102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion

SS Panzer Battalion December 2015 102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102 July 1943 Nazi Germany border|23px Waffen-SS Panzer Armoured warfare Battalion, up to 45 Panzer Tiger I Panzer Battle of NormandyBattle of Verrieres RidgeOperation TotalizeOperation TractableFalaise Pocket The 102nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (de schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102) was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It fought as part of the II SS Panzer Corps during the Battle of Normandy and was nearly destroyed. Renumbered as 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion in late 1944, the unit was destroyed in the Halbe Pocket in Spring 1945. Operational history thumb|Heinrich Himmler inspecting tanks of the battalion, Soviet Union, 1943 In April 1943, the Waffen-SS ordered the creation of a series of heavy tank battalions equipped with the new Tiger I tanks — for use in offensive actions on the Eastern Front.Ripley, p. 230 Each of the heavy tank battalions would be attached to a Corps of the Waffen SS. Upon formation, the 102nd was attached to the II SS Panzer Corps.Fey, p. xviii Originally, each heavy tank battalion was composed of a single company of Tiger I's, attached to each respective SS Panzer Division in the Panzerkorps.Fey, p. 19 By July 1943, the predecessor of the 102nd — SS Panzer Regiment 2 of the SS Division Das Reich — was equipped with 14 Tiger I's. The battalion was sent to Normandy after the Allied D Day landings. The battalion was almost completely destroyed during the fighting in Normandy; in September 1944 it was pulled back to Germany to reform. Stationed in Sennelager the battalion was renumbered the 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion on September 9, 1944.Schneider, Tigers in Combat II, p. 271 Equipped with Tiger II tanks, the battalion took part in the defense against the Red Army at the Oder front. During the Battle of Berlin, the battalion was encircled in the Halbe Pocket in 1945 and destroyed. See also Panzer division Footnotes 30em References Fey, William [1990] (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS. Stackpole Books. 978-0-8117-2905-5 Jentz Thomas Panzertruppen 2: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1943-1945 Schiffer 1996 978-0-7643-0080-6 Ripley, Tim (2005). The Waffen-SS at War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925-1945. Zenith Imprint. 0-7603-2068-3 Schneider Wolfgang Tigers in Combat II 2005 Stackpole Books 0-8117-3203-7 1998 Schneider Wolfgang Tigers in Normandy 2011 Stackpole Books 978-0-8117-1029-9 2004 Wilbeck Christopher W. Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II 2004 Aberjona Press 0-9717650-2-2 https://archive.org/details/sledgehammersstr0000wilb registration External links Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102 unit history Category:German heavy tank battalions Category:German units in Normandy Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 102 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945