The Second World War produced many tales of heroic soldiers, sailors, pilots and their
victories.
The tank aces of the war are a bit lesser-known but no less interesting in my opinion.
The most remarkable of these tank aces was the German tank commander Michael Wittmann.
During his short-lived career as tank commander he destroyed around 138 enemy tanks, 152 artillery
pieces and over 200 small army vehicles.
The life of Michael Wittmann ended the way he lived: during an intense tank battle in
Normandy, in 1944, right after D-Day.
This is the life of one of history’s greatest Tank Aces.
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Michael Wittmann
Michael Wittmann was born in the year the First World War broke out, 1914.
When he turned 20, Hitler had been in power for a year and was about to cement his position
by purging hostile elements within German.
Michael joined the German Army as a private.
3 years later he joined the SS Leibstandarte, his ‘Praetorian guard’, as Hitler described
it.
Initially, the division served as Hitler’s personal bodyguards.
As the Second World War broke out and it rapidly became apparent Germany required soldiers
to fight on Germany’s frontiers, the division was transformed into an armoured division.
Michael now travelled all over Europe: he served in Poland and France as an armoured
car commander and in the Balkans, where he won the Iron Cross Second Class.
It wasn’t until the Russian campaign that Michael shot to fame within the German Reich.
As operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941 Michael, closeby with his unit in the
Balkans, was sent to the Russian battlefield.
Initially, he manned an assault gun but when, during the Battle of Rostov, he destroyed
6 Red Army Tanks in one single engagement, he was transferred again.
He was deemed a natural talent by his superiors and was allowed to retrain as a tank commander,
promoted to the rank of lieutenant and was assigned a Tiger main battle tank in the SS
Panzer-Regiment 1.
Documents reveal that Michael turned out to embody the ideal qualities of a tank commander.
Now, before we get to his command-style it is important to note that German tanks consisted
of a tank crew of multiple men.
Michael’s tank crew contained the gunner Balthasar Woll, one of Germany’s best tank
gunners who was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his actions.
Balthasar had just turned 21 and Michael was not even 30 yet when, on the Eastern Front,
both of them made a name for themselves.
The Battle of Kursk (July, 1943)
One of Michael’s greatest shows of his ability as a tank commander was on the day the Kursk
Offensive was launched, July 5, 1943.
The offensive was an attempt by Hitler and the German High Command to compensate for
the loss at Stalingrad and push back the advancing Soviets.
It was to become the biggest tank battle ever in history and certainly a decisive battle
of the war.
Now, on the southern front as the offensive commenced, the Leibstandarte’s panzers led
the German front.
At the tip of the formation were the Tiger tanks of the heavy panzer company, one of
which Michael commanded.
It didn’t take long for Woll to target, and destroy the first Red Army anti-tank gun.
With incredible speed the company advanced, facing multiple Red Army T-34s, a Soviet Medium
Tank.
Destroying several of them - the Germans managed to rout the others.
It was then Michael received information, by radio, that the platoon north of them,
under the command of the 24-year-old Helmut Wendorff, was in trouble.
He ordered the Tigers to move north, but due to their rapid advancement, they emerged behind
another Red Army anti-tank strongpoint.
Nearby, Wendorff’s tanks were surrounded by the T-34s and one of his Tigers was destroyed.
Turning to aid Wendorff, Michael’s Tiger destroyed three T-34s within minutes while
the other Tigers took on the anti-tank stronghold.
His tank suffered serious damage and he put his life on the line several times that day,
but by the end of the day, they could resume their advance, claiming 8 Red Army Tanks and
7 anti-tank guns destroyed.
It didn’t matter though, by August the battle was over and the Germans, vastly outnumbered
by Soviet forces, were forced to retreat.
They suffered an incredible amount of casualties, over 150.000 with thousands of tanks and hundreds
of aircraft…
But it was nothing compared to the Soviet losses, which lost at least triple, if not
fourfold that amount.
There are many stories about Michael’s tank battalion on the Eastern Front.
Within 6 months, by the 7th of January he had destroyed 56 tanks, and the next 3 weeks
he upped his tally to 117.
He was a force to be reckoned with - recognized both by the Soviets and Germans alike.
On the 14th of January, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz and 2 weeks later he was awarded
the Oak Leaves.
The German propaganda machine lifted Michael to hero status.
Ironically, he was a reserved man and didn’t like to talk about his victories.
Nevertheless, books, postcards and even films were created, romanticizing his endeavours.
The German command decided to move his company to the West - the battle of Kursk had been
lost and desperate attempts and offensives were still launched in the East but to no
avail.
Michael, he was now placed in command of the 2 Company in the newly formed “schwere SS
Panzer Abteilung 101”.
This heavy panzer unit, under Michael’s command, would give the Allies more than a
hard time within half a year, as D-Day was launched and the Allies would fight bravely
and defiantly to secure the Normandy beach-head.
Operation Overlord and Villers-Bocage (June, 1944)
On the 6th of June 1944, the Allied powers launched their D-Day offensive: the largest
amphibious invasion in history.
It marked the starting point of Western Europe’s liberation.
6 days after the initial invasion the Allies were fighting in Normandy, attempting to secure
the beach.
Supported by tank divisions, it was the British 7th Armoured Division that moved to the southwest
of Caen, in an attempt to breach through the German line.
They were veterans from the tank battles in the Western Desert, but the current terrain
they tried to move through wasn’t anything like that.
This landscape, known as the bocage, was a maze of fields, orchards and small muddy provincial
roads - in other words: it was far from the ideal battleground for tank divisions.
Nevertheless, the 7th armoured division kept advancing.
Early morning the next day they were joined by four Cromwell Tanks and an infantry battalion.
They occupied the village of Villers-Bocage.
A small village, but strategically important.
The Germans knew this as well and were preparing their counter-offensive.
Now, the British aimed for a gap in the German lines that appeared on the 12th.
By the time they reached it, it was filled by 3 companies of Abteilung 101, heavily battered
due to the constant Allied air attacks.
What the British didn’t know was that in the woods north-east of Villers-Bocage, Michael
and his company of Tiger-tanks were hidden, ready to strike at the right time.
As the British were rolling up towards the little village, they stopped on the road leading
to the village to fuel up their tanks.
Michael saw this as his chance and ordered his Tiger tank to roll towards the village.
Completely on his own, he entered the village from the woods.
Four Yeomanry Cromwells were parked on the main street.
Without hesitation, Michael ordered his Tiger to fire at the tanks - three were instantly
destroyed.
The fourth managed to reverse himself behind a building into a garden, escaping Michael’s
attention.
It was the beginning of Michael’s most impressive feat.
The Tiger tank now rapidly moved towards the Western edge of the village.
A British squadron was parked there: four Sherman Fireflies, equipped with 17 pounder
guns.
The British were waiting for orders to enter the village - once they spotted the Tiger
tank they launched their attack.
The Tiger was hit and Michael quickly ordered his tank to retreat.
Reversing back into the village, Michael came face to face with the fourth Cromwell that
had escaped his attention.
It was under the command of Captain Pat Dyas who now sought to take revenge for the other
Cromwells: he ordered and scored two direct hits on the Tiger.
Unfortunately for him, the frontal armour of the Tiger resisted both direct hits and
returned fire: the 88mm gun struck the Cromwell, rendering it inoperable.
Its crew climbed out and scattered, though they were no match for the German machine-gun
fire and were quickly mowed down.
Pat Dyas was wounded, but managed to escape the barrage of fire, contacted his superiors
and told them about what was going down in the village - the Allies quickly needed backup.
Michael Wittmann had, within 15 minutes, destroyed 13 tanks, two anti-tank guns and between 13
and 15 transport vehicles.
It was his biggest victory and once news got out, launched his persona to legendary proportions
within Germany.
Aftermath
As commander Dyas was reporting to his superiors, Michael quickly drove his tank back into the
woods on the outskirts of the village.
His unit of Tigers was still concealed between the trees but now were ordered to turn their
attention to the column of British tanks stationed in front of the village refuelling.
The Tigers took their positions, their aim and fired.
Within 10 minutes, it was over.
The British armoured division was no more than a heap of burning shrapnel and skeletons
of once-mighty tanks.
Three Cromwells and a Firefly, that had entered the village upon realizing a firefight was
happening, turned up on the roundabout in the centre of the village.
The four tanks took cover behind houses and hoped they would be able to ambush the Tiger
tanks.
These Tigers now rolled onto the main road of the village - they had refuelled and restocked:
they were ready for battle.
By now the village was already reduced to rubble and burning houses.
Two Tigers and an MKIV Panzer rolled up on the main street, passed the roundabout and
immediately were ambushed by the four tanks waiting for them.
Michael’s Tiger sustained a direct hit on the left side from an anti-tank gun.
Its tracks flew off and the mighty Tiger crashed into a building.
The other Tiger fired at the house where the anti-tank gun was hidden; none of its gunners
would survive the explosion.
Now the Cromwells turned into action, however, and the second Tiger was instantly hit and
disabled.
The engine compartment of the MKIV panzer was hit by a shell, and that tank too became
inoperable.
The crew of all tanks jumped out and fled as fast as they could, leaving their burning
tanks behind.
A firefight followed for the next couple of minutes with direct hits scored on both sides.
Once the dust settled, Michael’s company had inflicted over 100 casualties and destroyed
20 Cromwells, 4 Fireflies, 3 light tanks, 3 scout cars and a half-track.
In the evening the British pulled back.
The German reinforcements from multiple Panzer divisions now arrived.
The support wouldn’t be able to do much on the ground, as during the night-time, the
allies levelled the village with bomber planes.
German Propaganda at the home-front made it out to be that Michael had destroyed over
30 tanks on his own.
About the actual numbers there is still much discussion and the exact details will probably
remain a mystery forever.
Michael Wittmann was awarded the Swords on top of his Ritterkreuz and Oak leaves he already
possessed.
He would not enjoy his legendary triumph for long, however.
On August 9 a tank battle near Caen led to his Tiger tank being ambushed by a Firefly.
One direct hit blew his tank apart and the British found his charred left-over remains.
It was purely due to his medals that they realized they had killed a high-ranking officer.
His body was buried in an anonymous grave and wasn’t reinterred in a German cemetery
until 1983.
His final victory tally stood at around 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns, all achieved
within 3 years.
And that is the story of one of, if not the greatest tank ace of the second world war.
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