The Tiger Ace (Waffen SS Liebstandarte

Division)
Michael Wittmann (April 22, 1914 – August 8, 1944) was a German Waffen-SS tank commander
during the Second World War. Wittmann would rise to the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer (captain)
and was a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross holder.

He was credited with the destruction of 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns, along with an unknown
number of other armoured vehicles, making him one of Germany's top scoring panzer aces,
together with Johannes Bölter, Ernst Barkmann, Otto Carius and Kurt Knispel who was the top
scoring ace of the war with 168 tank kills.

Wittmann is most famous for his ambush of elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, during
the Battle of Villers-Bocage on 13 June 1944. While in command of a single Panzerkampfwagen VI
Tiger he destroyed up to 14 tanks and 15 personnel carriers along with 2 anti-tank guns within the
space of 15 minutes.

The circumstances behind Wittmann’s death have caused some debate and discussion over the
years, but it had been historically accepted that Trooper Joe Ekins, the gunner in a Sherman
Firefly, of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry was his killer. However, in recent years, some
commentators have suggested that members of the Canadian Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment may
have been responsible instead.

Early life and career

Michael Wittmann was born on April 22, 1914 in the village of Vogelthal in the Oberpfalz region
of Bavaria. He was the second son of local farmer Johann Wittmann and his wife Ursula. In
February 1934, Michael joined the Volunteer Labour Service, the FAD (what later became theRAD)
and on October 30, 1934 he joined the German Army. He was assigned to the 19. Infantry
Regiment based at Freising by Munich, eventually reaching the rank of Gefreiter (lance-corporal).
In October 1936 the 22-year-old Wittmann joined the Allgemeine-SS. On April 5, 1937, he was
assigned to the premier regiment, later division Leibstandarte-SS  Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) and was
given the rank SS-Mann (private). A year later, he participated in the occupation of Austria and
the Sudetenland with an armoured car platoon.
Second World War
Early War
His first experience of action came in the Polish Campaign, followed by the Battle of France as a
commander of the new self-propelled assault guns, the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. A. The Greek
campaign - Operation 'Marita' - was launched on April 6, 1941. Leibstandarte SS Adolf
Hitler(LSSAH) captured the Greek capital and formed the spearhead, alongside the
9th Panzer Division, which punched through the Greek countryside. After three weeks of
campaigning, Nazi Germany had conquered Greece. Wittmann and his unit were sent
to Czechoslovakia for a refit.

The Eastern Front

The rest would not last long, however, as Wittmann's unit was soon dispatched to the Eastern
Front to participate in the invasion of the Soviet Union. He initially served as a commander of a
StuG III assault gun. He was assigned for both officer and tank training in the winter of 1942–43.

Returning to the Eastern Front as a newly commissioned officer, Wittmann was reassigned to the
SS Panzer Regiment 1, a tank unit with the rank of SS-Untersturmführer (second lieutenant),
where he commanded a Panzer III tank. By 1943, he commanded a Tiger, and by the time of
the Battle of Kursk(Operation Citadel), he was a platoon leader. On January 14, 1944, he was
awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and on January 30, the Oak Leaves for his continued
excellence in the field. By this time, he had destroyed 88 enemy tanks and a significant number of
other armoured vehicles. In Agte's book on Wittmann (Michael Wittmann And The Tiger
Commanders Of The Leibstandarte) it calculates his kills thusly: In the 5 days of Zittadelle
Wittmann destroyed 'at least' 30 tanks.(page 100) 'destroyed 13 T34's' on 21 November 1943 (page
130) 56 enemy tanks in the period July 1943-7/1/44 (page 158) In summary:

56 kills on 7/1/44 (page 213)

66 kills on 9/1/44 (page 181)

88 kills on 13/1/44 (page 213)

114-117 kills on 29/1/44 (page 185)

It would seem over half his total were claimed in a three week period in January 1944.
Normandy
In April 1944, the LSSAH's Tiger Company was transferred to the SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101.
[5]
 This battalion was assigned to the I SS Panzer Corpsand was never permanently attached to
any division or regiment within the corps. Wittmann commanded the 2nd Company of the
battalion and held the rank of SS-Obersturmführer (first lieutenant).] Following the Allied Invasion
of Normandy, the battalion was ordered to move from Beauvais toNormandy on 7 June, a move
that was completed on 12 June after a five day road march.

Due to the Anglo-American advances from Gold and Omaha Beachs, the German 352nd Infantry

Division began to buckle; as it withdrew south, it opened up a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) wide gap in the
German lines near Caumont-l'Éventé.[9][10][11] Sepp Dietrich ordered his only reserve, the Heavy SS-
Panzer Battalion 101, to position itself behind the Panzer-Lehr-Division and 12th SS Panzer
Division Hitlerjugend to cover his open left flank.[12] Anticipating the importance the British would
assign to the high ground near Villers-Bocage, Wittmann's company was positioned near the
town.

The British 7th Armoured Division was ordered to exploit the gap in the German lines and capture
Villers-Bocage and a nearby ridge, Point 213. The British occupied the town and ridge during the
morning of 13 June. Wittmann's company consisted of five tanks, of which two were damaged. He
was surprised to discover the British in the Villers-Bocage area much sooner than had been
expected. He later stated:

I had no time to assemble my company; instead I had to act quickly, as I had to assume that the
enemy had already spotted me and would destroy me where I stood. I set off with one tank and
passed the order to the others not to retreat a single step but to hold their ground.

At approximately 09:00 on Point 213, destroying them Wittmann then moved towards Villers-
Bocage engaging several transport vehicles parked along the roadside, the carriers bursting into
flames as their fuel tanks were ruptured by machine gun and high explosive fire. Moving into the
eastern end of Villers-Bocage, Wittmann engaged a number of light tanks followed by several
medium tanks.Alerted to Wittmann's actions, light tanks in the middle of the town quickly got off
the road while medium tanks were brought forward. Wittmann, meanwhile, had accounted for a
further British tank, two artillery observation post (OP) tanksfollowed by a scout car and a half-
track. Accounts differ as to what happened next. Historians record that, following the destruction
of the OP tanks, Wittmann briefly duelled without success against a Sherman Firefly before
withdrawing. The Tiger is then reported to have continued eastwards to the outskirts of the town
before being disabled by an anti-tank gun. Wittmann's own account, however, contradicts this; he
states that his tank was disabled by an anti-tank gun in the town centre.
In less than 15 minutes, 13–14 tanks, two anti-tank guns and 13–15 transport vehicles had been
destroyed by the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101, the vast majority attributed to
Wittmann.Wittmann would however play no further role in the Battle of Villers-Bocage. For his
actions during the battle, Wittmann was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (captain) and awarded
Swords to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Historian Wolfgang Schneider calls into question Wittmann's tactical ability, claiming "a
competent tank company commander does not accumulate so many serious
mistakes". Schneider also criticises Wittmann's disposition of his forces before the battle by
having his Tigers position themselves in a sunken lane with a vehicle with engine trouble at the
head of a stationary column thereby hampering mobility of his unit. It also risked blocking the
entire company. However, Schneider saves his real opprobrium for Wittmann’s solitary advance
into Villers-Bocage. Although he acknowledges Wittmann's courage, he points out that such an
action "goes against all the rules". No intelligence was gathered beforehand, and there was no
"centre of gravity" or "concentration of forces" in the attack. Schneider claims that because of
Wittmann's actions, "the bulk of the 2nd Company and Mobius 1st Company came up against an
enemy who had gone onto the defensive".He calls Wittman's "carefree" advance into British-
occupied positions "pure folly", and states that "such over hastiness was uncalled for". Schneider
goes on to surmise that if Wittmann had properly prepared an assault involving the rest of his
company and the 1st Company, far greater results could have been achieved. He concludes with
the belief that "thoughtlessness of this kind was to cost [Wittmann] his life on August 9, 1944,
near Gaumesnil, during an attack casually launched in open country with an exposed flank."

Death

Photograph of the wrecked Tiger 007, taken by French civilian Mr. Serge Varin in 1945, still in the field near
Gaumesnil where it had been stopped a year before.

Wittmann was killed on 8 August 1944 while taking part in a counterattack ordered by Kurt Meyer,
of the 12th SS Panzer Division to retake tactically important high ground near the town of Saint-
Aignan-de-Cramesnil. The town and surrounding high ground had been captured a few hours
earlier by Anglo-Canadian forces during Operation Totalize. Wittmann had decided to participate
in the attack as he believed the company commander who was supposed to lead the attack was
too inexperienced.[41]

A group of seven Tiger tanks from the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101, supported by several other
tanks, was ambushed by tanks from A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, A Squadron,
the Sherbrooke Fuisilier Regiment, and B Squadron, the 144 Royal Armoured Corps.

The killing shots have long been thought to have come from a Sherman Firefly of ‘3 Troop’, A
Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry (commander - Sergeant Gordon; gunner - Trooper Joe
Ekins), which was positioned in a wood called Delle de la Roque on the advancing Tigers' right
flank] at approximately 12:47.

It appears the shells penetrated the upper hull of the tank and ignited the Tiger's own ammunition,
causing a fire which engulfed the tank and then blew off the turret.

Pics of the Tiger Ace:

Wittmann receiving the Swords to hisKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross from Adolf Hitler.
Michael Wittman photographed one month prior to Operation Overlord on the turret of his Tiger no. 007

Wittmann with his Tiger crew late 1944.

Wittmann Portrait with the Liebdtandarte division.