503rd heavy tank battalion (Germany)

schwere-Panzer-Abteilung 503 schwere-Panzer-Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle"

The schwere-Panzer-Abteilung 503 (abbreviated "sPzAbt 503") was a German heavy panzer abteilung equipped with Tiger I tanks and Panzer IIIs. The 503rd saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during the Second World War. As with other German Heavy Panzer Detachments, it was never assigned to a single corps, but shuffled around according to war circumstances.

History

Formation - Kharkov

The 503rd was the second Tiger detachment promised to "Generalfeldmarschall" Erwin Rommel for service in North Africa. The detachment was to be formed from Porsche manufactured Tigers, however the cancellation of production of the Porsche models (Tiger (P)) meant that the deployment was delayed, and the formation was equipped with Henschel Tigers. As the situation in North Africa was deemed lost, the 503rd was instead deployed to "Generaloberst" Erich von Manstein's Army Group South and was engaged in the desperate battles around Kharkov to halt the Soviet advance after the collapse of the 6.Armee Stalingrad. In the Third Battle of Kharkov, the 503rd distinguished itself, taking part in the masterly destruction of Mobile Group Popov, the main Soviet attacking force.

Operation Citadel - Panzer Regiment "Bäke"

The 503rd now took part in Operation Citadel, the offensive to destroy the Kursk salient. The Tigers of the 503rd performed well in the offensive, losing only eight vehicles during the battle and subsequent withdrawal. In late 1943 the 503rd joined several other units to form Panzer-Regiment "Bäke" under "Oberst" Dr. Franz Bäke. As a part of the regiment, the 503rd took part in the battles near Cherkassy to create a linkup to the German forces trapped in the Korsun Pocket. In late April 1944, the regiment was dissolved and the 503rd was sent West for rest and refitting. During this period, the detachment received twelve of the new Tiger II ausf Bs.

Normandy

With the Invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, the 503rd was transferred to the command of Panzergruppe West. The detachment fought well, proving to be the bane of the Allied tank forces during the battles around Caen. On the launch of Operation Goodwood, the 3rd company which was based in Cagny was caught in the preliminary bombing raids and completely wiped out. Axis troops who entered the village after the battle witnessed 70 ton Tigers which had been thrown upside-down by the impact of the bombs. Despite the loss of 3rd company, the 503rd played a role in the defeat of the offensive. The 503rd, along with the Panzer "Lehr" Division's 316th Funklenk-Panzerkompanie, were the only formations in Normandy to operate the dreaded Tiger IIs.

The severely depleted 503rd managed to escape the horrors of the Falaise Pocket, and was engaged in a fighting withdrawal to the German border. In late August the detachment was pulled out of the line for complete refitting with Tiger IIs.

Hungary

In September 1944, the refitted 503rd was sent to Hungary to bolster the forces of Armeegruppe "Fretter-Pico", defending the approaches to Budapest. Arriving in early October, the 3./sPzAbt 503 under Leutnant Freiherr von Rosen, provided support for Otto Skorzeny's Operation Panzerfaust, the coup which replaced the Hungarian leader, Admiral Miklós Horthy, and resulted in the Hungarians remaining as Germany's allies until the end of the War.

Immediately following the success of "Panzerfaust", the company was returned to the detachment. The 503rd now played a major role in the Battle of Debrecen. The detachment formed the vanguard of the 23.Panzer-Division's drive to sever Cavalry Mechanized Group "Pliyev's" lines of communication, thus allowing the encirclement and eventual destruction of the Soviet force. During this period of action, the 503rd claimed 1,500 vehicles and 120 anti-tank guns destroyed.

In mid-November, a series of Soviet offensives pushed the Axis forces back towards Budapest. The 503rd was regularly acting in co-operation with the 60.Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle", providing a mobile reserve for the Armeegruppe, now commanded by "General der Panzertruppen" Hermann Balck and so renamed Armeegruppe "Balck". Despite a tenacious defence, by mid-December the Germans had been pushed back to Budapest, and the Soviets were probing the outskirts of the city. The 503rd, along with the "Feldherrnhalle", having lost many of its Tigers, both in combat and due to mechanical issues, was engaged in fighting off Soviet attacks towards Budapest's government district.

On 21 December, the 503rd, having lost virtually all of its armour, was renamed to schwere-Panzer-Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle" (abbreviated sPzAbt "FHH") and officially attached to the 60.Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle".

On 31 December, the Soviets completed the encirclement of Budapest and the siege of the city began. During the Battle of Budapest, the majority of the "FHH" along with roughly 45,000 German and Hungarian men of the IX.SS-Gebirgskorps were trapped. The remnants of the detachment saw heavy fighting during the final Soviet assaults to annihilate the trapped forces

On 12 February 1945, the remnants of the German 503rd Heavy Panzer Detachment was destroyed along with the "Feldherrnhalle" division and the entire IX.SS-Gebirgskorps.

Commanders

* Oberstleutnant Post (? May 1942 - ? Jan 1943)
* Oberstleutnant Erich Hoheisel (? Jan 1943 - ? May 1943)
* Hauptmann Clemens Graf von Kageneck (Jul 1943 - 30 Jan 1944)
* Hauptmann Rolf Fromme (? Feb 1944 - ? Dec 1944)
* Hauptmann Nordwin von Diest-Körber (? Dec 1944 - ? Feb 1945)

Orders of Battle

February 1943 - Kharkov

* Abteilung Stab Zug (3x Tiger I ausf E, 6x SdKfz 250)
* 1./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger I ausf E)
* 2./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger I ausf E)
* 2./sPzAbt 502 (14x Tiger I ausf E)

July 1944 - Normandy

* Abteilung Stab Zug (3x Tiger I ausf E, 6x SdKfz 250)
* 1./sPzAbt 503 (12x Tiger II ausf B, 2x Tiger I ausf E)
* 2./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger I ausf E)
* 3./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger I ausf E)

October 1944 - Debrecen

* Abteilung Stab Zug (3x Tiger II ausf B, 6x SdKfz 250)
* 1./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger II ausf B)
* 2./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger II ausf B)
* 3./sPzAbt 503 (14x Tiger II ausf B)

External links

* [http://www.alanhamby.com/tiger.html Unit history of s.PzAbt 503 and all other Tiger units at the Tiger I Information Center]