101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion

German heavy tank battalion in the Waffen-SS during World War II December 2015 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion501st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101(renumbered: Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 501) 19 July 1943 – May 1945 Nazi Germany border|23px Waffen-SS Panzer Armoured warfare Battalion, up to 45 tanks I SS Panzer Corps Tiger I, Tiger II Heinz von WesternhagenHeinrich KlingWestemeier 2014 361, 362 60px 101st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (de Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101) was a German heavy tank battalion in the Waffen-SS during World War II. With the introduction of new Tiger II tanks in late 1944, the unit was renumbered as the 501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (de Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 501). Operational history The battalion was created on July 19, 1943, as a part of the I SS Panzer Corps, by forming two new heavy tank companies consisting of Tiger I tanks and incorporating the 13th (Heavy) Company of the 1st SS Panzer Regiment. It was attached to 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte and sent to Italy on August 23, 1943, where it stayed until mid-October. The 1st and 2nd company were then sent to the Eastern Front while the rest of the unit stayed in the West. With the anticipated Allied invasion of Western Europe approaching, elements of the battalion in the East were ordered to the West in April 1944. On June 1, 1944, the battalion was located near Beauvais, north-west of Paris. Of its 45 Tigers, 37 were operational and eight more were under repair. With the D-Day landings on June 6, it was ordered to Normandy where it arrived on June 12 and 13. Fighting its first battle on 13 June, Kompanie 2, led by Michael Wittmann inflicted severe damage on the British in Villers-Bocage, resulting in the ending of Operation Perch.Fey Will Armour battles of the Waffen-SS 1943-45 Stackpole books 1990 102–103 The battalion lost 15 of its 45 Tigers by July 5, including in the Battle of Villers-Bocage. At this time the unit's surplus crews began outfitting with the new Tiger II tanks. By August 7 the division left in Normandy had 25 Tigers of which 21 were operational. On August 8, 1944, three of its seven Tigers, committed to a counter-attack near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil, were destroyed by British Sherman Fireflies, and two more were destroyed by the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment,B.A.Reid No Holding Back, 2004, p. 410 killing Michael Wittmann. The battalion lost virtually all its remaining Tigers in the Falaise pocket and the subsequent German retreat from France. On September 9, the remains of the unit were ordered to rest and refit with the new Tiger IIs. With this change on September 22, 1944, it was redesignated the 501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion. On March 15, 1945, it reported a strength of 32 tanks, of which eight were operational.Jentz 1996, p. 247 Four days later, Heinrich Kling was appointed as commander of the unit.Westemeier 2014 361, 362 Commanders SS-Sturmbannführer Heinz von Westernhagen (19 July 1943 - 8 November 1943) SS-Obersturmführer Otto Leiner (8 November 1943 - 13 February 1944) SS-Oberführer Heinz von Westernhagen (13 February 1944 - 20 March 1945) SS-Sturmbannführer Heinrich Kling (20 March - 8 May 1945) See also SS Panzer Division order of battle Panzer Division Notes 30em References 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 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 Trigg Jonathan 2019 D-Day Through German Eyes: How the Wehrmacht Lost France Amberley Publishing 978-1-4456-9944-8 Westemeier Jens Jens Westemeier Himmlers Krieger: Joachim Peiper und die Waffen-SS in Krieg und Nachkriegszeit https://books.google.com/books?id=8_3rAwAAQBAJ Krieg in der Geschichte 2014 Verlag Ferd.Schöningh 978-3-506-77241-1 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 y SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 101 101 101 Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945