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Morning Sam and Snippy

Michael Wittman Knights Cross

World War II would prove to be the greatest tank war of them all. And during the brief period in history that tanks would serve as a determining factor on the battlefield, the greatest of all tank unit leaders would come from this war. This man would be Michael Wittman.

Michael Wittman was born in rural Germany to a farm family in August of 1914. After completing his mandatory RaD labor service in 1934, he returned to his father’s farm, where he would continue to work in between stretches of military service until 1937, whereupon he joined the elite LAH division, the SS unit which bore Hitler’s name. In 1939, Wittman saw combat in both Poland and Western Europe. Again in the thick of combat at the outbreak of the Russian Campaign, he gained instant recognition with the 14th Corps after knocking out six tanks out of an eight-tank entourage in a skirmish in the south sector of the front line. By November of 1941, he had received the Iron Cross, Second Class, the Wound Badge and the Close Combat Badge. His superiors recognized an obvious prodigy in their midst, and sent him off to an officer school in Bavaria. By December of 1942, Wittman was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 13th Korps of Panzer Regiment 1, and was back on the front lines with the new Panzer tank. He displayed his incredible skills at the Battle of Kursk, where he knocked out 30 Soviet tanks and 28 artillery pieces. In another single day of combat over the same summer, he claimed 10 more tanks, bringing his total somewhere in the vicinity of 60 tanks. In January of 1944, Wittman led his Panzer unit in an amazing battle that halted an entire Soviet tank brigade. For this Wittman received the Knight’s Cross, then shortly afterwards, the Oakleaves to his knight’s cross, coming along with it a telegraph from Hitler, giving more than the usual round of praise. Wittman was once again promoted and given command of Panzer Troop 501.

It so happened that his division, licking its wounds from the devastating combat on the Eastern Front, were stationed in Normandy during the summer of 1944. The chaotic conditions preceding the Allied landing meant that it was a full day before Wittman’s unit were in the thick of combat, but their late arrival on the front lines were quickly made up for. Leading only a small detachment of armor, he met up with a British tank unit at a small village, where he quickly knocked out the four opposing machines. Regrouping with the main force, he then struck out to find a column of 25 armored units. By knocking out the front and the rear tank, Wittman bought enough time to destroy the remainder of the entire column. Support units would capture 230 British soldiers from the melee, who were largely disoriented from the amazing battle. Though his tank was destroyed during the subsequent retreat, Wittman and crew managed to escape. Shortly thereafter, he was awarded Swords to his Knight’s Cross. Single-handedly, Wittman destroyed the bulk of the British 22nd Armoured Brigade and saved his own division from sure destruction.

At this time Wittman had destroyed nearly 140 tanks and almost as many anti-tank pieces. He was promoted to captain and offered a position at a tank school, but preferred to stay with his unit. So far-reaching was his fame that even Allied soldiers were frightened at the thought of going up against any Panzer, let alone one under the command of the German farmer. But Wittman’s life would not last much longer.

By August 8th, the situation in France had turned desperate. His tank unit, now regrouped with the impressive 12th SS Division, met up with Canadian armor at Cintheaux. Though the town itself was recaptured and the Canadians, (unsurprisingly) sustained heavy casualties, the German high command considered the battle a tremendous blow, for Wittman was lost. Like a knight making his last stand, Wittman perished in a combat engagement with a detachment of the 4th Canadian Armored Division against overwhelming odds. Five tanks caught the ace’s Panzer in the open on August 8th, 1944 in the French countryside. and in the ensuing match that followed, Wittman and his entire crew were killed. Wittman was reported missing the following day, a demoralizing defeat for his division and the entire German army. The whereabouts of his body would remain a mystery for over 40 years, until an accidental discovery by a French road crew led to the exhumation and identification of Wittman’s corpse.

Unlike many German tank men, whose reputation was that of arrogance and overconfidence, Wittman was known for his quiet, mild-mannered behavior, even under fire. It is true that Michael Wittman’s overwhelming success during the tooth-and-nail fighting in Normandy partially came from the gross imbalance of tank quality. The Tiger tank, while a mediocre offensive weapon, proved to be excellent for the defensive strategy of the German army, with its powerful cannon and heavy armor. The American Sherman and the British Cromwell proved to be too light-armored for such heavy close-range fighting, and its firepower was no match against German guns. What had given these two machines a distinct advantage in North Africa became a crux in Western Europe. It should also be remembered that the German tank crews were seasoned veterans almost to a man, whereas many of the American crews had never been in combat before. These advantages would be helpful in the hands of most tank commanders. In the hands of Michael Wittman, he was practically invincible. Michael Wittman was permanently laid to rest at a military cemetery in La Cambe. Balthus Woll, his former gunner and another Knights Cross recipient, lived long enough to see the body discovered and given a proper burial.