Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101

Gliederung

Dienstgrade

Offiziere Name

Feldpost

Abteilungskommandeur

dejanz

Stabskompanie

1./ Kompanie

milicko

2./ Kompanie

SS-Hauptsturmführer

Dany Sakr

MasnarT

3./ Kompanie

4./ Kompanie

Chris Hall

UNIT HISTORY

Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101, meaning Heavy SS-Tank Battalion 101, commonly abbreviated as s.SS-Pz. Abt. 101 was one of Waffen-SS's elite armored units, acting as a fire brigade and a crack assault unit on all fronts. With the introduction of new Tiger II - Royal Tiger tanks in late 1944, it was redesignated Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501. It was created on July 19, 1943 as a part of the I. SS-Panzerkorps, by forming two new heavy tank companies consisting of Tiger I tanks and incorporating the 13.Kompanie of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1. Attached to SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" it was sent to Italy on August 23, 1943 where it stayed until mid-October. The 1st and 2nd company were then sent to East while the rest of the unit stayed behind in the West.

With the anticipated Allied invasion of Western Europe approaching, elements of the battalion in the East were ordered to 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 in repair. With D-Day landings on June 6 it was ordered to Normandy where it arrived despite heavy aerial bombardment on June 12. After weeks of heavy fighting, most famously at the Battle of Villers-Bocage, by July 5 the battalion lost 15 of its 45 Tigers.

At this time units surplus crews were pulled back from the front and started being outfitted with the new Tiger II tanks. By August 7 the remainder of the division left in Normandy counted 25 Tigers of which 21 were still operational. The battalion lost virtually all its remaining Tigers during the heavy fighting at the Falaise pocket and subsequent massive German retreat from France.

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 

SS-Sturmbannführer von Westerhagen  

(19 July 1943 - 8 Nov 1943) 

SS-Obersturmbannführer Leiner   

(9 Nov 1943 - 13 Feb 1944)  

SS-Obersturmbannführer von Westerhagen 

(13 Feb 1944 - 20 Mar 1945) 

SS-Sturmbannführer Kling  

(20 Mar 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Area of operations 

Notable members

Heinz Kling (usually credited with 51 destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)
Karl-Heinz Warmbrunn (usually credited with 57 destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)
Helmut Wendorff (usually credited with 84 destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)
Michael Wittmann (usually credited with 138 destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)
Balthazar "Boddy" Woll (usually credited with 100+ destroyed tanks but the exact number is unknown)