Michael Wittmann, born April 22, 1914 in Vogelthal, Germany - killed in action August 8, 1944 in Normandy, is a German tanker of the Second World War
He is known to have been one of the most formidable tank leaders. After entering the Waffen SS, he took part in the Polish and Balkan Campaign and then fought on the Eastern Front where he distinguished himself during the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, gaining the reputation of an ace of tank fighting. He then took part in the battle of Normandy with the rank of Hauptsturmführer (equivalent of captain in the Waffen-SS). He led the battle of June 13, 1944 against a column of the 7th British Armored Division in the battle of Villers-Bocage, June 13, 1944. He and his crew were killed by the unit of the fusilliers of Sherbrooke in the Canadian army , near the town of Cintheaux, south of Caen, during Operation Totalize. Their Tiger tank was destroyed, the turret ripped off. According to the historian Antony Beevor, the destruction of Wittmann's tank is probably the result of one of the Sherman Firefly tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, Squadron B, the 144th Royal Armored Regiment. But, according to other historians, it would actually be credited with a shot from a British anti-tank Hawker Typhoon. This last hypothesis is supported by the testimony of a resident of the municipality who attended the battle and photographed the wreck of the tiger of Wittmann after the retreat of the German troops. It seems that the plane that destroyed Wittmann's tank was shot down during the same day, the pilot disappearing before having time to claim this destruction.
Wittmann became famous in Germany after the battle of Kursk, where he showed great efficiency. After his victories in Normandy, he also became the most decorated tank commander in Germany. As was the case for many of the great military "heroes" of Nazi Germany, he was asked in late June 1944 to accept command of a school of tank instruction; the goal is to prevent a death in battle from damaging the myth. He refused, preferring to return to the field, and was killed two months later. In a parallel with so many victories of the German fighter-bombers' pilots from the Eastern Front, it is legitimate to wonder if the number of victories of the Wittmann tanker is realistic, so much the Nazi propaganda could exaggerate them for a purpose of exaltation of the hero. And this, especially since the "tanks" defeated probably include many light armored vehicles. As for aviation, the armored weapon needed ace, and most belligerents tended to inflate the scores presented as "certified" in the field.
In defense, one can only recall that the strong inexperience of the Soviet tankers - who tended to attack in compact group, without direct support and without use of the radio -, in front of the German veterans with some years of war, made prey of it. easy for some well camouflaged tanks or anti-tank parts. To this must be added the mediocrity of the "fleet" of tanks available to the Soviets at the beginning of the Germans' offensive in 1941: while the latter had had three years to change their tactics and equipment (abandonment of Pzekfw I and II, for example), the Soviets, they, always used material of pre-war largely exceeded.
But the Soviets also had, from the beginning of the war, excellent tanks like the KV-1 or the famous T-34. Their number was certainly limited at the beginning of the conflict, but when the Soviet industrial machine produced them at full speed, these tanks became formidable adversaries. In order to try to regain a frank superiority, the Reich authorities did not hesitate to launch on the battlefield at Kursk new models like the Panther or the Tiger with, among others, Wittmann at the controls of a tank company Tiger. It was precisely after this battle that his fame began to be pinned down by Nazi propaganda, and the following months saw him accredited by a phenomenal number of victories.
This is why many of his victories can be questioned: as much as they were plausible at the beginning of the 1941 German offensive, or they would return to it later in the Normandy countryside facing Sherman largely outclassed, as they were less at the wartime when Wittmann reached the peak of his glory, even as the German armor faced growing difficulties in the face of an increasingly difficult adversary. On the other hand Wittmann started his career on Sturmgeschütz whose role was essentially support and Panzerjäger. Wittmann also had an exceptional shooter in the person of Balthasar Woll (in) with the rare ability to shoot tank in operation (remember that at the time the guns were not stabilized). There is also a Tiger ace in the Wehrmacht with a substantially equivalent score, it is Otto Carius.
A book about the battle of Kursk: Kursk, the forty days that have ruined the Wehrmacht, Jean Lopez, provides both technical and tactical responses on the use of armored weapons from the two protagonists in the middle -1943. It is worth noting that the Tiger and Panther cannons were able to destroy the T-34s at ranges of 1,500 to 1,800 meters, which advanced towards them without their opponents being able to retaliate. Under these conditions, it is quite easy to understand the large number of victories recorded by the Panzerwaffe (German armored weapon) during this battle. To get an idea of the defensive tactics of the German armored units and their maneuvering superiority on the battlefield, it is possible to refer to the book: Prokhorovka: Myth and Reality. On the other hand, the combat manual of the German tank commander stipulated the destruction of the enemy tank by the fire of his vehicle whatever the number of shots that had to be shot at the goal. This means that enemy tanks were irreparable and abandoned on the battlefield. Conversely, the Soviets left many German tanks immobilized but repairable.
In this context, a talented tank commander such as Wittmann accompanied by an exceptional pointer piloting one of the best tanks of the war could probably achieve "a cardboard", knowing that the Russians did not yet have the air superiority over the field as the Anglo-Americans will have the following year in Normandy, to hinder both placement and combat maneuvers. The announced figure is not necessarily so far from reality. Above all, it highlights a very important gap both in the design of tanks on both sides and in their use, a logical result of their technical capabilities. The strategic use of the Tiger tank as a fighter on the defensive gave excellent results, while the counterattack of Michael Wittmann during the battle of Villers-Bocage ended certainly by a German tactical victory, but also by the loss. several Tiger tanks (including one commissioned by Wittmann) in the city. On March 1, 1944, Wittmann married Hildegard Burmester in Lüneburg.
Service Rank :
SS-Mann: April 1st, 1937 :
SS-Sturmmann: November 11, 1937
SS-Unterscharführer: April 20th, 1939
SS-Oberscharführer: November 9, 1941
SS-Untersturmführer: December 21, 1942
SS-Obersturmführer: January 30, 1944
SS-Hauptsturmführer: June 21, 1944
Honors awards :
Iron Cross (1939)
2nd class (July 12, 1941)
1st class (September 8, 1941)
SS Honor Ring
The Wound Badge
in Black (August 20, 1941)
The Panzer Badge (Panzerkampfabzeichen) (November 21, 1941)
Eastern Front Medal (1942)
Sudetenland Medal (1938)
The Anschluss Medal (1938)
Soldier's Cross of the Order of Bravery 4th class 2nd grade (Kingdom of Bulgaria) (1941)
The long service Medal of the SS (Dienstauszeichnung der Waffen-SS)
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Knight's Cross on January 14, 1944 as SS-Untersturmführer and Section Leader of the 13. (schwere) / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1
380th oak leaves on January 30, 1944 as SS-Untersturmführer and section leader of the 13. (schwere) / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1
71st swords on 22 June 1944 as SS-Obersturmführer and head of the SS-Panzer-Abteilung 2./schwere
Mentioned in the daily radio report Wehrmachtbericht (13 January 1944)
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