501st Heavy Panzer Battalion

The 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion (German:

501st Heavy Panzer Battalion
"schwere Panzerabteilung 501"; abbreviated: "s
PzAbt 501") was a German heavy Panzer Abteilung schwere Panzerabteilung 501
(an independent battalion-sized unit) equipped with — s PzAbt 501—
heavy tanks. The battalion was the second unit to
receive and use the Tiger I heavy tank, changing to
Tiger IIs in mid-1944.

From November 1942 it fought, and in May 1943

surrendered, in Tunisia; reformed in September 1943,
it fought on the Eastern front until destroyed in early
July 1944; it reformed with Tiger IIs in mid-July
(US Army Map Symbol: Panzer Battalion)
1944, then mostly deactivated on 11 February 1945.
Active 1942–1945
Country Nazi Germany
Contents Branch Heer

Formation Type Panzer

Operations Role Armoured warfare

North Africa Size Battalion, up to 45 tanks
Eastern Front Part of Wehrmacht
Commanders Equipment Tiger I (1942–1944)
See also Tiger II (1944–1945)

Notes Engagements World War II

References Tunisian campaign

External links Eastern Front
Insignia
Formation Stalking tiger

The first heavy armor units in the German Army

were the 501st and 502nd heavy tank companies,
founded 16 February 1942. They were combined into the 501st heavy tank battalion on 10 May 1942 in
Erfurt, commanded by Major Hans-Georg Lueder.[1] In late August, the first Tiger began to arrive, delivery
priority having been given to the formation of the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion.[1] The 501st was
promised to the Afrika Korps for use in North Africa, and was prepared for tropical operations. Initially, the
battalion consisted of 20 Tiger I and 25 Panzer III.

German heavy tank battalions were initially planned to be composed of two companies, each with four
platoons of two Tigers and two Panzer IIIs. Each company commander would have an additional Tiger,
and battalion command would have another two, for a total of 20 Tigers and 16 Panzer III.[2]
Operations

North Africa

Following the Allied landing in French North Africa the battalion,

with its 16 Panzer IIIs, arrived in Tunisia between November 1942
and January 1943.

Initially only three Tiger Is of the 501st landed at Tunis on 23

November 1942. These first elements of the battalion, along with
four Panzer IIIs, were organized with other units into Kampfgruppe
Lueder. They were involved in fighting just over a week later
during the Axis counterattack on 1 December, destroying nine US
and two British tanks on the first day while relieving German
forces.[3] On 2 December, KG Lueder, with one Tiger and five
Panzer IIIs, attacked Tebourba, stopping an Allied advance and
knocking out six tanks and four anti-tank guns for the loss of three
Panzer IIIs. On 3 December, the single operational Tiger I was
reinforced by three newly arrived Tigers, which, with infantry
Operations in Tunisia,
support, surrounded Tebourba. The next day, with Stuka support,
25 November – 10 December 1942
Kampfgruppe Lueder took Tebourba but was then disbanded, all of
its Tigers being out of action. Of 182 tanks present, the Allies lost
134.[4]

Reinforcements of one Tiger and one Panzer III arrived on 9 December, which along with repairs of battle
damage, gave an inventory of seven Tiger Is and five Panzer IIIs. The next day, they moved together with
elements of 10th Panzer Division on the road to Massicault, attacking towards Majaz al Bab, gaining 13 km
(8.1 mi) and destroying 14 M3 Stuart tanks.[4] The next day, they covered the southern flank of the main
attack and acted as a reserve element, 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Djedeida.[4]

By the end of December 1942, strength was up to 11 out of 12

Tigers operational, plus 16 Panzer IIIs. On 15 January 1943, eight
Tigers and eight Panzer IIIs were assigned to work with 756th
Mountain Infantry Regiment, KG Lueder was re-established with
five Tigers and 10 Panzer IIIs plus the 1st battalion of the 69th
Mechanised Infantry Regiment.[5] On 18 January, as part of
Operation Eilbote I, the mountain infantry broke through enemy
positions which were protected by anti-tank mines, and captured a
crossing south west of Lake Kebir; one Tiger was scrapped due to
Erwin Rommel talks to German
a shortage of spare road wheels after hitting a mine. On 19 January,
soldiers using a captured US M3
KG Lueder attacked along the road towards Robaa, then turned
half-track
and took the crossing at Hir Moussa, capturing US personnel
carriers which were turned over to their infantry.[5] Skirmishes on
20 January resulted in the loss of a Tiger to a British 6 pdr anti-tank gun, and another blown up by British
engineers. Over the next two days, British counterattacks were repelled; three enemy tanks destroyed for
the loss of two Panzer III and one Tiger. On 24 January, more British attacks were repelled with heavy
German losses.[5]
14 Panzer IIIs plus 11 out of 16 available Tigers were operational on 31 January 1943. They were split
between the 756th and 69th again; under KG Weber they began Operation Eilbote II, but it was stopped by
strong anti-tank defenses and minefields, then withdrew. Tiger armor was penetrated for the first time, two
were knocked out; one burnt and was unrecoverable.[5]

The six Tigers and nine

Panzer IIIs of the 1st
Company of the 501st were
attached to 10 Panzer
Division on 8 February for
Operation Frühlingswind.
After night marches, they
joined KG Reimann near
Tiger I of the 501st captured in Bou Thadi on 13 February.
Tunisia, 1943 The next day, they broke
through the Faïd Pass and
joined the Battle of Sidi
Bou Zid. Tigers knocked out 20 M4 Sherman tanks of the US 1st
Armored Division.[5] On 26 February, the 501st was re-designated
III./Panzer-Regiment 7 of 10 Panzer-Division at the end of the
Battle of the Kasserine Pass. Each company received 15 Panzer Operations in Tunisia,
IVs as reinforcement.[6] 30 January – 1- April 1943

The battalion that took part in the Axis offensive of Operation

Ochsenkopf on 27 February. However it was stalled by numerous artillery bombardments, air attacks and
mud. One Tiger also hit a mine. Continuing the attack overnight, seven more Tigers were immobilized by
mines and Major Lueder was wounded. The next day, 1 March, all of the immobilized tanks were blown
up, leaving one operational Tiger. The offensive failed with huge tank losses so much so that 501st had
ceased to be an effective fighting force.[7]

Over the next few days, more tanks were made operational, reaching six Tigers, 12 Panzer IIIs and seven
Panzer IVs by 10 March.[6] On 17 March, the remnants (11 Tigers) of the 501st were attached to the 504th,
which had just arrived.[6] On 12 May 1943, the 501st were among over 230,000 Axis soldiers who
surrendered at the end of the Tunisia Campaign following the Allied capture of Tunis.[6]

Eastern Front

On 9 September 1943, the 501st was reformed from a few remnants of the old battalion, including several
wounded tank crewmen who had been evacuated to Europe for recuperation before the end in Tunisia,
commanded by Major Erich Löwe. By 12 November, it comprised 45 Tiger I tanks (three companies of 14
tanks, plus three tanks for battalion command).[8] Between 5–12 December, the battalion was transferred to
the Vitebsk region in the Soviet Union (modern Belarus).[9]

On 20 December, the 501st attacked an enemy tank formation near Losovka, which inflicted 21 enemy
tank, and 28 gun casualties, for the loss of two of its own tanks and all three company commanders
wounded. Because infantry support was unable to follow, the 501st withdrew. Three days later, Major
Löwe, the battalion commander, went missing after he was forced to change tanks when his own was
knocked out.[9] In the next five days, the battalion destroyed 81 enemy tanks. By the end of December, 16
Tigers were operational out of 39 available, two having fallen into Soviet hands.[9]
Major von Legat took command in January 1944 and the battalion
carried out missions in the Orsha region. On 13 January, a Tiger
was destroyed by an artillery shell plunging through its turret roof.
On 13 February, failed attacks led to the loss of nine Tigers. By 1
March, only 17 Tigers are available out of 29 due to a lack of spare
parts.[9]

On 12 March, the battalion joined the 256th infantry division in a

counterattack north of Nipinzy; by the next day, the enemy forces
were surrounded and destroyed. By 1 April, spare parts had been
Soviet advances from 1 August 1943
delivered and 27 tanks were operational.[9]
to 31 December 1944:
to 1 December 1943
In June, nine tanks were transferred to the 509th, leaving 20
operational. On 23 June, fighting at Orsha, opposing the Soviet to 30 April 1944
Operation Bagration, dispersed the battalion, leading to several to 19 August 1944
days of independent tank battles, some against IS-2s. Under the to 31 December 1944
weight of a withdrawing Tiger, the Orsha bridge collapsed, and
several others ran out of fuel.[10] The rest retreated towards the
Berezina River, where only six could be ferried across, the rest
being blown up on 1–2 July.

By 2–4 July, ad hoc defenses of dispersed Tigers fell back towards

the Minsk area: despite five replacements which boosted
operational forces to seven, two were lost, and another broke
down. The next day two Tigers ran out of fuel while withdrawing
near Maladzyechna, another bogged down, and all three
immobilized Tigers were blown up. Operational tanks dropped to
zero.[10] Eastern Front, April 1944. 501st is
attached to 4th Panzer Army in May,
and 3rd Army in June.[9]
Tiger II

The battalion was reconstituted at Ohrdruf on 14 July. By 7 August 1944, the battalion attained full
strength, with 45 new Tiger IIs equipped with later production turrets.[10]

On 5 August, two companies entrained to south eastern Poland to join Army Group North Ukraine, to
continue to resist Operation Bagration. After detraining, most suffered final drive breakdowns while on a
50 km (31 mi) road march. On 11 August, the battalion was attached to 16th Panzer Division. The eight
operational tanks attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near Baranów Sandomierski. On
the road to Oględów, three Tiger IIs were destroyed in an ambush by a few T-34-85s.[11] Because these
tanks suffered ammunition explosions which caused many crew fatalities, main gun rounds were no longer
allowed to be stowed within the turret, reducing capacity to 68. Over the next two days, the battalion took
heavy casualties.[10]

On 12 August, the remaining company entrained at Ohdruf, to join the rest of the battalion.[12]

After poor tactics in and around Radom on 22 August, the battalion commander was relieved, and also
implicated in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. He was replaced by Major Saemisch.[12] On 1
September, 26 Tigers IIs were operational, and the battalion was assigned to XXXVIII Panzer Corps. Later
in the month, the remaining company eventually joined the rest of the battalion.[12]
The battalion was down to 36 out of 53 Tiger IIs operational by 1 October 1944.[12] By 1 November this
rose to 49, boosted by the absorption of several Tiger Is from the remnants of the 509th. On 21 December,
the battalion was redesignated the 424th Heavy Tank Battalion and assigned to the XXIV Panzer Corps,
part of 4th Panzer Army.[12]

The Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive started on 12 January 1945.

The battalion had been deployed far forward, possibly by the direct
intervention of Hitler, contrary to the wishes of all command levels
from the battalion commander all to the General of Army Group
A.[13] The battalion initially received no orders. On 13 January, it
was ordered towards Lisow. En route, one Tiger II fell through a
bridge. All three companies attempted to attack, but many bogged
down in poor ground and were not recoverable. Leutnant
Oberbracht lost both tracks but destroyed 20 enemy tanks; 50 to 60
enemy tanks were destroyed in total. Several other tanks broke Soviet advances from 1 January
down while moving to contact. IS-2s and anti-tank guns in Lisow 1945 to 7 May 1945:
ambushed the battalion, which was almost destroyed; even the to 30 March 1945
battalion commander's tank was knocked out. One Tiger II broke
to 7 May 1945
down while successfully recovering a bogged down comrade, and
had to be destroyed. Poor reconnaissance was blamed for the
debacle.[12]

The next day, some remnants of the battalion fought on in the pocket forming around them, but were blown
up after running out of fuel. Another Tiger II fell through a bridge and was abandoned. The remaining
tanks regrouped at Grunberg, gathering together whatever tanks they could (two Panthers, three Panzer
IVs, two Hornisse and some Hetzer tank destroyers).[12] After delaying actions with makeshift forces, the
remaining elements withdrew by train to Paderborn on 5 February.[12]

On 11 February 1945, the remaining personnel of the first and second companies of the battalion were
reorganized into the 512th heavy tank destroyer battalion (schwere Panzer-Jager-Abteilung 512). The third
company remained in Paderborn, and together with two Tiger Is, one Panther and one Panzer IV from the
500th tank training battalion (Panzer-Ersatz-und Ausbildungs Abt. 500) fought a short unsuccessful battle
against British forces on Easter 1945.[12] The remaining elements surrendered at Höxter.[12]

Commanders
Major Hans-Georg Lueder (10 May 1942 – 28 February 1943) (wounded)[6]
Major August Seidensticker (17 March 1943 – 12 May 1943) (as part of 504th heavy tank
battalion)
Major Erich Löwe (September 1943 – 23 December 1943) (missing)[9]
Major von Legat (January 1944 – 22 August 1944) (relieved)[9]
Major Saemisch (22 August 1944 – 13 January 1945) (killed)[12]

See also
German heavy tank battalion
Organisation of a SS Panzer Division
Panzer Division
Notes
1. Schneider 2000, p. 41.
2. Schneider 2000, p. 3.
3. Schneider 2000, pp. 41–42.
4. Schneider 2000, p. 42.
5. Schneider 2000, pp. 42–43.
6. Schneider 2000, p. 44.
7. Williamson 2005, p. 28.
8. Jentz 1996, p. 65.
9. Schneider 2000, pp. 44–45.
10. Schneider 2000, p. 46.
11. Zaloga 1994, p. 14.
12. Schneider 2000, p. 47.
13. Wilbeck 2004. p. 176.

References
Jentz, Thomas (1996). Panzertruppen 2: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat
Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1943–1945. Schiffer. ISBN 978-0-7643-0080-6.
Schneider, Wolfgang (2000). Tigers in Combat I. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books.
ISBN 978-0-8117-3171-3.
Wilbeck, Christopher (2004). Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions
in World War II (https://archive.org/details/sledgehammersstr0000wilb). The Aberjona Press.
ISBN 978-0-9717650-2-3.
Williamson, Gordon (2005). Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves Recipients 1941–45. London:
Osprey Publishing (UK). ISBN 1-84176-642-9.
Zaloga, Steve (1994). IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944–1973. London: Osprey Publishing (UK).
ISBN 978-1-85532-396-4.

External links
Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 unit history (http://www.alanhamby.com/unithist.shtml)

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