Heavy SS Panzer Division 102
|
heavy SS Panzer Division 102 |
|
|---|---|
| active | July 1943 to April 1945 |
| Country |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
|
| Armed forces | Armed SS |
| Armed forces | army |
| Type | Heavy Tank Division |
| Strength | 3 companies
45 Tiger tanks |
| Insinuation | II. SS Panzer Corps |
| Second World War | Operation Overlord |
The heavy SS Panzer Department 102 was a battle tank unit of the Waffen SS in World War II . She fought as part of the II SS Panzer Corps and was almost completely wiped out during the invasion of Normandy . After being reorganized and renamed to heavy SS Panzer Division 502, it was destroyed by the Red Army during the Battle of Halbe at the end of April 1945 .
history
Lineup
In April 1943 the Waffen-SS ordered the formation of heavy tank detachments - equipped with the new Tiger I - for attacks on the Eastern Front . Each of these heavy tank divisions was assigned to a corps of the Waffen SS; the heavy SS Panzer Division 102 was incorporated into the II SS Panzer Corps . Originally, each heavy tank division consisted of a company of Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger tanks that were assigned to the respective SS Panzer Division in the Panzer Corps. By July 1943, the predecessor of the 102nd - SS Panzer Regiment 2 of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich - was equipped with 14 Tiger I.
Use in Normandy
The division was deployed after the Western Allies landed in Normandy , and took part in the fighting at Height 112, in which the division was almost completely wiped out. In September 1944 it was relocated to Sennelager ( Senne military training area ) to be reorganized, refurbished and renamed Heavy SS Panzer Division 502.
Battle on the Eastern Front (1945)
After the renaming and equipping with Tiger II tanks (also called King Tiger ), the tank division was used in defensive battles against the Red Army on the Oder . During the Soviet offensive on Berlin , the division was forced to retreat and wiped out in the Halbe pocket. Few soldiers were able to escape into American captivity.
Battle story
Heavy SS Panzer Division 102 destroyed 600 enemy tanks and lost an estimated 76 of its own in the process, which corresponds to a ratio of 7.89: 1.
Commanders and notable family members
- Commanders
- SS-Sturmbannführer Anton Laackmann (January to March 1944)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Weiss (March to August 18, 1944)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Kurt Hartrampf (August 1944 to May 1945)
- Ranking of tank kills
- Paul Egger, 113 kills
- Will Fey, 73 kills
- Martin Schroif, 161 kills
- Joachim Scholl, 42 kills
- Knight's Cross bearer
- Paul Egger
- Kurt Hartrampf
- Alois Kalss
Web links
literature
- Christopher Wilbeck: Sledgehammers. Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II. Aberjona Press, Bedford PA 2004, ISBN 0-9717650-2-2 (English).
- Fey, William [1990] (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5 .
- Ripley, Tim (2005). The Waffen-SS at War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925–1945. Zenith imprint. ISBN 0-7603-2068-3 .
- Schneider, Wolfgang (2001). Tiger in the fight II. JJ Fedorowicz Publishing ISBN 3-935107-02-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.alanhamby.com/history.shtml
- ↑ southwest of Caen . To the south of the hill 112 lies the Orne valley , to the north the Odon river . North of altitude 112 is Baron-sur-Odon , south Esquay-Notre-Dame and southwest Evrecy ( map ).
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from November 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/tigers-02.htm
- ↑ http://www.alanhamby.com/aces.shtml
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.ww2awards.com/person/34751
