Counter Attack at Villers Bocage by David Pentland
DHM860 Depicting Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittman, the top German Tank
Commander, whose solitary tank knocked out most of the 4th county of
London Yeomanry's regimental Stuart and Cromwell tanks.
Wittmann at Villers Bocage, Normandy, 0900 hrs June 13th 1944 by David
Pentland While other Tigers of his command struck northwest and decimated the
tanks and half tracks of "the Sharpshooters" and Rifle Brigade
parked along the road towards point 213 and Caen, Haupsturmfuhrer Michel
Wittmann attacked on his own to the south east. Driving his panzer
into the village of Villers Bocage. he proceeded to destroy the Stuart and
Cromwell tanks of Viscount Arthur Cranley's 4th County of London Yeomanry
(the Sharpshooters) RHQ. Although subsequently immobilized in the
village center, the battle between the British 7th Armoured Division
"Desert Rats" and Wittmann's 101st Heavy Tank Battalion
continued for a full day, and blunted the British threat to the German
line.
Tiger at the Gate, Berlin 30th April 1945 by David
Pentland DHM1178 A Tiger I and PAK 40 anti tank gun of the
"Müncheberg"
Division, field a final defence of the capital in front of the
Brandenburg Gate under the shattered remains of the famous Linden trees.
The under-strength division had just been formed the previous month from
a mixture of ad hoc units and various marks of tank. Despite this it put
up a spirited fight until its final destruction in early May.
The
Tigers Roar, Malinava, Latvia, July 22nd 1944 by David Pentland. DHM1422
1st Lieutenant Otto Carius commanding 2nd Company of the
502nd heavy tank Battalion, with eight Tigers, advanced towards the
village of Malinava (a northern suburb of Dunaburg), to halt the Russian
advance. Following a reconnaissance Lieutenant Otto Carius explained his
plan to take the village. He decided to attack using only two tanks
because there was only one narrow road leading to the village. Six
Tigers therefore remained in the reserve while Lt Carius and Lt. Albert
Kerschers (one of the most decorated commanders of sPzAbt 502) tanks
moved towards the village. Speed was the essence and afterwards, Otto
Carius recalls that the entire battle did not last more than 20 minutes.
in this short time, Carius and Kerscher knocked out 17 of the new JS-1
Stalin and 5 T-34 tanks. Following this he deployed 6 of his tanks in an
ambush against the remainder of the Soviet tank battalion advancing toward
him, unaware of their lead companies demise. Surprise was complete and a
further 28 tanks were destroyed along with their supporting trucks and
vehicles, the complete battalion had been wiped out for no loss.
Kerscher's Defence of Neuhauser Forest by David Pentland
DHM584 Albert Kerscher's (511 Heavy Tank Battalion) scored his 100th kill
holding off the Russian Army during the German evacuation of wounded
from the Baltic Ports. 15th April 1945. (Tiger I and Panzer IV shown)
"Strike for Gela" Sicily 11th June 1943 by David
Pentland DHM1048 Tiger I tanks of 2 Kompanie/ Schwere Panzer Abteilung 504, attached
to Panzer Division Herman Goring, launch their attack on the main US 7th
Army landing beach at Gela, on the first day of "Operation
Husky". Despite the fact that the Herman Goring troops were untried
in battle it was only the devastating effect of allied naval gunfire
that stopped them reaching and probably destroying the beach head.
"Clash of Steel", Prokhorovka, Kursk, 12th
July 1943 by David Pentland DHM1022 The battle for Prokhorovka marked the high water mark of the
German southern drive for Kursk. At the apex of the thrust were the 14
tiger tanks of the 13 Heavy Tank Company, 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte",
led by Michael Wittman. Their advance was eventually thwarted, however,
by the epic charge of the Soviet 29th Guards Tank Corps, as part of 5th
Guards Tank Army's furious counter attack against the SS Tank Corps.
Taming the Tiger by Geoff Lea DHM402
Typhoons attacking German Armour Convoys in the Falais Gap,
Normandy 1944.
Tiger! Tiger! by Nicolas Trudgian. DHM2609 The
infamous Tiger Tank, one of the the deadliest fighting machines ever
built and the most successful tank ace of WWII, Michael Wittmann.
Wittmanns Tiger advances towards Beauvais in June 1944 to intercept the
advancing British 7th Armoured Division - the famous Desert Rats -
during the Allied Invasion of Normandy. Awarded the Knights Cross with
Swords and Oak Leaves, Michael Wittman was the most decorated tank
commander of WWII but, together with his entire crew, lost his life on
August 8 in the battle for Cintheaux when his Tiger received a direct
hit from a rocket fired by an RAF Typhoon ground attack fighter.
Kursk - Clash of
Steel by
Nicolas Trudgian. DHM2266 The Germans launched their attack on the Kursk salient
on 5th July 1943, and for both sides this was maximum effort. The
Soviets, however, informed by intelligence of the impending German
attack, had ample time to prepare huge defensive works with hundreds of
planned anti tank belts. They deployed 10 Tank Corps, 5 Tank
Armies, 1 mechanised Corps and 14 Field Armies equipped with 4000 anti
tank guns and 6000 tanks. The Soviet Air Forces were equally
impressive - 2600 aircraft. The Germans, outnumbered in every
department, were forced to scrape together whatever serviceable tanks
they could from their badly under strength Panzer formations. Most
of the tanks deployed were old Panzer IIIs or IVs, with only 147 Tigers
available for action. The northern German attack made very little
headway, but, in the south, the Germans had grouped all of the SS Panzer
forces into the II SS Panzer Corps and these units, despite the enormous
Soviet forces ranged against them, began to smash their way through the
Soviet defences. The Luftwaffe too had brought together 1200
aircraft and these made an immediate impact on the fighting - on the
first day alone German fighters broke up massive formations of Soviet
aircraft, over 400 victories being claimed.
Tigers in Normandy by Nicholas Trudgian DHM2035
Tigers of SS Panzer Battalion 102 yet again advance towards the
infamous hill, passing two Shermans knocked out in the previous days
fighting. Overhead, Me109s of II./JG26 give aerial support as the German
armour makes a last ditch attempt to repel the advancing forces, in their
effort to hold the important city of Caen.
The Battle for Point 112, a strategically positioned hill just a few
miles south-west of Caen, was the scene of some of the most violent
fighting between German and British armour, artillery and ground troops
during the weeks immediately following the D-Day invasion, in June 1944.
Desperate to regain Hill 112, on July 9, the Tiger tanks of SS Panzer
Battalion 102 were ordered to advance. 2 Kompanie's Tigers managed to
occupy the eastern slopes of the hill, while 1 Kompanie came under fire as
they reached the first houses in the small village of Maltot. At this
point they came head-on to British Sherman tanks.
Entering the village firing his '88', Unterscharführer Fey in tank
138 quickly knocked out three Shermans at 200 yards range, and by the
evening of July 10 the Panzers had retaken Maltot. But Allied artillery
had driven the Germans off Hill112. The battle raged for another three
weeks when on August 1 the Allies drove the Germans off Point 112 for the
final time.
The Signatures :
Three top Panzer Commanders who fought in
the Tiger tank in 1944, join artist Nicholas Trudgian in signing this
remarkable new edition :
Oberstleutnant ALFRED RUBBEL
Joining
the Panzer forces in 1940, Alfred Rubbel served first with Panzer Regiment
29 un Mittel and then with Panzer Regiment 4 in the Caucasus. He
transferred to the Tiger I Panzer and from March 1943 to May 1945 served,
as Tank Commander, with Heavy Panzer Division 503. He was awarded
the Iron Cross I and II, and had 57 Panzer victories from 79 Panzer
battles
Feldwebel RICHARD SCHARZMANN
Conscripted in 1939
into the Wehrmacht he served first with Artillery Regiment 45 in the
French Campaigns of 1940 where he was wounded. Posted to the Panzer
Division in the East Front in 1941, in 1943 he joined Panzer Division
503. He was top marksman and Kommandant of both Tiger I and
II. He was awarded the Iron Cross II.
Unteroffizier DR
FRANZ-WILHELM LOCHMANN
Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann joined up in 1941,
and trained and served as a tank radio operator and machine gunner in
1./503 Heavy Tank Division. He fought in 95 tank engagements and
finished the war as a Company Commander. He was awarded the Iron
Cross I and II.
ALFRED RUBBEL
RICHARD SCHARZMANN
FRANZ-WILHELM LOCHMANN
