had crossed

cars ret u rned to Mor from Perbete. As a resul t ,

an enemy t rench and was then left, i m m obil i zed,

that company d i d not load u n t i l 1 5 February.

i n a m in e f i eld. The battal i o n 's enginee rs came

1 5 February 1 945: The commander wen t with

forward i n SPWs and cleared a gap. The Tiger

tions, the enemy defe nse woke up. In the Russian

the company commanders t h rough Ki.i rt for a

that was moving alongside the bat talion headquar­

leaders' reconnaissance and to establish liaison

ters tan k-Tiger 'T'-on the right was set on f i re

with the grenadiers occupyi ng the main l i n e of

by a direct h i t . The f i re illumi nated the bat tlefield,

resistance. The fron t l i nes ran from north to

making the tanks into good targets for the Russian

sou th at the eastern outskirts of Kiirt .

antitank guns.

The battalion was to launch i ts a ttack from

The grenadiers closed up to the tanks and the

there on ] 7 February. The tank commanders were

commander gave the order for the advance to

then briefed on t h e a t tack sectors lyi ng d i rectly i n

continue. As his tank was on the verge of crossi ng

fron t of t h e m by the com pany commanders.

a second Russian t rench, i t was h i t on the turret by

Those briefi ngs were done i n dividual ly, sneaking

a round from an ant i tank gun . Since the com­

along concealed paths wi th great care.

mander was d rivi ng with the h a tc h ope n , as all

1 6 February 1 945: The attack was to proceed

tank commanders had to do at night for purposes

th rough rising h i l ly terra i n north of the road that

of orientation, he was gravely wounded on the

ran east from Kurt . Because of the d i fficult ter­

back of the head by a round fragme n t . H e o n ly

rai n , t h e Russians did not exp'e ct any attacks

had time enough to i n fo rm Leut nant Heerlein to

there . At the road itself, on the other hand, wel l

take over command, before he was loaded i n t o a

forti fied an titank positions and m i n e fields had

medical SPW and taken to the rear. I m mediately

been spotted. The p roblem was how the tanks

after the commander h ad been wounded, the

were to get to the h igh gro u n d . The battal ion's

a t tacking Tigers came u p against an extremely

combat engineer platoon was put to work and

cleverly em placed battery of large-caliber long-bar­

constructed a f i rm route that was negotiable for

reled guns. The tanks shot them to pieces or over­

Tigers. By n igh t , h owever, t h e c l i m b would still be

ran t h e m . After that happened,

a risky ven ture for the Tigers.

resistance in that sector q uickly collapsed. Haupt­

1 7 February 1 945: We awakened at 0200 hours. At 0230 hours the battalion m oved out. I n the

mann Wiegand came up from Tardosked and

mea n t i m e , it had aga i n grown to twen ty-two Tigers. With six or seven Tigers in each com pany, . two staff Tigers, SPWs and the combat trains, the

the

Russian

took over temporary com mand of the batta l i o n .

18 February 1 945: Von Rosen wrote the fol low­ ing i n 1 946:

battalion m oved forward th rough Fur and Kurt . It

I did not take part i n the at tack on 1 7 February,

was a very d i fficult approach m a rc h , since i t was

since the main body of the 3rd Com pany had not

p i tch dark and the drivi ng had to be done without

arrived at Perbete i n time. On 18 February I had

any l ights at al l . There was an extremely risky

all of the available operational tanks.

ascent for the tanks on t h e steep c l i m bi n g route

As day dawned, we attacked along the rai l road

that the engineers had const ructed t h rough a

l i ne toward Kis-Ufalu, again as part of the battal­

rock q uarry to t h e o t h e rwise i n accessible h igh

ion. Aft er t h ree h ours and breaking th rough a

Employmellt ill Hungary

333

strong posi tion consisting of a n ti tank guns and

wen t to Kobolkut with t h e tanks . Hauptmann

tanks, we captured the village. We received out­

Wiegand was a l ready wai ti n g t here for us. H e had

standing support from our art i l l e ry, whose for­

received new orders in the mea n ti m e . We were to

ward observer rode i n my tank as the sixth

clear two villages, but the Russians appeared to

c rewma n . We broke t h rough the wal l of smoke

have got wind of the advance of the Tigers. They

c reated by the steadily advancing art i l lery barrage

pulled out and we were able to complete that

and rooted the Russians out of the place. The

m ission wi thout much opposition. We would have

Russian Gran bridgehead defenses were buckli ng.

l iked to have a b i t of a break at that poi n t, but a

N'ter clean i n g out the vil lage we started a further

new order by radio sen t us off on a new m ission.

advance i n to the depths of the Russian position .

That time the m ission led us i n to h i l ly terrain. It

Sudden ly, we were faced with a hasty mi nefield;

was a strain for us; we had not shut our eyes for

the m i nes had been laid on the surface.

forty-eigh t hours.

]n order to save t i m e , I d ismounted and

The beautiful early spring sunsh ine was some

cleared a gap for the tanks, disarm i n g wooden­

compensation. By eve n i ng we got to our new

cased and tar m i nes as we had been t ra i ned to do

obj ec tive. We were eagerly anticipated there . We

in 1 943 at Tolokonoj e by e nginee r Oberfeldwebel

were to i m m ediately take part i n a n ight at tack on

Bauman n . In half an hour I had disarmed fifty

Kemend. Therefore, agai n , no sleep. The terrain

m ines. We passed the m i n efield without damage.

of the a t tack was difficult; n u merous deep ravines

We reached our first in termediate objective and

had to be c rossed. In the darkness-possible

found o n ly light resistance. I n t h e meantime, we

enemy con tact at any moment-it was doubly

had got well beh i n d the Russian l ines. A n ew

un pleasa n t . We had a l ready crossed the Russian

order arrived by radio from t h e division. When

li nes. They had been abandoned. That did not

we deciphered it, our fi rst though t was that there

seem right to us. After a very difficult crossing

had been a m istake. We q ueried the division . No,

over a bad ravine, we got to a broad, gently

there was no m is take. We had been given a new

fal l i n g plateau. We could o n ly guess at the direc­

objective that was about 20 kilometers from the

tion of o u r a t tack. We advanced slowly. It was

location we were at t h e n . And i t was already get­

clear to me that the most d i fficult part would

ting dark.

come at daybreak. I f we were actually able to get

We con t i n ued our a ttack, always cross-country.

to Kemend d u ri n g the night, then we would be

From t i m e to time e nemy tanks appeared i n fron t

on o u r own d u ring the day. All of the terrain was

o f us. A brief exc hange 'of fire, knock t h e tank

under good observation from the Russian posi­

out, and forward aga i n . The most diffi c u l t t h i ng

tions from the superior elevation of the far bank

was orienting o u rselves in t h e pi tch-black night.

of the Gran. No sort of supply or replacements

As m id n i g h t approached we got i n to a marshy

would be able to get forward to us during the day.

place that gave us d i fficulties. At some distance

That, however, would have to wai t . For the pres­

we saw wh i te flares go u p to our l e ft , t h e sign for

e n t, t h e a t tack was still in motion, but the silence

"friendly troops" and we also heard the typical

of the Russians was disturbing.

noise of German tan ks. After about another hour

Suddenly we ran i n to m i nes: To our righ t , to

we were able to establish d i rect contact. It was the

our left, and in fron t of us, m ines. Some of us

1 st SS Panze r D ivision "Leibstandart e , " which had

were al ready in the m idst of the m i nefield, whose

attacked from the north with forty to fifty tanks.

boundaries could not be discerned. Thousands of

We closed up with them for a time, but then were

m i nes m ust have been laid there. V"e attempted to

hal ted by order from the divi�ion. That was in the . M uszla area.

clear the m i nes. They were carefu l ly laid and com­

1 9 February 1 945: Hauptmann Wiegand

pletely frozen to the ground. We moved slowly for­ ward. Then we saw that such an approach j ust

moved to the division to establish contact and

would not do. We worked feverishly to replace the

report . I wai ted several hours with the tan ks for

damaged track l i nks. While we did that, several

our supplies, which arrived at about 0400 hours

more mines went off. I t was a loathsome situation.

in t h e morn ing. With them came t h e m uch­

Something had to happe n . We could not get

desired field kitchen. The food was cold, but at

through that m inefield. Therefore: Pull out. It was

least the coffee was warm . At about 0700 h ours, I

already begin ning to get light.

334

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

20 February 1 945: We fel l back again as far as

after we were shelled by artillery. My left elbow

the ravine. As day broke we already had the Rus­

was smashed by a shell fragme n t . I was barely

sians at our th roats. They made an extremely spir­

aware of it in my half-asleep state and did n o t

i ted a t tack with tanks, b u t we were superior to

really c o m e to u n t i l the surgeon was al ready

them i n t h a t s i tuation. As noon approached we

working on my arm . I turned over the leadership

got a b i t of a break. Hauptmann Wiegand m oved

of the com pany to Leu t n a n t Koppe and was

back to the command post. I left two tanks u p

brough t back to the command post at Kobolkut

fro n t to cover u s a n d pulled back about 2 kilome­

i n a SPW. O r Biiry cared for me there . I took

ters with the others to give the crews a l i ttle rest.

leave of my soldiers, saying: " I ' l l be back i n th ree

The ones out fron l were to be relieved every two

months ! " (End of von Rosen 's i mmediate postwar

hours.

n o tes)

I lay on the rear deck of my tank in the warm sun and i m mediately fel l asleep. Shortly there-

T h ree months later the war was over.

C HAPTER

3 1

After-Action Re p orts of Hau p tll1ann Froll1ll1e and Oberleutnant Oell1ler

AFTER-ACTION REPORT OF HAUPTMANN FROMME

steadfast enemy ( penal battal ions) was shaken to the core by the e n e rgetic assa u l t and his com m u­

Tiger Tan k Battal ion 503 Command Post

n ications to t h e rear th rown i nto total confusion

25 Novembe r 1 944

by the destruction of various columns and a trans­

l a 3 7 1 /44

port t rain which, in the final analysis, forced the Russian Sixth Army from t h e Debrecen area. The

Secret

total distance of about 250 kilometers covered The battalion was e n trained on 9 Oc tober

during the operation was accomplished essential ly

1 944 for H u n gary to complete i ts' ref i t ti ng in t h e

without mechanical fai l ure . The Tiger I I proved

Budapest area. The crisis i n H ungary made i t nec­

i tself extremely wel l , both in i ts armor and from a

essary for the battalion to be com m i t ted on 1 6

mechan ical perspective. Veh icles which received

October to occupy t h e castle at Budapest , an

up to twenty h i ts without becoming disabled were

employment that was almost e n t i rely a demonst ra­

not uncommon.

tion, but which was a decisive success.

The fol l ow-on operations were l i m i ted i n

An i n tensification of the situation east of the

scope, i n particular counterattacks wi t h weak

Theiss and at Debrecen required i mmediate action.

friendly i n fa n t ry against the e nemy crossing the

The armored u n i ts entrained i n the Szolnok area.

Theiss n ortheast of Szo l nok. Those opera tions,

However, due to the shortage of Ssyms rail cars,

however, as al ready reported by SQ-messages, had

which had to operate in shuttle service, not all were

the successful outcome that, wherever the Tigers

able to arrive at the assembly posi tion in time. The

were employed, the Russians were preven ted from

units marched directly to the assembly area on

major combat operations.

unloading, starting the attack a few hours later. The

?ay

During that time and conti n u i n g up to now,

were, l i kewise,

the battalion has not been given any time at all for

formed i n to a battle group and placed under the

tech n ical servicing, in spi te of conti n ual requests.

tanks that arrived the next

operational control of another division, so that the

That has been due , in part, to the s i tuation . H ow­

battalion went i n to action in two battle groups with

ever, that h as also been d ue to i n adequate u nder­

two differen t divisions on two differe n t days. Pro­

stand i n g on the part of the superior commands,

vided the assaul t was successful in penetrating i n to

which h ave always had j ust two questions: " H ow

the enemy rear, the battalion would then reu n i te.

m any are operational?" and " H ow many will be

Both groups were extraordi narily successfu l .

ready for action tomorrow?" In spite of that, there

From 1 9-23 October 1 944, 1 20 a n ti tank guns and

h as been an average of twen ty-five to t h i rty tanks

19 gu ns were dest royed. The extremely tough and

in service t h rough 30 October.

335

336

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II On 3 1 Oc tober the battalion moved to a new

Experience has confi rmed that the Russians

operat ional area near Kecskem e t , where it was to

construct strong an titank defenses i m mediately

be employed as part of the LVI I Panzer Corps. I ts

beh i n d their foremosl u n i ts. The em ploym e n t of

m ission was

Russian assau l t

American 9.2cm and conical an titank guns ( 7.5

groups advancing to Budapest. Damage appeared

down to 5.7cm) h as , fortunately, only led to two

to

i n tercept the

almost im mediately in the extremely diffi c u l t , par­

t o tal losses so far. Those weapons even penetrate

tially swampy terrain that was decidedly unsuitable

the gun mantlet at ranges under 600 m e ters. H i ts

for a rmor; in particular, t h e re was damage to the

t h a t penetra te the back of the tu rret cause explo­

d rive sprockets, tracks, t rack-tension adj usters and

sion of the a m m u n i tion stored there and gener­

ven t i lators. W i t h i n a few days, d ue to a shortage of

a l ly have resul ted in total losses of the veh icles.

replacement parts, which had bee n requisitioned

In armor versus armor e ngageme n ts, the 8.8

i n t i m ely fash io n but h ad n o t been p ro m p tly or

KwK 43 has proven effective in destroying all types

completely provided, that damage led to the

of enemy armor, including the Sta l i n tank at

maj or i ty of the bat t a l i o n 's tanks being d isabled.

ranges up to 1 500 meters. T-34 and T-43 tanks

As a resu l t of insuffi cient means of towi ng, the

could be knocked out in favorable f i ring condi­

battalion was faced with the decision of e i t h e r

tions at ranges up to 3 ,000 meters. Freq uently, as

blowing up the damaged tanks that were i n fron t

in the West, the Russian tanks avoided combat ing

of the main l i n e of resistance o r recovering them

Tigers or turned away after the f i rst tank was

with those Tigers that were still operational. Natu­

knocked out. The sam e holds true for assault guns

ral ly, that also caused mechanical damage to the

as for the Stalin tanks. Assau l t guns have not yet

Tigers that were employed for towi ng. O n ly timely

been knocked out at ranges greater than 1 ,500

and p re-planned loading of the tanks at the last

meters.

moment o n the rail road all owed the battalion to avoid greater losses of arm o red veh icles.

In summary, the Tiger I I has proven i tself in every way and is a weapon that the enemy fears.

The few rem a i n i n g operational tanks were

When the formation is used as a single, u n i fied

shunted from d ivision to d ivision and assigned

e n t i ty and is employed in accordance with proper

m issions t h a t were inappropriate, that were inca­

tactics, it always bri ngs dec isive success. However,

pable of being carried o u t and that were i n tolera­

m ost of the h igher-level commands do not look

ble. ( See after-action report concern i ng Bat tle

out for the tec h n ical and tactical needs of a Tiger­

Group Oemler for 15 November 1 944. )

Abteilu ng.

Since 1 8 November the battalion h as been employed i n the Gyongyos area. The unceasing

Armored Antiaircraft Platoon

bad weather has made i t i mpossible to leave the

I n the armored flak platoon , the q uad guns have

roads. Since the mechanized i n fan try a n d light

proven themselves the best. In both armored pro­

i n fa n t ry regi m e n ts are too weak, the Tigers and

tection and cross-coun t ry perfo rmance, they a re

also the self-propelled an tiaircraft veh icles have to

i m mediately in a position to p rovide adequate

p rovide cover i n the fro n t l i nes wi t h o u t any d is­

protection against aerial a t tack and also to per­

m o u n ted protect i o n . A t tacks i n p i tc h black n ig h t

form an i m p ressive role i n ground engagemen ts.

i n terrain w h i c h h a s n o t been reco n noi tered wi th

In an extremely short time, the q uad-gun section

far too weak i n fan t ry forces a re not u n c o m m o n ,

achieved t h ree con firmed and two probable air­

e.g., a n i g h t a ttack with 1 20 convalesc i n g i n fan t ry

c raft kills. The 3 . 7cm guns are unsuited to accom­

and a SPW battalion ( st rength forty m e n ) to cap­

pany an armored a t tack. The c rew is totally

t u re a c i ty that was stro ngly held with a n t i ta n k

u n protected whenever the gun is ready to fi re or

g u n s and i n fa n t ry. S u c h a t tacks c a n only b e suc­

the t i me taken to ready the gun for action is

cessful i f the grenadiers also actually take part i n

excessive. In add i t i o n , no 3 . 7cm explosive a m m u­

the a t tack ahead of a n d to the sides of the tanks,

n i tion has arrived since the battalion has been

destroyi ng the a n t i t a n k guns that are massed in

com m i t ted in H u n ga ry.

the doorways of ho uses and gates, where they can not be knocked out by the tanks . The i n fan try

The Combat Reconnaissance Platoon

cannot c ru mble at the f i rs t sign of resistance and

The comba t recon naissance platoon has n o t yet

leave the Tigers all alone so t h a t it is easy for

been commi tted because i t o n ly j us t arrived from

enemy h u n ter/killer teams to engage them.

Germany. The one exception was the deta i l i n g of

337

After-Action Reports of Hauptmallll Fromme alld Oberleuhwllt Oelllier the mediu m-wave radio SPWs to the combat ele­ m e n t s due to the loss of the command veh icles.

mounted on its tanks by way of Point 1 08 to Far­ mos. The 1 st Company of Grenadier Battalion Sei­ del-outfi tted

with

S PWs-moved

th rough

Nagykata to Farmos. The battle group moved out

Scout and Combat-Engineer Platoons tasks

from Farmos with Armo red Group Battalion

assigned to i t . The Ke tten krad has particularly

Grlll1 , which had, i n the meantime, been ordered

proven i tself in this terra i n . The combat engineer

to that location. The elements advanced on Tapi6

platoon was primarily used in construction of pro­

Szele and set up south of the ci ty.

The

scout

p l a toon

has

compl eted

all

visional crossing ramps, in rei n forcing bridges and

Depart u re took place i m mediately after the arrival of the mechanized grenadier com pany.

for i mproving rou tes.

The d ivision commander of t h e 46t h I n fa n t ry

Signals Platoon

D ivision i n formed the leader of t h e bat tle group

An additional Fu2 set (second receiver) is an

that the route ordered for the Tigers was good.

absol u te necessity since, when working with other

H owever, the Tigers were not able to fol l ow

u n i ts , the u l t ra-short wave t raffic so exceeds the

that route and the tanks bore off to the southeast

p resen t capabi l i ties that an Fu5 is inadequate.

so as to get to a parallel route 2 kilomete rs away.

M oreover, it is i m possible to m a i n tain radio com­

That

mun ications with superior o r sub-un its on one

bridges were too weak and the terrain com pletely

and the same frequency.

softened and swam py. The Tigers bogged down

The GG 400s i n the veh icles h ave generally

route also

proved

un usable,

since

the

and had to turn arou nd.

proven i nadequate as a resul t of the o ngoi ng

At 1 730 hours the leader of the battle group

demands and the resultant constant repairs. Type

arrived in Farmos in a staff car with Hauptmann

Cs are preferable.

Seidel

I t would l i kewise be desirable to use the back­

and

Hauptmann

Grl ll1 .

Since

it

had

become completely dark in the meantime, Battal­

pack "b" receiver in lieu of the medium-wave "c"

ion on Seidel and the Tigers did not arrive, Tapio

receiver, since the "b" could be fed by either a

Szele was al ready held by the enemy and the

veh icular battery or a plate battery and 2 b 38 bat­

terrain was not even nego tiable for a SPW, Haupt­

teries. Doing that would lead to a considerable

mann Seidel did not start the attack.

improvement in guaranteeing the electrical supply.

Because there would be no getting t h rough on

(signed: von D iest-Koerber)

the routes that the Tigers had to follow, Leutnant

Hauptmann and battalion commander

Furli nger

i m mediately

moved

on

the

road

t h rough Nagykata to Tapi6biske to inform t h e division regarding the situation, to get n e w orders

AFTER-ACTION REPORT OF OBERLEUTNANT OEMLER

and to d i rect the Tigers through Nagykata. At the

The Battle Group Leader

d ivision, a state of total confusion reigned regard­

1 st Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503

i n g t h e si tuation of the battle group. The division

I n the field

halted the Tigers and, by o rder of the corps,

1 5 November 1 944

ordered them to Nagykata. Effective 0430 hours on 1 2 November, t h ey formed the corps reserve at

On 1 1 November 1 944 at 1 430 hours the bat­ tle group received the order from the 1 3. Panzer­ Division

via

a

battal ion

officer

to

move

to

Nagykata, together with Battalion Grl ll1 , an SPW­ equi pped panzer-grenadier battalion. Leutnant Fl'trlinger reponed

the situation

Sze n tmartl6s. The battle group was placed under the operational control of A I�m o red Battle Group

regardi n g Battle Group Seide l , took new orders

Klll1ze l . The Tiger battle group arrived a t 1 530

they had refueled, guided t h e Tigers to Tapi6-

hours

biske. On 1 2 November the bat tle group was corps

in

Tapi6sze n tmartl6s

(coming

from

Papi6bicke ) and reported to Hauptmann Frond­

for the withdrawal of Battal ion Grlll1 and, after

reserve at N agykata.

seck at the regi mental command post . New orders

1 230 hours: An order from the 23rd Panze r

arrived from t h e division at 1 530 hours: " Battle

Regi ment arrived by messenger-Tiger battle group

group is to be placed under the operational con­

is placed u nder the operational control of the

trol of Grenadier Battalion Seide l . " I t moved with

23rd Panzer Regi ment and moves t h rough Jas­

two com pan ies of Grenadier Battal ion Seidel

bereny to Jakohalma. The leader of the Tiger

338

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

battle group im mediately moved to the

1 3t h

Panzer Division for a s i t u a t i o n brief. A n e w o rder

con tac t. Each tank strongpoint was to be secured by fifteen i n fa n t rymen.

was awa i t i n g him at the division: Tiger battle group-attached to a battle group of the 23rd

The Tiger leader i m mediately reported that:

Panzer D ivision-a nd Armored Battalion Grun had the task of cleari ng the Nagykata:Jasbereny

1 . The woods, particularly i n its eastern port i o n ,

road of enemy, advancing t h rough Jasbereny and

was strongly h e l d by the enemy. I t would be

establ ishing contact with the 23rd Panzer D ivision.

i m possible for a Tiger to en ter i t , even by day,

[t would have been im possible to carry out the i n i­

without extremely strong close-in protection by

t ial order because the road was held by the enemy on a broad fro n t . T h e Tiger b a t t l e group s e t o u t a t 1 400 hours toward Jasbereny with the fi rst objective of t h e attack bei n g a road i n tersection 2 kilomete rs southwest ofJasbereny. 800 meters befo re the i n tersection, the Tiger spearhead encountered enemy tanks , assaul t guns

i n fantry. 2. The terrain was extremely marshy and i t would n o t be possible to leave the road (especially at n igh t ) . 3 . Because o f the trees, a Tiger o n the road would not even be able to t raverse i ts gun , l e t alone turn. Furt h e r, i f one tank were knocked out, the others would be unable to pass it.

and very strong i n fa n t ry forces. One assaul t gun

4. The Tigers could not move around at night in

and t h ree enemy tanks were knocked out. A fur­

terrain that was unsui table for armor about f ive

ther advance was i m possible since Battalion GrLln

kilometers i n fron t of the German main l i ne of

had been at tacked on its right Oank. It had not advanced wi t h the tanks and was stuck f i ve ki lome­

resistance. 5. As a result of the forced march of the p revious

ters behind them. I t was not feasible for the Tigers

n ight, only six Tigers were fu l ly operational

to fight alone on the road th rough t h e woods.

and one was o n ly conditionally operational.

Further, it wou ld have been i m possible to leave t h e road in terrain t h a t was very m arshy in areas.

[ n spite of t hose objections, t h e division in­

In spite of support from heavy weapons, the SS

sisted on the execution of the order. The o n ly

Battalion that h ad been com m i t ted in the woods

change being that two SPWs were to replace the

to provide cover was u nable to stop the attacks of

Tigers for mai n ta i n i ng con tact.

the enemy who had advanced to wi t h i n extremely

After the i n itial i n fa n t ry u n i ts arrived at 2200

short range i n t h e thick underbrush. It pulled

hours, t h e f i rs t t h ree Tigers set out. The i n fan t ry

back after blowi ng up t he a m m u n i tion p o i n t

first had to be pul led out of the li nes. The group,

located i n the woods.

led by Leutnant

Flu-l i n ge r,

consisted

of two

At 1 600 h o u rs the battalion also ordered the

U n teroffiziere, twelve men and two SPWs. The

Tigers to pull back as fa r as its command post,

departure of the o t h e r t h ree Tigers was delayed ,

about six kilometers to the rear.

since t h e i n fa n t ry was not yet there . The f i rst t h ree

At 1 900 hours the leader of the Tiger battle

Tigers moved forward with mou n ted infan try

group received t h e order to con tact the com­

( four to five men on each tan k ) . The night was

mander of the 1 3th Panze r D ivision by land l i ne.

p i tc h dark, the sky overcast. [ t was rai n i ng and vis­

At ] 940 h o u rs the commander of the 1 3t h Panzer D ivision gave t h e fol lowi ng o rder to t h e

i bi l i ty was generally zero. The security group h a l ted two hundred meters

Tiger battle group b y phone:

ahead of the spot that h ad been reached during

Th ree Tigers are to move t h rough the \400ds

The leader sen t two of the i n fa n t ry from h is vehi­

t h e day and had been designated by the divisio n . again to the road in tersection, 800 m eters from

cle forward. Ten me ters i n fron t of t h e tank t h ey

the edge of the woods near the i n tersection .

were f i red on from all sides from the woods and

Th ree Tigers move to the to the e n trance to t h e

t h e road. The Tigers formed a hedgehog on the

woods, two kilometers beh i nd the first Tigers and

road. The enemy slowly i n fi l trated past on the

provide cover t h e re, preve n t i ng t he Russians

righ t and left . O n several occasions, Russian

from infil t rating t h rough the woods. Two Tigers

h u n ter/ k i l l e r teams that had approached the

are to spend the e n ti re night drivi ng back and

tanks were chased off. Since it had not been possi­

forth between the two stro ngpo i n ts and maintain

ble to preve n t the Russians from i n fi l trating

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Monthly status report of Tiger Tank Battalion 503, dated 1 January 1 945. Personelle Lage Personnel Situation; Materielle Lage Equipment Situation; Soil Authorized; Fehl Missing/Short; einsatzbereit operational; KraJifahrzellge vehicles; Waffen weapons; in kllrzfristiger Instandsetzllllg (bis 3 Wochell) short-term maintenance (less than 3 weeks). =

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340

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

th rough the woods during the day, it was total ly

were fol lowi ng back from the road to the left, with

i m possible to do so at n i gh t . Only ignorance of

the res u l t that the Tigers had to fal l back. The

the strength of the securi ty group preven ted the

Russian attack was brough t to a halt and the battle

enemy from completely wiping it out.

group formed a hedgehog defense.

As for the SPWs, one dropped out at the s tart .

The leader of the battle gro u p recom mended

The lead Tige r o f the second Tiger coveri ng force

an enveloping move to the nort h . By doing that,

th rew a track th ree kilometers before reac h i n g its

t h e battle group could establish contact with the

designated pos i t i o n . The terra i n preven ted the

23rd Panzer D ivisio n . At 1 300 hours the order

two other tanks from moving past.

arrived to execu te that maneuver. At 1 500 hours,

\t\Then the pressure from the enemy became too

the battle gro u p reached the command post of

strong, the Tigers of the first security group slowly

the 2nd Battalion of the 40th SS Regi ment wi th­

pulled back 400 meters. Enemy tanks had been

out furt her contact with the enemy. The Tigers

approach i ng from the south (and, apparently, the

then moved out from the north toward the i n ter­

T-34s also got stuck on the woodland paths ) . The

section. They turned to the west south of the Jas­

SPW was sen t back to establish contact, was fired

bereny-Nagykata road. They establ ished cover at the designated poi n t . By the time darkness started

on, and did not move forward again. Hauptmann Crl lll and the Tiger leader were

to fal l , the battle group withdrew toward Crllll's

con t i n uously kept abreast of the situation by

command post . At a distance of one kilometer

rad io. At about 2300 hours, the Tige r leader tele­

from the command post , the e n ti re group of

phon ically reported the enemy situation to the

Tigers got stuck on the road and the laborious

operations officer of the 1 3th Panzer D ivision

recovery lasted until dawn.

from Crun's command post. H e i n q u i red whether

As a result of totally improper em ploym e n t ,

the Tigers, i n spite of the strong enemy pressure,

four Tigers were disabled ( a s c o u l d o n l y be

were to hold their strongpo i n t under t h ose condi­

expected ) with damage to tracks, drive sprockets

t ions. The danger existed that the Russians would

or transm ission t rouble. The relationsh i p with the

cut the Tigers off from suppl ies and m i n e t h e

division was most un pleasant. Prac tically no a tten­

road. Neve rtheless, the o rder was not rescinded.

tion was paid to the fun damen tal principles of

At 0200 Hallptmann Crllll received the order to

em ploym e n t of Tigers. Due to the various types of

link up with the Tigers that were providi�g cover

operations and the ongoing changing command

and advance to Jasbereny that nigh t . The battalion

and control relationsh ips, it was n o t possible to

moved out with the second trio of Tigers at 0500. It

bring forward supplies. When the radio veh icle

first had to be withdrawn from the l i nes. After

became disabled, the request to borrow a vehicle

reaching the lead Tiger strongpoint, the battle

for a few h o u rs to guide the supply veh icles for­

group deployed. The lead Tiger started by knock­

ward was rejected by the division 0 1 [ special duty

ing out five 7.62cm an t i tank guns when it had only

staff off icer] with the words, ''You see to it how you

gone 1 50 m e ters. It then attacked 200 meters

get your fuel forward ! I am not here to get your

t h rough the edge of the woods. At that poin t , the

fue l to you ! " When the attack did not move fo r­

bat tle group encountered a strong a n t i ta n k-gun

ward on 1 3 November, the operations officer of

defensive bel t and wel l concealed assault guns.

the division told Hauptmann Crl lll that h e did

Lelltnant Bielefeld was kil led by a short-range anti­

not have any i n formation on the enemy situation.

tank gun hit in the attempt to outflank the antitank

In contrast, the leader of the armored group and

guns to the left th rough an open field.

the Tiger leader were constan tly i n con tact with

Cerman Pan zerfauste, sticky bombs and other c lose-com bat

an t i ta n k

materials

the Tigers providing cover. They kept the divi­

lay : scattered

sional opera tions officer constantly i n formed dur­

about in the abandoned Russian positions along­

i n g the night of 1 2- 1 3 November and perso nally

side the road. A Russian i n fan tryman with a Panz­

orienta ted h i m around 2400 hours concerning

erfaust was shot down w i t h i n 20 m e ters of the

the si tuation and their i m pression of the en emy.

tanks as h e t ried to sneak up to the side of the

The leader of the battle group:

Tigers. Since the i n fa n t ry had not advanced as far as the tanks , the enemy in the woods coun terat­

(signed: Oemler)

tacked with an " H urrah ! " from his old positions i n

Oberleutnant and com pany commander

battal ion strengt h . They fo rced the i n fan try that

C HAPTER

3 2

Recoll ections of a Panzer Soldier (Part IV) : The Reorganization of the Battalion Dr.

Franz- Wilhelm Lochmann

H

avi ng a t a n k company a t t h e same place

guard. I was given two days to prepare for that

as the replacement battalion was located

operation. Wi t h the collection of senior privates

did n o t bode wel l . Wheneve r we painted

d e tailed to me one could, i ndeed, take on any

the town red in t h e even i ngs, we had o u rselves

combat si tuation or clean out a supply dump, but

picked up by a staff car. That was not a good

mount a snappy guard-n o, that remained to be

t h i ng, since t h e re was fuel rat ioning and even the

see n . We moved to Elsen. Then came o u r great

bat tal i o n commander of the replacement battal­

momen t . With great t i m i ng, the ent i re guard

ion, Oberstleutnant Hoheisel , rode around Pader­

p i led out of the veh icle and fel l i n . It was a mag­

born on a bicycle . ( O be i-stleutnant H o h eisel had

n i ficen t guard. "Attent ion ! Shoulder arms! Pres­

succeeded our fi rst battalion commander, Ober­

ent

stleutnant Post, as battalion com mander. ) We

beamed. The guest was visibly i m p ressed. They

arms!

Eyes

righ t ! "

Hauptmann

From me

were ban ished to the c o u n t ryside near Ben t feld.

slowly rolled past and we fol lowed them with our

The battalion and i ts staff were q uartered i n

eyes. While presen t i n g arms, I softly said, "And

Neuhaus. At the end o f Sep tember a n d begi n n ing

now to beat a hasty retreat." Out loud, I bellowed,

of Octobe r, new Tiger l Is were issued to the bat tal­

"Guard dism issed ! " We had a great time. As a

ion at Sen nelager. At that p o i n t , we were the fi rst

reward, I got a four day official tri p to Hamburg.

Tiger battal ion that was e n t i rely equi pped with

That was the last time I got to go home. Then the

King Tigers. Those veh i cles were equi pped with

final phase of the war swallowed us up.

the so-called production t urrets by Krupp. Several Tigers had the Porsche t u rret .

HUNGARY As the gen e ral m i l i tary situation i n H ungary had

BENTFELD

become

In Ben tfeld, once m ore , we not o n ly led a rela­

resolved to arrange a cease-fire with the Allies.

hopeless,

I m perial

Regent

H orthy

tively peacefu l , but also a very cheerful life . There

Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was set i n motion from

were abundant Marketenderwaren and U n terof­

Sennelager to Budapest. After detrai n i ng, we

fizier Hoppner took over the vil l age pub. One

moved to Budakezy. On 1 5 October we took over

time, when we were expecting a part i c u l arly h igh­

the security of the ci ty. In the mean time, our vehi­

level visi t at the battalion in Elsen , the 1 st Com­

cles repeatedly moved around the streets of the

pany was designated to post a part i c u l arly snappy

city as a demonstration of m i l i tary might. Sko-

341

342

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAIJON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

rzeny took care of t h e rest wi th a small SS troop.

main road i n t o the place. Sudden ly, a 7.62cm

The poten tial catast rophe for the southern fro n t

round whizzed ove rhead, barely clearing our tur­

was sign i fican tly amel iorated b y t h a t .

ret . I t came from t h e left. We paid bet ter at tention

On 1 8 October our com m i t me n t i n the Szol­

a t the next gap between h o uses. But we still were

nok area bega n . The battalion succeeded in forc­

u nable to discover t h e m . Another round barely

ing back s t rong Russian forces. On 20 October we

m issed us. The t h i ng must be in a very elevated

formed a h e dgehog position in t h e Turkeve area.

position. Between the h o uses we got a break. At

The ve hi cles formed a great c i rc le , abo u t 60 to

the next side street we were even more a t te n t ive.

1 00 me ters apart . We granted t h e i n fan try who

The tu rret was t raversed to the left . And that was

had been assigned to acco m pany us a break for

where we spotted the m uzzle flash. I t was u n be­

the night. The battalion commander, Hauptmann

lievable. I t came from t h e lower part of the

Fromme, took posi t ion a t the edge of a road that

c h u rch t ower. We could n o t ident ifY the ant i tank

led to the east. H e had "rem o u n ted" i n a tank

gun, b u t we l e t loose with a h i gh-explosive round.

from t h e 1 st Company. To h is righ t , a n d offset a

We scored a d i rect hit. We could see t h e barrel

good 60 meters, was Tiger 1 00 .

and wheels of an a n t i ta n k gun th rough the de­

At 0200 hours t h e radio operator of Tiger LOO

stroyed section of the wal l . That one would leave

took h is watch in the t u rret . I n fron t of h i m lay a ready-to-fi re mach i n e pistol and a loaded f l a re

us in peace. N·ter we had al ready wiped out twelve a n t i tank

gun. H e peered out i n t o the peaceful night. The

guns that day, the t h i rtee n t h got us on the com­

landscape was, indeed, very ope n , but it was totally

mander's cupola. Leutnan t Piepgras was wounded.

dark. At abo u t 0300 hours he heard a soft metallic

Thank God , the iruury was not severe. Leu tnant

clatteri ng approac h i n g on t h e road. It was a very

Fi.irli nger was i n another tank of the company. H e

noise of carefully movi ng

moved i n t h e vehicle on the left f lank. H e was

i n fa n try. The radio operator concen t ra ted on

i ncredibly i mpetuous in advanci ng. Agai n and

watc h i ng t h e street. Then h e ide n t ified what i t

again he overtook our poi n t . H ow would that turn

was. Movi ng q u ietly on b o t h sides of t h e s treet,

o u t? Not o n ly did h e endanger h i mself, but h e also

typical sou n d , the

on each side, they were

i n terfered with our field of fi re to the left. A l i ttle

approac h i n g t h e commander's tank. They were

about

twen ty men

later he was stopped by the Russians. H is vehicle

still about 40 m eters away a n d did n o t .seem to

took an extraordinary n u mber of h i ts. Thank God

have noticed the colossus. Nobody sti rred on the

none of them penetrated. H opefully, he would

commander's tank. Were t h ey blind? Were t h ose

start to pay bet ter attention. On the same day,

our own t roops? Dam n , I thought. They m us t be

Feldwebel Markus' tank received a d i rect h i t from

asleep over there . I sen t up a f lare. I t slowly

an art i llery round. The Feldwebel and h is gunner,

swayed from the parac h u te and i l l u m i nated the

U n teroffizier Schielke, were killed. The other

e n t i re sce ne. They were Russians. A combat

members of the crew got away with hardly a

patro l . Alert. The mac h i n e pistol f i red on fu ll

scratc h .

a u to ma tic. Mac h i n e gun f i re slowly opened u p from the Tigers nearby. T h e disturbers of t h e

LEUTNANT BIELEFELD

peace were d riven off. I n t h e fut u re , t h e you n g­

We were employed fu rther south during the next

sters then knew t h e d ri l l . Even when the com­

few days. We arrived at a d ivision command post

mander took h is place i n their tank, the crew

with a total of t h ree tanks. Our company com­

could not turn over the guard to the others, espe­

mander, Oberl e utnan t Oemler, was with us. They

cially when it was Hauptmann Fromme.

were expect i n g strong Russian armored forces. Leut n a n t Bielefeld and another of our tanks were

FIGHTING AT MEZ OTUR

to provide cover far to the east. The terra i n was

During t h e days that fol lowed, we were conti n ually

n o t favorable for the e m ployme n t of armor. The

busy. Our concern was less t h e Russian tanks and

s ituation was totally confused. Our commander

assau l t guns than the Russian a n t i ta n k guns. The

tried to p u t a stop to that nonsense. He was

Russians ski l l fully constru c ted deeply echeloned

unable to preva i l . When Leu t n a n t Bielefeld wen t

a n t i ta n k belts. We broke t h rough

and

beyond radio range for a tank, I c l i m bed i n to a

moved i n to Mezi tur. Slowly we rolled along the

command SPW. After an hour, I made contact

them

Recollectiolls of a PallZer Soldier (Part IV) : The Reorganizatioll of the Battalioll

343

with t h e radio operator, Hansj u rgen Fiedler. The

q ui eted down a bit, I fixed h i m a slice o f bread

Russians had cut ofT t h e tan ks. Leutnant Bielefeld

with processed cheese in a tube. "Do you have

had been killed in the meantime.

anyth ing else?" I opened a can of smoked sausage.

While my c rew fough t off a strong Russian

Wern e r chewed in c o n ten l m e n t . Prom ptly from

armored a t tack on the command post, I sat with

t h e tu rre t : "Are you chowing down again?" I

the map i n the SPW and a t t e m p ted to guide the

passed t h e sl ice of bread and c heese up i n to the

two tanks o u t of the m iserable situation. J u rgen

t urret to Richard Schwarzma n n , who had joined

Fiedler kept giving me a description of the terrain

our crew. H e exploded: " I l i ke that! You eat the

in fron t of the veh icles . I t ried to match it with the

smoked sausage and offer us the crummy cheese ! "

corresponding poin t on the map. I was able to direct them a round a marshy area to the north of

POLGARDE ( 8 DECEMBER 1 944)

us. They made it past the strong Russian forces,

Long before dayl ight we arrived at the a ttack posi­

and I was then able to guide them out of the dan­

tion.

ger zone and well beh i n d us.

a ttached wanted to start t h i ngs off wi t h a feint on

The

tank

regi m e n t

to which

we were

I was happy la again climb i nt o Tiger l OO . We

the righ t flank as soon as it was light. Our battle

all pulled out. A few days late r, Leutnant FllI-l inger

group would then make a fron tal attack across a

came back to our tan k . In the course of a t tacking a

bridge. There were five Tigers available. Leu tnant

village, we knocked out all of the anti ta n k guns. We

Koppe got i n to Tiger 100 wi th us. Feldwebel

were on t h e ou tskirts of the village and were wait­

Mewes and U n teroffizier Bieske and their crews

ing for the i n fa n t ry coming behind us. Leutnanl

were wi t h us from our com pany. We had great

Furl inger spotted a few tanks disappearing i n to a

support from Feldwebel Weigel and Feldwebel Se i­

hollow on our left flank. He set us in motion, driv­

del and t h e i r crews from the 3rd Com pany. I n

ing across the vi llage. Then the vehicles reappeared

add i t i o n , w e slill had a few self-propelled Flak

and Wern e r and I cried out at al most the same

veh icles from our battalion and a bunch of very

moment: "They're friendlies ! " At t hat moment we

well equipped SPWs. We were supposed to press

were h i t by a round from an antita n k gun in the vil­

t h rough to t h e middle of the vi l l age . As soon as

lage. The gun ne rs had probably returned to the

t h i ngs really got sti rred up wi t h us, t h e tank regi­

gun after t h ey had i n i tially taken f light. They had

m e n t would rol l up t h e relatively long, stretched­

taken good a i m . The 7.62cm h i t.the h u l l where it

o U l village from the left .

was welded together on the botto m .

We made a fron tal attack on t h e village in a

Wern e r whi pped t h e tank around. T h e t urret

broad, shallow wedge and were able to silence all

crew showed them who was the boss h e re . The

the a n t i tank guns. Everything wen t a lot faster than

weld seam had been torn open about 30 centime­

expected. We crossed the bridge and found our­

ters in fron t of m e . That would have conse­

selves on a broad road. With Mewes on the righ t

quences for us. The h u l l was b e n t somewhat , and

and Bieske on the left, we pushed i n to the village.

we would h ave i n credible wear and tear on t h e

Tiger 1 00 fol lowed a l i t tle beh i nd the two lead

final drive i n t h e i m mediate fu ture. A n d t h a t

Tigers. Seidel and Weigel followed beh ind, leaving

came at j us t t h e t i m e w h e n t h e opera tional tanks

a gap. We reached lhe churc h . I gave our location

were con t i n ua l ly forced to do long road marches.

to the regi m e n t , according to the map grid super­ i mposed on t h e Hungarian map. We were told,

LAKE

BAIATON

"Roger-wa i t . " The Russians fled before us. We

Our t rack was damaged by heavy artillery fi re

had to keep going. Finally we noticed that the

while we were in t h e vineyards. The t urre l crew

coord i n a tes on t h e maps i n the command vehicle

was busy. Wern e r and I were b u tside. The air was

did not agree. We moved o n . The village was

damned ful l of lead. For lack of a sledge hammer,

jammed ful l of veh icles. Everywhere there were

we t ried to pound t h e connecting pins back

Russians with their hands raised. One of our tanks

through t h e track with an axe. Werner h i t t h e ball

bagged an airplane. It was the kind known as a

of my t h u m b with the edge of the b l u n t side of

"sewing machine" or the "duty NCO."

lhe axe. I yelled: "Can ' t you aim righ t?" Werner

We hal ted a 1 00 m eters befo re the end of the

replied: "Ca n ' t you hold t h e p i n righ t?" We were

long vil l age. W e could hardly believe all the pre­

back in a good mood in the tank. Later, when i t

cious i tems [van had blessed us w i t h . We loaded

344

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

up with canned rations. I happened to find a

around the tank and started a l ively fire. Finally we

cheap camera in one vehicle. It was an Agfa box

were successfu l . They towed us a good bit back

camera with fil m in i t . It had not yet been

toward the rear. Then the prime movers had to go

exposed. The i n fan try beh i n d us col lected endless

back to the fro n t to look after other veh icles that

col u m n s of p risoners. Suddenly i t fel t kind of

were i n grea ter i m mediate dange r than we were.

strange. There was nothing happe n i ng on t h e left

The Spief3 fou n d us in a rail road watchman 's

flank. The Russians were offeri ng tough resistance

shack on New Years. The prime movers were there

there. There was a road ru n n i n g perpendicular to

the next day and t hey patched us up aga i n some­

the end of t h e vi l l age . We slowly c rept forward.

how.

M oving by bounds, the two lead tanks covered each other. We kept an eye on t h e c e n ter. When U n tero f­ f i zi e r Bieske 's tank which was movi ng on t h e left

As February bega n , Tiger 1 00 was constan tly in

action. It was surprising how long our f i nal drive held up. Leu t nant Piepgras was our tank com­ mander. Then Leu t n a n t FA rli nger took over o u r

shoved its fron t slope past t h e last house, a rou n d

tank as a c t i n g company commander. I was a b l e t o

penetrated t h e h u l l at the d river's position. I t

s p e n d a few days with the trains to g e t r i d of a

came from an a n t i t a n k g u n o n ly a few meters away

tapeworm i n fection t h a t had been troubl i n g me

next to the house. The tank caugh t f i re i m medi­

for weeks. There I had a great piece of l uck and

ately. The d riyer and radio operator were killed.

got to go to Vien na.

The crew in the tu rret made i t safely o u t of the burning ve hicle. The fol lowi ng i n fantry i m medi­

VIENNA

ately m oved up to take out t h e a n t i ta n k gu n .

A large n umber of our veh icles that req u i red over­

Those guys d id n 't need to attack. T h e Russians

haul from the ground up had been t ransported to

had only a few moments to rej oice at their success.

Vienna with their d rivers. Along with U n te roffizier

The tanks of the armor regi m e n t with which we

Kiick, I was to go and bring those tan ks back . We

were meant to capture the place wi ped out the

were able to go to Vienna. Those were a few glori­

gun crew before they could swing the gun arou nd.

ous days.

The regi ment was now advancing on the vi l l age . We lost o u r com rades Wagner and Boh n .

O u r comman der, Hauptmann Fro m m e , was

In a h ospital we visited my great m e n tor, Pan Vogel . H i s arm had been mangled by a round that penetrated the turret and his gunner, Hanjo Thay­

transferred in m id-December. He was replaced by

sen, had lost an eye. Pan 's home was i n Schwei n­

Haupt m a n n von Diest-Koerber. At that time t h e

furt. Why was he there i n Vienna, where he was

bat talion was still f i g h t i n g a round Lake Balato n .

o n ly wai t i ng for the Russians to m arc h i n ? We decided t o look after h i m and get h i m out of the

MOR

hospi tal .

Shortly before Ch ristmas was when i t h appened.

We convi nced the doctor who was responsible

Our righ t final d rive gave up the ghost and we

for h is case that we were on o u r way to Schwein­

were towed to Mor. The tank was posi tioned out­

furt on official duty. ( By the way, Pan had been

side t h e ch u rc h , deep i n the m u d . At that time

promoted to Feldwebel-agai n . ) The doctor was

our recovery veh icles and the maintenance per­

happy to ge t rid of one of his patients. Pan was

sonnel were working near m i racles. They were on

given marc h i n g orders to Schweinfu rt w h i c h , of

the go day and night. Welcomed everywhere, they

course, was not a ticket for the Reichsbahn [ the

had to concern themselves w i t h the veh icles and

German rai l road ] . We then sough t out a sui table

work day and n ight i n the m a i n tenance fac i l i ty.

train and wai ted with Pan at the barricade u n t i l

Several damaged tanks were rail loaded �nd t rans­

t h e train h ad started moving very slowly. Pan had

pOl· ted to t h e rea r. Then frost set i n . Our tan k,

a conspicuous arm and shoulder cast, which we

which had s u n k deep i n the m ud , froze com­

had c h ristened a "Stuka." The barrier to the rail­

pletely to the gro u n d . On Ch ristmas Eve we were

road platform was manned by Feldjager [ m i l i tary

alone in Mor. That night the Russian i n fantry

police ] . There was no get t i ng t h rough there with­

reached the outskirts of the tow n . They were

out a ticket. They were on the watch for deserters.

th rown bac k o u t . The recovery platoon appeared

As the train started movi ng, we dashed up to

on Christmas day. They cou l d n ' t pull the tank out

the barrie r and called out: " H e l p us-a severely

of the frozen mud. We poured l i t e rs of gasol i ne

wou nded man-he m ust get o n to the train, imme-

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Part W) : The Reorganization of the Battalion

345

diately ! " And the Feldjager h elped us get our

be "drafted" by the officer who was apparently

severely i m mobil ized c o m rade rapidly onto the

t rying to round up forces to support him. I n a

moving t rai n . Pan looked after h i mself en route

rage, the Major snarl e d , "I am Major X and order

and l anded safely i n Schwe i n fu rt. They patched

you . . . " The Leutnant only said, "Panzer, Marsch ! "

him up i n the hospi ta l there . For him the war was

and we moved on. There were numerous Feldjager employed in

over.

that area to snap up retreating i n fantry and force

THE FINAL OPERATIONS

them i n to their posit ions. We were drawing near

Wh i l e we were in Vienna, the bat talion elimi n a ted

the final phase of the war in Czechoslovakia. It was,

the Gran bridgehead. Then it was moved to Vere­

i ndeed, true that the retreat had to be controlled,

bely in Slovakia. There we had a few days of quiet.

but the methods of the Feldjager appeared dubi­

An u n fo rt u nate accident occurred during a t ra i n­

ous.

i ng session on m i nes. U n teroffizier B6hme was

Carpathians we ran i n to another bunch of them ,

m ortally i nj u red by a hand grenade. He was

with a dyi ng i n fantryman. When I started to help

buried i n the vil lage.

h i m , I was told: "There is nothing here that

to

In

the

nort h e rn

foo t h i l ls of the

lesser

From t h e re we moved north, rough ly parallel

req u i res your help. This is a deserter." I was

the Austrian

shake n . H e was an Obergefrei ter, decorated wi th

border and

i nt o

the

lesser

Carpat hians.

the I ron Cross, Firs t Class, and two Panzervemich­

/'u ngsabzeichen on h is ann . Probably all he wanted

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

to do was to make it back to h is u n i t that was

We were a l l by ourselves with two Ki ng Tigers cov­

assembling to the rear, and the Feldjager had shot

eri n g to t h e east. The main tenance elements u n i ts

him.

and battalion staff were fou r to five kilometers

At a s m a l l rai l road station w e waited for a loco­

beh i n d us. Both tanks were w i t h o u t i n fa n t ry pro­

motive that was to t ransport us toward Bru n n .

tec t i o n . It was n i gh t . As usual , the radio operator

That stre tch of rai l road was al ready under Russian

of Tiger 1 00 took the u n popular middle watch i n

fi re . I visited the neigh boring vi l l age along with

the tu rret. From t h e east h e heard a slowly

our loader. When we returned, the transport had

approac h i ng a rmored formation. As time wen t by,

al ready departed toward Brun n . An elderly com­

i t became clear that t h e re were at least for ty

m u n ications officer was there to tear down tele­

enemy tanks. H owever, it was also · clear that they were not

phone equi pmen t in the rail road station . He told us that there would be no more trains coming

approach i n g us d i rectly. They would pass farther

th rough . A t that poi n t , good advice was, i ndeed,

to our sout h . The radio operator awakened Leut­

priceless. H ow were we to get to our u n i t? Since

nan t Rambow and told him about the rare oppor­

the Oberleutnant was to fall back to the west after

tunity. U n fortunately, we would not have any radio

completing his work, he did us yet another favor

com m u n ications with t h e battalion u n t i l 0600

before he finally put an end to the telephone serv­

hours in the m o rn i n g. The Leutna n t could n o t

ice to the Brunn rail road stat i o n . He requested a

make a decision to c hange positions to the south ,

rai l road motor car be sen t from Brti n n to fetch a

espec ially since a neigh boring division had taken

courier from Panzer Corps " Feldherrnhalle." Two

over the sector there.

hours later, the rail road motor car arrived and

As day broke, forty Russian tanks that we could

Wol fgang Speckin and I could fol low the tanks. At

have easily held off broke t h rough south of us.

Brlll1n we were able to get out of the affa i r rela­

They sign i ficant ly endangered our formations, but

tively unscathed and conti n ued our journey to

eventua l ly were boxed i n and destroyed i n a

Kle i n Wartenberg, where we rejoi ned the com­

wooded area.

pany. Once there , I was ( after the fac t ) awarded

We then had to m ove to the Brlll1n area [cur­

the Panzniw rnpjabzeichen for havi ng part i cipated i n

rent-day Brno in t h e Czech Republ ic ] , during

seven ty-five armored engagements. B y t h e e n d o f

which we had to cross a pass i n the lesser Carpat h i­

the war, I h ad been in n i n e ty-five engage m e n ts.

ans. At the southern foo t of the m o u n ta i ns we were stopped by a M aj or. He demanded that we

We were employed in the

li kolsburg area of

operations after our tank had bee n q uickly made

show h i m our march orders. Oberleutnant Oem­

operational aga i n . We covered the final with­

ler told h i m what our m ission was and refused to

d rawal movement of our units from Czechoslova-

346

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

kia. We performed that task with only two tan ks and without sign i fican t i n fantry support. We were posi tioned with Richard Schwarz­

On Easter w e were ordered to a bridge with two tanks. A small squad of engineers were preparing the bridge for demol i t i o n . Four hun­

m a n n in m oderately h i l ly terra i n . Perpendicular

d red meters southeast of the bridge was a village.

to us, we could see a road on a ridge, about 2 ,000

We moved i nt o t h e village and h oped for a break

m eters away. Early in t h e afternoo n , a n u m ber of

in t h e fighti ng. People were baking in all of t h e

Russian tanks rolled along across our fron t as i f

houses. I t smelled of onion tarts a n d m e a t pies.

they were targets in a shooting gallery. We wai ted

Whi te f l ags already hung from most of the houses.

u n t i l the fi rst veh icle t h reatened to d isappear

The Czechs were expecting the Russians. I went

from our view among t rees and bushes. The n : Fire

i n t o a house along with the loader. We wanted to

at wi l l ! The lead veh i c l e , a T-34, burned. The col­

wash up. Without our requesting it, a friendly old

umn stopped. Then it was the turn of the last visi­

lady brough t us warm water to wash and shave.

ble ve hicle. After that, it was c h i ld 's play. Before

After we had f i n ished our personal hygiene, she

the Russian tanks could save t h e i r ski n , we had

served us onion tarts.

shot the e n t i re col u m n i n t o f l ames.

U n fo rt u n a tely, each of us could only take a

We had a similar covering-force assign ment

small piece along with us; both tanks had been

the next day. It was quiet for alm os t a l l of the day.

ordered back over the river. The engineers had

Then while the i n fa n t ry pulled out, we heard an

completed their preparations for blowi ng up the

amazi ngly fast round pass overhead. That was no

bridge. And then we saw them coming at us. We

" Ratsc h b u m m . " That was a big round. I n a state of

were a ttacked by a very large cavalry u n i t a t ful l

extreme tension we searched the terra i n . A few

gallop. I fel t l ike I was back i n the t i m e of Freder­

m i n utes later another round l i ke t h e fi rst one

ick the Great . That had to be at least an e n t i re

wh izzed over us. We had n o t spotted any m uzzle

troop at peacetime strength a n d it had only one

f lash . Nevertheless, it h ad to be a J oe S ta l i n or a

goal in m i nd-the bridge. Apparen tly, they did

new heavy Russian a n t i t a n k gun or assa u l t gun.

n o t notice us. At fi rst we didn't think i t righ t to

We moved forward about 200 meters and then

greet the cavalry with h igh-explosive rou nds. H ow­

observed from really good cover. We still could

ever, when t h ey were n o t discou raged from their

n o t spot anyth ing. When t h e order fi nally came

i n tention by a few mac h i ne-gun bursts, we got seri­

for us to also pull out to the west , we took the safe

ous and let the 8.8cm guns do t h e talking. The

approach and pulled out by moving in reverse. We

effe c t was horrendous. Somehow, we took no

mistrusted the appare n t quiet and wan ted to keep

p leasure in repulsing the cavalry a t tack. We were

our heaviest armor toward the e n emy. After 400

happy when the bridge was blown a n d we could

meters we took a brief h a l t and another large cal­

withdraw as ordered.

i ber round wh izzed over our tu rre t . Only after

On 30 April H i tler com m i t ted suicide. The last

another 200 m eters, when we were safely in some

rats left the sinking ship. Everyone was talking

low groun d , did we t u rn the tank aro u n d and

about the end of the war. We were all agreed that

drive back to the new designated position. We had

we had no i ntention of fal l ing i nt o the hands of

not been able to spot our oppon e n t . It had proba­

those Russian bastards. The war was over for us, not

bly been a heavy a n t i t a n k gun .

when Schorner capitulated, but when we got home.

C HAPTER

3 3

The End of Se p arate Unit Status: Incorp oration into Panzer Corp s "Feldherrnhalle" A lfred Rubbel

I

t c a n n o t h ave escaped the reader's a t te n tion

formed a p a r t of t h i s " Prae torian guard . " I n t h i s

t h a t i n spite o f redesigna t i ng Tiger Tan k

case , t h ey origin a ted from the SA-Wachstandarte

Battal ion 5 0 3 a s Tiger Tan k Battalion "Feld­

"Feldherrnhalle." The prerequisi tes were differe n t

herrn halle" ( FH H ) , t h e new designation rea l ly

h e re, h owever. T h e Waffen-SS was the fourth ele­

never took h o l d . The redesignation coincided

m e n t of the Weh rmacht. "Feldherrnhalle," on the

with

i n to

other hand, belonged to the army as a regi m e n t

Panzer Corps "Feldherrn halle" on 1 9 December

during the campaign i n France and as a division

1 944 by order of the OKH. At that t i m e , as today,

i n the Russian campaign .

the

incorporation of the battalion

I t is an absol u te certa i n ty that the newly

we held fas t to 503. It is perhaps necessary to recapit u la te why our

formed Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle" experi­

battalion was chosen out of ten separate Tiger bat­

enced no i deological a l teration as a resul t of i ts

tal ions to give up i ts separate s tatus and be incor­

renam i n g. Only a very small n umber of the rem­

porated in a newly formed a n d , in o u r opinion,

n a n ts of the shattered formations t h a t had origi­

insigni fi can t , large formation whose name had a

nally

Nazi air abo u t i t .

incorporated i n to the corps. The increase to corps

I t i s w e l l known t h a t , t h e m ore i m probable a

born

the

name

"Feld herrnhalle"

were

strength was accompl ished by taking in the rem­

German " f i n a l victory" becam e , the more H itler

nan ts of other formations t h a t were in the area

held the army responsible for the fai l ur e . After

where the Panzer Grenadier Division "Feldherrn­

the 20 J u ly 1 944 assassination attempt, his d istru s t

halle" was empl oyed. For example, the

o f the army i n c reased. One res u l t was that the

Panzer Division a n d Tiger Tan k Battalion 503

Waffen-SS

were "incorporated" and placed at the disposal of

formations

were

i n c reased

and

1 3t h

enlarged . That created a si tuation t h a t allowed

General Command ( Generalkommando) IV which

shift i n g m i l i tary power from the army. As we a l l . know, t h a t i n te n t i o n of the Nazi regi m e had no

was redesignated Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle."

effect on t h e relationship between the army and

Troops Kleeman. The commander of Panzer Divi­

The commanding general was General of Panzer

the Waffen-SS among the fro n t l i n e troops. The

sion " F H H " 1 was Generalmajor Pape. The com­

cou rage a n d toughness of the Waffe n-SS soldiers

mander

com manded our great respect .

Gen e ralmaj o r D r. Bake, who was already wel l

I n carryi ng t h a t o u t , i t was also decided by the

of

Panzer

Division

2

was

known to u s a s t h e commander o f Tiger Tan k

h ighest levels of the poli t ical leadership to i nc l ude

Regi m e n t Bake,

special figh t i n g formations i n

belonged. Dr. Bake d ied i n 1 978.

the army t h a t

"FHH "

to w h i c h our battalion

had

34 7

348

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

For us, t h e re were no fu ndamen tal changes.

i ng been any more act ive than they were prior to

We did not wear the " Feldherrnhalle" c u ff t i t les or

20 J u ly 1 944. For us i n the front l i nes, th ey had a

t h e WO lj.1a ngel, the styli zed SA symbol on the

p u rely "token" fu nction. The concern that with

shoulder boards. After Jan uary ] 945 we o n ly

t h e i m pending end of the war, the enemy powers

i nc l uded " Feldherrnhalle" in pare n theses along­

who took custody of our soldiers would rate mem­

side the designation Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 i n

bers h i p in the "Feldherrnhalle" as equ ivale n t to

an

the Waffen-SS p roved u n founded. The arrival of

ordered elevation of o u r battalion to membership

the c h ie f of s taff of the SA, Schepm a n n , in April

i n the SA fou n d sca n t official notice.

1 945 a t the corps staff in order to take part in the

written

correspondence.

The

results

of

I also d o n ' t recall the offi cially designated NS­

Fii.h ru ng:�fJfl"Sonal [ Nazi party pol i t ical leaders] hav-

"final battle with his t roops" remained a barely noticed episode.

C HAPTER

34

Diary Entries frolll 14 Decelllber 1944 to May 1945 as COlll lll ander of Ti g er Tank Battalion 503 Dr. Nordewin von Diest-Koerber

14

Decem ber: Dawn in Bohemia. M o u n tai nous

several d i rty mattresses and slept there un til about

landscape. Some snow at t h e h igher eleva­

0800 hours. After breakfast ( u nwashed) con tin­

t ions. Otherwise, m i l d a n d h azy. I n BrLlIln ( Brn o )

ued by truck to I{jsber, si nce the LVI I Panzer

at 0830 h o u rs . Wai ted there for hours si nce a pas­

Corps, to which my Tiger Tan k Bat talion 503

senger tra i n was derailed on the s t retch ahead of

(I{jng Tiger) was attached, was supposed to be

us. E n dless deto urs. I nstead of arriving a t 0 1 00

south of there a t Fehervarcsugo.

hours, we d i d not get to Vie n n a u nt i l 1 200. I n

The roads were slick, terrible (at t h e freezing

Vienna (with l u ggage ) from o n e place t o another.

poi n t ) , torn-up and blocked wi t h columns. One

Final ly, that eve n i n g I got to a personnel m ove­

element of t h e H u ngarians was disarmed by the

ment center since t h e re were no m o re t rains

other H ungarians (Arrow Cross men ) because i t

going to Budapest. I slept wel l . Vie n n a is still

w o u l d n o t fight . T h a t element was d riven t o t h e

amazi ngly i nt a c t .

rear. I n I{jsber ( a s m a l l c i ty ) at n o o n . I t did not

I S December: 1 0 L 5 hours, depart u re from t h e

make a very good i m p ressio n . Many civil ians, in

west t ra i n sta t i o n . Moved v i a Bruck ( destination

part refugees, some of them d igging posi t ions,

Komorn-65 kilometers from Budapest ) . Progress

some working on the roads. Mediocre impression .

was slow, stopping every few kilometers. H owever,

Some n o t very attractive women in very beautiful

I had a very good seat in t h e t rain , also pleasan t ly

furs.

heated. At abou t 2400 h o u rs we were in Raab

Noon meal in a rather di rty spot, q uite good,

(Gyor) . The t rain was dark. I t got colder since

but a lot of paprika. Then on with several vehicles

there was no more heating after we crossed the

t h rough Mor ( headed toward Stu h lweif3enburg)

Hungarian border. H ungarian border rail road sta­

until we were near Fehervarczurgo. Then , on foot,

tion had been heavily bombe d (Americans) . Bed­

abo u t 3 kilometers with h eavy luggage t h rough

bugs in the tra i n .

ever-worsen i n g m u d ! Totally exhausted, I arrived VI'e

arri ved

Kom o rn

in Fehervar. This afte rnoon t he corps was wi th­

( Komaro m ) a t about 0200 h o u rs. P i tc h dark, n o

d rawn (to the Budapest area ) ! H owever, I ran i n to

one knew anyth i n g . We stumbled t h rough the l i t­

an advance party of t h e arriving I I I Panzer Corps

tle c i ty (with heavy l uggage ) at n ight (slush , for­

and

merly snow, since i t was a t t h e freezing poi n t .

Fehervar (Count Esterhazy) . I occupied a room ,

16

December:

I II

fou n d

quart e rs

in

the

i m mense

Castle

Black ice on t h e stre e ts ) . We found a personnel

l i t tl e fu rn i tu re , b u t s t i l l heated. Bed (wi t ho u t cov­

movement cen ter a t abo u t 0330 h o u rs where,

ers, et c ) . I could not find out yet whether "503"

again, no one knew anythi ng. H owever, we fou n d

wen t with the LVI I Panzer Corps or stayed i n t h e

349

350

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11 1 9 December: 0500 hours company comman­

area. M o re i n formation will be avai lable in the

der's meeting; 0600 hours departure of tan ks ete.

m o rn i ng from the army. 1 7 December: I slept wel l . I n the mean t i m e ,

I moved to the 1 st Panzer Division ( to which we

news arrived t h a t " 5 0 3 " w i l l , for the presen t ,

are curren t ly a t tached) a t 0900 hours for a com­

remain i n Stuh lwei13enburg ( 1 5 kilometers away) .

manders meeting. Thorough

[ called t here. Ordnance officer ( Leutnant Rol­

plan ned operat i o n . 1 300 h ours, call from corps

lick) will pick me up. I wen t with h i m 3 kilometers

t h a t the operation is cancelled. Back again to Bal­

to the village of Bodaj k , where I m e t Dieter Diest

a to n kenese. Passable q uarters. Thirteen tanks

(in approach march with 1 . / 1 30 there ) . Then on

there . Various official duties.

discussion

of a

to the battalion, which was i n Stuhlwei13enburg.

20 December: During the morni ng, various

Adj ut a n t H eerl e i n (good ) . The commander of

official duties. With Leu t n a n t Koppe (acting com­

the supply company is Hauptmann Wiegand ( h e

mander of the 3rd Company) at 1 0 00 hours, mov­

l e d t h e battalion for t h e past eigh t days after my

i n g along our sector of the fron t in the SPW

predecessor, Hauptmann Fromme, left; he made a

( eastern

very good i m p ression ) . Quarters i n a i m macu­

Balaton ) . Routes very m uddy. It was at the freez­

edge

at

the

eastern

edge

of Lake

l a tely clean l i t tle middle-class h ouse. I h ad a

i ng point b u t fel t colder. Roses were blooming i n

proper bed wit h w h i te sheets. Six Tigers employed

Balatonakara t tya. I picked o n e for a letter home

a t the fro n t .

to J u t ta.

Sixteen more Tigers u n d e r repair or on t h e i r

Several enemy ground-a t tack aircraft . Flak

way forward. I n the even i n g various battalion offi­

fi lled the skies. Several German fig h ter planes. Then to the command post of the grenadier

cers visi ted me. 1 8 December: D uring the morning [ wen t with

regiments posi tioned in fron t of us, b u t the com­

the Ordon nanzo ffizier to the I l l . Panzer-Korps ( i n

manders were not there. The terrain in fron t of us

Fehervarcsurgo ) . Com m ander: General B re i t h ;

is mostly very m uddy and i m passable for tanks. At

Adj u ta n t : Maj o r Duwel ( w h o m I already knew

prese n t , the Russians are very q u i e t here. Back a t

from the regulations writ i n g staff at Wi.insdorf) .

1 4 1 5 hours. I got a l o t of official duties out o f t h e

We were i mmediately placed under t h e opera­

way i n the afternoon.

tional control of the 1 . Panzer-Division; the six

2 1 December: Frost. A few clouds. Heavy Russ­

Tigers i n the main line of resistance ( two of which

ian a ttack with many tanks against the division on

were disabled yesterday as a resul t of h i ts t hey

our left (Stuh lwe i 13en burg and farther to the east)

received ) . Ret u rned i m mediatelY.

that led to deep penetrations. It was quiet where

Back to

1 s t Panzer Division

in

the after­

we were. At noon I moved to the corps t h rough

noo n . The operations officer was n o t there , so

Stuh lwei13enburg, o n whose o u tskirts our troops

back aga i n . Operations at presen t appear very

were s t i l l h oldi ng. Strong rearward movemen ts,

u n favorable . More rai n showers, the e n t i re terrain

especia l ly by the H ungarians. H eavy enemy air

i mpassable and l i ke a sponge. Several enemy

activity over the c i ty. Also our own fighters. I took

ground-support aircraft.

care of various busi ness a t corps. Briefed on si t u a­ the eveni ng,

tion ( rather tense ! ) . Ret urned i n t h e dark, arriv­

more visit i n g with various officers of the battalion,

i n g at the battalion at 1 800 hours. Call from the

To Stuhlwei · e nburg aga i n

in

and also Dieter Diest was t here. H e is in Bodaj k at

1 st Panzer D ivision operations officer at 2400

prese n t , where our First Main tenance P l a toon is

h o u rs: The battalion m us t be in Nadasladany

( led by Werkmeister Neubert-Kn igh t 's Cross of

( toward Stuhlwe i 13enburg) at 0600 hours for the

the War Service Cross wi th Swords) . Ne�s today of

planned l ocal coun terattack. Distance of 40 kilo­

a strong a t tack by us in the West ( starti n g 1 6

meters, very dark, i mmediate alert of the battal­

December) .

ion!

Order fro m 1 st Panzer Division by radio a t

22 December: Tan ks rol led at 0 1 00 hours, staff

2345 h o u rs t h a t w e are to m ove tonigh t abo u t 50

around 0400 h o u rs. We were supposed to fi nd

kilometers to Lake Balaton, to Balatonkenese.

Oberstleutnant H uppert ( leader of the battle

However, we will n o t move o u t u n ti l early in the

group) i n Nadasladany (castle ) . H owever, n o one

morni ng.

was there . We wai ted around i n a cold, di rty room

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503

351

( t he cast le was ful ly occupied ) . At 0600 hours ( the

4th Cavalry Brigade ( H olste) i n the morni ng.

time were supposed to cross the line of departure)

Crazy excursio n ! We drew back to Nadasladeny

still no one was there. H uppert fi n ally arrived at

wi t h our tanks. By doing that, the 1 st Panzer Divi­

about noon . D iscussion: Vill age of U rhida, which

sion sector, which was only held by a few weak

had been lost was to be recaptured ( cornerpo i n t

strongpoi nts, would col lapse in short order. Took

o f the position ) . Seven Panzer IVs were a ttached

leave of Oberstleutnant H uppert, who is a very

to m e . Rolled out as far as Sarkeszi. There, about

dece n t fel l ow. Departed around 2200 hours.

200 i n fan t ry were brough t along. Attack on

24 Decem ber: Marched the e n t i re n igh t . Got

U rh ida. D i ffi c u l t , rol l i n g terra i n ; vineyards, thick­

to Fehervarczurgo ( castle) at about 0200. Meeting

ets, houses, barns, great expanse. H eavy opposi­

there that we would be a t tached to Oberstleutnant

tion ( a n t i ta n k guns, m ortars ) . In spite of it a l l , we

Weyma n n 's battle group ( the armored units of the

advanced i n to the vi l lage after I had taken over

23rd Panzer Division ) . It was to launch a coun ter­

the poi n t . My main gun was knocked out ( 7. 62cm

a t tack south early today w i t h i n the framework of

a n t i ta n k guns) . Destroyed about eight or ten an ti­

the 4th Cavalry Brigade. The l i ne of departure for

tank guns, as m any m o rt a rs , mac h i n e gu ns ete.

Battl e Group Weyma n n : The vil lage of Sark­

Five of my Tigers were dam aged by enemy fire.

eresztes. In the mean t i m e , our tanks also arrived

We had two t h i rds of the vi l l age by dark, then

(eight veh icles, two with damage ) . I had the crews

pushed o n th rough the remai n i n g t h i rd i n the

position themselves near the houses in Fehervar­

darkness. Established contact with a small battle

czurgo so that they could get a few m i n u tes sleep.

group to our east. Most of the Tigers remained in

The Russian "sewing machi ne" flew l ike crazy, con­

U rh ida for the night ( Leut n a n t Roll i k i n charge)

t i n ually dropping bombs among us. H owever,

and knoc ked out a lot of Russians. The other

nothing happened.

Tigers pulled back about one kilometer to a farm­

I took the Vol kswagen to Weyma n n 's com­

stead ( Livia Puszta) . I m oved back and forth sev­

mand post in Sarkeresztes and discussed the oper­

eral times during the n ight between the farmstead

ation. Th e n , back to Fehervarczurgo, where our

and H uppert 's command post ( N adasladany) by

battalion had set up i ts command post in an out­

SPW. Very ti red.

building of the castle.

23 Dece m ber: In Nadasladany for rest at about

Caugh t a few hours of bad sleep. The tanks

0200 hours. Disturbed freq uendy by telephone

rol led at 0630 hours. I left at about 0800 hours i n

conversations concern i n g supplies , the m a i n te­

t h e SPW for Sarkeresztes. There was a great hulla­

nance sections and the l�e.

baloo

there,

Russians

firing

from

all

sides

One Tiger was knoc ked out by a 7.62cm gun

(artillery, mortars, Stal i n organs ) . After the com­

some time near morning i n U rh ida during a clear­

m i tment of the tanks had been arranged, I moved

ing opera t i o n . Burned out. A l o t of work taking

back. There I fou n d a great crush of every con­

preparatory measures. Today Stuhlwe i · enburg was

ceivable officer ( supply, m a i n tenance company,

evacuated. We also pulled back a b i t as eve n i n g

recovery platoo n , e te . ) . A t h ousand t h i ngs to do

approached. U rhida is still b e i n g h e l d . My Tigers

( especially get t i n g damaged Tigers safely to the

and,

in addi tion , eigh t Panzer Vs and seven

rear because of the t h reatening situatio n ) , wri tten

Panzer IVs were a ttach ed to me for purposes of

traffic and the l i ke . [n between all that, a l i ttle

supply. Th ree Tigers and four Panzer IVs are

Christmas celebration for the c lose staff ( c lerks,

placed under the con trol of our neighbor ( Oberst

messengers) with sharing of a lot of beautiful

Bradel ) . Practical ly everyt h i n g is split u p i n t o

material pleasures. The n , aga i n , with the Volkswa­

small groups. Barely able to m<:J.in tain com mun ica­ tions, particularly since my tali k also had to go to

had knocked out seven tanks. As for the planned

the m a i n tenance shop ( th e main gun ) .

at tack, i t had turned i n to a defensive operation

A t about 1 900 hours news came from I I I

gen forward to Sarkeresztes. Leu t n a n t Rambow

against a massive Russian assaul t . Sarkeresztes was,

Panzer Corps t h rough the 1 . Panzer-Division t h a t

agai n , a rowdy scene ( mortar fire ! ) . [ ran i n to the

the battalion i s to pull back today t h rough the

commander of the 6th Panzer Regi m e n t , Major

mou n tains ( th rough I nota)

to Fehervarczugo,

Graf Schulenburg, and several members of my for­

turn south from t here and attack south wi t h the

mer headquarters company. The enemy disturbed

352

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

the Ch ristmas fest ivi ties a b i t ! At about

1 900

hours, back, aga i n , to Fehervarczurgo. A few more

4th Cavalry Brigade ( naturally, since everyone had bol ted ) . We took appropriate measures.

t h i ngs accomplished, a te a bit, then heard a bit of

A coun terattack on Ch akbereny was to be

Goebbels' "Christmas Speech , " which put m e to

launched in the eveni ng, but i t was called off,

sleep.

since the main l i n e of resistance was pulled back a

During

the

n i gh t ,

the

usual

"sewi ng

bit. Fog and a few degrees below freezing.

machine" bom ber.

2 7 December: Fog, hoar frost, not very cold. At

U n fort u n a tely, Sarkeresztes was lost during the night, i n t h e course of which one Tiger that had

the

gotten stuck had to be blown up.

( Panzer-Regi ment 6 ) , in whose sector our five

25 December: As i n t h e previous days, beauti­ ful sunny weather. Frost (no snow) a n d i n tense

d ivisio n ,

wi t h

Major

Graf Schulenburg

Tigers are now positioned. Heavy Russian 1 7.2cm fire in his village.

Russian activi ty in the air. Corps m oved back from

An assortment of reading and wri ting chores.

Fehe rvarczurgo. We were a t tached to the 23rd

Since the fron t has generally been pulled back

Panzer Division ( as before with Battle Group Wey­

( B udapest is now surrounded ) there is m uch con­

man n ) . For t h e t i m e being, everyth i ng remained

cern for our damaged veh icles (Tigers, SPWs, Flak

where i t had bee n . Bat t l e Group Weyman n j ust

veh icles, e te . ) that are sca t tered everywh ere-the

n orth of Sarkeresztes. All sorts of t h i ngs to do or

same with the 23rd Panzer D ivision-our Tigers

disc uss. Moved to 23rd Panzer Division ( i t was in

knocked out two T-34s today.

t h e vi l l age o r i n the castle; commander was Gen­

28 December: At the 23rd Panzer Division­

eral von Radowi tz. Not i nspiri ng. ) To M ajor Graf

official d uties. Up fron t with the tan ks. I n Sored

Sch u l e n burg's command post (commander, 6th

with Hauptmann Voigts (old comrade from Neu­

Panzer Regi m e nt ) . 1 7.2cm artil lery f i re there ( a

ruppi n ) , commander of the 2nd Batta l i o n , 6th

regular barrage ! ) Then , u p fron t to our Tigers,

Panzer Regi ment.

where we were showered with artillery and m ortar

1 7.2cm art i llery f i re .

f i re so that I fi nally got out of there with m y Yolk­

Our tan ks knocked out two T-34s and t h ree

swagen .

a n t i ta n k guns. A call reached me at Voigt's loca­

Frost , clear, "sewing mac h i nes" active i n the

tion that we were again at tached to t h e 4th Cav­

n ight, d ropping bombs. O ur tanks knocked out

alry

two Russian tan ks today. Our an tiairc raft. veh icles

Rittmeister Graf Plettenberg, commander of the

Brigade.

D i rected

to

coordi n a te

with

shot down an 1 1-2.

heavy battalion ( located i n Mor) .

26 December: The n ight was relatively quiet, as

I m oved to Mor, connected with Plettenberg

was the day. All sorts of official busi ness. At 23rd

and Oberstleutnan t Sauer (commander of the

Panzer

cavalry regi men t ) . Early i n the m o rn i n g we were

Division- 1 500

hours,

headed

toward

Chakbereny in the Volkswagen where the 6th Panzer Regim e n t ( a n d 4th Cavalry Brigade) com­

to move aga i n to the nort h . A n igh t under abundan t artillery fire .

mand posts are located. Ran righ t i n to Major Graf

29 December: 0730 hours w i t h the Yolkswagen

Sch ulenburg (with Rol l ick) . Ever th icker fog set i n .

on concealed routes to Mor (small city) . In the

Suddenly: W i l d shooting, alert, veh icles and horses

meantime, the staff moved t h rough Bodaj k in the

f leeing every which way. Russians in the place

Bakony mountains back to Bal i n ka (at the righ t

(wi th

Since there were

moment, since sign i ficant artillery and Stal in

enough officers on the spot ( i n cluding a SPW bat­

organ fire was already fal l i ng on Fehervarczurgo ) .

talion and i ts commander who were being held i n

I returned t o Mor by a very poor route ( there was

mortars, tanks, e te . ) !

reserve ) , I h a d nothing to d o . I moved back to the

no more proceeding t h rough Bodajk, since the

next vil lage (already l o ts of f leeing vehicles ! ) and

roads were under observed artillery f i re ) . There I

alerted the Flak battalion there (in Sored) to con­

was with Oberstleutnant Sauer and Rit tmeister

struct a coveri ng position a n d t u rn the guns

Graf Plettenberg, with whom our t h ree tanks were

toward the east. The fog, which was thick as cotton

serving ( the others had been taken to the rear with

woo l , was truly horrible. Then to the 23rd Panzer

damage ) . The Russians laid down ( h eavy) artil lery

Division a t Fehervarczurgo. It did not know any­

and m ortar fi re in the vil lage and at tacked with

t h i n g and had no more communication with t he

heavy infan try forces. O ur tanks are in position on

Diary Elltries from 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commallder of Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 the west o u tski rts of Mor as ready reserve. Back

others assembled

t h ro ugh the mountains to Bal i n ka. Pre t ty area,

speech , grog. 2400 hours: "Fll h rer speec h . " 1 Jan uary

sun, light frost, a n ice p i c t u re. Assorted official dut ies and a t 23rd

Panzer Division

( now a t

there.

353

1 945:

Eve n i ng meal,

H eavy f i re from

l i ttle

Russian

art il lery and rocket launc hers s tart e d early and kep t up long. On our fro n t , the Russians a ttacked

Bakonyczernye ) . 30 December: T h rough Bakonyczernye w i t h t h e Vol kswagen i n t h e m o rn i n g to D u d a r ( 1 st

heavily nort h of Mor in our vicini ty. Thorough personal hygiene, new underwear.

M a i n tenance Plato on ) , then to Zirc (where sev­

Then to Sur, preparations fo r our quarteri ng

eral of our veh icles a re wai t i n g to be loaded at the

there . Back t o Bali nka, l u n c h , t h en eyeryt hing to

rai l road station ) . Then on good roads t h ro ugh

Sur.

the Bakony Woods (very bea u t iful a rea with old

1 500 hours to I I I Panzer Corps, meeting there

ruined castles, mountain forests, light frost­

with chief of staff about q uartering o u r rearward

u n fortu nately,

main tenance platoon.

substan t ial

fog

overhead)

to

Veszprem-Varsany, where our engi neer platoon was i n t h e process of construct i ng a loading ram p for two o f o u r Tigers (which we towed there from

1 800 hours, meeting with chief of staff i n Sur, then supper. Oberl e u t nant von Rosen was in action at Mor with fou r tanks today. One was disabled with

Mor for reasons of secu rity ) . Then w i t h I I I Panzer Corps where I reported

engine t rouble and had to be towed back out of

to the c h ief of staff ( O berstleutn a n t von Weber­

t h e main l i n e of resistance d u ring the night (very

stad t ) . Visi ted t h e adj u t a n t , q uartermaster, ete.

diff icul t ! ) . Two repaired tanks wen t forward to von

Back t h rough Sur ( t h rough t h e Bakony forest ) ,

Rosen . Three more arrived from the maintenance

another good

fac i l i ty d u ring the n ight.

road.

Back to Bal i n ka i n t h e

eve n i ng. C a l l during t h e n i g h t t h a t I s h o u l d g o to the I Cavalry Corps, to which we are now attached.

Quarters in Sur with the parish priest ( electric l ights and bed ) .

3 1 December: Awakened at 0630 hours, set out

2 Jan uary: I n t h e m o rn i n g t h ro ugh Dudar

to I Cavalry Corps ( located in Zirc ) a t 0730 h ours.

(with t h e 1 st Main tenance platoo n ) to the I Cav­

Report e d to t h e commanding gen e ra l , General

alry Corps at Zirc . Then by way of Varsany­

Harteneck. We are, fo r t h e prese n t , to be corps

Veszprem ( where two Tigers were loaded )

reserve ( therefo re move to Sur ) .

Bakony-Szombately ( talked there wi t h q uarter­

Back t h rough Dudar; d iscussed the move t here with

the

First

Main tenance

Platoon.

Then

t h rough Bako nycsernye to the 1 I 1 Panzer Corps,

master of t h e I I I Panzer Corps regard i ng fuel ) and back to Sur. Quite a lot to do t here, meeti ngs with various officers, e te.

where I d i d some a rra nging for q uarteri ng t h e

Th ree Tigers in action today wi t h von Rose n .

m a i n t enance platoo n . O n t h e ret u rn t o Sur, I

Good resul ts. Took care o f m a i l in the eveni ng.

arranged for our billeting ( l ocal area com mander

3 Janua ry: Disposed of an assort ment of offi­

and the logistics off i ce r of the 23rd Panzer Divi­

cial busi ness. Five tanks arrived today in Kisber

sion ) . On the return t o the 4th Caval ry Brigade,

from Vagsellye. Duri n g the morn i ng, t h rough Aka

somewhe re i n the moun tains i n Aka. The rou te

(with the 4th Cavalry Brigade) to Felsodobos

was awfu l . I had to go t h e last kilometer on foot. I t

(southeast of Kisber) , where our tanks are located ,

snowe d . Wai ted for h o u rs a t t h e 4 t h Cava l ry

a ttached to the heavy battalion ( Ri t tmeister Graf

Brigade, since t h e brigade commander, General

Plettenberg) .

Holste, who wanted to talk to me, was not yet

Brigade ) also there. Back to Sur in the afternoon,

t he re . He arrived a t about 1 700 hours . I sat wi t h

scouting t h e route ( bad ! ) . Took care of a lot of

m y fratern i ty brother, Leutn!:t n t vo n Senden, who

official busi ness and mail.

is the operations officer t h e re . Mee t i n g with the

General

H olste

( 4t h

Cavalry

4 Jan uary: I n t h e m o rn i ng, t h rough Bakonys­

( oak

zombately to Patateszey to o u r t rains and supply

leaves ) . I got a cup of real coffee. Back t h rough

com pany. Talked with the t roops, visi ted in the

the m o u n tains

q uart e rs. With Wiegand at noon.

General, who made a good i m pression

( terrible defiles, jammed w i t h

ho rse-d rawn veh icles) t h rough Sur t o the com­

I n the afternoon, back with t h e 1 st Main te­

mand pos t . The officers of the staff and several

nance P l a toon (wh ich is now in Bakonyszombat-

354

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Jl

ely) , then in Sur. Lots of t he kind of stuff that

(commander killed ) . Since i t got dark too quickly,

keeps officialdom busy. Then to Bakonyszombat­

Zamoly could not be captured.

ely where a f i l m and newsreel were run n i ng ( fi l m :

We set up security around Borbalamajor i n the

Past) . There I learned from t h e assis­

darkness. Then t h e order came that we should

tan t operations officer of the I I I Panzer Corps

join Plettenberg and the n orthern grou p , so we

that, as of today, we belong to Panzer Corps " Feld­

departed i n the night.

./ouTnf')' i n

[hr'

Suppl ies did n o t arrive. Spent hours i n Felsi­

herrn halle."

puszta, then with Oberleutnan t von Rosen to Mag­

Thirteen Tigers operational today. the

yaralmas, where we finally con nected up with our

morning to get bac k our two q uad Flak ve h icles

supply elem e n ts. With that, the n igh t was over.

5 Jan uary: To the I I I Panzer Corps

111

that were a t tached t h e re . H owever, hours of dis­

8 Jan uary: Arrived at about 0700 hours in Laja­

cussion regard i n g the 7 January a t tack prevented

major. Plettenberg and the nort h e rn group also

me from ge tting to the c h ief of staff.

t h e re . But another o rder arrived at 1 ] 00 hours:

Wi th the 1 st Main tenance Platoo n .

Everyone back aga i n

Back t o Sur. Brief l u n c h , t h e n to Zirc to corps.

which we were to a ttack to the sou t h .

We are a t tached to the 4th Cavalry Brigade aga i n . Back t o Sur b y way of Veszprem-Varsany­

to Borbala-Puszta, from

All sorts of mortar f i re ete. i n our vic i n i ty d u r­ i n g the morni ng.

Bakonyszom bately. Lots of official business at Sur.

We rolled aga i n t o Borbala-Puszta. Arrived

Then over to the 4 t h Cavalry Brigade at Aka

there to be greeted with a call from t h e 4th Cav­

where I conferred with

t h e commander ete.

a l ry Korps sending everyon e back i mmediately to

regard i n g t h e at tack. Eve n i n g meal w i t h the staff

Lajamajor. S i x ty enemy armored veh icles were

with t h e fam i ly of the local cou n t (good ! ) . Meet­

reported there . Back aga i n to Lajamajor where

ings ran u nt i l 2300 hours. O n ly t h en did I d rive

there was all sorts of confused f l i gh t . I n the mean­

back. Bombed en route by t he "sewing machine,"

t i m e , various telephone calls with General H olste

since I had t o use lights d ue to the extremely bad

and others. Assorted veh i cles d re\·v near to Laja­

road.

maj o r, cross cou n t ry, as darkness fel l . They turned

6 Jan uary: Lots of official stuff and meeti ngs

o u t to be German SPWs. Other than t h a t , every­

regard ing the attack. Then to I I I Panzer Corps,

t h i n g remained quiet ( aside from art i l lery and

where I got our f lak veh icles back. Guderian was

mortar fi re ) . I was with Oberstleutnant Roj a h n

there today. Back. Preparations for the move

(an old acq uain tance from Radenslebe n ) w h o

southeast.

commanded the 4 1 st Moun ted Regimen t . He was

In the evening to Bakonycsernye with all of the

si tuated a l i tt l e south of Lajamajor in an eart hen

tanks. I, mysel f, bac k again by car t h rough Isz­

bunker i n a defi le . There 1 had d i rect telephone

timer ( t h rough the mou n tains) to Fehervarczurgo

connection to h igher levels of com mand. Fi nally

to the 23rd Panzer D ivisio n . Plettenberg, was also

got a good n i gh t 's sleep in the eart h e n bunker,

supposed to be there . I was supposed to move out

where it was warm .

toget her w i t h him tomorrow. H e could not be

No end of h ares and ph easa n ts aroun d . I t

found, however. Stalin organs f i red i n to Fehervar­

sn owed c o n t i n ually, a t t imes wi t h h eavy squalls.

czurgo. Back t h rough Isztimer-Bal i n ka ( roads ter­

9 January: Alert a t about 0900 hours-bat tal­

ribly packed ) , arriving at Bakonyczernye about

ion to i m mediately move to the 23rd Panzer D ivi­

2400 hours.

sion , horrendous mess! I mmediate obj ec t ive: Also

7 Jan uary: Awake at 0500 h o urs. Departure at

Puszta ( re m n a n ts of a totally destroyed estate ) . I

0600 hours. Roads totally jammed. Forced my way ' as far forward as Feh e rvarczu rgo w i t h a SPW; d is­

preceded the battal ion with t h e SPW. I called t h e 2 3 r d Panzer Division, w h i c h claimed w e were

cussed t h e operat ion with Plettenberg. The tanks

a t tached to t h e 4th Caval ry Brigade. Call to t h e I

showed up at 1 1 30 hours . Thi ngs f i nally got m ov­

Cavalry Corps: One com pany of ours is a t tached

ing at 1 1 40 hours, with Plettenberg near Borbala­

t o the 4th Caval ry Brigade, the other u n i ts are

major in order to capture Zamoly from th ere.

with the 23rd Panzer D ivisio n . So, split up agai n !

Half of t h e battalion moved to the nort h . I wen t

The 1 st Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503 ( Le u t­

wi t h the southern group. We encoun tered a

n a n t Piepgras ) , remai ned with the 4th Cavalry

strong antitank bel t . O n e Tiger knocked o u t

Brigade and knocked o u t seven enemy tanks.

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander o/ Tiger Tank Battaiioll 503

355

We set o u t to t h e south from Also Puszta ( less

I 1 Jan uary: Awake at 0445 hours. Preparations.

i n fa n t ry) , pushed t h e enemy to the south in ter­

We a ttacked as part of Battle Group Weymann

rai n that was favorable for armor and reached the

(our tanks in the lead ) . Battle Group Weymann

main l i n e of resistance a t Sarkeresztes (which was

arrived. Thawing weather, slush. Organ ized , rolled

still being held ) . Then we turned to the east

out at 0600 hours. Short attack position. Depar­

toward a vineyard vil lage. The i n fantry, a Luftwaffe

ture set at 0640 hours. After crossing our own

gro u n d u n i t t h a t was a ttached to the 23rd Panzer

main l i n e of resistance, we pushed the main body

Division, fol lowed-terri ble. There was a deep

of the enemy-i n fan try with heavy weapons-o u t

d i tc h j ust o u tside the village that was full of Ivans.

of their positions. T h e n several hours of heavy

Tough figh ters ( a new m ec h a n i zed corps ) . We

fighting with n um e rous enemy tanks ( i ncluding

moved righ t u p to the d i tc h and fired wildly i n to i t

'Joseph Sta l i n " types with 9.5cm guns ) , assault

w i t h every t h i ng. T h e Russians defen ded t h e m­

guns, heavy anti tan k guns and a n t itank h u nter/

selves with satchel c harges, antitank r i f les and the

killer teams. We suffered three total losses ( i nclud­

l i ke . The i n fantry beh i nd us did n o t advance a sin­

i ng the two Tigers on either side of m e ) and

gle step. I got o u t of my tank and, run n i n g u p­

n u merous additional losses (six dead, ten wound­

righ t , brought t h e m to w i t h i n 50 meters of the

ed ) . Bit by bit, seven more tanks were more or less

d i tc h ( s t i l l beh i n d o u r tanks ! ) . Cowardly behavior,

severely damaged by serious h i ts ( i ncluding one

n o t one U n teroff izier visible ( Le u tn a n t k i l led ) .

hit by a bomb ) , so that I was f in ally left with a

Sign i ficant losses among the i n fantry. I tried to get the m e n to fol low m e forward with a " H urrah"

total of t h ree tanks ( havi n g started the day with t h i rteen ) .

w h i le m y tanks held down the Russians w i t h gun­

Neverth eless, we did reach the h igh ground as

fi re , but I was the o n ly one who advanced to the

ordered. Beh i n d us, the village of Zamoly was cap­

d i tc h . The i n fa n t ry stubbornly remained lyi ng

t u red

where t hey were. Finally (after two h o u rs ! ! ) I suc­

wounded and his adj u t a n t killed ) . We were con­

(during

which

Graf

Plettenberg

was

ceeded, w i t h the h e l p of t h ree decent Obergefre­

stantly attacked by strong enemy

i te a n d a mac h i n e gun , i n getting to the d i tc h and

Among others , my own adj utan t , Leu tnant Hee r­

air forces.

eve n tually taking about 300 p risoners. Abou t 1 00

lei n , was wounded by a bomb fragment while tow­

dead or wounded lay aro u n d i n i t . I moved to

ing a tank. I remained forward u n t i l dark where,

Sarkeresztes with wounded and prisoners a n d

with the help of the two other tan ks, a knocked

established con tact with the c o m m a n d e r of the

out Tiger was hauled practically out of the Russian

i n fa n t ry battalion ( HaLiptmann von 6 h m ichen ) .

l i nes. It was a very d i fficult task. Forward wi th one

In

Tiger in the d usk with a towing cable al ready

the

mean t i m e ,

Oberl e u t n a n t

von

Rosen

advanced i n to t h e vi neyard village w i t h the i n­

hooked up on the front . Get close to the damaged

fan t ry ( no resistance ) . I t h e n collected my tanks

tank. Th e n , two men leapt out u n der fire from

after t h e l i n es had been reestablished there . Back

the enemy. One h ooked the towi ng cable to the

to Also Puszta where we were resupplied d u ri n g

back of the damaged tank and then cli mbed back

the n i g h t . We were h o used i n our tanks o r i n

i n to the towing tank while the second man scram­

m akes h i ft quarters i n stalls on stinking straw­

bled i n to the knocked-out Tiger through the open

constan t snow squalls. An extraordi nary n u m ber

hatch. He discon nec ted the engine and f i nal drive

( h u n d reds ! ) of h ares.

i nside the tank. Then, slowly, a centi meter at a

1 0 Jan uary 1 945: A cold night in a shot-up hove l . Spe n t the m o rn i n g i n Magyaralmas with Maj o r H uck. M a i n tenance a n d s i m i l a r activi ties.

t i m e , the disabled tank was towed back while the other two Tigers gave coveri ng f i re. We then pulled back, as ordered, and moved

An a ttack o rder arrived at noon for an after­

beh i n d our own main l i ne of resistance. Pouri ng

noon a ttack on Zamoly. H owever, d ue to lack of

rai n . Spe n t the n igh t in Also-Puszta agai n , where

t i m e a n d prepara t i o n , i t could not be carried out.

the rai n soaked t h rough everyth i ng ( th e roofs

U n ending command

were burned off) . No straw. I took the Vol kswagen

conferences during the

eve n i n g i n Felso-Puszta regard ing the i m pending

over to Felso-Puszta from where I was able to tele­

attack ( now for early morning) .

phone the brigade and corps. Everyone congratu­

The n i g h t was rat h e r cold and sleeping q uar­ ters c ra m ped.

lated us on our success: twen ty-one Russian tanks and assault guns knocked o u t and more than

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

356

twe n ty a n t i ta n k guns, one Sta l i n organ and t h ree

1 7 Jan uary: Cloudy, cold. Quiet. Noon with

airc raft ( destroyed befo re t hey could take off by

Leu t n a n t FLl rl i n ge r, then to the 23rd Panzer Divi­

several Tigers on my left flank, which I had not

sion . Commanders confe rence for tomorrow's

bee n aware of d u ri n g the f igh ting) , n umerous

a ttack. We will participa te in an at tack to pin the

enemy dead. But it h ad also been a d i ff i c u l t day

enemy i n the d i rection of Stuh lwei13enburg while,

fo r us, especially d i ff i c u l t for our recovery and

at the same time, larger att acks are to be launched

m a i n tenance e l e m e n ts that had recovered a l l of

past the c i ty to the east. We are to work with the

the disabled Tigers i n the zone of enemy a rt i l l e ry

23rd Panzer Regi m e n t and grenadiers. Still i n Bodajk i n the eve n i ng. Birt h day cele­

f i re beh i n d us. I did not get back to Also-Puszta u n ti l m i d­ night.

bration for Leutnant Rol lik. 2030 hours: The bat talion moved to Magyaral­

1 2 January: Bac k to Bodaj k i n the m o rn i ng.

mas. A short m ee t i ng there with the commander

Leut nant Fiirli nger formed a battle group in Also­

of the

Puszta with the t h ree other Tigers and two that

( Hauptmann Kujac i nski ) .

had been brough t forward from the m a i n tenance facili ty.

1 st

Batta l i o n ,

23rd

Panzer Regi m e n t

1 8 Jan uary: 0430 hours: Departu re from Mag­ yaral mas. Attack posi tion at Margitmaj o r wi t h

Cleaned up t ho roughly and changed under­

eigh t Tigers. Move o u t at 0645. Crossed fri endly

wear at Bodaj k. Passable l i t tle q ua rt ers. To the

l i nes. Breached a Russian m i nefield with help

brigade i n the afte rn oo n where General H olste

from panzer engi neers . Strong enemy resistance

gave us his compl imen ts. I managed it so that o u r

with heavy weapons while the enemy i n fa n t ry

b a t t l e gro u p could move out of t h e fi l thy hole of

began to flee. D i ffi c u l t crossing of a broad stream

Also-Puszta to Magyaralmas.

with soft banks. I nt ense f i re from all sides. H a rd

1 3 January 1 945: To the 1 I I Panzer Corps in the

figh t i n g all day. Over time, fou r of my Tige rs

morning where I talked to the chief of staff. Moved

became disabled t h rough enemy f i re They had to

back. With the main tenance facil ity at noon. Then,

move back on t h e i r own or tow each other. I was

paper work and the l i ke from 1 400 to 2200 h ou rs.

h i t on my main gun so that the weapon was unser­

I t had piled up beyond belief. To the brigade in

viceable; but I stayed up fro n t . The accom panyi ng

the

eve n i ng

regarding

naming

of

Leu t n a n t

Linkenbach i n the Weh rmac h t h o n o r rol l . .

Pan thers also mel ted away until only two were left. The Panzer [Vs and Sturmgesch Ll tze fol lowi ng us

1 4 Jan uary: Company commander meeting i n

suffe red sign i fic a n t losses. We destroyed seven

t h e morning i n t h e battal ion, among other t h i ngs.

enemy tan ks and about ten a n t i ta n k guns. U n usu­

Lunch. Then to the battle group, which is now

ally heavy enemy art i llery fi re, including f Iat-trajec­

attached to Oberstleutn a n t vVeyma n n . Also saw

tory weapons from all sides. As eve n i n g d rew near

Weyman n . Then back to the brigade again regard­

there was a local enemy coun terattack to our l eft

ing Leutnant Linkenbach and the German Cross

that was q uashed with our help.

in Gold for Oberleutnant von Rose n . Then writing

As it grew dark we got the order to pull out,

after-action reports and other correspondence.

after the grenadiers had f i rmly establ ished them­

More thaw weather, b u t colder at night; frost.

selves. Two Tigers remained up fron t in the main

1 5 Jan uary: Took care of a pile of paperwork. At noon, by way of Sur (with the main tenance

l i ne of resistance to provide cover. W e moved back to Magyaral mas.

fac i l i ty) to Bakonyczombathely to t h e 1 I I Panzer

A very wearying day, everyone pretty wel l

Corps. With the operations officer and the adj u­

exhausted. I s t i l l h a d to g o to the 23rd Panzer

tant there. Then back, official duties . I t was colder,

Division for a short meeti ng. The general thanked

with black ice at t i mes. Cold and clear at n i gh t .

us. Then back to Magyaralmas , dead t i red. Sleep.

1 6 Jan uary: Beautiful weather, b u t cold. To Battle Group FLl rl i nger in Magyaral mas,

19 Jan uary: Piles of paperwork. Mail. With the 23rd Panzer Division in Fehervarczu rgo i n the

where I awarded several I ron Crosses, F i rs t Class.

eveni ng. The assau l t past Stuhlwe i · enburg should

Then to the 23rd Panzer Division ( i n Fehervar­

go wel l . Weh rmacht report very bad: The Russians

czurgo ) , to which we are now attached. All sorts of

are at the German border everywhere .

official du ties, hairc u t , wash , mail.

20 January 1 945: H eavy s n o w i n the m o rn i ng.

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 In Fehervarczurgo w i t h t h e division and wi t h o u r surgeon (due t o i n te nse pain i n m y shoulder) . Bitter figh t i n g w i t h our everlasti ngly smoking

357

Oberleutnant von Rosen took command of the remaining five Tigers u n t i l morni ng. 23 January: I led the supply veh icles back t h rough the n igh t-very difficul t . We did not get

stove ! Wehrmacht report very serious: The Russians

back to Magyaralmas u n t i l 0500 hours. Telephone

Neiden burg,

call with the division: The battalion was to move

Gilgen burg) and in Silesia. They are also wel l i n to

i n to Stuh lwei · e n burg early in the morni ng. Got a

Warthegau. There is no way i t can be f ixed .

few hours sleep. Bri e f ly with 4th Cavalry Brigade

are i n

East

Prussia

( r n s terburg,

I n t h e even ing, t h e very decen t Hauptmann Klu aci nski (commander of t h e 1 st Batt a l i o n , 23rd

(curren tly in Magyaralmas ) . To Stuh lwei13enburg i n t h e afternoo n . I t has suffered greatly. The

Panzer Regi ment ) was wi t h us for supper.

Russians had

run wild

among the civi lian population.

Mail. 2 1 January: At 08 1 5 h o u rs an alert came from

24 Jan uary: Spent t h e m o rn i n g a t corps. We

t h e 2 3 rd Panzer Division-some ']oseph Stal i n "

have been a t tached t o t h e 4 t h Cavalry Brigade

tanks h a d been sigh ted. H owever, i t remai ned

aga i n , so back t o Magyaral mas w i t h the battal ion !

quiet i n t h e m o rn i ng. With General Holste, 4th Cavalry B rigade, in the a fternoon. H e wan ted to

To the main tenance shop, briefly, then to Stuhlwe i 13enburg, clear out.

know all sorts of t h i ngs concerning the ordered

Leu t n a n t H eerlein departed on leave today.

i ncorporation of H ungarian tanks i n his brigade.

Back wi t h the battalion to Magyaralmas. I m me­ diate meeting with 4 t h Cavalry Brigade regarding

After t h a t w i t h the 23rd Panzer Division . Weh rmac h t report: The Russians are at Oppeln,

an a ttack planned for tomorrow morni ng. The

Thorn, DeulSch-Eylau. Germany will soon be com­

H ungarian tanks were a ttached to me. I had noth­

pletely lost .

i n g but problems with them the en t i re night ( n o competence w i t h t h e veh icles, weapons or Ger­

Official paperwork and m a i l . 22 January: With H a u p t m a n n Kuj ac i nski ( 2 3 rd

man language; dapper Leu tnants and unwi l l ing

Panzer D ivisio n ) a t 0800 hours. The 1 st Panzer

e n l isted m en ) . H ardly f i t for serious operations!

D ivision will advance i n to Stuh lwei13enburg today.

25 Jan uary: We can only provide a small battle

We a re to advance east of t h e c i ty to e n c i rcle t h e

group wi t h a few Tigers led by Leutnant Beyer for

w i t h d rawi ng enemy. We s tarted without a n y great

the attack. At 0500 hours I moved wi t h the bat tle

preparations w i t h n i n e Tigers and a few a ttached Pan t h e rs and Panzer rvs·. We crossed the German

group to Zamoly, where the a t tack was launched. I

l i nes east of Sarkeresztes, overran enemy posi­

were f i ri n g l ike mad. The extremely costly at tack

tions, captu red

o n ly got movi ng when our few Tigers became

the farmstead of Gyulamaj o r,

remai ned in the village, i n t o which the Russians

where t h ere was a lot of resistance from an t i tank

i nvolved, whereupon

guns. Then we pushed on over rol l i n g land to the

enemy posi tions, one after another. Two Tigers

we broke t h rough

four

south along a large, shal low depressio n . We ran

were disabled due to damage from gun fi re or

i n to t h e m idst of a Russian withdrawal movement,

m i nes. One of them lost bot h i ts tracks i n a m i ne­

dest royed seven 7.62cm guns on self-propelled

field. Leutnan t Rubbel was not able to tow out all

mounts, two tanks, veh icles and n u merous a n t i­

the tanks that were recovered until even ing, thanks

tank guns ( fi fteen of t h em ) . I n add i t i o n , we fi red

to the onset of snow squalls. Then back to Zamoly

with a l l our weapons to very good effect on t h e

in the n igh t . An extremely diff i cu l t operat ion!

Russians who were s t reaming to t h e rear. As

I spen t the e n t i re day i n Zamoly i n a lousy

eve n i n g approac hed we reached t h e road t h a t

potato cellar. H owever, we i nstalled a stove, carpet

r u n s n o rt h east

H eavy

and furn i t u re and made it comfortable . General

enemy tan k gun f i re came from somewhere. H un­

Holste sat in a cellar bunke r on the other side of

from

Stuhhvei13enburg.

garian i n fa n t ry c losed up to us. We provided cover

the s t reet. The village was totally destroyed by the

to the east u n ti l nigh t . I n deed, it was i n tended for

enemy art i l l e ry f i re that con t i n ued i n to the night.

us to move out aga i n , but we had p ractically run

26 Jan uary 1 945: During t h e night t h e area

out of a m m u n i t i o n . Because of the bad routes and

that had been taken on 25 January had to evacu­

heavy enemy art il lery f i re , supplies did not arrive

ated due to t h e lack of an ove ral l success. The

u n t i l m i d n i gh t . We resupplied in extreme cold.

Russians con t i n ued t o shell Zamoly.

358

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11 to Borbalam
got another chance to make the attempt to

rem a i n i n g tanks and the battalion staff after

I had to

move

recover the Tiger stuck in the bomb crater at Laja­

recovering our trackless Tiger. A l i m i ted-objective

major. The comba t engi neer platoon worked last

attack was to be m o u n ted from there early i n the

n igh t and all day on preparations and blasted a

m o rn i n g. We put together a small battle group

kind of sloping ramp. U n fort u nately, a nasty, icy

with t h ree Tigers and several H u ngarian Panzer

snowstorm set i n . Nevertheless, after hours of

IVs. The 23rd Panzer Division attacked to our

stre n uous effort and to our great deligh t , the

righ t , but it made no forward progress. The attack

recovery operation was a success around 0400

of our battle group, however, went q u i te wel l ,

hours. We also towed four i mmobil ized H ungarian

though t h e H ungarian i n fan try d i d not fol low as

Panzer IVs wi t h us from Zamoly ( to the main te­

planned. The attack lasted i n to the night. Then i t

nance platoon ) .

start ed to rai n . I spent the e n t i re day w i t h Ober­

29 Jan uary 1 945: The wild, icy snowstorm kept

stleutnant Sauer i n Borbalam<�or. H e was lead i n g

up in extreme cold. U n bel ievable snowdrifts. Tak­

the attack. Because of the i n tense enemy art i l l e ry

i n g a SPW I laboriously made i t to Sarkeresztes

f i re , he remained i n a potato cellar. Finally, in the

where our tanks are to be repaired. The h eavy cav­

dark, our t h ree Tigers were rendered u n f i t for

alry bat talion was also there. I t is now commanded

combat by t h e cont i n ually s t rengt h e n i n g resist­

by Hauptmann Sonn tag. Li m i ted possibili ties for

ance from Russian a n ti ta n k guns ( ta n ks? ) and

billets in that totally destroyed village, b u t i t will

brought back with the e n t i re battle group. At

have to do. Then checked out the road to the

abo u t 2200 hours they all got back to us. I headed

brigade from Moha-Iskaszen tgyorgy. It lacks two

back with the Tigers to Lajamajor where the track­

bridges capable of supporting tanks. The brigade

less Tiger that had been so pai n fu l ly recovered

can o n ly be reached by a long detour to the north.

yesterday had slipped i n to a bomb c rater. The rai n

Back to Fehervarczurgo. I then wanted to go to the

turned i n t o a n ever wilder snowstorm. T h e recov­

brigade, but gave that idea up due to the cold and

ery d i d n o t work, since the gro u n d was ice cov­

the u n i maginable snow drifts. The ice storm rages

ered and too slippery. I broke o ff the attempt. We

so i n tensely that i t is impossible to see i n fron t of

all moved back to Magyaral mas, where we arrived

oneself. I magin e what our people f l eeing from

at about 0200 hours. 2 7 Jan uary: Snowstorm, wild snow squalls, very cold. A.I I the roads c o n t a i n snow drifts. I pushed

eastern Germany have to go t h rough ! The Rus­ sians are pushing i nexorably forward there. I n the afternoon I fough t my way to the I I I

my way t h rough to the I I I Panzer Corps with a

Panzer Corps and t o the m a i n tenance fac i l ity.

SPV,," The storm let up i n the eve n i ng.

Then back to Magyaralmas. One the way, my SPW

For the f i rst time in a w h i l e , the battalion can­

slipped i n to the roadside d i tc h and stuck fas t on a

not be em ployed d ue to i noperable Tigers. In the

h il l where the ice storm raged the worst. By a m i ra­

eve n i n g I received the order to move to Moha

cle i t worked o u t that, after a wh ile, a H ungarian

with the battal ion . As a resul t , we would be more

prime mover emerged from the blinding snow

i n the cente r of the e n t i re , gia n t sector that the

squall and helped free us. In Magyaralmas we were

4th Cavalry Brigade had now taken over.

i n an ice cold hovel where we could n o t get the

Shocki n g Weh rmacht report: The Russians are

stove to work. It smoked l ike mad because of the

in upper Silesia, on the Oder, west of Pose n , at

storm . We provided a bit of warm th with blow­

Sch neidemll h l , n o rt h west of Brom berg, in Wor­

torches.

m d i t t , Gerdauen , ete. 28 Jan uary: Cold. Still i n Magyaralmas, somewhat quiet. I wrote

30 Jan uary: The snowstorm let up a bit. I n the afternoon the battalion staff m oved to Iszkaszen t­ gyorgy ( b i l l e ted wi th

the parish pries t ) . The

letters but most of the i n tended recipie n ts are

armored e l e m e n ts , to the exten t t hey were ready,

probably fleeing before the Russian advance. I n

went to Sarkeresztes. A " Flih rer speech " in the

the mean time, a t the I I I Panzer Corps a n d with the

eve n i ng.

forward main tenance platoon i n Fehervarczurgo.

3 1 Jan uary: To Sarkeresztes i n the morni ng.

We remain a ttached to the 4th Cavalry Brigade,

The heavy battalion of the 4th Cavalry Brigade

which has moved to Iszkaszentgyorgy. Since we

and our n i n e operational Tigers are there. On the

fi nally had f ive Tigers operational t h is eve n ing, I

return trip by Volkswagen we got stuck in the

Diary EIltriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander oJ Tiger Talll! Battaiioll 503

359

snow. So t h e last s t retch to Sarkeresztes was on

a l o t of hard work i n t h e m idst of art i l lery f i re.

foo t under brisk Russian art i l lery f i re. Obviously a

The second Tiger's engine tem perature remai ned

great h u llabaloo on all fro n ts, the Russians attack­

at m o re than 1 00 degrees Celsius, so it had to go

ing everywhere with strong forces. A call from the

back for repairs. The th i rd Tiger ran onto a m i ne

brigade reached m e i n t h e vi l l age : The Russians

after leavi ng the vi l l age and was i m mobil ized. I

have broken t h rough at a n u m ber of places. The

ended up by movi ng by myself to Poi n t 1 66 and

Tigers were to mount an i m mediate local counter­

cal l i n g Leutnant Piepgras forward on t he radio

a t tack with the heavy cavalry battalion and recap­

which, however, took a long time. I spotted numerous ( perhaps about 25? ) Russ­

tu re Gyulam�or as the fi rs t objective. The Tigers rolled i m mediately u n der my com­

ian tan ks on and beh i n d a road embankment

mand as fa r as the vineyards east of Sarkeresztes.

ahead of m e and opened f i re while i n the open .

From there we headed sout h . U nder artille ry and

After my first rou nd-apparen tly a d i rect h i t-a

mortar f i re at first, then a n t i ta n k guns everywhere

lot of confusion set i n on their side. I was immedi­

and n u m e rous tanks. We made no progress i n a

ately covered with h eavy tan k fire from the Rus­

fron tal a ttack on Gyulamajor. I there fo re shifted

sians, so m uch so that my Tige r was soon combat

fou r tanks a bit to the left against the enemy-occu­

i n effective and i m mobi l i zed by heavy damage to

pied H i l l 2 1 4. With a few grenadiers fol l owing, we

the running gear. In spite of the gun fi re, I leaped

made better progress t h e re . Russian tanks p u t u p

out and, with a t remendous a m o u n t of physical

sign i ficant resistance. After we h a d set several on

effor t while lying down, was able to d isen tangle a

f i re with gunfi re , t h e o t hers p u l led back. The

road wheel

grenadiers were able to establ ish themselves-with

become jam med i n the track so that the Tiger was

several h eavy weapons-i n q u i te good positions

again mobi le. I n the meantime, Leu tnant Piep­

that had been recently constructed. One of my

gras, had arrived along with h is two Tigers. He

Tigers was hit by a heavy round (9.5c m ? ) that pen­

knocked o u t t h ree more Russian tanks, where­

that had been knocked off and

e t rated the t u rret. Two seriously wou n ded. To our

u pon t h e rest of t h e enemy tanks slunk off to t h e

righ t , Leu t na n t Koppe advanced i n to Gyulamaj o r

sou t h . My Tige r headed to the rear for repairs,

w i t h t h ree Tigers. However, the weak i n fan try

d rivi ng with extreme caution so as not to throw i ts

forces accompanying h i m were tossed o u t by the

track. I spent the afternoon at Ri t tmeister Son­

Russians. It became p i tc h black with freezing rai n

n tag's com mand post ( h eavy cavalry batta l i o n ) in

a n d snow, horribly c o l d a n d uncomfortable . We

the vineyards. Leu tnant Piepgras con t i n ued to

sl ugged i t o u t with some enemy attempting to

engage individual enemy tanks up front. I succeeded in spo t t i ng the Tigers that stayed

advance i n the dark. I February: The n i g h t con t i n ued to be m iser­

forward in resupply by bringing them back i nd i­

able a n d f i lled with figh t i ng. Leu t n a n t Koppe

vidual ly. One of o u r Tigers that was moving for­

with

ward aga i n got i n to a soft spot a t Gyulamajor and

stro nger i n fa n t ry forces. I also pushed in from the

got hopelessly stuck. Since we had to clear out of

east side with my tank i n the m o rn i ng, while Leut­

Gyula in the eve n i ng, that Tiger had to be blown

forced

h is

way

i n to

Gyu lamajor

aga i n

n a n t P iepgras rem ained on H i l l 2 1 4 with two

up after we had made every effort to recover it. I

Tigers. Finally, Gyu l a m aj o r was completely in our

had even gone back another t i m e to Sarkeresztes

hands.

in the hope that I might be able to get another

H owever, t h e Russians remained with

s t rong forces o n t h e paved road d i rectly east of

tank for towi ng that might have come forward

Gyula. In t he gray dawn of t h e m o rning, the

from the m a i n tenance shop. Two repaired Tigers

rad ioed order from the brigade reached me to

were not ava i lable u n ti l 0200 hours, when it was

i m m ed ia tely take a l l avai lable tan ks-there were,

too l a te. They remained forward fo r the nigh t to

h owever, o n ly t h ree, since Leu tn a n t Piepgras was

provide cover while the other tanks wen t back to

s t i l l engaged on H i l l 2 1 4-to point 1 66, south of

Sarkeresztes for repairs. All of the c rews were

Gyula, where the Russians were a ttacking with

totally exhausted.

many ( said to be about f i fty) tan ks. I i mmediately

I

moved

t h rough

Fehervarczurgo

to

the

headed south from Gyulamaj o r. H owever, at that

brigade at lszkaszen t gyorgy, where I was congratu­

very m o m e n t , one of Leu t n a n t Koppe's Tigers

lated on our successes ( 1 7 tanks and assaul t guns

broke a track ( m i nes? ) . It had to be repaired with

knocked o u t ) . I d i d not get back to q uarters until

360

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF Gt'RMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

about �300 hours, where I i mmediately fel l dead

U n fort u nately, our Tigers had to remain I n the main l i n e of resistance t h roughout the night to

asleep. The Russians were in Ki'lstrin today.

provide cover (only being resupplied i n rotation ) .

2 February: Finally a little quiet. With the com­

Thawing weather, fog so heavy that you could no

mander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade. Took care of

longer see your own hand i n fron t of your face!

all sorts of off i cial business. After-action reports.

4 February: Back i n radio con tact with Fur­

Award recommendation for the German Cross i n

l i nger. As the fog l i fted, the Russians attacked

Gold to Leutnant Beyer, among others.

Gyula at dawn with tanks. Our Tigers knocked out

At 1 700 hours I started off by staff car (with

eigh t enemy tanks and occupied some h igh

Oberleutnant Brandt and Leutnant Gille) to Sur,

ground south of the vi l l age, overru n n ing five

where we had been invited to supper with Ober­

Russian a n titank guns in the process.

leutnant Barckhausen at ] 900 hours along wi th all

Thawing weat her, glorious sunshine. Heavy

the company commanders. Very heavy fog. The

Russian aerial act ivi ty, bombing at tacks, i ncluding

stretch of road to Fehe rvarczurgo was very narrow

one on Sarkeresztes, where one of our company

due to the snow that had been shoveled to both

mainte nance sections was hit ( loss of veh icles and

sides. The road was completely blocked with H un­

equipme n t ) .

garian traffic, some of it Panzer rvs (several towed)

As even ing drew near we were able to pull our

and t raffic in t h e other d i rection. We remai ned

Tigers out of the l i nes to Sarkeresztes where they

stuck i n one spot for an hour. Only wi t h the great­

could be quartered in the more-or-Iess demol­

est of energy and lots of sign language were we

ished houses.

finally able to get t h rough , since the H u ngarians

5 February: For a change, there was no action

did not understan d a word of German. We finally

for us. I made another trip t o Iskaszentgyorgy and

made it to Sur at 2030 hours. Good food, wine, a

moved to the brigade. There I discovered that we

nice eveni ng. We d i d n ' t wan t to t h i n k about our

were n ow at tached to the 4th SS Panzer Corps. I

fam i l ies, mostly i n eastern and cen tral Germany.

i m mediately went to I nota to look for i t . Briefly

Moved back at 2400 h ours, get t i n g to Iszkaszent­

estab l ished conta c t . The roads were al ready very

gyorgy at about 0200 hours.

soft and sl ushy due to t hawing weather, rai n and

Thawi ng weat her, sl ush .

fog. Finally there was an opport u n i ty to dispose of

3 February: I was with the brigade in th� morn­

official business. Movies i n the evening in Castle

ing in a pret ty l i t tle baroque castle of a Graf Pap­

Iszkasze n tgyorgy ("Zirkus Re nz," l o ts of tec h n ical

penheim

problems) .

1 11

Iskasze n tgyorgy.

The

engaging,

cult ivated old Graf, who had fi lled h is l i t t l e castle

6 February: Paper work.

with a most beau t i fu l collection of ant ique books,

More thawi ng weather, rai n .

weapons and the l i ke , h as c hose n the awa i t the

Movie showi ng a t the castle

111

the eveni ng.

further advance of t h e Russians and die there .

7 February: Spring weat h e r. At the fro n t , o n ly

Today we h a d a bat tle group fo rward with five

art i l l e ry f i re. No tanks employed. Feverish activi ty

Tigers. I t was led by Leu t n a n t Fiirl i n ger. Along with elements of the newly arrived 5th SS Panzer Division "Wi king," it was to take part i n an a ttack

at the maintenance faci l i ty. 8 February: Con t i n ued quiet. Fog and sl ushy weather.

that was to start a t 1 ] 30 hours to establish a sane

In the afternoon i n I no ta with the rv SS Panzer

defensi\'e l i n e . I stayed i n radio con tact with Fur­

Corps. We will receive an order i n the morning to

linger. The attack, h owever, did not really get

move to i ts area.

started since t h e Russians launched their own

Evening with the 4th Cavalry Brigade.

a ttacks at several locations at the sanie time. I

9 February: Co n t i n ued quiet, m i l d weat her.

spent part of t h e t i m e with the brigade to get ori­

Order in the eve n i n g to sub m i t a t ransporta-

e n tated on the big picture and part of the t i m e

tion request: The battalion is to be rail loaded, but

monitoring the radio traff i c of our battle group so

with an un known destination!

as to be able to get i nvolved if needed. Thanks to

10 February: Still q u i e t . Took leave of the 4th

the effectiveness of o l l r Tigers, Gyulamajor was

Cavalry Brigade and General Holste, Oberstleut­

f i nal ly captured in the eveni ng, in t h e course of

nant

which five heavy a n t i ta n k guns were captured.

officers-a t h oroughly splendid and reasonable

Roj a h n , Ri t tmeister Son n tag, and other

Diary Elltriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander o/ Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503 bunch who were sorry to have to let our battalion go .

361

Moved back to CSllZ. The fi rst battalion train arrived and was unloaded at the nearby rai l road

Official business.

station at Perbete. Addi tional trains fol l owed.

1 1 February: To Mor i n the m o rn i ng, where

Leutnant H eerlein and Leutnant Rol l i k arrived

our Tigers loaded on t h e trai n . On to Kisber,

back from leave. All sorts of bi rthday congratula­

where t h e m a i n tenance shop entrained with the

tions from the battalion arrived, along with birth­

repai red vehicles. In t h e course movi ng there, I

day cakes. We had a good time over it and

los t a wheel fro m my staff car-no appare n t rea­

emptied a gift bottle of champagne .

son . H owever, n o t h i n g happened. I n Kisber I saw

To D ivision " Hoch und Deutsch meister" in the

t h e commander of the rail road station regardi n g

eve n i ng, at Ogyalla. Roads severely f l ooded , very

the loading, t h e n to Bakonyszombately to the

dark night. There was a meeting at the division

supply company ( l unch with Hauptmann Wie­

regarding the res u l ts of our leaders ' recon nais­

gand , q uestions about en trai n i ng) . Then on to

sance: D i rect a t tack on both sides of the i mproved

6th Army H igh Command ( th e opera tions officer

road from Kun to the east appears unlikely to suc­

and the movement control officer) at Gyar-Sze n t­

ceed due to the identi fied extensive Russian m ine­

Marto n . On t h rough Raab ( Gyar) and along t h e

fields and a n t i tank posi tions. We have to somehow

Danube, which w e crossed a t Komorn. Conti nued

advance east with the tanks on to the s teep, h i l ly

north to Neuhausel ( Ersekuj avar) . From t h e re

terrain to the left ( nort h ) of the road and upward

to the east as far as Nagy Surany, where our new

from there , where an armored a t tack is certainly

corps ( Panzer Corps "Feldherrn halle") is located.

n o t expec ted. The division agreed. By then i t was

General o ri e n tation with the operations officer

abou t 2200 hours, so I did not get back to Csuz

and d i rec tive on the area we are to occupy. Good

u n t i l 2300 h ours. The batta l i o n 's officers-those

supper ( roast hare) at the "Officer's Club," which

who had arrived by then-were assembled. We

is i n a large sugar factory. Spe n t the n ig h t (wi t h

had a very good time together wi t h cake and a l i t­

Leu t n a n t von H agemeister a n d Leut n a n t G i l l e ) i n

tle bubbly u n t i l 0 10 0 hours .

the adj o i n i n g "guest q uarters." J 2 February: Morning discussion with the chief

1 4 February: I spe n t the m o rn i n g i n the sector near Kurt with Leu tnant Heerl e i n and Leu t n a n t

of s taff, Oberstleutnant von Plato (good ! ) , regard­

Furl i n ger. We scouted the possibili ties of negotiat­

i ng our i m pe n d i n g com m i t m e n t ( e l i m i nation of

i n g the ridge paralleling t h e road out of Ktirt on

the Russian Gran bridge h ead ) . Lunch with the

the left at night ( depart i n g from KLlrt ) . The

commanding gen e ral , General KJeema n n . Then

ground was a l ready m uddy. The Russians are

back south t h rough Neuh ausel to Ogyalla to divi­

quiet.

sion " H och und Deutsc h meister," with which we

Hauptmann Sloot came to a meeting dis­

are to cooperate. Spe n t the n i g h t there with the

cussing the attack at noon in Csusz. Our engineers

commander of the Panzerj ager Battal i o n , H a upt­

wen t to Kurt to build a sol id rou te up i n to the

mann SI oat .

h igh ground from Kurt.

1 3 February: ( My b i rt h day) . Moved i n the

1 5 February: All sorts of paperwork. r moved

morning to our new bille ts a t Csuz. Good quarters

to Kurt with the company commanders to coordi­

at t h e rectory but the other b i l l e ts were n o t so

n a te with the grenadiers who are in the main l i n e

good (cramped and di rty) . The priest speaks Ger­

of resistance. The tank commanders were then

man wel l . Up fro nt with the Vol kswagen t h rough

i nd ividually briefed by t h e i r company command­

Fur to Ktirt. The main l i n e of resistance runs from

ers on our prospective a ttack sector ( using con­

north to south along the eastern outskirts of Kurt.

cealed

Careful study of the terrai n , �articularly from an observation position i n a h aystack. We are to launch a night a t tack on 1 7 February from here to

paths and every possible precau tion ) .

1 6 February: Very beaut i fu l weather, b u t the cou n t ryside is muddy. In

Fur at

0900

for a

meeting with

the

push i n t h e Russian bridgehead. At the moment,

grenad iers. Meeting concern ing the a t tack with

the Russians are quiet. Several mortar barrages on

Division " Hoch und Deutschmeister" took place at

KLlrt. The grou n d is already very soft. In Kurt civil­

1 400 hours.

ians i nvi ted us to l u n c h (sc rambled eggs and sauerkraut) .

Meeting with all the battalion officers and sup­ per at 1 900 hours in Chuz.

362

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II 1 7 February: Up at 0200 hours. Departed with

sen t m e on back by way of Fur i n a staff car ( brief

the tanks a t 0230 h o u rs along with t h e SPW's,

report to d ivision there) to Chuz. There, I took

combat t rains ete. i n t o t h e vi n eyards n o rt h of

care of the most pressi ng i tems whi l e lyi ng down

Kil rt. (Added n o te by the author: As I remember,

and had myself taken to Hauptmann Wiegand

about twen ty-two Tigers, six or seven in each com­

( supply company) at Tardoskedd. He i m mediately

pany and two command tanks . ) The approach

moved up front to take over command of the bat­

march was extre mely difficu l t , since it was pitch

tal ion. I was taken back to Pressburg by way of Tot­

black and a l l the veh icles left Fiir i n com plete

megyer and Glanta. I n Pressburg I was operated

blackout. The move up t h e s teep road that our

on that afternoon in a Luftwaffe special skull hos­

engi n eers had built was q u i te risky. It led up

pital. I t was pretty horrible. That n ight, with the

t h rough a stone q uarry to t h e otherwise u na t tain­

help of medicine, I got a few hours of sleep.

able h igh ground from which the a t tack was to begi n . Fort unately, none of t h e tanks got s tuck!

1 8 February: Things were tolerable. My head h u rt a bit. A bit of fever.

Once up t h e re , we assembled i n t h e al ready

1 9-24 February: Speedy recovery. Oberleut­

fam iliar terrain ( two companies forward, the t h i rd

nant von Rosen was brough t to us on 20 February.

in the m iddle to the rea r ) . The attack began a t

( Pretty bad arm wou n d i n the evening of 1 7 Feb­

0420 hours i n complete darkness. Even though we

ruary. Elbow j o i n t smashed . ) He was placed in my

are a l ready fam il ia r with the terra i n , orien tation

room and I learned from h i m that our night

was extre m ely d i ffi c u l t . During a heavy barrage

a ttack had led to considerable success under

from o u r own art i l l e ry, we rolled forward between

H ee rl e i n 's leadership. Righ t after I was wounded,

the positions of our i n fa n t ry. We were a l ready

a carefully e mplaced battery of the most modern,

among the fi rst Russian rifle positions when the

large cali ber, long-baneled guns was overrun by

enemy defe nse woke up. The Russian a rt i l lery

the Tigers about a thousand meters beyond where

soon fi red final protective fires, which caused sig­

I had been h i t . With that, t h e Russian resistance

n i ficant losses among the grenadiers of D ivision

collapsed i n that sector. The e n t i re Gran bridge­

" Hoch und D e u tsch meister" fol lowi ng us. After

head was e l im i nated in a day and a half, freeing

c rossing an enemy t re n c h , Leu t n a n t Piepgras ran

an SS d ivision that was a ttacking d i rectly on our

right i n to a m i nefield and was i m mobil ized. I

left from a desperate si tuation . On 23 February I

cal led forward o u r engi neers who were fol lowi ng

was able to get up for a short period and get

in

Russians ( ! ) -they

aro u n d . There were a i r raid alarms a l most daily

c leared a gap t h rough t h e m i nefield. The Tiger

(American bomber f leets flying to Vien n a ) . Russ­

moving beside m e took a d i rect h i t (an t i tank

ian bombers bombed Pressburg several t i mes.

SPWs and-between

the

gun ? ) and burst i n to f lame, i l l u m inating a portion

25 February: I checked out of the h ospi tal with

of the battlefi e l d . For a while, that made us good

a bandaged head, over the protests from the doc­

targets for the enemy defense. I crossed a second

tors who wan ted to hang o n to m e and then send

Russian t rench and ordered the at tack to con­

m e o n hospital leave (where? ) . Since I was not

t i n ue forward, since our grenadiers had closed up

able to get a telephone connection, I took a t rain

to the Tigers. I was then h i t-apparen tly from

to Tardoskedd ( 1 430- 1 800 hours ) , where I hap­

short ran ge-by an a n t i ta n k round on the righ t

pened i n to a b i rt h day party t h rown by the supply

side of my turret. Since, necessarily, I had my head

company

out of the hatch t o bet ter orient myself, I was h i t

H ensel.

and

the

t rains

for

Oberfeldwebel

by a substan tial n u m be r o f fragmen ts i n t h e back

26 February: Reported back to the corps a t

of my head. I lost a lot of blood, my earphones

Nagy Surany. T h e n on to the battalion, w h i c h h ad

filled up with blood and I lost consciousness. I was

j us t been moved back to Csuz again after the bat­

o n ly able to only tran s m i t t h e message that Leut­

tle of the Gran bridgehead had been successfu lly

n a n t H eerlei n was to take over leadersh ip of the

concluded. Quiet; time for main tenance.

batta l i o n . My Tiger d ropped back a bit and I was

27 February-6 Marc h : The battalion remained

transferred to the medical SPW that was back

i n Csuz. The repair of the Tigers proceeded well .

there . I t moved me back i n to the vineyards where

Polished off an i ncredible amount o f official

the surgeon was set up i n a wine cellar. He took

paperwork. An incredible mud period set in. Even

out a n umber of bone splin ters, bandaged me and

the paved roads a re i n horre ndous condition. We

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503

363

are almost completely isolated and can o n ly get

from my mother and the ones l iving i n Zei t l i tz.

arou nd with Ket ten krader and the l i ke , since the

Brother Wilfried ( lost one eye) is in M lll1ster.

roads have been almost comple tely destroyed by

Several n ice birthday celebrations. It was warm

the SS formations that have been withdrawn . The

and spring-li ke . There is still a deceptive quiet on

condi t ions are l i ke t h ose during the mud period

our fron t . However, the Russians are conti n ually

i n Russia. Our q uarters con t i n ue to be i n the rec­

getting stro nger. Serious business, all of it bad,

tory at Csusz. On abo u t 3 March we were placed

goi n g on at Stuhlwei13enburg and Komorn . Lead­

under the operations control of the 4th Panzer

ers' reconnaissance, visit from Oberst Bake ( com­

Regi m e n t . O n 4 March t h e Weh rmacht report s tated that

mander,

1 3t h

Panzer D ivision ) . Wen t to the

mai n tenance faci l i ty at Neutra ( o therwise, all

the Russians had also occupied cen tral Pomerania

motor veh icle trips are still banned ) . On 22 March

and our h ometown , Zei t l i tz.

a nice company get-together in the eveni n g with

O n 6 Marc h there was a meeting for all offi­

the 1 st Company. We d i d a sand-table exercise

cers of the battali o n i n Csuz. There is an extreme

with all the officers ( Oberst Bake was there) . Strik­

scarc i ty of fue l , since the supply i s n o longer

i ngly warm summer weather. The Russian offen­

assured ( the local refi n e ry i n Komorn has been

sive that was expec ted on 23 March and then on

destroyed by American bombing) . At noon we dis­

24 March still has not taken place.

covered that we are to move farther north to the

25 Marc h : The Russian offensive on the entire

area of Verebely ( east of Neutra ) o n 7 Marc h .

Gran fron t was launched. The enemy formed

Received a postcard o n 7 March from my

n umerous bridgeheads west of the river from which

sister-i n-law, Hertha Bernuth i n M u n i c h , mailed

he pressed forward. Our battal ion rolled to Tohol

on 20 February, sayi ng that brother Wilfried was

and launched a counterattack against Nagykalna,

severely wou nded at Stargard and transported out.

which was held by strong Russian forces. Although

My mother h ad suffered a broken hip i n Zeitli tz.

we cont in ued our attack for the entire n ight-lack­

Was she able to get away from t here in t ime?

i n g any sort of other supporting u n i ts ( ! ) -we did

7 Marc h : Moved with the e n t i re battalion t h rough Neuh N usel to Verebely and there

attacks took place on both the right and left.

attached to the 4th Panzer Regim e n t . We fou n d

not make it i n to the place, especially since enemy 26 March

1 945: I n the morn i n g we were

q u i te nice q uarters i n that clean l i ttle c i ty ( n o t

ordered back to Tohol, where defensive fighting

m u c h furn i tu re ) . T h e elec tric lights fun c ti on- I S

was already i n progress. We were to launch local

kilome ters b e h i n d t h e · main l i n e of resistance. 8 March-24 Marc h : 8 March: all sorts of offi­ cial d uties. 9 Marc h : Numerous trips wi t h the officers of

coun terattacks which, in my opinion, were sense­ less since

the

Russians

had

already

pushed

t h rough on our right and left as far as the Vere­ bely l i n e . I n Tihil the other u n i ts have already dis­

t h e battal ion to recon n o i ter terrain as far as the

appeared. Under heavy artillery and mortar fi re ,

Gra n . M oderately cold. M o re scout i n g of terrain

w e slugged i t o u t with the e n e m y w h o was n o t

on t h e next day. Then a total ban on d rivi ng

pressing hard there . I have a lready ordered o u r

motor veh icles due to t h e loss of Komorn .

trains back o u t of Verebely.

Slowly i t i s becoming spri ng. Several beautifu l , warm days.

27 Marc h : During the night t h e battalion was ordered back o u t of Tohol to Verebely. I t was to

The m i l i tary situa tion on the western borders

get ready for further o m inous counterattacks. We

of Germany has now become c ri tical. At Stuhlwei13-

formed a sort of bridgehead with our Tigers at the

e nburg the situation i s also obviously cri tical . A

eastern o u tskirts of Verebely while the fron t crum­

great deal ( certai n ly unnece �sary ! ) of work with

bled comple tely in fron t of us. I ndeed, I had to

the red uc tion in size of the battalion. Strength

pull back a portion of the Tigers t h rough Verebely

reduced to t h irty-on e Tigers and a corresponding

to the west to secure our rear commun ications to

reduction in the trains and the maintenance capa­

Neutra (where the mai n t enance shop is) and the

bili ties. We' re never that strong a nyway!

villages to the left and rig h t of that road. The

Finally got mail from my wife and sisters on 1 8

enemy has already been reported all around

and 23 February. All of them are now i n B randen­

there. Our Tigers held the eastern outski rts of

burg-Mecklenburg-Rtigen . News is o n ly lacking

Verebely for the e n t i re day. The enemy did n o t

364

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

feel con f i d e n t e nough to a ttack where we were.

the west both n orth and south of us. We were

I n fan t ry streamed back t h rough the countryside

q u i te concerned about recovering the Tigers that

to the west , completely scattered a n d in small

had been disabled but, t hanks to exemplary work

groups. Wi thout havi n g received any orders from

of the rear-area services ( ma i n tenance teams and

above, I wen t back during t h e n igh t with t h e bat­

prime m overs ) , all t h e tanks were successfully

talion staff, some of t h e tanks and the combat

recovered despi te enemy a rt i l lery fire. I brough t

t rains to Kalasz, where we formed a hedgehog and

up t h e rear in

secured . Leutnant Fi.irl i nger was killed by a rt i l lery

uncomfortably still and abandoned ci ty of Neutra.

fragme n ts during the eveni ng. He was wi th t h e

I fol l owed t h e Tigers, which consti tuted the rear

Tigers i n Verebely. We are all quite depressed by the death of that

t h e Volkswagen th rough

the

guard . Enemy a rt i l l e ry and Stalin organs f i red ceaselessly i n to the l i t tl e c i ty. Here and t h e re

splendid m a n . During t h e n i g h t , I ordered our

blocks of houses blazed. Collapsi ng walls i n ter­

Tigergruppe i n Verebely back to Kalasz.

fered with our m ove m e n t . There was no t race to

28 Marc h : Fell back further to Neutra , which

be seen of the populace.

our mai n tenance fac i l i ty h ad a l ready left on the

As has become usual , there were numerous

previous day. Obviously, there is no longer any

bombing a ttacks and strafing runs by Russian air­

proper fron t l i n e . With great effo rt , along w i t h

craft on t h e withdrawal rou te . Every few m o m e n ts

other u n i t s , we held a "bridgehead" a t Neu t ra

we found ourselves in the roadside d i tc h .

t h roughout the day. The l i ne was o n ly held by our

S i n c e a l l of t h e remai n i n g Tigers became dis­

Tigers, since the Russians did not ven t u re one

abled en route with mechanical problems and had

step forward wherever t h ey encoun tered our

to be towed, the battalion moved "for refi tti ng" to

tan ks. They i m m ed i a tely pulled back and went

Sered. Spe n t the n ight with the supply company

aroun d to the right and left of us.

and got a few hours of sleep.

I got hold of the corps in the rear area. H eated

30 March 1 945: At the corps early (where? ) .

d iscussion with the com manding genera l , who

We agreed to send a portion of the more seriously

demanded consta n t local counterattacks from me

damaged Tigers and the main tenance faci l i ty

to the east "in cooperation with the other u n i ts of

( heavy m a i n tenance plato o n ) by rai l to the west .

the corps located at Neutra." H is situation map, i n

T h a t wou ld have to take place w i t h o u t much

fac t , was filled w i t h n o tations of all sorts of u n i ts. I

prepara t i o n , depending e n t i rely on the i n i t iat ive

energetically i n formed h i m that my tanks were

of the main tenance leaders h i p wi t h i m provised

practically all that was left in the so-cal led fro n t

means. I t worked. The other Tigers were hastily

l i n e , a n d t hose were close to collapse a s a resul t of

repai red [ most l i kely about 1 2? ] .

the long commitment without any m a i n tenance.

The Russians are push ing forward everywhere.

H e could observe h is other u n i ts f l ooding past

Sou t h of Vienna they are already i n the Rei c h .

th rough the cou n t ryside on both sides of his com­

Things a r e also collapsi ng i n the Wes t : T h e end o f

mand post. He snapped back a t me that I could

Germany.

not make assertions that made l ies of the reports

The o n ly course left for us is to offer the maxi­

of his u n i t commanders. I requested that he

mum possible resistance in con ducting a figh ti n g

relieve m e as commander of the bat talion i f my

with drawa l . T h i s allows a s many German u n i ts as

portrayal of t h e si tuation was incorrect. Oberst

possible to get to the west a n d also hold the way

Bake, the commander of the 1 3t h Panzer Division,

open for the perpetually i n c reasi ng n um ber of

confi rmed my reports. That q u i e ted the General

civi l i a n population (women and c h i l d ren ! ) who

down a bit. He let up on the "coun terattacks." I

were earlier evacuated from western Germany and

spe n t the night in a d i rty, l i t tle house on t h e road

who are n ow fleeing on the roads. Our m e n , as I

out of Neutra. By radio that nigh t , I arranged with

have repeatedly said , totally u nderstand that. The

the maintenance fac i l i ty to recover several Tigers

disc i p l i n e , the combat readiness and the fighting

that had broken down at Neutra . I also arranged

spirit of the officers and men of the battalion is,

to resupply the tanks rema i n i ng a t the front .

wi t h very few exceptions, amazing. It is sometimes

29 Marc h : The Tigers, as the last figh ting u n i t ,

al m ost beyo n d belief where our supply company

were p u l l e d out of t h e "bri dgehead" at Neutra,

s t i l l comes up with rations, fuel ( freq uently from

since the Russians had already pushed far past to

abandoned flying fields) and 8 . 8c m a m m u n i tion

Diary Entries from 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander of Tiger Tanh Battalion 503

365

( ofte n reworked a m m u n i t ion from h eavy flak) .

ion command post was moved two kilometers far­

O n e also h as to real ize that, on their runs, t hey

ther to the west over the pass i n to a patch of

often encoun ter enemy u n i ts that h ave pushed

woods. During the n ight, we supplied the tanks

forward!

and recovered damaged veh icles.

Special details from the maintenance company

4 Apri l : The few Tigers and SPWs still held

even get new Maybach engines for our Tigers from

Nadas i n the early morni ng. 1 heard from corps

Friedrichshafen, even t hough French forces are

that the enemy had al ready broken t h rough far to

already in the area around the city. What a tempta­

the west of us on our righ t at Pressburg (at the

tion i t m ust be for t h e members of the mainte­

southern end of the lesser Carpathians) . An awful

nance

mess there !

company,

some

of whom

come

from

southern Germany, not to return to the unit! There has not been a si ngle case of that happening.

As ordered b y radio, the Tigers pulled back o n

the road over the pass a s far a s Apfeldorf. Unfortu­

3 1 Marc h : The battalion formed a blocking

n a tely, a Tiger that got stuck in soft ground and

posi tion with t h e few repai red Tigers at Castle

had been h i t by a h eavy antitank gun had to be

Bab. Througho u t t h e day, Russian a ttacks failed

blown up. The remnants of the battalion spent the

against the barrier. The battalion staff remained

entire day, ready for defense, at a farmstead west of

i n t h e l i ttle Wag bridgehea d , b u t moved a t n ight

Apfeldorf. I t was already u nder heavy enemy

to Gerenscker (west of Sered, south of Tyrn au ) .

artillery fi re. The breather was sh ort and the Rus­

1 April ( Easter) : Heavy f i gh t i ng all day in a n d

sians took the opportu n i ty to attack from the air.

s o u t h of Tyrnau. Other t h a n our Tigers screening

I n the evening we were ordered to pull back a few

the eastern o u tski rts of Tyrna u , a l l that I saw were

kilometers to the west along the main road.

retreating groups of German i n fan try, mostly lead­

5 April : Wi th our few figh ting elements, we

erless. Since the Russians were advancing i n to Tyr­

were posi tioned on the road leading west out of

nau from t h e f l a n ks , I ordered the Tigers to fal l

Apfeldorf. A radio order reached us at noon to

back. They had to fight t h e i r way back t h rough

move west/southwest as fast as possible through

the c i ty. Fortunately, not a si ngle veh icle was lost

Sen i tza to the Sastin ( Sc h lol3berg) area, where an

in the process. Then furt her retreats to the west

enemy breakthrough was expected from the south

toward the lesser Carpathians.

t h rough Marvaor. We reached Marvaor. The Russ­

2 Apri l : The Russians kept u p their a t tack. As

ian leadi n g u n i ts eviden tly cleared out when we

always, we were alone i n t h e fron t l i ne . Some­

showed up. We stopped t h e a t tacks of fairly strong

where I ran i nt o a newly organized SPW company

e nemy forces at the ou tskirts of Marvaor, although

with

veh icular-m o u n ted,

super-heavy

twi n

I only had fou r Tigers to com m i t . We secured the

mac h i n e guns. It was l e d b y an able Leutn a n t . For

village t h roughout the night under substantial

the i m mediate fut u re , I i m p ressed the u n i t i n to

e nemy artillery fi re .

my service. With i ts weapons, i t represen ted a

6 Apri l : All day l o n g w e held the village under

m ajor source of s upport for us. We can tempora r­

increasing enemy artillery fi re. Nothing was to be

i ly block the Russian attack in a sort of bridgehead

seen of the German i n fa n t ry that had been

at t h e eastern edge of the lesser Carpat hians,

announced over the radio. The rem na n ts of the

where we are defe n d i n g the Nadas-Boleraz area.

other German un i ts had abandoned the place dur­

My command post is in the nearby c h u rc h a t

ing the n igh t. While I was outside of the tank, I was

Bi n owce, where we remained t h roughout t h e

slightly woun ded in the back by a mortar round

n ight. The road from Nadas over the pass crosses

fragment. An order arrived in the evening to move

the mounta i n s by us. 3

April

1 945:

There

. was

to a farmstead, Novy Dor, where we found a few heavy

figh ting

hours of rest. U n fortunately, two Tigers became

t h roughout the day aro u n d Nadas, which our

disabled with mechan ical problems during the

Tigers a n d SPW's were holdi ng. They were u n der

withdrawa l . I was on the road all n ight recovering

h eavy enemy fire that forced changes of posi tio n .

the two tanks with prime movers i n fron t of the

H owever, here, a s i n most cases, t h e Russians

advancing Russians. The recovery was a success.

avoided d i rect attacks. I nstead, they pushed along

7 April : Strong enemy pressure on all sectors

u ndefe n ded byways t h ro ugh the mou n tains and

of the fron t. I defended two major ret reat routes

fi red o n us from the f l an ks . Therefore, the battal-

wit h two battle groups, each with two Tigers and a

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Homemade birthday congratulations to Leutnant Erich Fiirlinger on the occasion of his twenty-fifth birthday. This was presented from the combat elements of the 3rd Company to Leutnant Fiirlinger, who was assigned to the 1 st Company.

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander Of Tiger Tallk Battalioll 503

36 7

few of our Flak ve h i c les. I d i rected t h e operation

became disabled with major m echanical problems

by rad i o a n d by visiting them in the s taff car.

during the long march sou t h , so that we reached

U n fortunately, we had a total loss of a q uad Flak

the barracks at the Wi ndisch-Baumgarten o i l field

veh icle. ( H i t by a rou n d from an antitank gun ! )

at Zistersdorf without any tanks .

The command post was i n Petrova Yes for several

order" we were to defend that o i l field to the last

By "Flihrer

hours but was seriously d isrupted by Stali n organ

drop of our blood. It had al ready been aban­

f i re a n d Russian gro u n d-attack ai rcraft. [ was

doned by the tec h n ical personnel and part ially

totally exhausted. In the eve n ing, we received the

destroyed. A pre t ty senseless order for a battalion

order to fal l back to H ul icz with the rem nan ts of

staff without tanks or heavy weapons!

the bat tal i o n , where we were to form and defend

1 3 Apri l : After radio traff i c with the corps, we

a bridgehead on the March River. That took place

m oved to the west without spi l l i n g our last drops

( i n a very makes h i ft fashion ! ) in the dark.

of blood. I concerned myself with towing and

8 April: Fi nally a bit of sleep and a chance to

repairing our tanks. Thanks to t h e u nceasing

wash. Our rema i n i n g tanks launched a few l i m i ted

e fforts of our rear-area services, it was goi n g fai rly

coun terat tacks

wel l . The fron t con tinued to crumble everywhere.

from

the eastern o u tskirts

of

H ul i cz . Low-level aerial attack a t H ulicz. Sun ny.

Our l i ttle battle group at Lundenburg had an

Cold n ights. Took care of the most pressing paper­

extremely difficult day today. A very heavy Russian

work.

attack on the place fel l apart after our Tigers

9 Apri l 1 945: Still in H ulicz. After an art i llery prepara t i o n ,

the

enemy a ttacked

the

H ulicz

knocked out sixteen enemy tanks. In the evening I was with the m a i n tenance com pany. I t is still rela­

bridgehead i n several places with strong forces.

tively i n tact in spite of numerous moves and unan­

Fo rtunately, a few repaired Tigers arrived from

nou nced departures. It is now i n Bergen ( n ear

the m a i n tenance shop. Our few tanks held off a l l

N i kolsburg) and working at ful l t i l t . Paperwork,

the Russian a t tacks t h roughou t t h e day. D u r i n g

wash, sleep.

the night, t h e battalion was ordered to m ove to t h e west bank of the M arch i n the Lundenbu rg area to Lanstorf.

The battalion staff remains j ust west of Zisters­ dorf, where i t i s sti l l quiet. 1 4 Apri l : The corps fron t l i nes conti n ue to fall

1 0 Apri l : We got to Lanstorf in the m o rn i ng.

back. Our tanks still are n ' t operational or become

Magn i fi c e n t spring weather. The corps was i n Eis­

disabled aga i n with new problems whenever t h ey

grub (a prince's castle l i ke t h ose in Liech ten­

are fi nished. Very d isappoin ting! I n the evening,

stei n ) . Repai rs. Sleep. Early in the eve n i n g the

the rem n a n ts of the battalion m ove from the Zis­

Russians fel t their way forward across the Marc h

terndorf area to Wilfersdorf.

toward Lundenburg.

1 5 Apri l : The battali o n m oved t o the east i n to

1 1 Apri l : During the night I a t tended a meet­

the area of operations of the 357th I n fantry D ivi­

ing at the 1 3t h Panzer Divisi o n . I t was supposed to

sion, with which we are to form a new defensive

defend Lundenburg. At daw n , o u r few Tigers

front. I n actual fact, h owever, our Flak veh icles are

were ordered to Lanzhof (south of Lundenburg)

the o n ly ones form i ng the fron t . We can f i n d no

to s top a Russian attack. They stayed there under

more than fragme n ts of the 357th I n fan try d ivi­

heavy fire from a l l sorts of weapons. I accompa­

sion. I remain with the SPW and two quad f lak

nied them in the Vol kswagen ( n o t much fun ! ) .

veh icles i n Rabensburg, where we hold the shat­

The Russians then a t tacked with eleven tan ks.

tered fron t all by ourselves. Wild mortar barrage

One Tiger was knocked out, a total loss. The other

from Iva n . I d i d not get back to our new com­

Tigers knocked out ten of the �leven a ttackers. ( I , i n t h e meantime, ret i red w i t li m y Volkswagen . )

mand post in Alt-Ho f l e i n u n t i l n i gh tfall.

The Tigers remained there for t h e n i g h t a s secu­

Alt-Ho f l e i n command post. Only a few Flak veh i­

rity.

cles are employed from t h e battalion ( blocking

1 6 April 1 945: A b i t of peace and quiet i n our

1 2 Apri l : Early orders-the battalion is to

positions on the retreat rou tes ) . I could finally

move south from Lanstorf i n to the Zistersdorf oil

report fou r Tigers operational to the corps i n the

regi o n , since a new mess was about to h appen .

morning. H owever, they were not employed, so

Two Tigers had to rema i n as corset-stays w i t h a

that everyone h ad a bit of rest i n the beautiful

bat tle group at Lundenburg. My other tanks

weather at Alt-H o f l e i n .

368

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

I n the n i g h t , however, we suddenly had to

from their u n i ts. I alerted everyone, had the tanks

move with the battalion to vVi l fersdorf, where

get ready for combat (still five Tigers) and, after a

some sort of mess is brewing ( Russian break­

quick mee t i ng of the tank comman ders, dashed

t h rough in the deep righ t f l an k ) . We reached the

off i n the SPW toward the west , fol lowing the

vil lage i n t h e dark and set u p there.

enemy who had broken t h rough ( i n radio contact

1 7 Apri l : Our few Tigers and Flak veh icles

with the Tigers ) .

were engaged in defe nsive fighting at Wilfersdorf

I rei n fo rced my "pu rsuit" with several small

and H obersdorf. H eavy Russian art i l l e ry fire, but

tanks [Wasps- l O .S c m l ight h owitzers on self­

no m o re t h a n small-scale, scat tered a n d cautious

propelled m o u n ts ] that had h a l ted in a vil lage ,

Russian advances i n o u r sector. We s tayed in the

then with th ree Tigers that met me on their way back from repairs at t h e m a i n tenance shop. I t

village for the n i g h t . Resupply worked. 1 8 Apri l : The battalion moved to Erdberg early

turned i n to a wild c hase ! After going several kilo­

in accordance with a radio order from the corps.

meters to the west , I spotted the enemy armored

The enemy is advancing alongside us. A diff i c u l t

force th rough a break i n t h e fog i n the terra i n

recovery o f a Tiger that h a d broken down at Wil­

to the righ t of the road I was o n . I approached t o

fersdorf was successfu l .

within

400

m e ters,

whereupon

lvan

opened

1 9 April: A rad i o o rder from the corps sen t u s

f i re on me. We were able to duck i n to a depres­

rol l i n g early as fas t as possible from E rdberg t o

sion. O u r Tigers then emerged . The Russians

the north, where a n o t h e r mess was i n progress.

dashed past us and the farmstead u n t i l a river

The enemy was already at KJe i n H adersdorf and

course ( th e Thaya) brough t them to a hal t . They

Poysdorf wi t h his tanks. I divided the combat veh i­

formed a hedgehog defense in the patch of woods

cles i n to two l i ttle groups and led them from the

there . I m o u n ted my Tiger and deployed the

SPW. The figh ting became heavy. We saved the s i t­

tan ks i n the terrain to the right a n d left of

uation by knocking o u t t h i rteen Russian tanks

the farm courtyard so we could observe the en­

without any losses to o u rselves. We rolled th rough

t i re patch of woods.

burning Hadersdorf to t h e west during the night.

I had the two left-hand Tigers carefu l ly ap­

20 Apri l : A corps o rder occasioned further

proach the woods. They were i m med iately met

movement

Fol l i n-Al t­

wi th a hellish fi re from the tanks ( possibly also

Ruppersdorf a rea. Along the way we knocked o u t

to

the

west

i n to

the

i n c l u d i n g heavy caliber f i re? 9.S cm ? ) . We also

two enemy tan ks t ha t were chasing u s . I n t h e

fired i n to the woods at the same time. An attempt

evening w e were i n Alt-Ruppersdorf, wh ich was

to get at them on t h e righ t side also m iscarried.

already u n de r fi re from enemy art i l le ry. During

The corps demanded an immedi a te attack on the

the

barrage

enemy over the radio. I had no desire to do that­

descended on o u r command post , making our

a t tack ac ross completely open area. I pondered

n igh t ,

a

su rprise

Sta l i n

organ

q uarters totally u n l iveable. We had telephone con­

for q u i te some time whether we m ight succeed

tact with the 1 3t h Panzer D ivisio n .

wi t h a s i m u l taneous a ttack from all sides (with six

2 1 April : A crazy day! I phoned a t dawn-thick

or seven Tigers ) . At that moment, the en tire Russ­

fog o u tside, even at the 1 3t h Panzer Divisio n ,

ian armored group, with mounted infantry, broke

w h i c h was a b o u t fou r kilomete rs beh i n d u s . A

o u t of the woods, but toward the east. It devel­

sudden cry i n the telephone ear piece: "The

oped i n t o a wild armored engagement whi c h , of

Russians are comi ng"-then a great c rash, shots

course, affected the m o u n ted i nfan try first.

and silence. I did not learn u n t i l eve n i n g that the

A port i o n of them then a t te m p ted to get away

Russians had broken t h ro ugh to o u r right i n the

to the east on foo t . We knocked out ten enemy

early-mo rn i n g fog with

ranks and

tanks o u tside of t h e " M i t terhof' farm and eigh t

mounted i n fa n t ry. Of all places, t hey overran the

twen ty-five

more d u ri n g the p u rsui t . We suffered no losses.

d ivision command post and then advanced farther

Of the remai n i n g tanks, two m o re were taken o u t

to the west . A t the same time, an additional Russ­

b y PaK as they c rossed the t h i n German l i nes. I

ian armored a ttack s tarted to the north of us. Wild

pursued the i nfan try wit h the SPW and the small

gunfire i n the fog both t o the right and left of us.

tanks. U nder fi re from our on-board weapons, the

I was only halfway fi lled i n on the si tuation by

i n fan try quickly gave up the attempt to escape and

motorcycle riders who h ad become separated

became prisoners. In s p i te of our overwhelming

Diary Entriesfrom 14 December 1 944 to May 1 945 as Commander of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 success at that place, our e n t i re fron t was pulled back today a l l the way to Laa. I spent the night in

The heavy fighting in Berl i n approaches i ts end. 1 May: Adolf H i tler dead i n Berl i n .

Laa with all the units of the bat tal ion. U n fortunately, Leu tnant Lin kenbach was h i t in t h e head and severely wounded today. 22 April 1 945: The battalion command post

369

My brother Ach im is also in Berl in a s a special duty officer with the local area command: General Rit ter von Hauensc h i ldt.

was moved to Zwi ngendorf, southwest of Laa. The

I n t h e afternoon, I-along with my adj u tant

Tigers set up at Stronsdorf. A smal l battle group

and all sorts of support i ng documen ts-was called

with two Tigers was employed farther north at

to

D iirrn holz-Neuprerau. The enemy did n o t a t tack

awarding the Kn igh t 's Cross. Since there was no

us today. I put in a recomme n dation at corps for

longer commun ication with the OKH, the corps

Panzer

Corps

"Feldh errn halle"

regard ing

the Knigh t 's Cross for Leutna n t Linkenbach , who

and arm ies are now acting on their own . Meetings

was transported t o t h e rear yesterday. U n fortu­

with General K1eeman and the other gent lemen.

nately, our rear area services have not determ i ned

2 May 1 945: Visi ted all t h e u n i ts of the bat tal­

h is l ocatio n . [ Leutnant L i n kenbach died soon

ion ( i ncluding the main tenance and supply com­

after h e was wounded. J

panies, battle groups, ete . ) and discussed H i tler's

2 3 April : The battalion i s i n Zwi ngendorf; the

death. D rew atte n tion to h is capable successor,

Tigers remain where t h ey were employed yester­

Adm i ral Doni tz. The corps adj u ta n t was with us in

day. Quiet in our sector. April weather, hail show­

t h e evening.

ers and cool. The Russians have already advanced i n to parts of Berl i n . 2 4 Apri l : We remain i n a n d around Zwingen­ dorf. Nothing special happeni ng. Paper war.

3 M ay-6 May: Remarkable, un easy quiet on our sector of the fro n t . Battalion in Socherl. I was able to dispose of all possible written and adminis­ trative work. One does everything with the convic­ tion that it is mean i ngless.

25 Apri l : S t i l l at Zwi nge n dorf. Then to corps

The m a i n tenance shop was able to repai r a

where r received orders to move the battalion

great n u m ber of Tigers, which were brough t for­

nort h with the Tigers to the left wing of the corps.

ward. The corps reported energetic Russian attack

New loca t i o n : Socherl. We reached it in the

preparations on our fron t sector. Our Tigers

evening with all combat u n i ts. Good q uarters, very

[ p robably about 1 2J were distributed on the most

friendly people. I was i nvi ted to spend the evening

i m portan t roads in the 50-ki lometer-wide corps

with Oberst Biike a t Asch meri tz.

sector as corset stays. On t h e lesser roads there

26 Apri l : The battalion is in Socherl . One of

were several supply veh icles, mai n tenance sec­

our battl e groups with a few Tigers was a bit far­

tions, motorcycle messengers and the rema i n i ng

ther south at Wulzeshofe n , another commi tted i n

f l ak veh icles. The battalion staff, in the center of

t h e fron t l i ne d i rectly i n fr o n t of u s at Wostitz. The

the sector, had contact with the battle groups by

Tigers at Wostitz knocked out an enemy tank.

medium-wave radio and, thus, a degree of over­

2 7 Apri l-30 Apri l : We conti n ued to remain in

sigh t over the e n t i re sec tor. The order wen t out

Socherl. It was quiet at the location of our south­

that vehicles which became d isabled during fu ture

e rn battle group. O n the o t her hand, there were

withdrawals were no longer to be recovered, but

several enemy at tacks in front of us at Wost i tz. We

were to be blown up. Sad end!

were able to repulse them wi t h the h e l p of our

The e n t i re Western Front ( i ncluding I taly) has

Tigers. In t h e course of that engageme n t we

surrendered. The Americans are advancing north

knocked o u t six enemy tanks. The battle group

of us toward Prague. We have a l l sorts of doubts

h ad to execute an unpleasaiu n igh t operation to

whether we can still make i t i n t o the American

e l i m i na te an enemy penetration. For the most

zone.

part, the main l i ne of resistance was held. The

7 May: The Russian attack began this morning

n ightly supply run ran smooth ly. U n fortunately,

with a level of aerial activity that we have not yet

we l ost two of our best tank commanders: Feld­

experienced along t h e e n t i re corps fro n t . The

webel Knispel [ German Cross in Gol d J and Feld­

fro n t rapidly collapsed, even t hough our t h ree

webel Skoda [ I ron Cross, Firs t Class J .

battle groups acq u i t ted themselves wel l defen-

3 70

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

sively. I could report knockin g o u t sixteen tanks,

Overa l l , there was a rapid retreat of the fro n t .

twelve a n t i t a n k guns on self-propelled m o u n ts ,

T h e Russian purs u i t was o n ly slowed b y a few bat­

seven g u n s , and one a i rplane. T h e Russians, how­

tle groups. We remained with the battalion staff

ever, moved west on secondary roads past both

t h roughout the night in the retreat march on the

sides of our battle groups. For the most part, t hey

often totally jammed roads. Frequently, progress

were motorized. I main tained radio con tact, going

was o n ly measured in meters.

t o several sections i n t h e Vol kswagen ( d u ri ng

8 May: Early i n the morning we reached

which we were repeatedly f lat on o u r faces in the

Schidrowitz. We were able to make contact with

roadside d i tch due to aerial at tacks ) . For the f i rs t

Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle." No further orders:

time i n o u r experience, t h e Russians com m i tted

Retreat to the west, if possible by way of Budweis.

larger massed groups of t h i rty or more bombers

Then possibly hope for being taken over as a u n i t

against the vi l lages and t h e retreat routes, which

b y the Americans. Battle groups should, if possible,

were frequently densely pac ked . [ n between t h ose

block along the main roads for as long as possible.

bom bing raids, low-level ground a t tacks. Naturally,

No more tank recovery. The corps apparently knew

there was no more German a i r activity.

less about what was going on in the zone of i ts

As eve n i n g approached, we had to leave o u r

retreat than [ did, since [ still had radio contact over

friendly Soch e rl pretty rapidly. W i t h i n i t were the

the entire breadth of the front. [ gave the order to

graves of o u r comrades who had fallen i n the last

the rear elements of the battalion ( by radio or

few days.

motorcycle messenger) to pull back as quickly as possible by way of Budweis farther to the west.

C HAPTER

3 5

The Final En gag ell1ents of the Battal ion with Arll1Y Group South A lfred Rubbel

A

1 944 e n ded and 1 945 bega n , no one

tion, which I had to repeat due to a recurrence of

could seriously con t i n ue to believe t h a t

Malaria, was finally at an end. In April of 1 944 I

Germany c o u l d avoid an e n d i n g to the

had left the battal ion. The bus with about t h i rty

war that appeared to be o n ly weeks away and

others, also promoted to officer candidate, left the

would be a catastrophe such as our history h ad

school grounds to take us to the Potsdam rai l road

never known. There was no lon ger any m i l i tary

station. From t here we were to go to the responsi­

way to preve n t the advance of our enemies against

ble replacement troop u n i ts. A further eight week

Germany from t h e east and from the west . I n

course of instruction awaited those of us who were

the west as i n the east, the enemy had started to

classified as professional soldiers. Those of us l ike

cross t h e German border. U n imaginable deeds of

me who were reservists received an i mmediate

cruel ty

Prussia­

assign ment to the fron t . I hoped that the promise

Nemmersdorf was the first local i ty exem p l i fying

of ret u rn i n g to the battalion would be honored.

t h a t-portended what lay ahead for the Germans

However, we were still at Lanzen tor. It was

by

the

Red

Army

in

East

i n the east. The declaration by our enemies that

deep win ter. The windows of t h e buses were

their war objective was unconditional surrender

frozen up since t here was no heati ng. The door of

and the total occupation of Germany ruled out a

the bus was torn open and a Panzer Major, deco­

poli tical sol u tion. The h ope that t h e western ene­

rated with the Knight's Cross, stood in the door

m ies would break wit h the Sovie ts and make a

and called out my name. Sitting way at the back, I

common fron t to the east w i t h the Weh rmach t

only then recognized our "visitor". I t was our com­

was, adm i t tedly, fai n t . That i llusi o n , however, and

mander, M ajor From me. I stood up, wen t to the

the anxiety over fal l i ng in Russian hands, were

fron t

of the bus and

reported.

The

M ajor

ground e nough for the comb�tants on the Eastern

returned the sal u te and, i n fron t of the occupan ts

Fro n t to figh t on to the firial h our, against a l l

of the bus, i n formed me the paperwork for my

logic-as the M onday-morning quarterbacks are so

i m pending promotion to Leut n a n t was at the

clever in poi n ti n g out with their 20/20 h i ndsigh t .

500th Replacemen t Battalion i n Paderborn . Fur­ ther, he told me about my retu rn to Tiger Tank

BACK T O THE BATTALION

Battalion 503. At t h a t time, the battalion was pre­

1 8 December 1 944. I was at the officer candida te

sumably at Stuh lwe i 13enburg in H ungary. I was

school [ Oberfiih n rich-Sch ule l] of the armor school

at Kram p n i tz ( i n Potsdam ) . The course of instruc-

rather proud of t h a t meeting with my com­ mander, who was on his way to the school to take

3 71

3 72

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

up his new d u ties as tactical instructor. Of course,

com pany. I was of a d i fferen t opinion. I fel t it was

I was also proud abo u t the doubly good news of

wrong to distance myself from my com rades

my promot ion a n d my return to the battal ion.

because I had been promoted to a diffe rent ran k

On arrival at Paderborn , there were a few days

category wi t h different tasks. A n d I woul d not

of leave for Ch ristmas a n d New Year's. U n fortu­

dare to write abo u t i t here , today, if there were not

nately, two t h i rds of the t i m e was uselessly ex­

other l iving witnesses to a ttest t o the fact that the

pended in an a rd uolls rai l road journey to East

i n teraction that developed depended excl usively

Prussia to see my fam i ly, only to f i n d that they had

on m utual respect and, the refore, occasioned no

a l ready f led. I f i nally saw t h e m i n Saxony b u t ,

problems.

unfo rt u nately, I was al ready overdue for the d a t e I at Vienna. After a few bumps along the way, I

THE BATTALION IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1 945

f i nally made i t , a bit late, to Vienna on 3 January.

From the m iddle of December 1 944 until the m i d­

was to report to the personnel m ove m e n t center

No one t h e re made a big t h i n g of my l a teness. I t

dle of February 1 945 the Schwerpunkt of the

seemed to m e that a l l t h e bu reauc racy t here was

defensive fighting for the still relatively i n tact Army

predom inant ly occupied by Austrians, and t h e

Group South ( Wohler) was with the 6th Army

comrades seemed to understand that, i n J a n uary

( Balck) in western H u ngary. The stra tegic i n ten­

1 945, t h e desi re to get to the fron t was l i m ited. A

tion of the Second U krai nian Fro n t ( Malinowsk i )

not so ineffe ct ive regu lator of the desi re to l i nger

was to advance out of the eastern H u n garian low

in Vienna was that each night one was assigned to

plains, bypass the Slovakian m o u n tain range to the

a different hotel, and with each new hotel, t h e

south with the main body of i ts troops, capt u re

q ua l i ty con t i n ually sank. I sought out Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. All that

Budapest and advance t h rough t h e western H un­ garian low ground to Vienna. The Weh rmacht

I could learn from the personnel move m e n t cen­

report at that time repeatedly mentioned the bend

ter was that no one could tell me where to find i t .

i n the Danube, Budapest, the Pillis mountains, the

I t was n o t known t h a t i t h a d now become Tige r

Vertes

Tank Battalion " Feldherrn halle," and I d i d n o t

Woods, Lake Balaton and the Gran River. Our bat­

mou n tains,

the

Lake Velence,

Bakony

know t h a t either. On a s t r o l l a round V i e n n a I sud­

talion , even t hough it had belonged to Panzer

denly saw a t ruck from the battalion. I stopped the

Corps " Feldherrn halle" since the t urn of the year,

t ruck and asked where t h e battalion was. I t was

was also com m itted with the ] 1 1 Panzer Corps ( Bre­

haul ing replacement parts from · the depot and was to take them to the mai n tenance company a t

i t h ) and the 1 Cavalry Corps ( Harteneck) .

Bakonyszom ba te ly. Adieu, Vienna, adieu An ker­

1 945 from the southwest t h ro ugh Stuh lweiBen­

hof, on to H unga ry! On 6 J a n uary I was able to

b u rg and a new a ttack i n the Val i sector near

report back at t h e batta l i o n . I was employed as

Zamoly with s t rong armored forces, including the

Budapest was encircled. One attack in Jan uary

platoon leader of the second platoon in t h e 3rd

1 st Panzer Divisio n , failed to break t h rough .

Company. It was understandable that my desire to

Reduction in the pressure on Budapest, to say

ret u rn to the 1 st Company, from which 1 had

nothing of i ts relief, failed. There fo re it was clear

come, could n o t be m e t .

that the days of "Festung" Budapest were n um­

Since t h e tank c o m p l e m e n t i n Jan uary 1 945

bered. Budapest fel l on 1 4 February 1 945. North

consisted of only ten operational Tigers and eight

of the Danube, the Russians formed a bridgehead

more i n for short-term repai rs, the o rgan ization

over the lower Gra n , thereby t h reatening capture

according to tank platoons a n d tank companies

of the o i l fields at Kom o rn .

was suspended. There was o n ly a si ngle Tiger com­

We moved to the area n o r t h of Komorn, t h e

bat element which i n c l uded the members of all

tracked u n i ts transported b y rai l . On 1 7 February

the tank companies. As a res u l t , I had the oppor­

] 945 the a t tack on the Gran bridgehead began. We

t u n i ty aga i n to be with "my" 1 st Com pany. That

were placed under t h e operational con t rol of the

made m e feel good , b u t also caused i rritation,

Division " H oc h und Deutschmeister," a formation

since i t also e l i m i na ted t h e d i s tance between offi­

given the honorific after old Austrian traditions. To

cers and m e n , t h a t I was warned was requ i red

our north, the 1 2th SS Panzer D ivision " H i t lelju­

between mysel f a n d my former comrades in the

gend" a t tacked. On 23 February the bridgehead

The Filial Ellgagemellts of the Battalioll with Army Group South

373

was crushed. That was the last combat operations

a ttack on a position held by a static annored

of the battalion that deserves the designation

enemy, there would not only be antitank guns, but

·'attack." That successful operation exacted no

also m i nes, which are easy to lay i n snow.

more than l i m i ted losses i n men and equipment.

That was what happened to me. An anti tank

The commander was wounded, but returned

gun belt opened f i re from head on with 7 . 62 cen­

to t h e battalion on 26 February. The commander

t i m e ter guns out of the cover of a maize field. I t

of the 3rd Company, Oberl e u t n a n t Fre iherr von

had n o effect o n us. As we pressed forward a t ful l

Rosen , was also wounded that day but d i d n o t

speed, w e moved right i n to t h e m inefield that had

return aga i n to t h e batta l i o n . Leutnant Furl i nger

been laid to protect the a n t i ta n k guns. Both t racks

led the 1 st Company, Hauptmann von Eichel­

were blown off. The Russians were masters in the

Streiber the 2nd Com pany, and Leu t n a n t Koppe

use of m i nes i n combat. They used i nexpensive

the 3rd Company. February 1 945 e n ded with

products, wooden-cased mines and m ines in paraf­

ongoing small operations between the Danube

fi n paper, both with no metal parts. They em­

and the foot h ills of the Carpath ians.

ployed them wi thout regard to the human effort

THE SECOND ENGAGEMENT AT ZAMOLY ON 25 JANUARY 1 945

gaged by a tank. Even the Tiger, t h ough al most

Of the series of engagements in that area ( see the

helpless against m ines. Due to neglec ting combat

req u i red. That type of weapon could not be en­ i m mune to a n t i ta n k guns and tanks , was relatively

personal d iary of the battalion commander) , t h e

recon naissance, which was my own fau l t , I learned

figh ting at Zamoly is part icularly memorable to

a lesson with pai n fu l consequences. Anyway, back

me for several reasons, even t hough that figh ting

to the a t tack at Zamoly . . .

has no sign i ficance when viewed from t h e overall

We made our way i n the night to the j um p-off

si tuation. The Wehrmac h t report for 25 January

position and wai ted for hours there for the attack

1 945 reported for that sector of the fron t: "I n

to begi n at 0700 h ours. It was always a mistake to

H unga ry, our attack formations broke t h rough

underestimate the enemy. To consider him stupid,

s trong enemy a nt i ta n k positions between Lake

however, is cul pable. An ti tank fire and m i nes, as

Velence a n d t h e Dan ube and advanced as far for­

o u t l i ned above, broug h t us to a halt when we set

ward as the Vali sector . . . "

off for the attack a t f i rst light. We had moved out

We were tem porarily attached to Generalmajor

with n o cover i n our giant tanks i n a snowfield as

H olste's 4 t h Cava l ry Brigade. Together with u n i ts

i t i ncreasi ngly grew brigh ter. During the n ight the

of the 5th Caval ry Regim'e n t , we were i n tended to

Russians had brough t forward massive amounts of

Zamoly at f i rst l ight on 25 Jan uary. The leader of

an ti tank guns and laid m i nes in fron t of them. I f

the attack group was Ritt meister Graf Pletten berg.

w e h a d given any consideration t o t h e enemy si tu­

On 24January at 2300 hours all officers, including

a t i o n , we woul d certai nly have expected that or

the tank commanders, were presen t when Pletten­

sim i lar measures. To attack there-after noisy

berg issued h is order. Three o r fou r King Tigers

prepara tions on a clear, still winter night where

led by Leutnant Beyer were detailed from the bat­

every noise carries far-was a serious mistake. If i t

tal i o n . We h ad an exceptional orders session. I

was n o t possible to conceal our i n te n t i o n , a rede­

have seldom seen one as good and tailored to the

ployment shortly before the start of the attack and

circumstances.

m ove m e n t from anoth er, unexpected direction

Pletten berg was a persuasive personali ty. H e

would have been better. Anti tank guns and m i nes

knew how to prese n t t h e m ission i n t h e shortest

don ' t move. Only tanks could have approached us

time possible and i n an i m pr�ssive man ner. After asking for i n pu t from the par'ticipants, he would

endangered us. The responsible leader of the

develop the concept of the opera tions.

Tigers should h ave t h ought that out. Another

and

t h ose would h ave nei ther surprised nor

It was extremely cold, I would estimate about

sol ution would h ave been to p i n them from the

m i n us 1 4 degrees Fah re n h e i t . In the last two

fron t with one element while goi ng around a few

weeks about 20 or 30 c e n ti meters of snow had

h u ndred m eters with the rest .

acc u m ulated on the ground. It was i m porta n t to

Our si tuation in t h e i m mobil ized Tiger was a

keep the engi ne, transmission and batteries warm .

classic for the enemy. I t had rol led off of i ts tracks

I t was also i m portan t to rem e m ber that in an

and was alone in the m iddle of a m i n efield and

3 74

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR /I

covered by fire from an t i ta n k guns. Thi ngs hap­

" Nagy" and the one q uestioned answered with a

pened just as he had planned them. We wan ted to

cheerful "Nem tudom"- I do not know!-Haupt­

make t h e m pay dearly, h owever. We did the best

mann D r. von D iest-Koerber did not seem part i c u­

we could wi t h o u r 8.8 cm L7 1 gun to get at Ivan in

larl y pleased, especially with such nonchalance i n

between the i m pacts from t h e 7 . 62cm a n t i ta n k

a public forum.

g u n s . There were fou r or five an t i tank g u n s , less

D uring our days a t Verbely we celebrated Erich

than 1 ,000 m e te rs away at the edge of an u n har­

Fllrlinge r's birthday. Short l y thereafter, h e was

vested maize field. In the mean time, the d river was wou nded. The

killed. The opport u n i ty was taken to send a con­ gratulatory card to Richard von Rosen , in the hos­

crew in the t u rret was s t i l l active. When our gun

p i tal at Pressburg, on the occasion of his being

f i red, it was coupled with a strange sou n d . A look

awarded the German Cross in Gold. It was a "situ­

t h ro ugh the vision blocks of the commander's

ation report" of the ach ievements of the 3rd Com­

cupola revealed an extraord i n a ry p i c t u re. O u r

pany in Marc h 1 945. I t was sketched by H e l m u t

g u n was no longer a s l o n g a s i t used to b e . M o re­

Linser a n d i s presen ted in t h e book along w i t h the

over, the barrel was spread out, sym metrically, l i ke

one prese n ted by the 3rd Company to congratu­

a pal m , righ t back to t h e mantlet. I n the plethora

late Leu tnant Fllrli nger.

of h i ts we had take n , we had not noticed one that

The Russian a ttack began across the breadth

had hit the gun and den ted t h e barrel. The next

of the Gran fron t at the end of the m o n t h . The

round we f i red destroyed the barre l .

overextended fron t fel l back. But the time of

Our situation was n o t pleasan t . We needed to

bei n g able to stand firm was past-not surprising

bail out. H owever, i n t h e fire we were receiving­

considering the onrushing masses. We pulled back

and I van was shooting at us with everyt h i ng he

to Verebely and held a position on the eastern

had-th a t was i m possible. I do not remember how

o u tskirts for two days. The German u n i ts had

long the hail of gun f i re lasted. Suddenly, we real­

pulled out and there was no m o re support from

ized t h e re were no m o re h i ts . I t had started to

o u r artillery.

snow so heavily t h a t visi b i l i ty was under 50 m e ters.

deployed i n to skirmish l i nes, flowed on past us at

Get the wou n ded out and move to the rear. By the

a d i s tance of 500 meters to o u r right a n d left.

The

Russian

i n fan t ry colu m ns,

time we had m ade i t to our two c o m rades who

They could n o t be stopped. There was not

had sought cover i n a depression, the snow squall

e nough a m m u n i tion to put a lasting h a l t to the

was over. We h ad made it one m o re t i m e ! D u r i n g the n ight w e succeeded i n recovering

move m e n t . In s p i te of visibly e ffective fi re , new brown columns kept righ t on com i n g from the

the Tige r, complete with i ts t racks, and making i t

depths of t h e i r positions. The concept of "step­

provisionally operable. H owever, j us t to com p l e te

ping out" certai n ly applied there . The Russians

our m iseries, i t then sli pped i n to a deep bomb

were a l ready beh i n d us. They waded t h ro ugh the

crater and req u i red several days of labor to get i t

river t h a t we had hoped would be a barrier. They

o u t again.

were a l ready in o u r rear. Strong enemy a rt i l lery

THE BATTALION IN MARCH 1 945

l i nger, the leader of the battle group. Before the

At the begi n n i n g of March we moved to Verebely

Russians blocked the bridge and the route of our

fire on o u r tanks' positions. I t kil led Erich Fllr­

in the border a rea between Slovakia and H u ngary

ret reat, I ordered that we should pull back. Our

that the H u ngarians had an nexed. I t was so peace­

posi tion had been "neu tralized. " We would form a

ful t h e re t h a t garrison rou tine set i n . Tra i n i n g

new barrier to the a t tacker farther to the west.

schedules were d rawn u p ; t ra i n i n g was i ns t i t u ted for the company in a n t i ta n k defensive: m easures

The fig h t i ng at Verebely a n d that which fol­ lowed in the Neutra area show t h a t there was no

tanks and tact ical t ra i n i n g for the officers. We

longer a cohere n t fro n t . At the corps and divi­

younger officers did not take this e n t i rely seriously

sional leve l , they were no longer in a position to

at first, for example, a rriving late at a p l a n n i n g

command. They had i n c reasingly lost the ability to

exercise i n which Generalmaj o r Or. Bake took

analyze the German and enemy s ituations. The

part. When, a t that exercise, the battalion com­

war d isi ntegrated i n to i n d ividual engagements

mander asked one of us abo u t the meaning of

predicated on self-defense.

H u ngarian place-name p refixes l i ke " Kis" and

The Fillal Ellgagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

3 75

THE BATTALION IN APRIL 1 945

could only subscribe to the th ough t : Enj oy the

The battalion contin ued to figh t with smal l battle

war, the peace wil l be frightfu l !

groups east of the lesser Carpath ians i n the Tyr­ nau area. They were on their own . The battalion

THE WAR I S OVER

command managed to keep a handle on t h i ngs,

We had q u i te pleasant days in Soc herl righ t up

in spite of the frag m e n ted com m i t m e n t ; at least

u nt i l 7 May. The war appeared to have "fallen

we still h ad leadership. Our commander had to

asleep. " I n spite of the quiet that the Russians

con t i n ually stand u p to the h igher levels of com­

al lowed us, our few tanks ( by my estimate, ten to

mand in order to preven t our soldiers from being

twelve Tigers ) establ ished positions and blocked

squandered. That was som e t h i n g h e could not do

the enemy, and there were losses. Two of our most

from h is own command post. I nstead, h e had to

experienced

go to the divisions and regi ments to which we

Skoda, were killed at the end of Apri l .

tank

commanders,

Kn ispel

and

were at tac hed in ever-changi ng command and

T h e Russian a t tack broke out to the west on 7

control rela tionships. There h e would argue our

May with enormous power. We had nothing with

case i n person . Since M a rch I had been on the

which we could oppose i t . The o n ly possibi l i ty

batta l ion staff as a special staff officer. Therefore I

rem a i n i n g was to fal l back. The operational area

experienced from fi rst hand what a restless exis­

was to be the s t i l l unoccupied area of western

tence the com mander led in fulfi l l i n g his m ission .

Czechoslovakia. The Russians were still on the

Often w e d i d not see h i m for a ful l twen ty-four

march in the eastern portion of the coun try; the

hours . H e did not spare h i mself, even t hough h e

Americans were about to cross to the east as far as

was a fu l l ten years older than the officers of h is

the Bohemian Woods.

staff. He earned my h ighest respect for his out­

troops and civi l ians-made our way to the west.

stan d i n g fulfi l l m e nt of d u ty.

We-along with other

Objective: Protection of the U .S. Army! The Rus­

At the begi n n ing of Apri l-i t was near Easter­

sians d i d not press particularly hard a n d did not

I was given the task of arranging q uarters for the

overtake us. We no longer engaged i n combat

battal ion at Nikolsburg. Presumably the i n tention

and, in forty-eight hours of un broken marchi ng,

was to i m prove the striking power of the battalion

crossed Czechoslovakia. We were at the Bohemian

by bringing toget her the scattered fighting u n i ts

Woods west of Budweis on 9 M ay, the day of the

and put a powerful combat formation in the hands

capitulation. The war was ove r !

of the command. That was not to be. The enemy

T h e battalion h ad broken i n to two approxi­

crossed the lesser Carpathians faster than expected

m a tely equal h alves. Four to five h undred men

and pushed on to the Zisterndorf oil regio n .

road marched together with their veh ic les. The

There was h a r d figh ting for almost the e n tire

tanks were blown up. Most e nded their westward

m o n t h of April . It brought us local successes, but

journey on bridges that were too weak. The other

they d i d not preve n t the Russians from achieving

half of the battalion moved west i n several groups

their inten tions. In the mean time, the Russians

of varying size under i ndivid ual u n i t leadership.

had advanced i n to

We were not e n t i rely successful i n fi nding t h ose

the southern outski rts of

Vienna.

u n i ts and passing on the order dissolvi ng the bat­

A t m o n th 's end, Panzer Corps "Feldherrn­

talion. T h us, t h e poor commun ication was also

halle" ordered the combat elements of the battal­

responsible for the fac t t h a t the danger of being

ion to Soch e rl , sout h of Brun n . Several Tigers

turned over to the Russians by the Americans was

were back in action b u t , otherwise, t h ings were

either n o t known or was u n derest imated.

q u i e t for us. The u n i ts of t h e Second U krai n ian . Fro n t were also exhausted after the offe nsive out

order d issolvi ng the battalion to the main body

The commander personally gave the fi nal

of the Gran sec tor. It had taken place fou r weeks

that h ad made it to Dobrusch , a forest town 20

previo usly a n d their supply s i t uation had also

kilometers west of Budweis. The men were to

become d i ffi c u l t. As a rule, such a period of quiet

i n fi l trate the U . S. blocking l i n e in the Bohemian

boded ill. It al most always led to preparations for

and Bavarian Woods in the smallest of groups.

an offensive. I n view of the overall situation , which

We hoped to avoi d capture in that area and

brought t h e end of the war closer to us daily­

bei n g handed over to the Russians. The bulk of

a n d , with i t , an u ncertai n fate for each of us-we

t h a t group succeeded i n so doing. The other

3 76

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

com rades-about 400-moved sou t h of us and,

Everything was handled in the best professional

fo r a time, were in nocuously d i rected by t h e

manner righ t up to the f i nal minute. The battalion

Americans t o Wallern . Later t h ey were h an ded

did not burst apart; everything fol lowed due

over to the Russians-broken prom ises-and paid

course. Al l possible measures were take n : Issuance

dearly with years of i m priso n m e n t for the fact that

of rations, promotions, discharge e n t ries in and

we made i t to freedom .

issuance of m i l i tary record books, exchanges of

As I have evaluated t h e s i t uation and pon­

addresses

and

terrain

orientation

(since

not

dered which measure was more correct at t h e

enough maps were available) . After that, there was

t i me-to d issolve t h e u n its and sca t ter t h e m , t h us

nothing left b u t to take leave of each other.

leavi ng the individuals to make i t on their own , or

H ow d i d we feel? The end did n o t come as a

to keep the "bunch" together in order to maintain

surprise. O n ly t h e when and where had remai ned

unit cohesion as long as possible-I am u nequivo­

open u n t i l t h e final momen t . Thus there was no

cally led to t h e concl usion that O l l r commander's

shock and, consideri n g t h e situation, no doubt as

decision at t h a t t i m e was t h e only correct one. I t

to what needed to be done next: Namely, to move

was a t ragedy t h a t , i n spi te o f t h e fact t h a t Leu t­

as far as possible i nt o Bavaria so that it would no

nant Hans von H egem eister's scout platoon was

longer be immediately obvious whether one came

unceasingly on t h e m ove t o fish our fol k out of

from the eastern o r the western fro n t . Above a l l ,

the col u m ns and d ivert t hem away from Wallern,

d o n ' t b e capt u red n e a r t h e border. That was m y

i t was i m possible to i n form more of our comrades

fi n a l m ission o f the war and I was able to complete

and save them from Russian capt ivi ty.

i t successfully, as planned.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

October 1 944: Rail movement of the King Tigers to Hungary.

During a break in the rail movement to Hungary. Left to right: unknown, Feldwebel Berger, Oberleutnant Brandt (commander of the headquarters company), and the SpieB of the headquarters company.

The 503's arrival in Budapest, 1 4 October 1 944. They were warmly welcomed by the local populace.

3 77

3 78

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

The battalion command post in Turkeve, October 1 944. The commander of the 24th Panzer Division is visiting. Left to right: Stabsarzt Dr. Schramm, Leutnant von Rosen, Leutnant Piepgras, General von Nostiz, and Hauptmann Fromme.

Leutnant von Hagemeister of the scout platoon.

The Final Engagements of the Battali01l with Army Group South

The mess section of the 1 st Company.

379

380

T

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11 he appearance of the m igh ty King Tige r on

Company was positioned a t the seat of the govern­

the

m e n t , the B u rgberg. The 1 st and 3rd Companies

treets of the H ungarian capi tal-previ­

ously u n known t he re-was a wel l calculated meas­

were posted at critical p o i n ts where t hey would

u re which certai n ly con tribu ted to t h e rapid and

make the desired "psychological i mpressio n . " The

bloodless Szalasi coup. The e m p loyme n t of the

populace was friendly and took care of German

battalion l as ted o n ly fou r days. Fortu n a tely, the

soldiers. This sequence of photos shows Tigers of

battalion did n o t have to use i ts weapons. The 2nd

the 2nd Company i n the gove rn m e n t q uarter.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

381

382

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR [J

A Wirbelwind of the battalion's Flak platoon also adds to the intimidation factor in the streets of Budapest. These vehicles proved effective not only in their intended role, but also against ground targets.

Tiger 200 rolls over a barricade on the Burgberg.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

Szruasi appears on Kapistvan Square in the government quarter, conducting initial discussions with the Hungarian military, who wore arrow-cross armbands to show that they would cooperate with the Arrow-Cross Movement. In the background is a German paratrooper sentry at the gate.

The commander of the bodyguard battalions of the former Hungarian Imperial Regent, Admiral Horthy, reports to the new head of the regime, Szruasi.

Admiral Horthy's riding horses follow him into captivity to Germany.

383

384

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Tanks o f the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, at the foot of the Burgberg.

The "Horthy Crisis" is over. The battalion's Tigers road­ march to the East Railroad Station in Budapest to entrain for operations on the lower TheiB.

-�

A crew prepares its King Tiger for the movement. The soldier on the main gun affIXes a muzzle cover to protect the gun tube from the elements.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

Tanks line up in preparation for another move.

A field-expedient way of preparing a pig after the train has been loaded.

Tiger 333 has another King Tiger in tow near Bercel, Hungary, 3 November 1 944.

385

386

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

On 8 December 1 944, Tiger 1 24 was knocked out at short range by an antitank gun positioned in the houses on the left. Tiger 1 24 was part of an improvised battle group made up of tanks from the 1 st and 3rd Companies. The 80-millimeter thickness of armor on the forward hull was penetrated completely. The driver and radio operator were killed. The Tiger burned out.

Feldwebel Giirtner of the 3rd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, a particularly successful tanker and well­ loved comrade, with his gunner, Obergefreiter Klein. Giirtner was killed in the Zamoly area on 7 January 1 945.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Anny Group South

The [mal two views of the destruction of Tiger 1 23.

The 1 st Company will eat well tonight. Hungary at the end of January 1 945.

387

388

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR []

Tiger Tank Battalion 503 gets ready to move by rail again. Note that the normal tracks have not been replaced by the special transport tracks for rail movements. Hungary, January 1 945.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

389

390

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

King Tiger 3 1 4 "Anneliese" of the 3rd Company at the maintenance facility at Sarkeresztes in January 1 945. It was one of the two Tigers which had become disabled with transmission problems at Mailly-Ie-Camp in August 1 944. They were repaired there and returned to the company before the move to Hungary.

King Tiger 1 3 1 in Hungary, January 1 945.

King Tiger 1 3 1 is off-loaded from the Ssyms car in order to move to an assembly area. This photo was taken at the Gran Bridgehead in February 1 945.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

King Tiger 233 of the 2nd Company in March-April 1 945. The commander cannot be identified.

Russian T-34 85s await orders to advance once again.

The school in Erdberg where the battalion had its command post on 1 8 and 1 9 April 1 945. This photograph was taken in 1 933.

391

392

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR Il

Two of the thirteen armored vehicles knocked out by the battalion on 1 9 April 1 945 at K1einhadersdorf. In the foreground, a M4 Sherman; behind it is a SU-76. The photo was taken in 1 945 or 1 946 at the vineyards on the Goldberg.

KV-85s advance along a wooded trail.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Anlly Group South

Hauptmann von Eichel-Streiber, company commander of the 2nd Company, Tiger Tank Battalion 503, in the Ukraine in 1 943.

393

OberstIeutnant der Reserve Dr. Franz Bake in the spring of 1 944 at Tscherkassy.

Two views of Alfred Rubbel. On the left, Rubbel in his panzer uniform at Potsdam in December 1 944; on the right, Rubbel in a walking-out uniform in Vienna in January 1 945.

394

THE COMBAT HiSTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Hans Fendesack (left), the well-liked and respected tank commander and platoon leader in the 1 st Company. He is sitting next to his gunner, Kurt Knispel, arguably the best tank gunner in the Wehrmacht. Neither of the men survived the war. Fendesack was killed in Normandy and Knispel was killed in action in Austria just before the war ended.

Hans Fendesack's gravesite.

The Final Engagements of the Battalion with Army Group South

395

Hungary, 1 945: On the train to Totmegyer with damaged tanks. Transport tracks are visible on the Ssyms cars in the background. The battalion insignia is clearly visible on one of the overseas caps.

Feldwebel Seidel, the commander of Tiger 3 1 3.

396

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Survivors of Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in 1 955.

PA R T

S IX

THE END , 1 945

C HAPTER

3 6

The Final Hours of the Battalion D r. Nordewin von Diest-Koerber a n d Others

I

t was t h e end of April in the area west of

over to the Russians after they were captured by

N i kolsburg. We cont i n ued to figh t , a l t hough

the U .S. Army mobilized will power t o fight to the

t h e war was lost. The Russians could not be

last. So much for the big pict ure.

stopped on t h e i r d rive to Berl i n . The section of Czechoslovakia east of Prague had been occupied by the

Red Army, as were

The s i t uation of t h e battalion as of 25 April 1 945 was about as fol l ows:

the southeastern

The battalion staff moved from Zwi ngenberg

Balkans as far as the Prague-Adria l i n e . In t h e

to Soc herl. Our comba t units, Tigers and Flak

West , the e nemy had reached the E l b e . There

veh icles, were employed across the e n t i re width of

were o n ly isolated pockets of resistance still fight­

Panzer Corps "Feldherrnhalle." We could do no

i n g in Germany. While the Russians stormed west­

more than react. I n fron t of us were the Russians,

ward , t h e E nglish and Americans advanced wi th

beh i n d us the Americans who had crossed the

extreme cauti o n . The two army groups i n Czecho­

Bohemian Woods to the east. Between them were

slovakia, Army Group Center ( Schorner) and

the Czechoslovakian part isans and the Vlassov

Army Group South (Wohler) , were exhausted, to

Army, which was becom i ng increasi ngly host ile to

be sure , but they were s ti l l i nt a c t bodies of t roops

us in h opes of savi ng i tself by renouncing us. The

in the hands of their commands.

ethnic Germans were friendly.

The battalion had about twelve t o fifteen

I t was unusually quiet at Socherl , where the bat­

Tigers operational. Some of them were organ ized

talion staff remai ned u n t i l 7 May. In spite of ongo­

in small battle groups a round which all types of

ing ski rm ishes i n which they repulsed local Soviet

u n i ts ral l ied. They fel t secure near our Tigers and

attacks, our t h ree battle groups also f inally got a bit

also fough t along w i t h us. Orders from above

of a breather. U n fortunately, my friend, Kurt Knis­

read: W i t h d raw slowly or conduct a delaying

pel of the 503's 1 st Company was killed during that

ac tion to t h e German bord.er i n order to save troops and German civilian s from t h e Russians.

period. He had been my gunner at Len i ngrad in

I n general , t h e local commander decided what

i n the Weh rmacht, with 1 62 kills. Feldwebel Skoda

was necessary based on h is personal i mpression,

1 94 1 and was probably the most successful tanker of the 3rd Company was also killed.

on rad i o n ews reports t h a t were often confusing

It re mai ned as quiet as ever in Socherl. The

a n d on t h e developing situation. The knowledge

com mander hosted a d i n ner to which the corps

t h a t t h e re had been consultations between t h e

adj u tant was i nvited. We celebra ted Leutnant

Russians and Americans to the effect that all mem­

Hans von Hagemeister's birth day. Or. Bury took

bers of the 6th and 8 t h Arm ies would be t u rned

care of ath lete 's foot i n fections and boils. We

399

400

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

buried Feldwebel Skoda al most as if it had been

from the main gun. Then the tank is driven i n to

peac e t i m e at t h e vi l l age cemete ry with the pastor,

the marsh. Discharge from the battal ion.

a coff i n and part i c i pation by the local populace. On 7 May t h e Russian offensive was launched.

The first Americans appeared at BlIdweis. There were still about 70 kilometers to the

I ts preparation had allowed us a rare period of

Bohemian Woods and, t h us, to the border. At

quiet. A hi th erto un known level of Russian ground

some poi n t the rumor surfaced we were to assem­

at tack plane activity preven ted movement behind

ble at Wal l e rn , in the middle of the Bohemian

the fro n t . Conduct ing a figh ting withdrawal pre­

Woods. That seemed quite reasonable since it

vented breakth roughs and outflanking maneuvers.

corresponded to our hope that there, under t h e

As far as possible, we rel ieved the u n i ts while leav­

protection of the U .S. Army, w e would b e safe

i n g rear guards in contact with the enemy. We

fro m the Russians. I ndeed, i t was obvious! U n for­

moved the u n i ts to t h e west toward Budweis; the

tunately, eve n ts took another course. Our bat tal­

German border was our objective. Discipline began

ion commander, Dr. von Diest-Koerbe r, described

to break down. Col u m ns of t roops, m i xed with

it in his personal diary:

refugees, flowed toward the rear. Traffic regulation was meani ngless.

9- 1 0 M ay 1 945: We kept up the retreat with­ out pause on the road toward Budweis. The bat­

\"re d iscovered that u ncon ditional surrender

talion staff and one of o u r battle groups moved

had been agreed on between the Weh rmacht com­

near the end of t h e giant snake-like col umns of

mand and the All ied mil i tary. According to that, all

veh icles rolling to the west . Everyt hing frequently

combat operations and movements were to cease

got i n to t raffic jams. It was a m i racle that the Rus­

and

sians did not appear right beh ind us. Disorgan­

destruction

of weapons,

eq uipment

and

records was forbidden and t h reatened with pun­

ized groups of German veh icles pushed out of

ish ment. There was no way that we were goi n g to

side roads o n to the retreat route. Radio con tact

remain where we were and wait for the Russians.

broke down wi t h our bat tle groups operating to

I t appeared l ogical to us that the U . s . Army would advance to t h e former German border,

the sou t h . During t h e march w e l i n ked up w i t h another

which lay somewhere in the Boh e m ian and Bavar­

of our retrea t i ng bat tle groups. One Tiger that

ian Woods. U n fortunately, o u r maps did n o t show

had severe mechanical problems was d riven off

just where. We could not or would not believe that

i n to a field and blown up so as not to endanger

the Americans would hand us over to the Russians;

the march col u m n . We kept one of our heavy

as a resul t-"Westward, h o ! " In the meantime, 9

prime movers wi t h o u r group for any emergen­

May had dawned. We had covered L 50 kilometers

cies. Groups of fleei ng civilians, some t i mes with

toward the rear since leavi ng Socherl two days

luggage and handcarts, moved everywhere on the

ago-in spite of the catastrophic state of t h e traf�

road in between the vehicles. Among them were

fie. We got stuck again just ou tside of Budweis.

several hundred roughly fourteen-year-ol d young­

There was no goi n g forward. The Czechoslovakian

sters, who had been "se n t home" from a Nazi

partisans had armed themselves and at tempted to

political school with heavy packs and in u n i form.

put an end to the westward movement. We still

We overloaded our veh icles to the limit of their

had two King Tige rs with us. Al t h ough t h e Czechs

capaci ty wi t h the u n fo rt u n a te pedestrians. The

also had German 88mm flak guns in their posses­

prime mover was fully packed with women and

sion , they avoided a really serious confro n tation.

c h i ldren ( i ncluding luggage) who had been evac­

Our journey resumed. Hans Welsc h , of t h e 1 st

uated from western Germany. U n fort u nately,

Company, described it in his diary:

there were many vehicles in the col u m n ahead of

9 May: In Budweis. The Czechs are not allowing

foo t .

us that had not take n on any of those fleeing on the German soldiers to pass. "" e move forward.

We passed t hrough a s m a l l town with a rail­

Our commander, Leutnant Rubbel , dismo u n ts

road station. The crossing guards were lowered ! !

and approaches the Czechs. We move along

A train ful l o f men returning t o the fron t from

behind h i m . The Czechs t h row away their

leave ( ! ) had come from Germany. The men got

weapons and take off. The last round is fired

off the train at the rail road station beside our road, j ust as i n peacetime. Those who were lucky

The Final Hours of the Battalioll

401

were able to j u m p o n t o one of o u r movi ng vehi­

ordered all the companies: I m m ediately turn off

cles a n d move back aga i n to the west.

to the righ t ; exfi l t rate the col u m n in veh icles, if

As evening approached, we neared Budweis. A

few kilometers o u tside the eastern outskirts of the

possible; and, assem ble in the cleari ng i n the woods j ust off to the rig h t . I n about an hour a

c i ty everyth i ng came to a halt. I learned from

major part of t h e bat talion assembled-probably

motorcycle messengers that the Czechs in Budweis

about 400 to 450 men ( th ree l i ne companies, the

had taken several 8.8 cm anti tank guns from the

supply company, several com pany maintenance

German troops in the c i ty and were blocking our

sections and the battalion staff) . There were also

road with them, al lowing no one to pass. I ordered

abo u t ten to twelve officers there .

two of our Tigers that were following behind for­

I briefly said a few words of farewel l , awarded

ward c ross-coun t ry. They reached the outskirts of

all the I ron Crosses that had been put in for ( the

the ci ty, bypassing by the col u m n . After the

officers and Feldwebel provided t h em ) , made all

exchange of a few rounds, they headed d i rectly for

requested promot ions and recogn i tions. Brief

the Czechs with the a n t i tank guns. The Czechs at

remarks on my i n tent: Deactivation of the battal­

the guns i m mediately abandoned them. The pas­

ion i n to small groups of five to twelve men. After

sage was then open th rough the city for the rest of

disabling all veh icles ( both of the last two Tigers

the corps col u m ns. Since our few remai ning

were blown up nearby) , the men were to make

Tigers were distri b u ted among t h e columns i n

their way the best t hey could t h rough the

small groups, t h e route remained open.

Bohemian Woods i n a southwest d i rection to

We were movi ng fu rther west a t a wal king

Bavaria. Don ' t stay i n built-up areas! Also avoid

pace-with the last two Tigers between us-when

bei n g taken by Americans because of the danger

two veh icles from Panzer Corps "Feld herrnhalle"

of bei ng handed over to the Russians! In Bavaria,

caught up with us. They were d rivi ng at h igh

maintain that you were a l ready in that area on

speed, m ostly across the open ground. I recog­

8 May!

n ized the corps special-d u ty officer who called

Those were the last orders to the battalion.

o u t to me that he and General Kleeman were on

They ended with thanks for the years of unwaver­

their way to the q uarters of t h e commander of

ing com radeship.

t he American Army that was faci n g us i n order to negotiate t h e su rrender of the e n t i re corps. We slowly p ressed our way forward with m ixed

feelings. At the same t i rrie , American armored

Each man then received a rucksack. Several days earlier, the men in the trucks of the supply company had found them i n an abandoned Luft­ waffe camp. In add i tion, each man received a

veh icles (with the first black soldiers) approached

fresh loaf of army bread and a big can of butter

us. At about 1 1 00 hours a German side-car motor­

as emergency rat ions. The company orderly

cycle dashed back towards us: The same corps

rooms gave o u t the W('/t 1/Jiiss(' [ m i l i tary iden tifica­

special-d u ty officer. I was able to stop h i m . Gen­

tion booklets] ( wi t h discharge dates of 9 May

eral Kleeman h ad been im mediately arrested by

1 945 and promotions, ete. properly entered ) . I

the Americans. All negotiations had been denied.

took personal leave of a l l the officers, and they, in

No surrender to the Americans since we were in

t u rn , shook the hands of the members of their

the Russian sphere of i n terest . All troops were to

compan ies. The vehicles were destroyed i n the

remain where they were. Weapons were to be

su rrou nding woods, except for those used to

t u rned over and collected. Wai t for su rrender to

move a few kilometers th rough the woods and

t h e Russians. Attem pts t o force a breakth rough

paths to the southwest and then abandoned. The

t h rough the t h ree American blocking positions

cleari ng emptied by about 1 700 hours.

that had been set u p i n the meantime wou l d be

I wen t with a ten-man group ( the adj u tant,

preven ted by force of a rms. Whoever fel l i n to

Oberleutnant H eerlei n , a tank c rew, several

American hands would be turned over to the

motorcycle messengers and noncomm issioned

Russians.

officers of the battalion staff) on t h e march

With that, o u r fate was clear. I was able to

which led t h rough the great forest that started

reach most of the u n i ts of the battalion that were

there. Our equ i pment : A map of the Bohemian

in the m a rc h col u m n with the aid of the company

Woods ( u n fortunately, a large scale ! ) , our ruck­

m o torcycle messengers who were wi t h me. I

sacks, one pistol, and a com pass-the most

402

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

i m po rt a n t assistance, since we did not wan t to use

with all of our u ni ted strength, i ncluding that of

roads and lanes ) . We marched t h rough the e n t i re

two W"hnnarhtlu'[[ninnen [women i n m i l i tary serv­

cold but clear nigh t .

ice ] . With burning l ungs, we managed to heave

l l - 1 2 May 1 945: The th ickly wooded hills got steeper. Our progress became ever more arduous

the heavy boat over the emban kment, using the brief opening right after an American veh icle

since we avoided even the paths in the woods. At

went by. We then shoved i t into the water. The

some point during the night we ran i n to a road

crossing wen t quickly. Two men then took the

crossi ng our path . Americans were on i t . They

boat back over the river for others to use.

fired l i ke crazy i n to the underbrush but did not

We dashed over another raised stretch of

dare go int o i t themselves. Armored vehicles

road, then a double-tracked rai l line with several

moved back and forth on the road with headlights

rail road buildi ngs with American sentries. We

on. Probably one of the American blocking li nes

then im mediately proceeded steeply upwards into

we had been told about ! We dashed over the road

the h i l ls of the Bohemian Woods. The fog helped

individually at favorable moments. The march

a lot of people.

over the increasingly higher h il ls went a bit beller

After a short rest i n the rising h i l ls, we

by dayl igh t . Where the woods were thin ner, one

dragged o u rselves onward, now t horoughly worn

could spot n umerous other groups of German sol­

out. ( I t should be men tioned that it was o n ly on

diers hastening to the southwest. In the vici n i ty of Dreisessel H i l l we encoun­

this day that we finally passed Dreisessel H i l l ! ) We had to offe r a lot of encouragement to some of

tered another group of the battalion staff, but

our party to preven t them from giving up the

soon separated aga i n . Scattered groups brough t

painfu l effort. During the fol lowi ng n ight we

horses with them. Without stopping to rest, we

pushed on to a ridgeline with a h i king trail that

kept up t h e marc h and, by n igh tfall, c rossed an

crossed our route. A great boulder with a "C" on

American main supply route which was ful l of

one side and a "0" on the other showed that we

U .S. vehicles. In between them were e n t i re Ger­

had reached the German-Czechoslovakian border!

man medical columns and veh icles wi t h German

With renewed energy, we then started descending

prisoners. At a favorable spot I opened the door

to Bavaria-although t here were sti l l several ridge­

of a German medical vehicle that had stopped. If

l ines to cross. As the sun rose we stopped in a

possible, I wanted i n formation on the road and

clearing-now on German soil-and lay down ,

the upco m i n g bui lt-up areas. I stared d i rectly i n to

exhausted, and slept for several hours.

the face of a black noncommissioned officer who

1 3 May ] 945: At about ] 100 hou rs , i n more

was escort i ng the ve hicle. I slammed the door in

open h i l ly terra i n , we encoun tered the first

h is f�lce, and we quickly d isappeared i n to the

houses. We carefu l ly sneaked up to a m i l l : Ger­

darkness. Followi ng the com pass, our path led over a

man occupants! We were near the border cross­ i n g at Haidmuhle. Hot coffee and rolls p u t us

t h ickly wooded ridge. Then open land descended

back in good spiri ts. The m iller's fam i ly warned

i n fron t of us i nt o a m ist-filled val ley. I n the fog,

us of the Americans that were there, too, and of

we tumbled over several man-made terraces on

their hourl y patrols. Above all, they told us abou t

the slope. Then, after pushing 200 m e ters

the large prisoner-of-war c a m p at nearby Freyung.

th rough marshy gro u n d , we came to an embank­

They described the best way to get to Deggendorf

ment wit h a paved road across i t . I t was the

on the Dan ube, which we were fortunately able to

Moldau levee, which another American blocking

reach on foot on the fol lowi n g day after crossing

line fol l owed. American veh icles patrolled at close i n tervals, but the fog blocked thei r view.

a l l sorts of obstacles, barriers and American con­

We crossed the emban kment and were in the

trols. That was where our l i tt l e band that had become so tigh t ly k n i t over the preceding days

process of binding together several pieces of wood

separated into l i t tle groups and headed for their

t hat were lying about to make a raft when a few

various destinations i n Germany or to relatives.

Landser emerged from the fog. About 200 meters away they had discovered a boat, but it still had to

Note: Abou t 1 20 members of the battalion suc­

be d ragged over t h e levee, which required at least

ceeded in m aking it to their homes or to fam i ly

thi rty men. We ran over and act ually succeeded,

members in such fash i o n . Several were captured

The Final Hours ofthe Battalioll by the Americans or t h e English but were not

403

mll1e the number and locations of the sen t ry

t urned over to t h e Russians. A few members of the

posts . The A 1IIis [Americans] made it easy for us.

battalion were taken by the Czechs ( o r also by

They made their rounds in their jeeps with the

Russians) a n d we nt i n t o Russian captivi ty. The

lights o n . At their guard posts, they engaged in

greater part of the battal ion ( more 400 men and,

loud conversations. I n the best infantry fash ion,

perhaps, 1 2 officers) were caught by the Ameri­

we advanced i n a l i n e of skirmishers. We sneaked

cans and collected in the prisoner-of-war camp a t

as far as the road embankment t h a t , unfortll­

Zwiese l . They h a d n o t m ade i t to Bavaria. M o s t o f

n a tely, ran along a terrace. We made it over that

t h e m h a d sough t out h ouses and b u i l t-up areas.

obstacle, about one meter h igh , in a single, con­

Because of exhaust ion, they wanted to rest or

certed leap. I t wasn ' t e n t i rely noiseless and, in the

obtain food. As a result, they fel l i n to the h an ds of

process, we al most ran over a U .S. sen t ry. In his

the Americans. M any of them had not bel ieved

frig h t he could only give a grunt and, after a l i t tle

t hey would be handed over to the Russians.

time had passed, he found the t rigger of h is sub­

The 400 men were exami ned in the camp at

mac h i n e gun and futilely em ptied his magazine in

Zwiesel. After fourteen days, t hey were loaded o n to

the d i rection we had go ne. The first step toward

t rucks that departed from the camp heading

freedom had bee n blessed by fortune. U n fort u­

toward the west. They then d rove on a side road

nately, I was unl ucky enough to get caugh t up in a

t h rough the Bavarian Woods to Pilsen and turned

t ree branch in t h e darkness at the edge of t he

over all of the prisoners to the Russians. The first

road that my marc h i ng rations and Illy binoculars

news of that extradi tion was brough t to Germany by

got lost i n t h e fall as I broke free. Also, Ollr group

a Fahnenj un ker- U n teroffizier who leaped from a

d i d not get together aga i n . "Bubi" Bahler, of the

truck d uri ng the trip through the Bavarian Woods

�rd Company, who had been given that nickname

and made his way t h rough to West Germany. Those

because of his you t h ful appearance, was with me.

remai n i ng on the trucks had to endure many years

The n igh t , which we spent under a shel tering

of b i t ter captivity as Russian prisoners of war, and it

spruce, was bitterly cold. We had no warm cloth­

cost many of them their l ives.

ing other than our mouse-gray light tanker cover­ a l ls . In the quiet days at Socherl I had read a bit in

REPORT OF ALFRED RUBBEL

Stifter's " H ochwald" [ "Tall Forest " ] . Now I had the

The clearing in the forest near the village of Dobr­

opport u n i ty to get

usch e m pt ied in the afte rnoon of 1 0 May. After

the Bohemian Woods f i rs t hand. We t raversed the

t h e commander's final illuster and our discharge,

mou n ta i n massif of Kubany at an elevation of

to know his port rayal of

each of us was responsible for his own decisions.

1 , 1 00 m e ters, wading at times t h rough sl ush . We

I n consideration of the advice to make it past the

were safe t h e re in the woods. The Americans did

American i n terd i ction l i nes in fron t of us i n the

n o t l i ke to leave their jeeps and the road. Our

smallest possible groups, it was advisable then to

stomachs started to rumble. Now and again we

march on foo t . This, despite the admonition to

came upon farmsteads in t h e wilderness where

the tanker t h a t his abi l i ties decrease correspon­

we were m odestly taken care of. One day we de­

d i n g to the alllount of t i m e t raveled on foot .

scended i n t o civil ized coun t ry and landed in the

U n fo rt u nately, n o t e nough com rades fol l owed

neigh borhood of Zwiesel i n Buchenau.

t h a t advice. They moved farther to the west and

After a foot march of a good 100 kilometers,

were seized by the Americans i n the broken h i l ly

almos t e n t i rely on woodland paths, we had to take

terrain and had to pay for t h e i r carelessness with

a break. The group had, in the meant ime, grown

Russian captivi ty.

t h rough t h e addi tion of various soldiers who had

Wi t h a small group of soldiers, I made my way

joined up with me as the possessor of a map and

on foot . With marc h i n g rations, binoculars, map,

com pass.

The

l i t tle

village

was

packed with

compass and pistol as my o n ly baggage I was light

refugees so we were able to mix i nconspicuously

and mobile. As eve n i ng app roached, but wh i l e i t

among t h e m . At Graf X 's castl e we were able to

was still light, I saw the first blocking posi t i o n , t h e

exchange our m i l i tary o u tf i ts for c ivilian d ress.

Prachati tz-C h ristianberg road ,

When the Americans d rove t h rough the village

run n i n g i n

a

north-south d i rection. We waited for darkness i n

with their patrols, we reti red i n t o the forest,

the Oberhaid cemet e ry and a t te m p ted to deter-

warned by our alarm syste m .

404

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

I t had gotten to be the middle of May and i t was t i me to move o n . I n order t o travel legally, one had to have an Al lied certi ficate of discharge as a demobi lized soldier in order to avoid the dan­ ger of ending up as some sort of prisoner of war. My destination was Hanover. Because the grou p had become so large and also too careless, we set out to the west toward Regensbu rg. Bahler wanted to go to his parents at Schwetzinge n . Somewhere we met up with a group of older children who had been sen t to the coun­ try [ to avoid the bombing in the cities ] . They were with their guardian. Because " Bubi" Bahler in his short pan ts fitted comple tely into the picture of the group, I advised him to join it, the more so since it was goi ng to follow the same route for a wh ile. He did it, though with a heavy heart , and "' < I S home, safe and sound, a t the end of June. My next desti nation was Staffe lste i n . That was where the family of Hans von H agemeister had gone. I hoped to meet up with h i m there. I made my way there alone. One problem was food. The region between the Bavarian forest, the Danube and Regen i n which my westerly rou te led me at that time was, like so many others, overrun with former members of the Wehrmacht, refugees and "displaced persons" ( people who had been brough t from the east and released prisoners of war) . The "displaced persons" were well cared for by the U.S. Army or the UNRA, a U n i ted ations organization. ' The other two groups, the German soldiers and the civilians, depended on the charity of the local people. I must say that I experienced a great readiness to offer assistance during those weeks. Gran ted, the local admin istration also issued food ration coupons to us "traveling folk," good for one day only, and one could also purchase food. But, without "docu­ ments" there were no ration coupons and one also had to have money. ( I no longer remember whether I had any money. ) My own source of sup­ ply was, thus, a frie ndly invitation to share a meal. And so, on the second day of Pen tecost, after a luxurious meal at a hospitable farmhbuse near N i ttenau we experienced a near disaster. More than satisfied in every way-i t had been roast pork with noodles and, for desert, preserved plums-I made my way along a wi nding road through the woods, paying far less attent ion than was my wont. As if conj u red from the eart h , a U .S. Jeep wi th A m is was parked five meters i n fron t of me.

They waved me forward and indicated "come on" to make me understand that ] was to approach them. My leap over the roadside ditch and disappearance i n to the underbrush wen t so fast and, for the A mis, came as such a surprise, that they had no chance to grab their weapons. 1 was safe. That day, which had begu n so wel l , could have ended q u i te badly. As w e discovered later, there were many US u n i ts that sought to make u p for their lack of an opport u n i ty to be in combat by doing " their part i n the war." Their desire to capture German soldiers was i n tense; i t bordered o n competition. Somewhere the forest came to an end. A slop­ ing meadow, filled with glacial boulders scat tered erratical ly, separated me from the next patch of woods. To the right rear i n the valley, at a distance of 200 to 300 me ters, was a road. About 100 meters before ] got to the edge of the woods, I heard engine noise and a whistle. I t was my Amer­ ican friends from the previous e ncounter. They were back again and wavin g with increased i nt en­ si ty. They had, in the mean time, picked up two Landser. What caused me concern , however, was the heavy .50-caliber machi ne gun poin ted at me. As I dashed toward the woods I heard gunshots and impacts next to me. The bandits fired explo­ sive ammun i tion and a splinter tore through my left ear. When I was safely under cover, I bandaged my ear with my sole possession, with my "multi­ purpose cloth" ( handkerchief, shawl, mosqui to­ screen , sun shade-now bandage ) . I came to the concl usion that this could not go on. After more­ or-less surviving six years of war I was not about to become a target for any trigger-happy Amis. A new strategy was in order! ]n Weiden, Amberg, and Grafenwahr, the U.S. Army had set up so-called "discharge cam ps. " After the transfer of those solders of the 6th and 8th Armies who had been seized near the border came to an end, soldiers who were then caught were registered there . I f there was noth ing seri­ ous, such as membership in the SS, h igh party office or high mili tary ran k, you received a dis­ charge cert i ficate within a few days. At fi rst ] was u ncertain how membership in " Feldherrnhalle" would be j udged. After q uestioning men who had been discharged, I decided to surrender volu n tar­ i ly at the camp at Weiden. My j udgme n t proved correct . After fou r days, I had my "papers." For me, the war was f i nally at an end.

C HAPTER

3 7

Reco ll ections of a Panzer So l dier (Part V) Dr. Franz- Wilhelm Lochmann

THE FINAL ACT

We were loaded onto the rai l cars wit h seven King Tigers. Led by Leutnant Ram bow, we were, as i t appeared, sen t t o Austria without a destination. At the Retz rai l road station we h eard that even Schorner had also capitulated. We were pleased that t h e commander h ad sen t a YW-Schwim mwa­ gen to us. We were supposed to get to Wallern by taking the back roads. The batta�ion was to be dis­ solved t here. There were many sllpply tra i ns a t Retz. We were able to outfit ourselves wit h an abundance of rations and cigare t tes and also with i tems of equipment such as rucksacks, foo tgear, u nderwear and other practical t h i ngs. We also found a rai l­ road car with brownish-beige Luftwaffe coveralls that we put o n over our black u n i forms. We then set out and moved as far as our fuel took us. One King Tiger after another was blown up. The next­ to-the-Iast was our Tiger 1 00. At the location where we would blow u p the tan k we found a truck with a defective cooli n g system. While t h e t a n k was prepared for demolition, w e worked feverish ly to make the truck road-worthy. The other crews moved on wi t h the last tank. Shortly before the truck was operable, Russian infantry emerged behind us. Leutnant Rambow advanced at them in the Schwim mwagen and held them off for a time. Then it was done. The truck started, we blew up Tiger 100 and drove off after our comrades. We caugh t up with them and

pumped the gas from the last Ki ng Tiger into the truck's fuel tank and were also able to fill a few spare cans. Then the last of the Tigers was blown up. TOWARD BUDWEIS

We made only slow progress. We had a serious leak in the cooling system and h ad to stop every five kilometers to fill i t . I n the villages, Czechs approached us with flowers. They though t that we were Americans. We got to a place that was totally packed. All the Landser, no matter what com pass direction t hey came from, reported they had encountered Russians. One gro u p of Luftwaffe officers i n a command car advised us that the Americans were i n Budweis. We decided to get thro ugh to there . We "procured" yet another truck and decided to push on through to Budweis along with the Luftwaffe officers. Our group now included a few infantryme n , two motorcycle-mes­ sengers and several bicycle riders. Before long we were under fire in a patch of woods. We had divided ourselves i n to groups and were determined to clear the hindrance from our path. It consisted of Czech partisans and we were able to speedily send them packing. We then moved on, con tinuing throughout the entire night. We only used back roads. The Russians were on all of the major arteries. Slowly we came to realize that we would have to expect something o ther than the Americans i n Budweis. Battle Group "We Wan t to 405

406

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR JJ

Go H ome LO Germany" broke up. Those of us who were from Tiger Tank Battalion 503 wan ted to stick together until we thought we were safe. Therefore, we drove west in our truck. We were very cautious and repeatedly avoided all the major arteries and villages. On the next day we encoun tered a French officer in a jeep. He escorted us to the Americans in Krumau ( M oravia ) . There we were put into a sim ply fe nced prison camp. Despite our wa rnings, a crew from the 2nd Company separated from us and wou nd u p in the local h ospital. We soon realized that the Amis were getting ready to move out. They were only wa iting for the arrival of the Russians. They were going LO hand us over to them. With that, we made up our m i nds: "We have to get out of here". We risked the breakout shortly before midnight. Everything went l i ke clockwork. There were only a few shots. We marched ofT through the night with t h i rty men from the battalion. We were exceed­ i ngly confident that we could do i t . Along with our crew and that of Leut nant Rambow, I remem­ ber three other crews from the 3rd Company, among them those of Feldwebel Weige l , Feld­ webel Seidel and U nt eroffizier Spiekermann. For the first part of the n ight I took the point with the crew of Tiger J 00. I was only able to ori­ ent myself by means of the stars. The 1 : 300,000 map I had only offered rough orientatiop, espe­ cially since we were only able to proceed along dark wood land paths. For the secon d half of the n ight, U n tero ff izier Spiekermann took over the point and I was the last man. We only moved ahead slowly. Again and again the point had to stop in order to decide on the most favorable route. During those short h alts we sometimes sat down. I was dead tired. For three days and three nights I had h ad prac tically no sleep at all. And so what had to happen happened. I fell asleep d ur­ ing a short halt. The column did not notice I was m issing for a long time. As morn ing drew near I awakened and q uickly grasped my situation. I got to a village that was occ upied by Americans. There was a : cemetery outside the village. I was still dead tired, so I crept into the bushes in the cemetery and slept there for most of the day. I had figured correctly. No A m i looked there. As eve n i ng approached, I strengthened mysel f with a frugal meal and stud­ ied my map. Fi rst I wan ted to cross the "cold" and "warm" Moldau Rivers and then traverse the

Bohemian Woods i n order to reach German terri­ tory on the other side in the Bavarian Woods, somewhere between Zwiesel and Grafenau. From there I th ough t I would head toward Nurem berg. The weather in the spring of 1 945 was splen­ did. I al lowed myself time and was able to get past the really critical places quite wel l . I marched mai n ly at n ight and spe n t the day sleeping i n th ickets i n the woods. The most t i m e was needed for the crossing of the M oldau River, since Ameri­ can sen t ry posts were closely spaced on the west side and they ran regular patrols with j eeps. However, I also successfully got past that difficult sector during the night. I n the Bavarian Woods I marched by day, avoiding contact with buil t-up areas. Now and again I was able to get advice from civilians who i n formed me about isolated h i king trails or Americans. Actually, the Americans only patrolled the roads. The Amis were extremely cautious and st ill suspec ted that there were vVerewolf resistance groups in the woods. I ndeed, I had become a kind of wolf. Wolves are very cautious beasts. They are only dangerous in packs, and such packs are hunted without restraint. Therefore I never joined up with groups of Landser I met in the woods. They were LOO careless as they moved through the terrain and most of them had far more contact than I did with vil l ages in order to get food. I was autonomous on that march since I was well sup­ plied for all my needs. One evening I got to a fai rly la rge barn at the edge of the woods, behind which was a small fIeld pat h . I decided to take advantage of that " ho tel" for the n ight and made mysel f comfortable i n the back part , but not before loosening a few sidi ngs so I could slip out i n to the woods at any time. I n t h e morni ng, an American patrol moved along the field pat h . The Amis stopped, and two of the soldiers en tered the barn . Fort u nately, they gave it no more than a superficial i nspection. I f I had been forced to bolt through the back wall I would h ave lost my entire set of goods. At that time it occurred to me that my route along the border was not the best. I turned toward the Dan ube and kept my course to the nort h of the river, through the h i lls, maintaining some dis­ tance from the road leading to Regensburg. Worth was the first fai rly large buil t-up area that I headed directly for. It was swarm ing with A m is. I heard from the civilians that there was a

Recollections of a Panzer Soldier (Pmt V)

large prison camp i n Regensburg where discharges were already being given . Further, Landser who were caught in Regensburg were no longer being turned over to the Russians. I took private lodgi ngs there. It was a real experience to enj oy a bath tub once aga In . I then resolved t o bypass Regensburg t o the east i n order to then set off i n the d i rection of Nuremberg-Wll rzberg to the nort h . When I crossed the same ridge l i n e t h ree ti mes only to wind up again i n the Dan ube valley, I decided to head to Regensburg, especially since I had encountered Landser who had been outfi t ted with d ischarge papers from the Americans there. I n Regensburg I happened into a n iden tity card con­ t rol poi n t run by the American military police. The guys were comple tely taken aback when I pro­ d uced my m i l i tary pay book. They took me to a m i l i tary base where the La ndser sat in the open, arranged beh i n d barbed wire according to which m i l i tary district the came from . Two days later I was given a questionnaire, had my hair cut, and was deprived of my decorations. On the next day we formed up to get our d ischarge certi ficates. "AUTOMATIC ARREST"

My joy at being among the first twenty to be called up did not last long. We were driven into a special camp with clubs without first knowing what that mea n t . Slowly I figured out what the situation was. We had been separated ' as pol i tically suspect. Why I was i n cl uded was unclear to me. On the third day that camp was packed. 200 Landser were then dumpe d on us. For the most part, they had just been operated on. As I learned from them, a German h ospital had j ust been cleared out to make it avai lable for the Amis and t hose soldiers, l i ke us, had been given the notorious q uestionnaire . In the subse­ quent i nvestigation of those Landser, two men who belonged to the Waffen-SS were d iscovered among them. Therefore all had been marked for further investigation as poli tically suspect . A day later w e were mov�d b y truck t o a bar­ racked camp at the Grafenwohr t ra i n i ng area. I i m mediately busied mysel f as an i n terpreter and heard that after two days, the so-called d isabled battalion, which was what the 200 Landser that had been pul led o u t of the h ospi tal were called, would undergo a new screen ing. At the same time I heard that the previo us questionnaires had not

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come along with those comrades so that they would all have to fill out those papers agai n . W h e n t h a t battalion was called u p , I at tached myself to the bunch. This time I was more cautious in filling out the q uestionnaire. A sim ilarity of names and my residence in H amburg must have led to the so-called "automatic arrest." Therefore, this time, I gave Gitti ngen as my residence. An ugly scar on my back that was still quite fresh served to lend credibility to my clai med stay in the hospital with a round that had lodged in my lung. This time I easily passed the screening. I was d ischarged and transported to Erfurt by truck. Since the Russians were ex pected there any day I moved on to Eisenach as quickly as possi ble. From there I very quickly made it to the Werra River. In Eschwege the first t h i ng I did was seek out Richard Schwarzmann 's family. He had not yet got home. The rest of our group must have run into m isfortu ne. I learned the truth later. During the night that I fell asleep my com­ rades also slept later. Obviously, t hey posted sen­ tries. Unfort u n a tely, they fai led to take armed Czechs t h ey discovered seriously. An American battalion then surrounded the patch of woods. My comrades were taken prisoner and immed iately tu rned over to the Russians. Only a few were able to save themselves. The others had to survive long years of Russian captivi ty. Rich ard Schwarzman n didn't come home un til late, as did my loader, Wolfgang Speckin. My gunner, the good Hannes Berger, had an accident during captivity and, after survivi ng the enti re war, d ied there. I was in Hamburg wi th my fam i ly on 1 July 1 945. I q u ickly found the first comrades of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. Leutnant Ha ns-ji't rgen Hal3 and Feldwebel Gruteser from the staff, as well as Obergefreiter Karl-Ernst Koch from our com pany. I n the search for missi ng and dead I made extremely quick contact, not only wi th the com­ rades of my own company, but also with those of the other companies. The bonding and comradesh ip from those dif­ fic u l t years has re mained strong right up to this day. In addi tion to many battalion get-toge thers I see the former members of the 1 st Company once a year. Most bring their wives along. We do not meet because we are living i n the past or bound­ less m i l i tarists. \Ale do so because we were welded i n to the bonds of comradeship in a time of trou­ ble . We were fortun ate to su rvive because each of

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

us was there for the other. We did not want the war. H istory damned us to participate i n it. Let no one tell me that war is the father of all thi ngs. War is a terrible misfortune. e i ther is war

the conti n uation of poli tics with other means, as was so beau tifully form ulated. Politics and war are nothing other than the i nstruments of power, and we were misused by that power.

C HAPTER

3 8

Woe to the Vanquished ! A lfred Rubbel

T

hose words, which the Romans wrote near­ ly two thousand years ago, proved to have lost none of their historical rea l i ty as the power of the Reich collapsed wi th the surren der i n May 1 945 and the terri tory of the Reich was occupied totally by the victors in the war. I n the East, i n general, the German civilian population suffered under the abuses and a troc ities perpe­ trated by both soldiers and also civi l ians. That is known and documented. Less well known and suppressed by i n terested parties is the fac t that in the West , vast numbers of German soldiers had to suffer greatly under treatme n t that was i n contra­ vention to i n ternational law. The U.S. Army in i ts zone of administration had planned and accepted as a part of i ts system-even if not as an i n ten tional obj ective-conditions such that thousands of captured German soldiers died i n the camps of h unger, exhaustion and disease. There is a mora l asymmetry that characterizes the issue . On the one hand, the Germans had commi tted war crimes to such an exte n t that all were collec tively guilty. For a long time there was no con travening argument allowed; spec i fi ca lly, the fac t that the other side also commit ted or all owed misdeeds that could be consider war crimes. The archives remain closed; discussion was u nwelcome. One hoped that those who experi­ e nced such thin gs would pass on and, with their departure, would be l ost any i n terest i n clarifying

the sit uation or setting things righ t . There is an obligation to combat that. It is due to every com­ rade who suffered or perished. Members of our battalion were also affected. Therefore, it is per­ m issible to write about that in our book. I t is not our i n tention to trivialize German war crimes, but neither is i t our i n te n tion to trivialize those of the victors. Above all else, i n that respect, i t is im por­ tant to bring forward information that has been withheld so long, particularly by former enemies who are, today, our all ies. I t is important to de­ mand the tru t h . W h e n there were no more prisoners-of-war i n German custody a n d , therefore, no reprisals could be feared, a shamefu l practice developed i n re­ gard to the adherence to or neglect of i n terna­ tional law. The U SSR, as everyone knew, was not sensitive i n how it treated those i n i ts custody. H owever, it was astounding to find that the French military, in part, rivaled the U SSR in that regard. Both cases could possibly be explained by negative personal or national experiences. However, that the US Army should also be guil ty of breaches of law and cri mes in what was recognizable back then and provable today is not excused by any­ thing. Captivi ty with the English, on the other hand, was l i ke a s tay at a health spa. We, our battal ion, had to deal with the Ameri­ cans as well as the Russians. H ere are a few experi­ e nces our comrades had with Americans: 409

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

They broke their word. I n spite of their prom­ ise not to hand personnel over to the Russians, they did j ust that. I n many camps in the area of lower Bavaria the camp commanders competed in their unwor­ thy treatme n t of German soldiers ( head shav­ ing) , beating and feeding and q uarters at a level that i nj u red health that were a form of collective "revenge . " The Auerbach (Grafen­ wah r) camp held the " lead" in that respect. The use of guns against recognizably u narmed men who attem pted to avoid captivi ty after the end of the war was not permissible according to the Hague Conven tions o n Land Warfare and therefore was reprehensible. (An al most parallel u nlawful behavior can be seen i n the use of guns by the former German Democratic Republic border police . )

O n e c a n search i n vai n for a comparable example from i nt ernational law with regard to the secret direct ives of the U .S. regi me immediately after the surrender. It attem pted to remove the status of German soldiers as prisoners of war­ entitled to protection under i n te rnational law­ and to replace i t with that of so-called "disarmed enemy forces." That arbi trary action stripped them of the protection and con trol of the I nt e rna­ tional Red Cross. The u nbelievable conditions in the U.S. prison camps in western Germany--camps that resembled concentration camps-and that were already be­ coming known in 1 945 must be attributed directly to the "disarmed enemy forces" di rective. The ful l extent of that crime o f the U . S . Army-any other designation would be an additional scandal-first became really public with the appearance in 1 989 of the book Other Losses: The Shocking Tntth behind the Mass Deaths o/Disarmed German Soldiers by Cana-

dian author James Bacque. The author held the military commander-in-chief at the time, General Eisenhower, directly responsible. The "col lection" of soldiers and also other Weh rmacht members (of both sexes) amounted to a total of 3,700,000 "disarmed enemy forces" i n U . S. custody. Billeting a n d care for them could no longer be guaranteed. Sensible troop command­ ers, such as General Patton, the commanding gen­ eral of the U.S. Third Army, had ordered the quickest possible release of the Germans because of that si tuation. Eisenhower or his staff at SHAEF revoked t hat direct ive on 1 5 May 1 946. Almost a million German soldiers died of hunger and illness in 1 945-46 in the camps, according to Bacque. The American camps at D ietersheim, Bretzen­ heim, H echtsheim, and Bi ngen held leading posi­ tions in that respect. As a resu lt, the U .S. moved i n to the same "bad" n eighborhood as i ts al ly, the USSR. The German Red Cross estimated that 1 .6 m i l lion of the 3.2 million German prisoners of war died i n Russian captivi ty. The difference between the two processes is i n their origin: •

•

The Sovie t Union, afflicted with well-known, ongoing difficu l ties with food supply-also affecting i ts own ci tizenry-could hardly do more for the prisoners, unless it had renounced taking prisoners. The U.S. or i ts expeditionary forces in Ger­ many with i ts vast l ogistical capabil ities, could have supplied the prisoners. I f it was unable to do that, it should have taken appropriate measures to preven t this genocide . .

We can hope a n d wish that James Bacque has given the impetus with his book to bring that dark chapter to the l ight of day to determine the truth: I s the U .S. Army guilty or not guilty?

C HAPTER

3 9

My Period as a Prisoner of War froll} May 1945 to October 1955 Vlrich Koppe

THE END OF THE WAR AND INITIAL CAPTIVITY

(8- 1 5 MAY 1 945) In the early days of the month of May 1 945, I was em ployed with the combat elements as the acting commander of the 3rd Company in the area of southern Moravia ( southwest of Bru n n , north of Znaim ) . We supported an infan try division and had the m ission of holding back the Soviet troops with about four to six tanks for as long as possible to cover the withdrawal of our own formations. We knew that American troops had already reached the area of Linz and the Bohemian Woods and were behind us. How far the Americans would continue their advance was unknown to us. In addition to the tanks, the combat elements also included wheeled veh icles for supply and liai­ son . Fuel, ammun ition and rations were still avail­ able. We m ai n tained communications with the battalion staff by radio and with wheeled veh icles. We still were in con tact with the enemy u p to 7 May. On 8 May i t was noticeably quieter. Some­ thing was "in the air" that would soon bring the war to a n end, at the latest w.h en the Soviets and American troops l i n ked u p wi th each o ther i n our area. During the course of the evening the news trickled in that the Weh rmacht had surre ndered. A Soviet air-dropped leaflet con fi rmed the news. The leaflet demanded that we remain in our posi­ tions, stop all combat activi ty on 9 May at 000 1 hours and wai t for the arrival of Soviet troops. We

were to turn our veh icles and weapons over to them and become prisoners. We did not follow the demands. A motorcycle messenger brough t me the order to march west with the battle group to reach the American lines. In carrying out that order the com bat elements moved west from the Budweis area in Moravia. Someone had laid us that the American troops were at the Moldau River. Therefore, that was our goal. On 9 May the march contin ued i n beau tiful, warm spring weather over i ntact Czechoslovakian roads. The tanks moved in the col umn. We were not im peded by the Czechs. We were allowed lO move freely through the vil lages. Banners stretch­ ed over the streets read in English : "We welcome the victors." That certainly wasn 't intended for the Sovie t troops. We were stopped by American troops near the city of Kronau on the Moldau. At that time we had only wheeled veh icles. The tanks had not made it through the march. We had destroyed every single one of them because of mechanical problems. One time during the march, an American air­ plane flew low over us without fi ri ng. For me, that was the proof that the war was fi nally over. We were the van quished and were heading i n to an u n known future. The U .S. soldiers a t the roadblock allowed all German soldiers and civilians that came from the

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

east to pass through . Natural ly, the soldiers had to surrender their weapons, but we were allowed to keep our wheeled veh i cl es, part icularly the trucks wi th rations. We drove on to the west and, after several kilometers, were directed i n to a large meadow near Wallern where the U .S. Army col­ lected the members of all the u n i ts that had been committed on the Eastern Fro n t. The trucks and automobiles were parked i n t h e meadow. The soldiers o f the individual u n i ts gathered around them. The meadow was com­ ple tely surrou nded by American soldiers. There was no fe nce. A stream ran th rough the meadow. All in all, it was an undisturbed landscape with a view of the mountains of the Bohemian Woods. "Ve met other mem bel'S of the battalion on the meadow who had come there i n ways similar to ours. There were members of all the companies, a total of about 350-400 men, including about 1 5 officers. I cannot come up with an exac t num ber, nor do I remember the names of all the off i cers. However, among them were Wiegand, von Eichel­ Streiber, Ohnesorge, Piepgras. Ram bow, Rol lik, Schenk, Gille, Kret tek, and myself. We kept the rest of the battalion together, as best we could, and looked after i ts organ ization, but turned the decision as to whether to "take off' over to each man to make for h imself. It was unspoken but obvious that, for us officers, we would remain in captivi ty as long as our soldiers were prisoners. The American soldiers more or less left us to our own devices during th ose days. They did a very superficial job of registering us, though they did question us as to our desired location for dis­ charge. I no longer know whether they recorded that in writi ng. In any case, the opinion spread that all who were in the camp would be brough t to Bavaria. Occasionally, prom ises were made to the officers of the units that we would not be turned over to the Soviet Army. "Ve were not given rations. We were fortunate in still having our field kitchens and rations for sev­ eral days wi th us. Sick and wounded were cared for. However, a notable uncertai n ty la� over each and every one of us that could not be assuaged by the beautiful May weather and the peace in the air. That uncert a i n ty found a temporary end i n the m o rn i n g of 1 5 May i n an American wake-up call and the demand that we prepare for depar­ ture with our vehicles. The meadow was cleared.

The only anxious question was: Where were they taking us? American m i l i tary vehicles were interspersed throughout the col u m n . Armed soldiers sat on them . The move did not go toward the west, as we actually expected and hoped, but toward the east, approximating the route along which my battle group had marched westward a few days earlier. I t gradually became clear t o us what the U . S . sol­ diers i ntended, and it became quiet within and around us. After a th ree-hour drive , the U.S. sol­ diers turned us over to Sovi e t soldiers who led the col umn with their own guards past Budweis th rough Wittingau-Neuhas to a temporary forest camp at Neu-Bistri tz. IN SOVIET CAPTIVITY ( 1 5 MAY 1 945-7 OCTOBER 1 955): CAMP NEU-BISTRITZ, CZECHOSLOVAKIA ( 1 5-3 1 MAY 1 945)

A patch of woods near the city of Neu-Bistritz was sealed off by the Soviet troops. 0 preparations had been i n i t iated for billeting personnel. We l ived i n what tents were available, i n shel ters that we made ourselves and on trucks that we had still been allowed to keep. We were also allowed to keep our own field kitchens. The Soviets provided food, al though not in adequate quanti ties. The members of the battalion remai ned toge ther. We set up our own "admi nistration," cared for the sick and wounded and concerned ourselves with maintaining spiritual and bodily health. The shock of the imprisonment and the betrayal of their word by the U .S. soldiers i n turn­ ing us over to the Soviets-which depressed each of us-was somewhat offse t by the familiar unit cohesion within the companies. One could still speak of a military organization that now had the obj ective of returning in good health to the home­ land. The Sovie ts had their part in that and contin­ ually promised us thal we would "return home soon . " Nobody fully believed that, but you clung to the positive things you heard. For the first time, we learned to know officers' rations i n that camp. I n the Sovie t Army, officers received better rations than e n l isted person nel and noncom missioned officers. That was also true for German officers. We were give n more sugar and tobacco and were probably given some butter. The officers decided unanimously to give the extra rations to the ill and wounded.

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1 955

The Soviets were seldom seen in the cam p. They carried out a registration of the prisoners. They recorded individual particulars and discharge locations. For the time bei ng, abuses by Soviet sol­ diers were kept in bounds. After about fourteen days, the first march unit was assembled . A medical examination was given to determine the sui tabi l i ty of each i nd ividual for transportation. The f i rst t ransport incl uded about 1 ,200 to 2,000 men, including about 1 00 officers. Our battalion was i ncl uded in i ts entirety in that transport. TRANSPORT TO FOCSANI (RUMANIA)

We marched in a heavily guarded long colum n . After spend i ng the n ight i n the open-fortunately it did not rai n-we reached the Slabings rai l road station, where we were mean t to en train. That was where the Sovie ts carried out the first strict per­ sonal and luggage i nspection, along wi th an exact registration. All that I possessed by way of luggage was the clothing on my back and a small bag wi th a small n umber of necessary personal i tem such as toilet i tems. Rings and watches were taken from us, as well as sharp obj ects (such as knives and scis­ sors ) , to the exten t that we had not previously hid­ den them somewhere. We were d istributed among freight cars for the movement, forty-five men and one officer as offi­ cer-in-charge on each car. Slabings lay on an auxil­ iary stretch of rai l road' from Czechoslovakia to Austria, between Budweis and Brun n . The train left there o n about 3 1 May 1 945 with approxi­ mately 1 ,500 prisoners. A Russian officer was the movement officer. The soldiers of the guard, who were either in a car of their own or i n the brake houses on each freigh t car, reported to h i m . Whenever the train stopped, they formed a line of sentries around the train . A German officer was selected as representa­ tive for the prisoners. He concerned himself with the wel fare of the prisoners to the exten t that i t was i n h i s power a n d s o far as the Soviet soldiers allowed it. I n terpreters made their first appearance on the t ra i n . From that poin t on, they played the role of "mediator" bel:\-veen the Soviet "IOI"ds" and the German "serva n ts." We were dependant on them. Depending on their character makeup, some of them used their knowledge of the language

413

shamelessly to their own advantage and to the dis­ adva n tage of their comrades. The Soviet soldiers behaved with restraint. They naturally con tinued to talk about an i m m i ne n t journey home. As a result, most of the prisoners remai ned calm. The question that concerned us on that train was the destination of our trip. One thing was clear: I t wasn ' t taking us home. We were unable to get any detailed i n formation from the Soviet guards. During the journey the car doors remained closed. The doors were only opened to give us food and for the daily headcou n ts. The rations were meager: Bread, sugar and soup twice a day, along with something to drink. No one was actu­ ally able to satisfy his h unger. That was a state we would become accustomed to for a long time. The sani tary and hygienic situation was endurable. A doctor supervised the health situation. Those who were sick were taken to a hospi tal car. With troubled hearts and minds, we traveled slowly past Vienna and Budapest and on th rough Arad ( Rumania ) , Kronstadt, and Ploesti. On 10 June 1 945, we arrived at Focsani, an unfamiliar mid­ sized city in eastern Rumania (the Moldau region ) . Immed iately after our arrival, the officers were separated from the enlisted personnel and non­ commissioned officers. I do not know where the members of our bat talion wen t. We officers lost con tact with them. D uring the long years of my captivity, I never saw any of them again . TRANSIT CAMP AT FOCSANI, RUMANIA ( 1 0 JUNE-3 1 JULY 1 945)

We arrived at Focsani on about 1 0 J une 1 945. The officers of our battal ion came through the t rain ride i n good heal th. We were all more or less fi t . Although several t housand German and H un­ garian officers were in the camp, the German camp leadership incl uded only noncommissioned officers and enlisted men. It in cluded some quite bad people whose only concern was to harass the officers. The camp leader was, ostensibly, a Luft­ waffe Stabsfeldwebel, an officer hater and mar­ tinet of the worst sort. He did everything he could to make our l i fe hell and to "serve" the Soviets. He was supported by people who clai med to be some of the earlier prisoners of war, members of the National Com mi t tee for a Free Germany and from former commun ists who had emigrated

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

from Germany. What they told us appeared to us to be extremely im probable . T h e person nel of t h e Soviet guard remained aloof i n the camp. Within the camp, a "camp police" was formed from ethnic Germans who behaved l i ke the German camp admin istration so as to win popularity with the Soviets. The camp was run strictly. Every morning and evening a m uster was held that could last up to five hours. We were housed in great stone build­ ings that had been h uge garages with concrete floors. Three-tiered wooden bunks had been con­ structed. There were no straw sacks or bed l i nens, there was no illumination and we received no replacements for tattered clothing. Footgear and clothing started to wear out and one had to do with makeshi ft repairs. There was a delousing sta­ tion in the camp that everyone had to pass through about once every ten days. The washing facilities were terrible. There was a perpetual shortage of water, which was probably not unusual in that area . ew latri nes had to be buil t all the time. The food was "standard": 600 grams of moist bread, two broths with, for example, hard legumes i n them and a bit of sugar daily. Wi thin the camp, we had to carry out the work required for maintai ning feeding and hygiene ourselves. Therefore some of us were employed in the kitchen, others i n the bakery, carryi ng water, cleaning latri n es or building latrines. Other than that, we were left to ourselves. We had to come to terms with our fate. Debates over the past and future, stories about our homes and fam i l ies, of whom we had known nothing for months, were extensive. We got our first n ews of the resul ts of the Potsdam conference, the formation of zones of occupation and the start of the war crime trials from posted newspapers origi n ating in the Soviet occupation zone. The comradesh i p among the officers, and especially among us former members of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503 was good . We all had to become accustomed to the feeling of the loss of freedom, the "imprisonmen t" and cOll ti nuously l iving together. Each one tried to remain his own man , but everyone became a member of the camp commun i ty; an "escape" from that was difficult, if not impossible. The poor and i n adeq uate food and the lack of proper hygiene were burdensome i n the long run . The first i n testinal diseases set i n , a result of the

hot, humid climate as well as the bad water. The sick were looked after by German physicians i n a separate clinic. H owever, the doctors were l i m i ted i n the scope of their decisions, si nce Sovie t doc­ tors or medics decided whether someone was sick and whether they needed to be moved to the hos­ pital in the city. I did not see any cases of death i n t h e camp but, certain ly, there were some who died in the hospita l . A general debi litation soon made i tself eviden t . We actually fel t q u i te relieved when, one day, along with other officers and Hungarian and Ger­ man soldi ers, we were assembled for movement. We left the camp about the beginning of August 1 945 and traveled farther to the east under the al t-eady discussed condi tions of transport. That time, the whole gang of officers from Tiger tank Bat talion 503 were i n a single car, together with other officers. At f i rst, the trip headed north through Jassy, then to the east ac ross the Soviet-Rumanian bor­ der. The desti nation was Kischinew, the capitol c i ty of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. A prisoner-of-war camp had been set up there . KISCHINEW CAM P (AUGUST 1 945FEBRUARY 1 946)

I n retrospect it seems to me that our stay in that camp was the best. The later camps were i ncompa­ rably worse. The building that we occupied had ear­ lier been an agricultural school. I t had large rooms in which wooden bunks, tables and benches were set up. There were large hallways, toilets and wash­ rooms. The grounds were, of course, fenced in and beset with guard towers. There was a large open square i n fron t of the building i n which the morn­ ing and evening m usters took place. The guard­ house for the Soviet soldiers was at the main gate. I no longer remember the Soviet guards. The senior officer, a H u ngarian colonel, was the camp commandant. H e honestly worked to make l i fe endurable for all. We officers were appoin ted as leaders of companies or groups of a h undred sol­ diers and were meant to mai n tain order. After a few days of rest and getting accustomed to the camp, we marched out with the companies to work. I no longer know what kind of work the sol­ diers had to do. Naturally, the i nterpreters had a particularly important function there. They gave us the orders and desires of the Sovie t guards and vice versa.

My Period as a Prisoner o/ Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1 955

Skilled craftsmen had a better position among the prisoners thanks to their knowledge and expert­ ise. Our guards and the local "bosses" a t the con­ struction s i tes l i ked to keep the trained workers busy in all sorts of duties, including those of a pri­ vate nature . A core of c a m p workers ( cooks, laundry, latrin e , e te . ) was formed, all of whom led a more pleasa n t life than those who had to go out every day to work. The officers were housed in a special room and also got the first wooden bunks. I no l onger remember wh ether there were straw sacks. We were also assigned a soldier who, for example, brough t us the daily cold food. There was proba­ bly warm food as well; there were still special offi­ cer rations. I n the course of time, we all came to have our own mess gear or similar containers and also spoons. All i n all, we were happy to be able to be toge ther with comrades. At the same time, we were all fully aware that we had a h igh ly u ncertain future ahead of us. We were contin ually concerned with q uestions about when we would return home. No one could answer them . We no longe r believed the fam iliar rumors that were spread, especially by our guards. Whether our guards actually knew anything more exact about our fate seems, in retrospect, unlikely to me. In the long years of . i m prisonment, I learned that all the measures affecting us prison­ ers were i nstitu ted from above, i ndeed, from far above, from Moscow i tself. I cannot say whether the soldiers guarding us i n Kisch i n ew were members of the Soviet Army. Later, in any case, all of the prisoner-of-war camps were under the N KVD/MVD ( I nterior M i n istry) which had i ts own guard u n i ts ( police u n i ts ) . The political commissars belonged to those u ni ts. I would later get to know them. I n Kischinew we were spared them, so far as I could tell. We experienced our first Christmas without mail a t that camp. At that poi nt , we were n ' t even allowed to write . As had been the case all along, our only source of i n formation was the n ewspa­ pers from the Soviet zone of Germany. One day, about the end of February or the begi n n i n g of March 1 946, Ernst Oh nesorge and I , along with n i n e other German and H ungarian off icers, i ncluding the H u n garian colonel, were summoned to the guard house. There we were told to get our "gear" and be ready for immediate

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departure. I n addition to the six H ungarian offi­ cers, we consisted of one older M ajor, a Haupt­ mann from a tank unit, an Oberle utnant who was a j urist wi th a good knowledge of the Russian lan­ guage, Ernst Ohnesorge, and myself. We were j ust able to take leave of our com­ rades. They had to stay back at the camp gate. From there we were taken in custody by a guard detail consisting of an officer and three soldiers who s h u t us up i n a prisoner t ransport vehicle (a kind of " Black Maria" ) . Everything had to move quickly and we were handled pre t ty roughly. The door of the vehicle was closed. The veh icle left the camp with destination unknown. Naturally, each of us asked hi mself: Why we were treated l i ke that? Was there something against us? What would happen to us? We got no answers to the first two questions. The third ques­ tion was answered by the Soviet U nion after our long journey as a prisoner. My report on the captivity of the members of Tiger Tan k B attalion 503 ends with the farewel l from t h e comrades at t h e camp gate of Kischinew. Mter the officers had been separated from their enlisted personnel and noncommissioned officers in the Focsan i camp, then came the separation from the officers that evening in 1 946 a t Kischinew. Ohnesorge and I never met any of them again as prisoners of war in the USSR. Only ten years later was I to meet several of them again i n the Federal Republic of Germany. JOURNEY IN THE PRISON VEHICLE THROUGH THE USSR

The " Black Maria" took us to the Kischinew rail­ road station . There, along with our guards, we boarded a waiting prison rai lroad car. For reasons that I do n o t know, such railroad cars were called "Stolipyn" i n the Sovie t U n i o n . They only had small barred windows and were divided into enclosed compartmen ts, each with two triple­ tiered wooden bunks. Whether that referred to the m i n ister of the same name in the Czarist empire or another i nven tive jailer I do not know. That railroad car was coupled to a regularly sched­ uled long-distance tra i n . No one o ther than the guards knew where the journey ended. We had to climb on board, accompan ied by the constant cries of "Dawai , Dawai-H urry up! H u rry u p ! " The compartments were al ready ful ly occupied with Russian civilian prisoners, who

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

stared at us l i ke vul tures. They probably had their greedy eyes on our modest l uggage. We quickly learned how to deal with them so that our posses­ sions were kept firm ly in hand. A stove i n the guards' compartment heated the railroad car. I n those kinds of rail cars, i t would b e hot o n e time and then bi tterly cold another during the m u l ti-day trip. Our guards tried to get us our own compartment when we had to change cars but, thanks to the crowding, they were not always able to succeed. The train left Kisc h i new sometime d uring the nigh t . Nowadays I have trouble fol lowing the route on maps from the atlas. We changed trains several times on the tri p. Often we remained for long times in freigh t yards and never knew when the journey would continue. As I remember, the j ourney led th rough Odessa-Kharkov-Moscow. At Moscow we were again taken by night i n a " Black Maria . " We went through the c i ty from the one railroad station to another. At the second Moscow railroad station, which was to the east of the ci ty, I read a sign on a rai l road car that said "Wladiwos­ tok. " At that moment, my morale couldn't get any lower. I saw my comrades and mysel f dragged off to Siberia forevermore. From Moscow we continued to the east, proba­ bly through Kasan-Swerdlowsk and then on to Petropawlosk. From there our route led ov�r a sin­ gle-tracked stretch to the southeast until we were ordered to get out at a stop. After ten days of travel we had reached our desti nation : Karaganda, a city that, until then, had been unknown to any of us in an u n known land, far dista n t from Moscow, from Kischi new and from Germany. We were i n the m idst of the Kazakh Steppe in the southeast Asian portion of the Sovi e t Union. What fate awai ted us there? KARAGANDA ( 1 946- 1 950)

In 1 946, Karaganda was n o big ci ty. The city was i n a "banishment area." Since 1 930 that meant people whom Stal i n mistrusted or who were polit­ ical dissen ters-such as expropriated : peasan ts ( Kulaks ) , Volga-Germans and members of other groups with n on-Russian national origi ns-had been banished there . Ordinary civil prisoners were also there. All of them could move freely i n the city but could not leave the regio n . Camps for prisoners of war h a d been s e t up i n Karaganda a s early a s 1 94 1 , a t fi rst for German,

but later also for H u ngarian and Japanese war prisoners. We eleven officers were brough t to Camp 3, where we were received with curiosity and also with a l ittle distrust by German prisoners of war who had already been in captivi ty from 1 94 1 to 1 944. Encoun tering those "old prisoners" and l iving together wi th them was not without problems. For all of them, the war had ended soon er. They had difficult times of great privation during their im prisonment beh ind them. They had experi­ enced the mass deaths of starved and sick com­ rades during the war years and had survived. I n individual conversations, w e gradually learned of their painful experiences of which we had no real conception. Righ t up to the end of the war, i n delusional belief i n the fi nal victory, w e h a d been i nformed that there were not any German war prisoners i n the USSR. We were the fi rst officers to be i ncorporated i n to the camp commun i ty. There were no more privileges for officers. We had to get used to that, which wen t pretty quickly. With a few exceptions, the old prisoners soon accepted us as comrades in their comm u n i ty. The prisoners i n Camp 3 worked i n a nearby mine and i n another, more distant, mine. Each shift was driven there i n trucks. Shaft 1 was proba­ bly the first in Karaganda. I t had been built about 1 930 by the exiled persons under in human condi­ tions (climate, billeting and food ) . Several days after our arrival i n the camp I was assigned to a work brigade that worked i n Shaft 1 as a transport brigade. From that time on, I and all former officers up to and including the ran k of Hauptmann had to do physical labor. The fi rst workplace i n Shaft 1 was the most adventurous. The shaft had n o elevator. You had to go straigh t down i n to the unligh ted shaft on foot. You had to pay attention to avoid stumbli n g or hitting your head on cross-timbers and take care that the fai nt miners' lamps were not exti nguished. There was no replacement during the shift. You had to work by the l igh t of another comrade. The work consisted i n pushing mine cars loaded wi th coal or stone or the empties that were pulled out or returned by a cable in a special tun­ nel. The coupling and uncoupling of the cars was difficult and called for a special proficiency. Full or empty cars frequently broke l oose from the cable and came crashing back down at breakneck

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1955

speed. The only thing left to do was look for cover. Fortunately, during my time in the brigade there were no serious acciden ts. The local shift l eaders spoke well of us prisoners. They probably appreci­ ated our industriousness and our discipline. As an officer, they observed me closely i n i tial ly. Later, I was treated l i ke any other prisoner. Life in the camp fol l owed a set order, focused on the shift work ( th ree eigh t-hour shifts: Morn­ i ng, noon and night) . There was also i n ternal duty ( ki tchen, laundry, barbershop, i n firmary with Ger­ man doctors and medics, tailor shop, and clothing room ) . The i n ternal d u ty was primarily staffed with skilled workers, then wit h prisoners who were not fu lly capable of worki ng and, fi nal ly, with selected prisoners who had made themselves par­ ticularly " popular" with our guards. In every camp, in addition to the German camp leadership, which included prisoners of vary­ ing quali ties and character traits, there was an an ti­ fascist council. The council had the m ission of poli tically i n fluencing the prisoners with respect to socialism and the USSR. A chief "activist" was at the head of the council, with more "activists" at his side. All of them were exempt from work and received preference i n food, clothing and billet­ ing. They were i n close contact with the Russian camp leadersh ip and with the political commissars, for which the other prisoners held them in low esteem. H owever, they were feared. One had to be par­ ticularly careful of what one said in fron t of them . Almost all the "activists" were released early. Sev­ eral of them were employed as state and party functionaries in East Germany. They viewed us offi­ cers with suspicion that was concealed under false poli te ness. They may wel l have feared our i n fl u­ ence on the former soldiers, though that was no longer great. Thei r attempts to politically i n fl uence the prisoners were not very successful. In truth, their e fforts had effects opposite to those i n tended for many. After the release of all the "activists" by the end of 1 949, no n ew antifascist councils were organized in the camps by the Soviets. During all of the years of my captivity, I worked with former soldiers of every rank, at fi rst under­ ground, then, ostensibly for safety reasons, above ground, on construction, in q uarries, and i n n igh t-time offloadi n g o f long tree trun ks from rai l road cars. I got along well with everyone. We not only shared our rations, we also wen t through

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the uncertain ties and the diffICult lot of imprison­ ment together. The only hostile feelings toward officers that I ran i n to came from fellow prisoners who had been i n f l uenced by false ideologies. I was in th ree different camps in Karaganda until April of 1 950. During those years an increas­ ing number of former officers who had experi­ e nces similar to mine came to the camp. At the end of 1 948 or the begi n n ing of 1 949 a group of officers, including three staff officers, came to our camp from the Dscheskasgan "silent camp." That "silent camp" had been disbanded. Wh ile we had been able to send mail home since 1 946, that had not been allowed there. I n that year numerous civi l prisoners also came to us from the Eastern zone from the former con­ centration camps of Buchenwald and Oran ien­ burg. They were, on the one hand, higher officials and j udges who had not been soldiers and, on the o ther, "officials" who had been placed i n leading posi tions by the Soviets. The "officials" had been placed i n leading positions by the Soviets because it was alleged the Nazis had im prisoned them unj ustly i n concentration camps. Some of the lat­ ter group had been removed again from their positions for criminal activities by the Soviets and i mprisoned. The rations remained the same for the enti re time. I n the morning we got 600 grams of moist bread, some sugar and coffee . At noon we received soup. At n igh t , we were issued a porridge ( Kasha) made from m i l let, buckwheat, barley or the l i ke, or a cabbage soup with potatoes but no meat. We also received a bit of tobacco. The state of the prisoners' health in the years from 1 946 to 1 949 was bad, al though several of them were able to improve the rations by pur­ chase of additional i tems. Not everyon e could earn money. One first had to earn 456 rubles for the camp and could then ge t a maximum of 1 50 rubles paid out from anyth ing over that. However, since the Russian work quotas were, as a rule, set very h igh and the prisoners were in quite weak heal th, it was very difficult to earn money. I did earn something i n several of the months while I was worki ng in the mine, but I n ever belonged to the ran ks of the regular earners. Several books have been wri tten about l ife in the prisoner-of-war camps i n the USSR that have described everythi ng as I also experienced it. Gran ted , I was not wi th the authors whose books I

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALlON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

mention at the end of this sec tion, but each of them described that difficult time so wel l and thoroughly that I do not need to go i n to more detail. I n all of the camps we regularly received Soviet and East German newspapers. There were several comrades among us with good knowledge of the Russian language who translated the con ten ts of the newspapers for us. As a result, we were more­ or-less i n formed, even if in a one-sided fashion, about events i n the world. In addition, we lived with con tinual rumors that origi nated from our guards, from the anti-fascist council and from the civilian populatio n . I n Karaganda a n d also in t h e camps that fol­ lowed, there was a limited range of books that were available. We could read German-language books that were prin ted in the Soviet U n ion. They were, pri mari ly, books with political content ( Marx, Engels, Len i n , Stalin ) and classical as wel l a s modern Russian novels (such a s Silent Flows the Don) . There were also books from German authors who had been banned by the Nazi regime (such as Hei nrich and Thomas Mann and Ludwig Ren n ) . O f course, the most importan t question that concerned us conti nually was: When would we be released? We discovered that the Western Allies had promised to release all German war prisoners by the end of 1 948. The Soviet regime hac! ostensi­ bly .ioi ned in that decision. That date, however, was not adhered to by the Sovie t U n i o n . The trains from the Soviet U n ion to Germany until the end of 1 948 consisted primarily of prisoners who were sick and therefore incapable of work. I n 1 947 I became ill with a serious l u n g i n flamma­ tion and was unable to work for several weeks. Although I was given several medical exam i n a­ tions while I had this condition, I was not allowed to go on any of the t rains. I nstead, work-capable "activists" were allowed to go home. TRIAL AND SENTENCING (CHRISTMAS 1 949-APRIL 1 950)

In 1 949 we waited with a great deal of nervous ten­ sion for the date of our release. During the course of the year several trains set out from Karaganda to Germany. The last t rain with prisoners from the camp I was i n left at the end of ovember. The camp, however, was not emptied. Well over one hundred prisoners remained i n the camp, of which I was one. Those of us who were left behind

had an uncomfortable feeling, though we still hoped to be home before Ch ristmas. In the preceding years members of certain des­ ignated units of the army and the Waffen-SS had been constantly interrogated, im prisoned and, i n part, sentenced for ostensible war cri mes. After the departure of the final trains, a systematic i n terro­ gation began of all the remaining inmates of the camp, for which purpose the person nel ( MVO offi­ cers and translators) were signi ficantly increased. During my fi rst i n terrogation, a deposi tion from a fellow prisoner I knew of was read aloud after several q uestions. That person said I had taken part i n a crime against civilians i n the sum­ mer of 1 943 in the U kraine. My explanation-that I had not committed any such act-was indeed l is­ tened to and even written down, but that was of l i ttle help to me. The leader of the i n te rrogation explain ed to me that, because of the facts of the case, charges would be made agai nst me before a court. I was shaken and also full of despair, since I knew of nothing I had done that was a matter of gui l t . I calmed down a bit when, after my interro­ gation, I learned from others in the camp who were i n the same boat that they had gone through exactly the same experience. On 25 December 1 949, I was sen tenced in the camp to twen ty-five years of forced labor by a court-martial in oral testimony without a defender. No credence was given to my explanation. The tes­ timony of the fellow prisoner, taken down in Russ­ ian, was proof of my guilt i n the eyes of the court. I t was a mockery of j ustice. The "wi tness" had already gon e home several weeks earl ier. That was how it went for me and for all the other war pris­ oners left in the Soviet Union at the end of 1 949. We could register appeals against the sentence. All appeals were rej ec ted as unfounded without any new oral testimony. It is not necessary to wonder whether those proceedings had been carried out according to the principles ofj urisprudence. We already had the feeling that the Soviet gov­ ernment wan ted to show i ts people and the rest of the world that-and the fac t is, today, i ncon tro­ vertible-the Germans had perpetrated crimes against the Soviet U nion d uring the war and that those responsible were going to be held account­ able. Today 1 know that Stalin had set in motion those mass-sen tences i n 1 949-50 on political grounds.

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1 955

What sorts of people were sen tenced? I shall cite four groups of people as examples: 1 . Members of the Waffen-SS, Gestapo, and police. 2. Generals, general staff officers, staff officers and members of specific u n i ts of the army that had been em ployed primari ly against partisans. 3. H igher officials and j udges, party functionaries and members of the civil adm i n istration i n occupied areas. 4. Other members of the Wehrmac h t who had fallen afoul of the Soviets during their impris­ onment. I probably belonged to the fourt h group because the false statement by the former fel low prisoner was a slight piece of evidence against me. I do not know whether that wit n ess's declaration was pure c hance or malicious i n tent. I had never talked about my m i l i tary experience with that wi t­ ness. The Sovie ts knew that I had been employed in the U krai n e in ] 943 from my personal record, which I had been req uired to write before the sen­ tencing. The u n i t , to which I belonged at the time i n q uest ion, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, was n ever named i n the record of the i n terrogation nor in the court j udgement. The j udgement was n ever given to me i n wri ti ng. I t was, i Lldeed, not worth the paper it was wri tten o n . A s c a n b e easily u n derstood, our morale after those Christmas days was at the zero poi nt. We saw ourselves delivered up to a completely unknown fate, alone and helpless i n dista n t Asia. How could anyone help us or free us there after we were told, for example, that my sentence would not run out u n til 2 1 December 1 974. We did not know, how­ ever, that our fate would soon become known to the German public, which reacted in horror. Nowadays, there is a comprehensive l iterature regarding the en tire chain of eve n ts at that Christ­ mas t i me in the camps of the Soviet U nion. To that end, I wil l o n ly c i te the books by Lang and : Lehmann at the end of this section. Exactly the same thing happened i n Karaganda to Ernst Ohnesorge as happened to me. We met again as sen te nced men i n the same camp. We were all sen t back to work at the beginning of 1 950, just as before the sentencing. Every day ran as i t had before. Nothing had changed i n the

419

camp. Our treatment by the guards and the food were iden tical . I n Apri l 1 950 the unexpected occurred: About a third of the camp population was sent home ! Ernst Ohnesorge was one of those released at that time. H e informed my mother and several former com rades of my fate. They explained to my mother that, based on their knowledge and their acquai n tance with me, they were convin ced that I was not gui l ty of the cri mes of which I had been accused i n the Soviet U n io n . I would, in this place, l i ke to thank all th ose comrades who stood up for me. They greatly helped my mother at the time, even though they could not do anything else to help me then. The sudden and unexpected release of a third of the sen tenced population of the camp had a dual effect on those of us who were left. On the one hand, i t depressed us that we had been left behind. The uncertainty and i nescapabil i ty of our fate strengthened i ts im pressions upon us. On the other hand, it igni ted a little spark of hope wi thin us that we too might someday be released. In April 1 950, all the inmates of the camp were assembled for a movement. I n tightly guarded and barred freight cars, the railroad journey headed west. However, we did not go home, nor, as several feared, were we delivered to East Germany. Instead, after several days of rail road travel through Swerd­ lowsk-Kasan-Moscow, we arrived in Borowitschi abou t the begi nning of May. It was aboLlt half way between Moscow and Len ingrad. We were housed in a camp there. BOROWITSCHI (MAY 1 950-JULY 1 95 1 )

Borowi tsch i i s a n u nexceptional, typical small city in cen tral Russia. I can scarcely remember any­ thing about the c i ty i tself. The camp that the 400 to 600 of us who were from Karaganda came to was o u tside of the ci ty, on a road, and therefore called a road camp. One could see a bit of the landscape. In that camp we were housed in several large barracks that each held 200 men. Prisoners from various camps of the Soviet union who had suffered the same fate that we had were there. Among them was the majority of the staff officers of H eeresgruppe Kurland. A portion of them had been sen t home at the end of 1 949. We wen t from the road camp-with the excep­ tion, I believe, of the staff officers-to work at vari-

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THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

ous construction sites in the ci ty. Every morning, i n columns " o f fives," w e wen t out the camp gate, then "sh uffled off' to the work place. The work brigades were split up into skilled and unskilled laborers and set to work. 1 belonged to the latter. I had to mix and carry mortar, carry stones, u n load l umber and perform other such unskilled laborer's tasks. There was a short lunch break. Food was brought from the camp. After eight or nine hours, we knocked off work, formed up "by fives" and were counted, departed for the camp and were counted again on entering the camp. That was how the work days monotonously con tinued throughout the year, broken only by Sundays when we did not work. Material things remained simi larly unchanged. Always the same food, the same clothi ng, though that, of course, was appropriate for the season . I n wi n ter there were quilted coats, fur hats, fel t boots and, occasionally, gloves. Of course, none of it was top quali ty. I t was particularly hard for the u nskilled laborers to earn money at the construc­ tion si tes in Borowitsch i . I n 1 950 a rel ief program began that was a n imme nsely great material support for a l l of us and, at the same time, a real spiri tual help. The packages and f l ow of parcels from the home­ land-predominantly, of course, from the west­ remained our greatest joy and aid. They i n!=reased steadi ly until our release in 1 955. Thanks to the parcels, we knew that we were not forgotten. The parcels let us know that even more than the post­ cards and occasional l etters. In the summer of 1 949 in Karaganda, to my great joy, 1 h ad al ready received several small packages from my mother. The postal connection, however, was severed before the sentenci ng. For several months the Sovie ts did not allow us to wri te. It was only when we got to Borowitschi that we could write again and again received small packages and parcels. When we came th rough the camp gate in the evening the names of the fortu nate recipients were read o u t and our joy knew no bounds. One dashed over to the place where the mail was handed out and received one's package. My mother took pains so that I was one of the first rec ipients of such lovi ng gifts. We then received from home what we were not given in the camp: coffee, cocoa, m i l k and pudding powder, choco­ late , butter and margari ne, wurst and ham, as well

as other useful i tems such as soap and cloth. Not all of the inmates of the camp, of course, immedi­ ately got packages from home. The comrades from East Germany were far worse off than those of us whose relatives l ived in the west. D uring the years that fol lowed, h owever, that was balanced out by sharing among ourselves and also by organ­ izations in West Germany. Everyone in the camp was wel l fed, thanks to the abundant maili ngs of parcels and small packages. As a result, t hey remained heal thy. CONTACT WITH THE HOMELAND My mother saved my Feldpost lette rs from the years ] 940 to 1 945, i n spite of the total damage from bombs i n Berl i n in February ] 944 and the fl igh t before the Russian t roops at the t i me of the Oder breakth rough a t t h e end of January 1 945. She received my final letter as a soldier at 4 April 1 945 on a relative's farm at Wittenberge i n the Al tmark. All of the mail I received during the war has been lost. I do not know when I learned of my mother's f l ight from the breakth rough on the Oder. I wrote my first card to my mother on 3 Feb­ ruary 1 946 from the Kischi new camp. We received pre-pri n ted reply cards from the Soviets which also contained reply cards. We could only wri te a few sen tences. We were only allowed to write something very general: " I n the presen t circum­ stances, things are going reasonably well and I am also in good health . " Any reference to the loca­ tion of the camp, i ts size, the fellow prisoners or the conditions i n the camp and i n the country were forbidden and were crossed out wi thout comment. In addi tion , there was the danger that a card with such conte n ts would not be sent. A pho­ tocopy of my first card appears later in t h is sec­ tion. My mother received that card on 1 5 March 1 946 i n Berl in-Nikolassee. The photocopy of a reply card that my mother sen t me on 1 0 Jan uary 1 95 1 is also presen ted on the following pages. I received the card on 1 1 Feb­ ruary 1 95 1 a t Borowitsch i . On i t , my mother wro te : "Today I received two cards from Novem­ ber ( 1 950 ) , for which I am gratefu l . I can still scarcely believe i t . After almost one-and-a-half years, the first direct sign of life from you . " The censor crossed out a sentence. My mother also told me that two packages had been retu rned from Karaganda i n the summer of 1 950 and that

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1 955

she had wri tten postcards to me during that time. Those , however, n ever got to me. My mother preserved all of my cards and sev­ eral letters from the time I was a prisoner of war. I only have the mail from home from February 1 95 1 o n . Mail prior to that time was e i ther taken from me during the regular searches i n the camp or I m ight have destroyed i t before the date of the expected return home i n 1 949. At that time, no written-on pieces of paper could be taken back to Germany. Later that was changed. In addition to that rather late-blooming postal connection , we were able to send news to our rela­ tives with others who return ed home. A train had already gon e to Germany from Kischinew in the fal l of 1 945 with soldiers who were ill and no longer capable of working-no officers. The per­ son detai led to assist the officers, Herr Bernau, also went i n that train. Like me, he was a Berl iner and wen t back to Berl i n . H e had memorized the add resses of my relatives in Berl i n and told them about me after his release. My mother and my relatives were, therefore, already i n formed before the end of 1 945 that r was a Soviet prisoner of war in the Kischi new camp. In April 1 946 my mother got a letter from Feldwebel Spiekermann, who had been released to East Berl i n from a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. Spiekermann was the last radio operator i n Tiger 300 and wen t i nt o captivi ty with me. He wrote my mother concerning our captivity up to Camp Foc­ san i , where we had been separated. He was of the rather optimistic opinion that I m ust al ready be at home or, if not, would soon return home. When he wrote that letter he could not have known that-separated from the former officers of 503I had al ready made a long journey through the Soviet U n ion in a prison train and had arrived at Karaganda. During the years from 1 947 to 1 949 my mother received additional personal reports about my fate from several returnees. As a resul t, she knew I was al ive and where r was located. All the former camp comrades believed at that time that all war prison­ ers would be sen t home from the Soviet U nion by the end of 1 949. I owe all of my comrades thanks that they i n formed my mother of my fate and encouraged her hopes of seeing me agai n .

421

CAM P REWDA AT SWERDLOWSK aULY-OCTOBER 1 95 1 )

The camp a t Borowitschi was closed a t the begin­ ning of July ] 95 1 . Trains were assembled and, again, it was debated where "the journey" would lead this time. Rumors abounded, ranging from extradition to East Germany to being sent off to most distant Asia. The j ou rney in the guarded, barred freight cars passed through Moscow-Kasan and headed east. The train traveled th rough the U rals. We were un loaded at the Rewda rai l road station outside of Swerdlowsk. In the Swerdlowsk area at that time there were six to eigh t cam ps, all fil led with war prisoners. The prisoners started to be assembled there i n 1 95 1 . Swerdlowsk was on t h e eastern edge o f the cen tral U rals, i n the Asian portion of the USSR. The c i ty was formerly named Jekateri nenburg. It was there, i n 1 9 1 8, that the Czar's family had been murdered. Swerdlowsk is a major ci ty ( 1 98 1 : 1 ,200,000 population ) , a transportation and industrial cen ter of the U rals. I did not get to know the city i tself. I was only in the Rewda camp for a short time. I have no particular memories of that period . I n October 1 95 1 a portion of the camp popu­ lation was assembled for movement. I was i ncluded. We were loaded on trucks and driven about 30 kilometers south to Dechgarka, sti l l i n t h e U rals. CAMP DECHTJARKA, NEAR SWERDLOWSK (OCTOBER 1 95 1-7 OCTOBER 1 955)

Dechg arka was a small mining settlement. The inhabi tan ts were mainly employed in mining. The place was built around the mi n es; it was not very a ttractive. Camp life there resembled that at all the previ­ ous camps. At f i rst we were housed i n apartment blocks, but were soon moved to barracks. I would remain in those barracks for almost four years. Each barrack had four large rooms, each housing thi rty to forty men. We slept on double-tiered wooden bunks with straw sacks, which were refilled occasionally. Two sets of double-deck bunks were placed next to one another with a table in bet\.yeen on which one could eat. One sat on the lower bunk to eat. The living space for the so-called free time of a prisoner was extraordi narily cramped. In each room of the barracks were prisoners of every ran k and occupation. There were also gen-

422

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

erals who had been sentenced. They had previ­ ously lived in a camp at Moscow. They i n tegrated themselves i n to the camp commun i ty with n o problems. All i n ma tes of t h e c a m p , even t h e gen­ erals and staff officers, had to go to work dai ly to the extent of their physical capabi l i ti es. I l ived with staff officers, ge nerals, high officials and j udges in the barracks and worked together with them at construction si tes. We always had good conversations wi th each other, and each of them gave me a great deal for my later life . I was one of the you ngest ones t here, a college-prep graduate with frontline experience. Stimulated by books and n ewspaper art icles, we discussed National Socialism, the resistance, dem ocracy and polit ics, history and econ omics, the war and i ts end. I learned a great deal from the great treasures of knowledge and experience of those older fel low prisoners, and they paid serious atten tion to my ideas and opinions. We had, by then, learned of the formation of two German states and knew, approximately, what were the differences between them. In addition, we knew of the Korean War and of the disagree­ men ts between the victorious powers, particularly between the Soviet U n ion and the U n i ted States of America. aturally, all of that sti rred us and occupied a major place i n our discussions. There were, of course, occasional disagree­ ments among us, but they were not of great sign i f­ icance. There was some stealing at f i rst, but it did not con tinue . Th anks to t h e n o w of parcels, t h e state of our heal th re mained stable. There were occasional accidents at the construc tion si tes. U n fortunately, I also saw deadly accidents. A German dentist i n the Dech �jarka camp put my teeth i n order and built me a bridge that held up until my first exami nation by a den tist at Uelzen i n Novem ber 1 955. From time to time our guards "feared" that diseases could resu l t from the growth of our hair. As a result, our heads were shaven a few times, even though we were frequently searchetI and also deloused. Lice were an occasional occurrence in the early years. Later, we were tota l ly free of them . Our hair was really o n ly c u t to humiliate us and put us on an equal footing wi th the Russian civil prisoners. In the final years, from about 1 952 on, that was no longer done. We were able to let our hair grow, regularly wen t to the camp barber, and

several of us even had our own shavi ng gear (actu­ ally forbidden ) . A t some poi n t our guards found out that a prisoner had received a wri tten message from home in a cigarette. Sending wri tten messages i n parcels a n d packages was not permitted. Our guards were alarmed and i nsti tuted the fol lowi ng procedure: Packages and parcels were no longer handed out sealed. They were opened by MVD soldiers in a special room and the con tents were examined. Cans were opened and emptied, coffee was dumped into contain ers that the prisoners brough t i n , cigars and cigarettes were slit ope n . Natu ral ly, noth i ng was found. T h e guards had extra work and we were extremely angry. Where were we to find con tai ners for coffee, butter, fat , marmalade a n d t h e l i ke, a n d h o w were t h e food­ stuffs to be preserved once opened? There were strong protests. The German camp leadership had to search for a way out and, together with our guards, who were not pleased wi th all the extra work, came up with a solution. Cigarettes and cigars were no longer cut ope n . Chocolate was handed out i n i ts packaging. Cans were repacked in a carton with the prisoner's num­ ber on it and stored in a special room. On desig­ nated days, each could get cans from his carton . Since our guards did not want t o d o all that work themselves, hel pers were assigned. I was selected from our barracks unit. From then on I was regularly present at the distribution of pack­ ages and parcels and when cans were handed out. I was able to untie and unpack packages and parcels so that everyth ing could be given out as quickly and simply as possible, depending on which guard was at the coun ter. We learned our guards were also human. Many a package was handed out unopened. Naturally, one had to pay close atten­ tion and one could not say much about it. D uring those years, the number of packages grew from mon th to month. I received packages, not only from my mother, but also from relatives, organ izations and from former members of the 503 which, of course, made me particularly happy. Once again, I wish to express my special thanks to all former comrades. Your packages were a great, an extremely great, help. S talin died i n March 1 953. A certain uneasi­ ness went th rough the e n ti re land, and we in the camps also fel t it. The news of his death spread quickly. During those days MVD officials appeared

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1955

at the construction si tes, since they expected some sort of rioting or the l i ke among the war prison­ ers. othing of the kind took place. The n ew masters in the Kremlin decided in May of that year to release some additional prison­ ers of war to the homeland. We were all surprised, one morni ng, when half of the camp population was called out and held back during the usual departu re for work from the camp gate. I was not one of them. That evening we found out the com­ rades who had been held back had been taken to the Rewda camp, from wh ich they were to travel home. We had a certain connection with the Rewda camp through the cen tral hospital. In that way the first n ews trickled through about the delays i n the transport home. The grou nds for that were the even ts on 1 7 June 1 953 in East Ger­ many. A popular u prisin g had been blood i ly put down by Soviet troops. The lords of the Kremlin considered i t not a favorable time for the return of prisoners of war. The resul t was that the move­ ment home did not actually take place until Sep­ tember 1 953. Once again, after an unknown and u nex­ plai ned selection process, prisoners of war of all ran ks had been sen t home. And agai n , others, including me, were kept i n the Soviet U n i on with no reasons given . I n 1 953 t h e camps i n the Swerdlowsk area were filled up again with German prisoners of war. Some came from the Stali ngrad and Schac h ty areas. We assumed that n ow all, or at least the greatest portion, of the prisoners of war were col­ lected i n the Swerdlowsk area. I n 1 954 we heard on the radio, which was con­ trolled by the guards, and from the Russian and East German newspapers, that the German national soccer team had won the world cham pi­ onship in Bern. That, nat urally, made us fee l good, even though w e knew no fu rther details. RELEASE AND RETURN HOME (7- 1 6 OCTOBER 1 955) In 1 955 n ews trickled through that nego tiations were i n progress between the Soviet Union and the Federal Republ ic of Germany. We , of course, knew nothing more exact . We only noticed that our guards were a bit more friendly i n their treat­ ment of us. I n the meantime, the generals were again assem bled in a camp at Moscow. We later discovered that the federal chancellor, Dr. Ade-

423

nauer, was to come to Moscow with a delegation i n September. We very much hoped that he would think of us. We could only follow the course of his visi t and the progress of the negotiations i ncompletely. Details were not known to us. Nevert heless, we found out they dealt with our treatment and our fate. I later learned the details and can refer to the books by Wilhelm Backhaus and Carlo Schmidt, listed at the end of this section. The result of the negotiations were an nou nced to us by the Soviet camp l eadership at the end of September: Establ ish ment of diplomatic relations between the Soviet U n ion and West Germany and the release of all German war and civil prisoners. At a camp muster it was explained to us that we had been granted "amnesty" and would be returned to Germany. It began with the same little game: I ndividual groups were called out by name and transported out of the camps. Then 600 names, i ncluding mine, were called out according to the Russian alphabet and were assigned to rail­ road cars, forty men to a car. At the end there were about 1 0 0 prisoners left who then realized that they were not bei ng released to go home. On the very evening of our departure, twen ty-five of those were called to the gate by name and driven off in trucks. We soon discovered that twenty-five prisoners were coming to our camp in exchange for them. They were coming from the camp at Rewda. They departed the next day with us in the trains. On that day, several more prisoners also arrived in individ­ ual movements from all parts of the Soviet U nion. They were also supposed to go home with us. Final ly, i n the afternoon of 7 October 1 955, everything was ready! That morning a freigh t train was shunted onto the tracks on the hillside across from us. We took leave of our comrades who, f i lled with doubt and pessimism, remained i n the camp. ( I t should be noted that they all returned home in December 1 955 and January 1 956. ) After yet another roll cal l , we marched to the rai l road station and boarded the freight cars that had been assigned to us. Double-decked bunks with straw sacks were built i n to each freight car. There was a kitchen and food car, a medical car and a car for the train commander, a Soviet officer, but no addi­ tional guards. As evening approached on 7 October 1 955, our train started to move. The journey went from Swerdlowsk by way of Kasan, Moscow, and Minsk

424

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

to Brest-Litowsk. The train stopped frequen tly on the open track and also at rail road stations. We could disembark and wander freely. H owever, as a rule, we did not stray far from the tra i n ; none of us wan ted to remai n i n the Soviet U nion. When the locomotive whistled, we cli m bed back on board the train. I n Brest-Litowsk we went th rough the last con­ trol. The i nspection was h arm less and we were free to board the freight cars from East Germ any. The journey through Poland by way of Warsaw­ Posen wen t smooth ly. There was a longer stop before c rossing the border into East Germany, since we were not supposed to arrive at Frank­ fort/Oder before dark. The train did not enter the rai lroad station. Instead, it had to remain out­ side. Men in leather coats (STASI men, the secret state police) positioned themselves at a discrete distance around the trai n . We had the feeling we were lepers and not welcome i n East Germany. During the night the journey conti n ued through Torgau and past Le ipzig and then on th rough Weimar, Erfu rt and Eisenac h . People everywhere waved to us from the platforms. They knew only too well who we were. Beyond Eisenach we reached Wartha, the last rail road station in East Germany. The train then stopped at Herleshause n ! There we were received by an official from the federal governmen t who, together with the Russian movement officer, n ow in civilian clothi ng, went from · car to car and called each individual by name. On 1 6 October 1 955 we walked on German soil for the first time i n more than ten years. We were driven in buses to the cam p at Fried­ land and welcomed with heartfelt greetings by the populace of the cities and towns along the way. I n t h e Friedland camp I ran i n to t h e com rades again who h ad been taken away from the Dechgarka camp on the evening of 6 October. They h ad arrived in a train ahead of me. I spent my fi rst night i n West Germany i n a barracks of the federal border police. On the fol­ lowi ng day I was off icially released frori, captivity at the Friedland camp. From the camp , I tele­ phoned my brother in M u n ich and my mother, who had found a new home in 1 945 in Baru m , near Uelzen. On 1 7 October 1 955 I drove t o my mother's, together with my sister and the mayor of Barum .

AFTERWORD I wrote this report to the best of my recollection alm ost thi rty-five years after my release from cap­ tivity as a prisoner of war. As a result, it is certainly not complete nor is it representative of the experi­ ence of all the war prisoners in the USSR. ] have described my own experience as a prisoner. The report could have been far more comprehensive, but that would h ave exceeded the scope of this book. The period of captivi ty i n the Soviet Union, which lasted more than ten years, was a difficult time for all. Life i n the camps was, basically, monotonous and boring. The greatest burden was the u ncertainly regarding our fate. I do not deny that the Soviet prisoners of war in Germany had a far worse time than what happened to us i n the prison camps i n the USSR after the end of the war. My health came through the war and the long period of captivity in relatively good condition. After my release, I was still i n condition both phys­ ically and mentally to begin an academic course of study and successfully complete i t . For that I am thankful . During t h e captivity a n d i n t h e years that fol­ lowed I have taken pains to discover the causes and bases for the i n i tiation and the course of the war. I have read a great deal relating to that and also h ad m any discussions. Today I am certain that, under Adolf H i tler's leadership i n 1 939, Ger­ many started the war with Poland with a war of aggression that had no j ustification and waged war in the years that followed with addi tional Euro­ pean states. That war was broadened by H i tler i n to the Second World War. The German people were led astray by H i tler and h is followers. The m ass of the people fol­ lowed h i m without thinki ng. The same holds true for the Weh rmac h t, above all for its leadership, even i n peacetime. The opposition against the azi regim e was too weak, poorly organized and came too late. Nevertheless, i t brough t honor to the men and women who gave their lives for it. During the course of the war, things were done in all of the lands that were occupied by German troops that were outside the bounds of i nterna­ tional and m i l i tary law. The com manders respon­ sible e i ther did nothing or did not do enough against those war crimes.

My Period as a Prisoner of Warfrom May 1 945 to October 1 955

The sentencing of the captured German sol­ diers in the Soviet Union was a result of those even ts. Those sen tenced were sacrificial lambs for deeds i n which they had not taken part but for which they have to carry a certain share of the responsibil i ty. SOURCES I . Der Neue Brockhaus, Vol . 3, 1 985, p. 84, 89. 2. Helmut Gol lwi tzer, . . und Jiihren wohin du n icht willst. Bericht einer CeJangenshaft, 3rd Edi­ tion, 1 977. .

This series of photos was taken fifty years after the war near the Austrian/Czech border.

425

3. Willy Kramp, Briider und Knechte, 1 965. 4. Alexander Solschenitzyn , Ein Tag im Leben des /wan Denissowitsch, 1 979. 5 . Albrech t Lehmann, CeJangenschaft und Heim­ f kehr: Deutsche Kriegsgeangene in der SU, 1 986. 6. Der Neue Brockhaus, Vol . 5, 1 985, p. 206. 7. Martin Lang, Stalins Strafjustiz gegen Deutsche Soldaten, 1 98 1 . 8. Wilhelm Backhaus, Begegn ung im Kreml, So wur­ den die CeJangenen befreit, 1 955. 9. Carlo Schmidt, Erinnerungen, Coldman n Sach­ buch 1 1 3 1 6, 1 st edition, 1 98 1 .

426

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAllON 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Additional photos taken fifty years after the war near the Austrian/Czech border.

APPENDIX

1

Personnel Losses of the Battalion A lfred Rubbel

B

y the end of the war, the German Army, without counting the Waffen-SS, h ad lost about 2.02 m i l l ion men killed or m issing. That was out of a total of 25 1 divisions and a per­ son nel strength of 6.5 1 m i l l ion men ( as of 1 944) . The losses after the col lapse of Germany and i n captivi ty c a n o n ly be c rudely estimated. They approximated an addi tional 1 .5 to 2 m il l ion men. For our battalion, the only figures a t hand for killed/missing are for the 1 st, 2nd, and 3rd Com­ panies of Tiger Tan k Battalion 503. The losses cited above for the army i n general and below for the tank companies themselves, can provide a basis for estimation of the bat talions other losses. According to the battalion status report for 1 Jan­ uary 1 945, the battalion had the fol lowing comple­ ment of person nel i n December 1 944: 28 5

Officers Civilian officials

279

Noncommissioned officers

598

Enl isted men

31

Hiwi

94 1

Personnel on hand

+13

Short ( l officer, 1 2 H iwi )

954

Total authorized personnel

By the end of the war, the headcou n t for the tank companies, with an authorized strength of 88 men, was 1 st Com pany: 8 1 killed/m issi ng 2nd Com pany: 69 killed/m issi ng ( up to 3 1 December 1 944) 3rd Com pany: 56 killed/m issi ng

=

=

=

92 percent 78 percent 64 percent

As for the other companies-Headquarters, Supply, and Main tenance Companies- personnel on hand ( no t counting Hiwis) was 646; using a reduced loss rate of 50 percent brings it to 323 men. That estimate, though less certai n , gives an estimate of kil led/m issi ng of 206 323

Tan k companies (established) Remai n i ng companies (estimated)

529

Men ki lled/ m issing

With 9 1 0 sold iers ( less Hiwi) , that gives the battalion a loss rate of 58 percen t . The overall losses of the army ( Heer) amoun ted to 31 percen t. For a combat formation that fought year in and year out at the h o tspots of the fronts and there­ fore h ad to suffe r h igher l osses, the form of esti­ mation e m ployed is reasonably in accord with probability. Regarding other losses (wounded, sick, and other losses) there are only i ncomplete figures: 427

428

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

PERSONNEL LOSSES OF TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 DURING THE PERIOD FROM 1 JUNE 1 943 TO 30 DECEMBER 1 944 (INCOMPLETE) Reporting Period

KIA

WIA

MIA

1 -30 June 1 943

Other

Total

7

4

11

2

1 07

Sick

25

68

11

1 -3 1 August 1 943

7

22

32

1 -30 Septem ber 1 943

7

22

14

1 -3 1 October 1 943

3

10

13

1 -30 November 1 943

3

7

11

1 -3 1 Decem bel' 1 943

5

7

21

1 -3 1 January ] 944

10

13

1 -29 February 1 944

4

8

26

18

31

1 -3 1 October 1 944

6

16

2

1 -30 November 1 944

5

1 -3 1 December 1 944

1 -3 1 Ju ly 1 943

1 -3 1 July 1 944

Total Theorelical m o n t hly average:

Operations Army reserve i n Kharkov Citadel

61

Figh ting at Kharkov

2

45

Defe nsive figh ting west of Kharkov

2

28

Figh ting at Kiev, Pawl ish

21

Defensive fighting west of the Dnjepr

35

Defensive figh ting west of the Dnjepr

43

Figh ting with Panzer Regiment Bake,

28

Oratoff, Tscherkassy

29

1 04

Defensive fighting in Normandy

23

47

Defensive combat along the Dan ube

11

9

25

Defensive combat along the Danube

4

8

17

1

30

Defe nsive com bat along the Danube

1 05

210

276

17

585

3

17 12

37

2

4

45 losl (calculaled on a basis o f 1 3 m o n l h l y SlalUS reports; the baLLalion was in combal for

27 mont hs ) .

We lost t h e followi ng KlA: • • • •

July 1 943 ( Z i tadelle ) : 25 January 1 944 (Tscherkassy) : 1 0 February 1 944 (Tsch erkassy) : 4 July 1 944 ( Normandy) : 26 and 3 1 ( ! ) m issi ng

The Tscherkassy fighting i n January-February 1 944 was the m ost difficult for the battalion and lasted thirty-one days without a break. The modest number killed-a total of fourteen-is 'e xplained by the fact that only twenty Tigers went i n to action and only six were operational in the end. At Ci tadel and i n Normandy, all forty-five Tigers was on hand. The large n um ber of t h irty-one m issi ng in Normandy reflects the fact that th ose captured were counted as m issing. The battalion was re ndered combat i neffect ive i n that fighti ng.

The "other losses" mul ti ply the losses killed by a factor of five. The battalion losses due to wou nds, i l l ness and other losses can be estimated on the basis of the t h i rteen months of status reports at a mon thly rate of about forty-five sol­ diers. That yields an estimated total of 1 ,500 over the th ree years of the battalion's existence. The losses were made good by replacemen ts and return ing convalescents. Although each year about half of the battalion personnel were lost, the return of "former mem bers" maintained a cadre. The l ists of losses for the 1 st and 3rd Com pa­ n ies were compiled after the end of the war, based on personal notes, recollections and other sources. Th eir accuracy is not guaranteed. The 2nd Company is the only company for which there is an off icial source, the com pany newsletter for Ch rist mas 1 944. That newsletter only listed

Persollnel Losses Of the Battalioll

losses to 3 1 December 1 944. Thus, in spite of an eval uation of all available records, errors cannot be ruled out. I n particular, there is practically no information, with a few exceptions, regarding the fate of th ose com rades who were captured by the Russians at the end of the war. That included a t least a third of t h e battalion personnel, approxi­ mately 300 men. Inquiries to the search service of the German Red Cross and the Weh rmacht I n formation Office give the impression that both were faced with i m possible tasks compou nded by a lack of official i n terest. In my research, I came upon two notable statis­ tics that I wish to pass on to th ose who may read these pages:

429

1 . Most tank crew mem bers were killed outside of their tanks. 2. In the German Army, including the Waffen-SS, there were only 1 ,408 deserters, less than 0.02% of the personnel em ployed, from the start of the war until 3 1 Decem ber 1 944. That was with a total personnel strength of 7. 1 1 mil­ lion soldiers. There were none from our battal­ ion ! There is truly no basis for the attem pts by the radical left to cast doubt on the reliabi lity of the German soldier and overturn h istorical real i ty with its demands for monuments to the " U n known Deserter."

KILLED AND MISSING, 1 ST COMPANY (FIELD POST NO. 21 346) Officers

NCOs

Enlisted Men

Total

Authorized Person nel

4

46

38

88

Lost

7

27

47

81

This determ i n ation, based o n the numbers and names of losses that the company suffered between the time of i ts organization (4 May 1 942) and i ts dissolution ( 1 0 May 1 945 ) , is complete. In

Sequence Number

Rank

the other l ists errors cannot be ruled out. Judgi ng by experience, the eleve n listed as m issi ng were probably kil led in action .

Name

Location

Date

BleB

Stawropol

6 J a n 43

Remarks

Manytsch (lower Don) I

U n terof'fizier

2

Leu t n a n t

Meller

Wessel ! j

9 Jan 43

Buried at Proletarskaja

3

U n teroffizier

Scheele

Wessel!j

9 Jan 43

Buried at Proletarskaja

4

U n tcroffizier

Griewald

5

U n teroffi zier

Di.irrl ich

Jekateri n owka

1 8 J a n 43

In Tiger 1 34

6

Gefreiter

BlIck

Jekateri nowka

1 8 .Jan 43

I n Tiger 1 34

Lel l t n a n t

Detlef vo n

Sapatny

9 Feb 43

Baraniki

1 4 . J a n 43

Rostow 7

Koerber Obergefre i t e r

Mall

9 Feb 43

9

U n t e ro ffizier

Sc h l l lze

10 Feb 43

10

Obergefre i te r

Bobsin

10 Feb 43

8

Kolchose 1 5

430

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR /I

Sequence Number

Rank

Name

U n leroffizier

D u n ke\

Location

Date

Remarks

Feb 43

Drowned when lheir

Mius sector 1 1

Panzer I I I broke t h rough t h e ice on the M i us. Recovered

in March and buried in Pokrowskoje 12

Obe rgefre iler

Gronau

Feb 43

As with U n leroffizier D u n kel

13

Gefrei ler

Sch u l t-Dargen

Feb 43

As wilh U n leroffizier

14

Panzerschiilze

GroBmann

Feb 43

As wi l h U l l leroffizier

D u n ke\ D u n kel WiLkr' a l/. d Gr'h r/a' ( lIlissing?); appmenLl)1 br'longed 10 lit£' 1s1 Com/Ja ny.

Bjelgorod area (Citadel) 15

Le u l n a n l

Jamm e ra l h

M ic ha i lowka

5 July 43

16

Gefrei ler

Kaneke

Korukow I

2 J uly 43

Tan k commander

17

Obergefrei ler

Beyer

1 2 July 43

Tan k commander

Tessmer Tessmer

Fighting south of Merefa 18

U n leroffizier

2 Sepl 43

Neuman n

19

Feldwebel

Leh ma n n

20

Obe rgefre iler

Kriiger

Nowaj a Wodel aga

21

Geft'e iler

Jokwer

Nowaj a Wodelaga

22

Gefrei ler

Hornberger

2 Sept 43 ( ' ) 7 Se p t 43 7 Sepl 43 8 Sept 43

Glinsk-Tschigrin area 23

Gefreiler

ca. 28 Nov 43 Tiger I 1 4

Dan kert

(Ta n k com lllandet· Rubbe l ) 24

U Illeroff izier

Thollle

Un leroffizier

Rippl

ca. 1 0 Dec 43

Pawlisch area 25

ov 43

Wou n ded; died in hospital i n Germany

in spring 1 944 26

U n teroffizier

Lei tzke

Nov 44

Smerinka area 27

U n teroffizier

O ls

1 2 Ja n 44

M u rdered by partisans;

28

Obe rgefre i ter

Heider :

1 2 Ja n 44

As w i l h U n leroffizier O ls above

29

Gefreiler

Mink

1 2 Jan 44

As wilh U ll leroffizier

buried al Sllleri n ka

O ls above 30

Gefrei ter

Banon

1 2 J an 44

A� wilh U ll leroffizier O ls above

31

Gefreiler

Dj uba

1 2 Jan 44

As wilh U l l l eroff i zier O ls above

Personnel Losses of the Battalion

Sequence Number

Rank

Smerinka area

Name

Location

Date

Remarks

431

cOlllilllWd

32

Cefre i ter

M i nek

1 2 Jan 44

As Wilh Illeroff izier O ls above

�3

Cefreiter

Wiese n fa h rt

1 2 Jan 44

A� with U n teroffizier O ls above

�4

Obe rl e u t n a n t

Adamek

24Jan 44

Buried at Winn iza

�5

Obergefre i tcr

Kubi n

28 Jan 44

Buried a t \"'inn iza

Cefreiter

Hlirger

3 1 Jan 44

37

Obergefre i ter

Wol lmann

I Feb 44

38

Obergefreiter

Oppe

Winniza area

Oratoff area �6

ca. I Feb 44 Traffic acciden t

Proskurow area Cefreiter

Sc h m �ih l

Fedorki

9 Mar 44

40

Panzerschll t ze

Sc h n eider

Fedorki

9 Mar 44

41

Oberfeldwebel

Erdmann

�9

I n Tiger 1 1 3

9 Mar 44

42

Oberl e u t n a n t

Re utermann

Friedrichowka

1 0 Mar 44

Killed by partisans

43

Obe rgefre i ter

Krause

Friedric howka

IO Mar 44

Ki lled by partisans

Touste area (Huisatin) 44

U n teroffizier

von Horries

ca. I:"'> Mar 44 M issing

45

U n teroft i zier

Ritscher

M issing

46

Panzersc h lltze

Vorderbrllgge

M issing

47

Panzersch l'ltze

M issing

. ( ? ) (was t h e loader )

Scalat area 48

Un tcroflizier

ca. ] 5 Mar 44 E n t i re

Hausinger

crew of Tiger 1 2 1 ( Bausinger) m issing Schulz, H .

Bausinger crew

Obergefreiter

Spatke

Bausinger crew

Obergefreiter

Wedler

Bausinger crew

Obe rgefre iter

Vorre i t h

Bausinger crew

49

Cefreiter

50 51 52

Kamenez-Podolsk March 44

M issi ng

53

Obe rgefreiler

54

Obergefreiler

Brllck

M issing

55

Obergefre i l e r

M u ndry

M issing

Zi m merman n

Tarnopol area 56

Obergefrei l e r

April 44

Crli l ter

Kil led with Battle Croup M i l l ermeier

57

Obergefre i l e r

April 44

""erner

Killed wilh Baltle Croup M i t l e rmeier

Ohrdruf Training Area 58

U n t eroffizier

Oelsner

near Co t h a

.June 44

Fatal accidelll d u ri ng rail movement

432

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Sequence Number

Rank

Name

Oberfeldwebel

Fendesack

Location

Date

Remarks

1 5 Aug 44

Killed in f ighting i n

Normandy 59

N ormandy. Locations are d i ff i c u l t , mostly Caen and Falaise areas 60

Leut nant

Schroder

1 8 July 44

As above

61

Cefrei ter

CiAI

1 9 July 44

As above

62

Feldwebel

Vogt

28 J uly 44

As above

63

ObergefreiLer

Marat

25 J u ly 44

As above

64

Cefreiler

Sc h Lltze

7 Aug 44

As above

Oberfeldwebel

Marcus

Szolnock

2 1 0ct 44

66

U n teroff i zier

Schielke

Szolnock

2 1 Oct 44

67

Cefre i ter

Mdl

Hungary 65

27 Oct 44

68

Obergefrei t e r

Bohn

Polgardi

8 Dec 44

69

Obergefreiter

Wagne r

Polgardi

8 Dec 44

70

Obergefreiter

Bl h m

Polgardi

8 Dec 44

71

Feldwebel

Kukla

Zamoly

I I . Jan 45

72

Un teroff izier

Hippner

Zamoly

I I Jan 45

73

Obergefre i ter

Waiter

Zamoly

I I Jan 45

74

Obergefrei t e r

Woisin

Zamoly

1 1 Jan 45

75

U n teroff i zier

Bihme, Ho

Verebely

1 4 Mar 45

76

U n leroffizier

Sc h i karski

Ve rebely

25 Mar 45

77

Cefreiter

Rauschen be rge r

Ve rebely

25 Mar 45

78

LeUlnanl

FiOI l-linger

Verebely

27 Mar 45

?

Verebely

Mar 1 945

Verebely area Accident d u ri n g t ra i n i n g

79

Truck driver ki lled by accident with hand grenade

Bmnn area 80

Feldwebel

Knispel

29 Apr 45

Buried i n U rbau/Znaim

Area north of Vienna 81

SLabsfeldwebel

Sch m i d l

ZiSlersdorf

May 45 Buried in Zistersdorf

Sources First compilation 1 950 by Lochmann/R,ubbel Various contributions by company members Leutnant von Koerber Diary Welsch Diary

Personnel Losses of the Battalion

433

KILLED AND MISSING, 2ND COMPANY (FIELD POST NO. 22 402) Total (as of 31 December 1 944)

Officers

NCOs

Enlisted Men

Authorized Personnel

4

46

38

88

Lost

3

23

43

69

The particulars come from a newsletter of the 2nd Company for Christmas 1 944. As a resul t , they c a n be considered absol utely reliable. The l osses from 1 Jan uary to 10 May 1 945 have not

Sequence Number

been compiled. During that time period the 1 st Company had 1 1 losses; the 3rd Company had 3. It is l i kely that losses for the 2nd Company during that period were similar.

Rank

Name

Location

Oberl e u t n a n t

Zabel, Fried.-Karl

Russia

2

Leu t n a n t

Ciisow, We rner

3

Stabsfeldwebel

H a m m ri c h , Karl

4

Stabsfeldwebel

Ruff e n , Paul

5

Oberfelclwebel

Porsch , A1bert

6

Felclwebel

H e n n ig, Franz

7

Felclwebel

H e i n l , Peter

8

Feldwebel

Plum, Josef

9

U n teroffizier

Behrens, Wai ter

10

U nt e roffizier

D rllcker, Karl

I 1

U n teroffizier

Klat t , Albert

12

U n teroffizier

achbaur, Max

13

U n te roffizier

Ramp, Waldemar

14

U n te roff izi"er

Schalicke, Rucli

15

U nte roff i zier

Sch m i d t , Bernhard

I

16

Obergefreiter

KJe i n , Paul

17

Obergefrei ter

U tesch , Lothar

18

Gefreiter

Beckman n , H a ns

19

Gefre i ter

Bendier, Erich

20

Gefrei ter

Braatz, Horst

21

Gefrei ter

Boge, Hel m u t

22

Gefre i ter

Dahne, H arry

23

Gefrei ter

Gergens, Wai ter

24

Gefrei ter

Hein, Hans

25

Gefrei ter

H u neken, Hans

26

Gefrei ter

Konig, Frieclrich

27

Gefreiter

Rei c h , Gerharcl

28

Gefreiter

Sch rocler, Max

29

Gefreiter

Te t tenborn, H e i n z

30

Gefreiter

Will iard , Hei nrich

31

Panzerschlltze

Knapp, Alfred

32

Panzerschlltze

Pausewein, Willi

33

Panzerschlltze

Streetz, Gunther

Date

Remarks Killed

434

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR II

Sequence Number

Rank

Name

Location

34

Obergefrei l e r

Biih r, Frilz

France

35

Obergefrei lcr

Degelow, G u n t h e r

36

Obe rge fre i l e r

Rabe, N orbert

37

Leulnan t

Bielefeld, Wailer

38

Gefre i lcr

Fink, Wolfgang

39

Gefre i l e r

Wah l , Eugen

40

Gefrei ler

Blank, Paul

41

Gefrciter

Lebert , Bruno

42

Gefreiler

Porwol, Erich

43

Panzersch i", l ze

Pilz, josef

44

Un lero ff izier

Beck, josef

45

U nt e rol f i zier

D i l l)', Vale n t i n

46

U nt e roffizier

Golder, Bern hard

47

Un lerofli zier

48

n l e roff i zier

Date

Remarks Ki lled

H u ngary

Ki lled i n accident

Russia

M issing

France

M issing

Russia

I n captivity

Ke ller, j ohann Siebert , Wailer

49

Obergefre i l e r

Becker, H e i n z

50

Oberge frei l e r

Schl orke, GLlIller

51

Obergefrciler

Brandt, Helmul

52

Obergefreiter

Beh m , Werner

53

Gef"re i ler

Deringer, H i l lllar

54

Gefre iler

Paech , Eckard

55

Gefre i l e r

Pa ulsen, Hans

56

Gefre i l e r

Roh l fs, Hen ,"),

57

Gcfre i l e r

S L Ober, Robert

58

Pa n ze rsc h i"' lze

Bartsc h , Al fred

59

Panzersch (j lze

Bohm, Dieler

60

Pa n ze rsc h i.i lze

Hecklllan ns, August

61

Oberfelclwebel

Kutzn er, Wailer

62

Un teroff i zier

Dalll laks, Guslav

63

U n t eroff i l.ier

Messer, Ono

64

U nt e ro lTizier

Nowac ki, GLlIller

65

U n leroff izier

Pan k n i n , H e rbert

66

Obergcfre iler

M e),er, Max

67

Panzersc h u lze

M L, h l , E m i l

68

Obergefrei ler

Golz, Bernh ard

69

Gefre i l e r

Besen hardl, Franz

Personnel Losses of the Battalion

435

KILLED AND MISSING, 3RD COMPANY (FIELD POST NO. 30 628) Officers

NCOs

Enlisted Men

Total

Authorized Person nel

4

46

38

88

Lost

2

22 ( ? )

32 ( ? )

56

The l ist is based on Heinrich H offman's notes and contributions from Niemann and von Rosen. The listing of ran ks is i ncom plete.

Sequence Number

Rank

Name

Location

Zahn, FriLZ

l I owajski

Date

Remarks

Kalmiick area/Ukraine I 2

Oberfeldwebel

3

U I l l e roffizier

4

U n terof l i zier

Kunze, Waiter

8 J an 43 8 J an 4 3

Gerrels, Georg Osseerkij

J Llrgensen, We rner

Osseerkij

5

U n teroffizier

Liebsc her, Karl

Osseerkij

6

U n teroff izier

Rumll1el, Si g mund

Osseerkij

7

Leu t n a n t

Taubert , Or. J o h .

Osseerkij

9 Jan 43

Baschek, H e i n rich

M i us se c tor

2 1 Feb 43

8

M i ssing w i t h Panzer I I I

Brunswik, Alfred

M i us sector

21 Feb 43

Feldwebel

Wunderl ic h , H ei n z

Krutoj Log

6 J u l y 43

Essler, Adalbert

Krutoj Log

6 J u ly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

12

U n teroffizier

An gerer, Ernst

Bat razkaja

6 J u ly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

13

U nteroff i zier

Petzka, H e rbert

Batrazk;�ia

6 J uly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

6 . l uly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

9 10 1 1

Buried at Tawrowo

Oats c h a O a tscha 14

Gefre i ter

S t u h ler, Wilhelm

Batrazkaj a Oatsc h a

Sch m i dt, A lb rec h t

Mjassojedowo

8 J uly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

16

U n teroffizier

Clas, H e i nz

Sc heino

I 1 July 43

Buried at Tawrowo

17

Oberfeldwebel

Troger, Karl

Werch ny

1 5 J u ly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

15

-OUschanez 18

U n teroffizier

M iederer, Peter

Jakolewko

2 1 J u ly 43

Buried a t Tawrowo

19

Gefrei t e r

Pich ler, Johann

Tawrowo

2 3 J uly 43

Buried at Tawrowo

Bierig, Herbert

Maxill10fka

20 Aug 43

20 21

Riedel, H ei nz

Sc harowka

30 Aug 43

22

Lega t h , H ei nr i c h

Goluboff

3 1 Aug 43

23

Sch illing, Peter

Goluboff

3 1 Aug 43

24

Will, Alfred

Goluboff

2 Sept 43

Sauerkirsch

Goluboff

25

Oberfeldwebel

Roth, Franz

26 27

Leu t n a ll l

28

Schubert, Leo

Bal i ( W i n n iza)

30 Ja i l 44

Bo tt cher, Pe ter

Tschesnowka

1 7 Feb 44

Rieschel, H ans

Fran kowka

2 1 Feb 44

H o h n , Waiter

CzernowiLZ

26 Mar 44

U n teroffizier

Rothell1an n , Kurt

Sloboda ZIOla

30 Mar 44

31 32

5 Oec 43

Wei nert, Konrad

U n teroff i zier

29 30

Sept 43 4 Se p t 43

Buried at Rubany Most

Buried a t Teofipolka

436

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTALION 503 IN WORLD WAR 11

Sequence Number

Rank

Name

Location

Date

Un teroffizier

Dolk, Cebhard

Manevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

34

Brendecke, H e i n z

M anevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

35

Ebert , Ceorg

M anevi l l e

1 8 July 44

36

H i n t e rpich ler,

M anevi l l e

1 8 J uly 4 4

Maneville

1 8 J l I ly 44

Manevi l l e

1 8 J u l y 44

Remarks

France 33

Ceorg 37

. lager, Anton

38

U n terofllzier

Mathes, Roll'

39

Cefre i ter

M ti h l i ng, J osef

Maneville

1 8 J u ly 44

40

Peters, \,V il l i

Maneville

1 8 J l I ly 44

41

Pukown ik, .loser

Manevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

M anevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

42

RadesLOck, Kurt

43

Sch ulte, Karl H e i n z

Manevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

44

Sch uster, W i l l i

Manevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

Thon, Horst

Manevi lle

1 8 J uly 44

Westerllause n ,

Manevi l l e

1 8 July 44

45 46

U n terofllzier

Peter 47

Oberfeldwebel

1 2 Aug 44

Borm a n n , Ernst

During l I n i t move; near Esternay

48

U nt erorfizier

Weh rhe i m , Ernst

La M e i x

12 Aug 44

49

Feldwebel

Wei l a n d , J osef

Sailly ( Li l l e )

2 6 Aug 44

Ricke, K1aus

nort h of Sa illy

28 Aug 44

Cefre i te r

B l u n k , Sigurt

Li l l e

31 Aug 44

Oberschl"llZe

Zah, Alfons

50 51

Hungary 52

I Nov 44

Died at medical treatment fac i l i ty at. Jaszbareny

53

Feldwebel

1 0 Dec 44

Bornsc h ier, J ustus

D i ed at mobile field hospital 623

54

Feldwebel

Ciirtn er, H e i n z

55

Obergefreiter

Rau h , N i kolaus

Zamoly

7 Jan 45 22 Feb 45

Buried at Tot megyr (Tardosked )

Czechoslovakia 56

Feldwebel

Skoda, Heinrich

30 Apr 45

Buried at Wost i z

APPEN D IX

2

Short Bio grap hies of the Contributors

T

he i n terest of numerous "outsiders" in our book as well as the likel ih ood that fam ily members of our com rades will read i t makes i t appear desirable t o say a few words about authors of the sections to those who have no per­ sonal fam i liari ty with our battalion. DR. NORDEWIN VON DIEST-KOERBER Born 1 3 February 1 9 1 2 in Koerberrode (Grau­ denz District) , West Prussia ( 1 9 1 9- 1 939 in the " Polish Corridor" ) , adopted in 1 923 by his mater­ nal grandfather with the double-name "von Diest­ Koerber." Schooled in Bro m berg and Stetti n , receivi ng Abitur there i n 1 930. Trained in agricul­ ture and forestry. Agricul tural studies at Potsdam, H eidel berg, Munich, and Konigsberg with fi nal gove rn m e n t-adm i n istered examinations and awarded diploma i n agricul ture; obtained doctor­ ate in agricultu re, 1 939. At the same time, he per­ formed one year of vol u n tary m i l i tary service with the 4th Mounted Regi ment, Potsdam , later the 6th Panzer Regi ment at Neuru ppi n . After 1 938 exercises, promoted to Leutnant der Reserve. Took part in war in Poland with the 6th Panzer Regiment as a platoon leader, in France as com­ pany commander and in Russia as company com­ mander until severely wounded in September 1 94 1 . After recovery in the fall of 1 942, served as Oberleutnant del' Reserve and special staff off icer with the staff of the 3rd Panzer Army i n Russia. Conversion training i n 1 943 to Tiger tanks and,

starting in the fall of 1 943, served as company com­ mander, then acting battalion commander of Tiger Tan k Battalion 509. (At the same time all three younger von Koerber brothers wen t th rough the same conversion trai ning as reserve officers on Tigers. Achim and Detlev went to Tiger Tan k Bat­ talion 503, Wilfried to Tiger Tan k Battalion 505 . ) ] n ovember 1 944, after attending t h e battalion commander course, he served as Hauptmann der Reserve and commander of Tiger Tank Battal ion 503 in H ungary, Aust ria and Czechoslovakia until the end of the war. Received the Wound Badge in Gold after his seventh wound; the German Cross in Gold; the PanzerkmnjJ/abzeichen (3rd level, more than seven ty-five engagements) ; and, the Knight's Cross ( 1 May 1 945 ) . After the end o f the war, occupied from J uly 1 945 until 1 954 in agriculture ( farm manager, operation of a leased farmstead ) . Director of the Extension Station in Agriculture and I ndustrial Econom ics i n Hanover. Then retirement. CLEMENS GRAF KAGENECK Born 1 7 October 1 9 1 3 in Berl i n , received the Abitur in March 1 93 1 after six years of boarding school at AlIoisiuskolleg in Bad Godesberg. Stud­ ied law, starting in the fall of 1 93 1 (after four m on ths riding and drivi ng school i n Schleswig) at Freiburg-Bonn . Law studies were in terrupted by a period of vol u n tary service wi th the Potsdam 4th Cavalry Regi ment from 1 April 1 934 to 30 Septem437

438

THE COMBAT HISTORY OF GERMAN TIGER TANK BATTAliON 503 IN WORLD WAR II

bel' 1 935. Rrjerf'nr/nr U u nior lawyer who has passed h is first state exam i nat ion) at Oberlan desgericht ( regional court of appeal) i n Cologne, April 1 938. Also i n ] 938, after two field exercises, promoted to Leutnant del' Reserve i n the 6th Panzer Regi­ ment at Neuruppin (successor to the 4th Mounted Regi m ent ) . Taken into active service i n October 1 938. Platoon leader in Polish Campaign. Signals officer of 2nd Battalion, 6th Panzer Regi­ ment, in Western Campaign, regi mental signals officer i n Russia, ] 94 1 -42. I n ] 942 company com­ mander of the 4th Com pany, 6th Panzer Regi­ ment, duri n g the campaign in the Caucasus. October 1 942, 0 1 ( first Ordon nanzoffizier) of the 3rd Panzer Division. April-June 1 943, battalion commander courses at Putlos and Paris. July 1 943 until wounded on 30Jan uary ] 944 as commander of Tiger Ta nk Battalion 503. Decem­ ber ] 944, class advisor at the armor school at Bergen . I n 1 950 joi ned the Dresdner Bank i n Frankfurt and became director of i ts branch a t Freiburg in ] 952. Became C h i e f Execut ive Officer of the Hardy-Bank, Berli n-Frankfurt in ] 962, and retired at the end of 1 978. ULRICH KOPPE Born 1 923 i n Berl i n . Attended school in Berl i n from 1 929 t o Sept ] 940. After Reich Labor Service in December ] 940, joined the 5th Panzer J>eplace­ ment Battalion as a vol u n teer. In 1 94 ] with the 5th Panzer Regi ment i n North Africa. October 1 942, Leutnant der Reserve. From August 1 943 to May 1 945, with Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, fi n ishing as acting commander of the 503's 3rd Com pany. From May ] 945 to October 1 955 in Soviet cap­ tivi ty. After release, studied law and poli tical sci­ ence from ] 956 to ] 960 at the U n iversity of Gottinge n . Referendar in circuit of Oberlandes­ gerich t Dllsseldorf from ] 960 to 1 963. Started i n September 1 963 a s Reg. Assessor with the Regierungspnisiden t Dllsseldorf. From May ] 974 until retirement at the end of March 1 988, depart­ ment head with the Regierungsprasident Arnsberg. Married since October 1 957 with three daughters. FRANZ-WILHELM LOCHMANN, MD Born 22 April 1 923, Hamburg. Abitur 1 94 1 . Reichsar-bei tsdienst i n East Prussia. Vol u n teer to the 5th Panzer Replacement Battalion at NeUl-up­ p i n . Tan k radio operator i n the 1 st Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, from its activation until

the end of the war. Final rank: Unteroffi zier. I n ninety-five armored engagements. After t h e war, studied medicine with several years of additional clin ical trai n i ng as specialist in internal medicine and general medicine. Settled down as practicing physician in Hamburg until 1 986. GERHARD NIEMANN Born ] 923 in Hamburg. Business tra i n i ng. ] 94 1 vol un teer. Attended the army i nfantry noncom­ m issioned officer academy at Treptow/ Rega in ] 94 1 ; in 1 942 at the armor noncommissioned offi­ cer academy a t Putlos and Eisenach . April 1 943: Tiger trai ning at Paderborn . From May 1 943 to May 1 945 with the 503's 3rd Company. After a short period of U .S. captivity in Czecho­ slovakia, commercial clerk in the wholesale textile trade. In the Bundeswehr from 5 April 1 956 to 30 September 1 977. I n 1 970: warrant officer. Final service position, warrant officer i n charge of induc­ tion station for vol u nteers at Hanover. Author of articles on the military and on m i l i tary h istory. HERMANN ROPSCHER Born 1 920 in Frankfurt/ Main (Grieshei m ) . After school ing and i nstruction, j oi ned the 8 ] st Rifle Replacement Regi ment at Meiningen (Thuri ngia ) . ] n November 1 940 with the battalion staff of the 2nd Battalion, 1 1 2th Rifle Regi ment, at Ohrdruf (Th uri ngia) . Russian campaign , J une 1 94 1 . Frost­ bite o u tside of Moscow, Winter 1 94 1 . H ospital, Dresden . Replacement unit (signals) of the 8 1 st Rifle Regi ment at Meiningen (Thuri ngia ) . J une 1 942, Neuruppi n , Tiger Tan k Battal ion 503 ( Maintenance Company and then the ] st Com pany) . U n teroffizier up to February ] 945. Transferred to the 2 1 1 th Field Replacement Batal­ lion. Employed as infantry in the lesser Carpathi­ ans and lower Austria. Wou n ded at the Thaya bridgehead at Laa. H ospital in Bohemia. Dis­ charged by the U .S. Army in Germany. Profession­ ally active since June 1 945. 1 949, examination for Master's degree (elec trical engineering) . Metrol­ ogy and automatic controls tech nology, engineer in sales process e ngineering unti l 1 983. RICHARD FREIHERR VON ROSEN Born ] 922. October 1 940: Fah nenj u n ker ( officer candidate) i n the 35th Panzer Regiment. With that regiment (4th Panzer Division) on the East­ ern Front in 1 94 1 .

Short Biographies of the Contriblltors

1 942: Leutnant. Starting in J uly 1 942 wi th the 2nd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 502. Redesig­ nated as 3rd Company, Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, i n Jan uary 1 943. Platoon leader. Starting in September 1 944, acting company commander of the 503's 3rd Com pany. Effe ct ive 1 November 1 944: Oberleu t­ nant and company commander. Eastern Front; Nor­ mandy; and, H ungary. Wou nded five ti mes. After a short period in U .S. captivity and activity in farm ing, joined the Bundeswehr in 1 955 as a Hauptman n . General staff training a t the Ecole Superieure de Guerre in Paris. Troop and staff assignments. Final rank: Generalmajor. Retired 1 982. ALFRED RUBBEL Born 1 92 1 at Tilsi t/East Prussia. After school, vol­ un teer. After a short time in the infant ry, to the

439

5th Panzer Replacement Battalion, then with the 29th Panz e r Regi ment of the 1 2 th Panzer Divi­ sion. I n the central and nort h e rn sectors of the Eastern Front. 1 942 with the 4th Panzer Regiment of the 1 3th Panzer Division in the Caucasus. ] 943 conversion training on Tigers. March 1 943 to May 1 945 with Tiger Tan k Battalion 503, with detailing to school to become a reserve officer in the summer/fall of 1 944. Last duty assignment: spe­ cial duty staff officer in the battalion. After a short period of U . S. capt ivi ty, professional t raining and agricultu ral activi ty. ] 956 to 1 978 i n the Bun­ deswehr. Final official position: Class advisor at armored troop school . Followi ng that, active in defense technology.

G E R MAN AR M O R I N ACT I O N Whether spearh ead i n g the b l i tzkrieg i n 1 939-40 o r goi n g muzzle-to-muzzle with Soviet T-34s i n t h e East, German panzers thundered across t h e battlefields of World War

1 1 a n d revolution ized

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TI G E RS I N CO M BAT I Wol fgang Schneider

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TI G E RS I N COM BAT 1 1 Wolfgang Schneider

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Franz-W i l h e l m Lochman n , Ric hard Frei h err von Rose n , and Alfred Rubbel

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