Michael Wittmann - Hauptsturmfuhrer SS, master of tank battles. Quotations and statements, photo

The famous SS man, a tank driver, who crushed the lands of France, Poland, Greece, the Soviet Union (the Kursk Bulge) with caterpillars, served the Wehrmacht until 1936, afterwards - until his death - in the SS. In the USSR, he became commander of a platoon of assault guns. In the spring of 1944 he was transferred to Normandy, where he showed that the German Tiger tank far exceeds all the machines used by our allies. His name is included in all military encyclopedias - this is Michael Wittmann.

Tank As

Special glory covered himself under the township of Viller-Bocage, where a demonstration battle was given: for fifteen minutes, Michael Wittmann disabled 11 tanks, 13 armored personnel carriers and 2 anti-tank guns. Thus, he almost completely destroyed the intelligence of the British, not just a reconnaissance, but also very glorious since the time of the African campaign, the very one that was called "desert rats". As a result of the actions of one "Tiger" the breakthrough of the British army ceased to exist.

St. Aignan de Cramesnil - a town in Normandy, where in 1944 the brave soldier of the SS Group Michael Wittmann folded his head. The tank in which the German ace was stationed was destroyed by a direct hit: detonating ammunition, the tower tore off. All those in the tank were simply smeared.

During the period of hostilities, Michael Wittmann, a master of tank battles, personally destroyed 132 anti-tank guns and 141 tanks. Most of the personal account of this ace is recorded on the Eastern Front.

short biography

The most productive tank commander of the Second World War - Michael Wittmann - was born in April 1914 in the family of a farmer from the Upper Palatinate. At the age of twenty he joined the Workers' Association (RAD - Reichsarbeitdienst), where he served for six months, after which he was drafted for urgent service in the German army.

In 1936, Michael Wittmann ended his career as a non-commissioned officer, and at the beginning of 1937 he became SS SS 311623. Here he started training to drive an armored car, which showed excellent results.

Poland, Greece and other Europe

The Poles in 1939 had an army, if and inferior to the Wehrmacht, then quite a bit. Nevertheless, the German campaign in Poland answered all the signs of a blitzkrieg. In September of this year, Michael Wittmann, a newly-made Unterscharfuhrer SS, as part of the intelligence unit on the armored vehicle Sd. Kfz. 232 with the same triumph went through the territory of the neighboring state.

Already in October 1939 Wittmann went up the career ladder. First, he was transferred to the fifth reconnaissance armored vehicle in Berlin, where there was a kind of "training" on assault guns, then to a new battery of self-propelled assault guns. Here he met and became friends with future aces, who would then catch up and drive them: they are Hans Philipsen, Helmut Wendorf, Alfred Guenther and some others.

Way to the tank

It began with the real tank career of Michael Wittmann. In late 1940, in Greece and Yugoslavia, Michael Wittmann had already commanded a platoon of StuG self-propelled guns. III Ausf. A, where he stayed until June 1941. Already on June 11, the division of LSSAH, where his service was held, withdrew from the positions and headed east, where Barbarossa's plan was awaiting implementation . At first, Michael Wittmann fought in the southern regions of the USSR.

For the destruction of Soviet tanks on July 12, 1941, Witman already received the Iron Cross II degree, was slightly injured, but remained in the ranks, and on September 8 received the same award of the I degree. The battles near Rostov brought him the Tank Assault Medallion (for 6 tanks destroyed in one battle at a time) and the title of Oberscharfuhrer. So he fought until June 1942, then for outstanding service he entered the cadets for officer courses in Bavaria. In September 1942 he graduated from there as a tank instructor.

Tank of the Grenadier Division

After redeployment and reorganization in the spring of 1943, Michael Wittmann began his military career already on the "Tigre", which ironed the heights of the Kursk arc on the southern ledge of the front. On the first day Wittmann managed to disable 13 T-34 tanks and 2 anti-tank guns. At the same time, he helped to survive the platoon of Helmut Vendorf, who was in big trouble. During the entire battle for Kursk and Kharkiv, at the end of the operation until July 17, 1943, the "iron tiger" Vitman destroyed 28 Soviet guns and 30 tanks.

In August, the division was sent for replenishment and rearmament in Italy, from where it was also used to control the occupied territories. In the newly formed heavy tank battalion SS, Michael Wittmann served with such legendary assassins as the asi-tankers Franz Staudeger, Helmut Wendorf, Jürgen Brandt. The commander of this division was Hauptsturmführer SS Geitz Kling on the "Tigre" at number 1301.

The autumn offensive of the Red Army of 1943

The German invaders retreated from the Soviet land with bloody battles. The tank battalion, where Michael Wittmann served, was sent again to the Eastern Front - to Kiev. Having replaced his "Tiger" with a younger beast, Wittmann shot 20 T-34 tanks and 23 anti-tank guns on October 13 alone. In January he received a knight's cross from his native woman.

In early January, Soviet troops outlined the breakthrough of the tank brigade, but on the way to breakthrough, the "Tiger" Wittmann. By January 13, as the German radio reported happily, Whitman's personal account of the destroyed technology was 88 units of tanks and automatic control systems. Wittmann's gunner Balthasar Wol also got his cross of a knight, as he could hit a moving target even on the move. Then Wittmann became Obersturmfuhrer SS. Personally, Adolf Hitler congratulated the tank ace, thanked him for his heroic actions and awarded "Oak Leaves" to the knight's sign. Below you can consider: at the head of the crew - Michael Wittmann. The photo shows his "Tiger", on the gun barrel of which painted 88 rings, denoting the victory.

The "knights"

At the end of February, the unit had five knights of the knightly cross: Staudegger, Wendorf, Woll, Kling and Wittmann. But the reason for special pride was only in the latter - oak leaves to this cross. And in early March, all these knights left the Eastern Front. Michael Wittmann, whose quotes were now collected, said that Soviet tanks are easy prey, Soviet anti-tank guns, and they were harder to take.

On March 1, 1944, Wittmann married a girl named Hildegard Burgmer, a knight-tankman, Balthasar Wolle, his gunner, was present at the wedding as a witness. By this time Michael Whitman, Hauptsturmfuhrer SS, became a national hero, his portrait could be seen literally in every house. The propaganda machine did its job. By the way, the gunner Wolde survived the war, fought until the last day. He died in 1996.

Towards the main triumph

In April 1944, Wittmann visited the Henschel factory in Kassel, talked to the workers, praised the Tigers, who made them with their hands, thanked for the work, inspected the new versions of these tanks. When something was said by the German hero Michael Wittmann, his statements were scrupulously recorded.

In May 1944 Wittmann returned to the unit - not to the Eastern Front, but to France, to the Norman town of Ligier, and on June 6 the USSR allies landed in Normandy. Wittmann received the newest "Tiger" of the latest version. During the redeployment, the air raids of our allied aviation were heavily weakened by the slender rows of German tanks. The "Tigers" in Wittmann's company remained only six. Nevertheless, on June 13, the remains of this company completely destroyed the entire 4th Tank Regiment of the British. It was so.

The British have not yet won the war

The English entered the town of Viller-Bocage in the early morning. The head shelves of the "Desert Rats" (7th British Armored Division), meeting with the local residents who were pleased with their arrival, got out of the tanks and relaxed slightly. Or even slightly, if you take into account what happened next. At this time, the 4th battalion with the tank company "Cromwells", reconnaissance and motorized infant decided to move on to inspect and clear, if you have to go to Kahn. Montgomery, at this very time, sent a telegram to the chief of staff of de Gigand about how well it was possible to seize the enemy in pincers.

And again, at the same time, from the high-rise, located nearby, Michael Wittmann from the tower of his disguised "Tiger" watched the whole picture, and Colle checked the readiness of the guidance system, grumbling that the British behave as if they already The whole war won. Wittmann had 5 tanks: 4 "Tiger", one of which was with a damaged track, one "Panther". Against the myriad tanks of the whole British army. Nevertheless, all were preparing for the battle, in order not to allow the British to bypass the German troops from the flank.

"They are wrong"

It was this phrase that was answered by Michael Wittmann, the Hauptsturmfuhrer SS (there was no one to write this time), to Kolle's grumbling. The column of tanks of British intelligence at this time already approached the height occupied by Witton, at 200 meters. "Desert Panthers" quietly rode the winding highway, and tall, beautiful trees growing on both sides of the road delighted their eyes. Well, the review was closed, of course, almost completely.

Situations in this sector of the front, Witton at that moment did not know, he himself made his way here from Paris only at night, but still seriously suffered from the raids of the British air aces. Nevertheless, he calmly counted all the "Cromwells", "Sherman", "Brenov" - a full armored regiment in this approaching colossal caterpillar. Reinforcement on the radio was already requested, there were two ways out: to wait or to attack. The second is pure suicide.

The choice is made

Wittmann could not get his tank, so he moved to a subordinate's car, told what to do to the rest of the position, and led the "Tiger" to meet the enemy. Cutting the distance to a hundred meters, he hit two leading tanks of the British, then the last tank in the column, blocking the rest in the narrow space of the highway, lined with trees, which the Wittmann tank was protecting and hiding. Entering the tail of the column, Wittmann shot at point-blank every English car that appeared in sight. A couple of "Cromwells" just rammed, so as not to interfere with the progress.

In 20 minutes, almost all was over with the 7th Armored Division of Great Britain. Out of order completely: 21 tanks, 28 vehicles of other armored vehicles, 14 self-propelled units and 14 semi-track armored personnel carriers. After this, Wittmann slightly retreated. Without the slightest damage. The remaining four tank tanks covered the commander. In the meantime, reinforcements also arrived - another 8 tanks from the first company entered Villers-Bocage on the other side to drive out other divisions of the British from the town.

Here are the promised "mites"

Wittmann interrupted his retreat and rushed to the center of the city. There three English tanks out of four, caught in the way, he hit, and the fourth disappeared behind the wall of the garden. He could not shoot: his gunner did not manage to return to his post. The English relaxed, indeed, in full. But there was also the fifth "Sherman", who crept around the building and fired four times into Wittmann's car almost at point-blank range, and "Tiger" at the time opened his side for the enemy tank. One shell hit, interrupting the Wittmann tank "caterpillar."

Wittmann, of course, immediately replied: half of the building collapsed on the "Sherman" and totally overwhelmed him. And he continued to fire. The last "Cromwell", which without a gunner, was also found and defeated. The immobilized tank was Wittmann bitterly abandoned. He returned to the skyscraper, nevertheless he started his "Tiger", refueled and managed to join the reinforcements approaching, in the ranks of which he again fell on what was left of the British division. For this maneuver, Hitler awarded Wittmann also with "Swords" to "Oak Leaves" to the Knight's Cross. Thus, deserved tanker than Witton, the German army did not become. However, the next large military operation of the British in the west ended in failure. In early August 1944, the tank died, in which the entire crew of Michael Wittmann was.