- 101st SS Heavy Panzer Detachment
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 late1944 , 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 ofTiger I tanks and incorporating the "13.Kompanie" ofSS-Panzer-Regiment 1 . Attached to SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" it was sent to Italy onAugust 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..SS-Pz. Abt. 101 in Normandy
With the anticipated Allied invasion of
Western Europe approaching, elements of the battalion in the East were ordered to West in April1944 . OnJune 1 ,1944 , the battalion was located nearBeauvais , north-west ofParis , of its 45 Tigers, 37 were operational and eight more in repair. WithD-Day landings on June 6 it was ordered toNormandy where it arrived despite heavy aerial bombardment onJune 12 . After weeks of heavy fighting, most famously at theBattle 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 theFalaise 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.
External links
* [http://web.telia.com/~u18313395/normandy/gerob/ghqpz/101pzabt.html Operational numbers of the Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 in Normandy] by Niklas Zetterling
* [http://www.alanhamby.com/tiger.html Unit history of s.SS-Pz.Abt 101 and all other Tiger units at the Tiger I Information Center]
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