101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion

The 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was a Waffen-SS armored unit which fought in World War II. The name of this unit in German was Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101, which was abbreviated as s.SS-Pz. Abt. 101. It was formed on July 19, 1943, by putting together two new heavy tank companies. Composed of Tiger I and Tiger II tanks, it was attached to the 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”.

In 1943, the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was sent to Italy where it engaged British units in heavy fighting. At the end of 1943, it moved to the Western Front, but two elements from it was assigned to the Eastern Front. However, in April 1944, these two elements returned and rejoined their unit. On June 6, 1944, the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was sent to Normandy area. Although it was subjected to heavy air attacks along the way, it arrived there on June 12. The following day, June 13, it engaged the British 22nd Armored Brigade (7th Armored Division) in fierce fighting at the Battle of Villers-Bocage in which only one Tiger I tank, commanded by Michael Wittmann, destroyed 16 British tanks, 5 armored vehicles, and 7 transport vehicles.

In July 1944, the SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 was temporarily withdrawn from the Front to be refitted, receiving the new Tiger II tanks. By August 7 the remainder of the battalion in Normandy numbered 25 Tigers of which 21 were still operational. On August 8, 1944, three of their seven Tigers committed to a counter-attack near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil were knocked out by a force of 19 Sherman Fireflies from the British Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment. On that day Michael Wittman was killed. During the Falaise Pocket fighting, the SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 lost virtually all its remaining Tigers. On September 9, the remains of the unit were ordered to rest and completely refit with the new Tiger II’s, with this change on September 22, 1944, it was redesignated Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501.

Commanders

All the commanders of the SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 were tank aces.

Karl Möbius: credited with 125 destroyed tanks
Heinz Kling: credited with 51 destroyed tanks
Karl-Heinz Warmbrunn: credited with 57 destroyed tanks
Helmut Wendorff: credited with 84 destroyed tanks
Michael Wittmann: credited with 138 destroyed tanks
Bobby Woll: credited with 100+ destroyed

SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 (video)