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Panzer ace

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A Tiger I tank during the Battle of Kursk in June 1943. Most of the successful German tank commanders served in units equipped with Tigers during this period.[1]

German tank aces, or German Panzer aces, were successful tank (Panzer) commanders of the Wehrmacht or the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. These tank commanders were credited with the destruction of large numbers of tanks and other armoured vehicles.

While the concept of "panzer aces" generally received little attention during World War II, beyond its use in Nazi propaganda, it has become more prominent following the war, especially as part of the perception of the Waffen-SS in popular culture. The British, Soviet and United States armies did not recognise any of their tank commanders as being "aces", though some were responsible for destroying a large number of enemy tanks.

Overview

Wartime perceptions

During World War II the concept of "panzer aces" received little attention. To the extent that the concept existed, it was mainly advanced by the Waffen-SS as part of its contributions to Nazi Germany's propaganda campaigns. Most Wehrmacht units did not recognise "panzer aces", with soldiers generally receiving awards for mission performance rather than tank kills.[1]

Most "panzer aces" were soldiers who served in units equipped with Tiger I or Tiger II tanks between mid-1943 and mid-1944. The Allies did not have any tanks capable of easily defeating the Tigers during this period. Few soldiers who operated Panther tanks at this time achieved "ace" status as these tanks were more vulnerable to Allied tanks and less mechanically reliable than the Tiger.[1]

The United States Army did not adopt the concept of tank aces during World War II, with proposals to do so being rejected. However, some US Army tank commanders such as Lafayette G. Pool and Creighton Abrams were responsible for the destruction of large numbers of German tanks and other armoured vehicles.[2]

Similarly, the British Army did not recognise any tank aces.[3] Opportunities for British commanders to destroy large numbers of enemy tanks were limited as the various tanks operated by the Army generally did not outclass German tanks. Some British Sherman Firefly tank commanders were responsible for destroying multiple German tanks.[4] The Soviet Red Army also regarded destroying tanks as not being an act of particular heroism for its tank commanders. This was because the main role of its armored units was to support infantry.[5]

Modern perceptions

The grave of "panzer ace" Michael Wittmann and his tank crew in 2007

The concept of "panzer aces" has received considerable attention in recent years.[1] The German author Franz Kurowski presents the topic of "panzer aces" in one of his many "laudatory texts", the 1992 book Panzer Aces which describes the "exploits" of the German soldiers during World War II.[6] A veteran of the Eastern front (as a member of a propaganda company), Kurowski is one of the authors who "have picked up and disseminated the myths of the Wehrmacht in a wide variety of popular publications that romanticize the German struggle in Russia", according to the historians Ronald Smelser and Edward Davies.[7]

Kurowski credits Kurt Knispel with 168 tank kills, supposedly making him the top scoring "panzer ace" of the war. The most famous German "panzer ace" and "the hero of all Nazi fanboys",[8] Michael Wittmann, is credited by Kurowski with the destruction of 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns.[9] The book also describes the "heroic actions" of another "panzer ace" Franz Bäke in the Cherkassy Pocket. In Kurowski's retelling, after fighting unit after unit of the Red Army, Backe was able to establish a corridor to the trapped German forces, and then "wiped out" the attacking Soviets. In another of Kurowski's accounts, while attempting to relieve the 6th Army encircled in Stalingrad, Bake destroys 32 enemy tanks in a single engagement.[10]

The historian Sönke Neitzel questions the "tank kills" attributed to various tank commanders. According to Neitzel, numbers of successes by highly decorated soldiers should be approached with caution as it is rarely possible to determine reliably in the heat of the battle how many tanks were destroyed and by whom.[11] The military historian Steven Zaloga has also noted that "tank kill claims during World War II on all sides should be taken with a grain of salt" as multiple crews often claimed to have destroyed the same tank, and the German intelligence service on the Eastern Front routinely halved the number of tanks which were reported destroyed to compensate for this double counting.[1]

Zaloga uses the term "tank ace" in quotation marks in his 2015 work Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II. He notes the "romantic nonsense" of the popular inclination to imagine a tank versus tank engagement as an "armoured joust" – two opponents facing each other, – with the "more valiant or better-armed [one] the eventual victor". In reality, most tank to tank combat involved one tank ambushing the other, and the most successful tank commanders were generally "bushwhackers" with "a decided advantage in firepower or armor, and often both".[12]

Zaloga uses Wittmann's career to illustrate the point of the battlefield advantage. He credits Wittman with "about 135" tank kills, but points out that Wittmann achieved 120 of these in 1943, operating a Tiger I tank on the Eastern Front. Having advantages both in firepower and in armor, Tiger I was "nearly invulnerable in a frontal engagement" against any of the Soviet tanks of that time. Wittman thus could "kill its opponents long before they were close enough to inflict damage on his tank".[12] Zaloga concludes: "Most of the 'tank aces' of World War II were simply lucky enough to have an invulnerable tank with a powerful gun".[12] He has also written that "the considerable attention paid to German tank aces in recent years obscures the fact that they were an exception to the rule and that most of the anonymous young German tankers in late 1944 were thrown into combat with poor training".[1]

Successful commanders

Name Rank Unit Picture Tanks Destroyed
Kurt Knispel Feldwebel 503rd heavy tank battalion 168 [13] [14] [15]
Otto Carius Oberleutnant of the Reserves 502nd heavy tank battalion 150 [16] [17]
Johannes Bölter Hauptmann 502nd heavy tank battalion 150 [18]
Michael Wittmann Hauptsturmführer 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 139 [19] [20]
Walter Kniep Sturmbannführer 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen 113 [21] [22]
Paul Egger Sturmbannführer Division Name 113 [23]

[24]

Karl Körner Hauptscharführer 503rd heavy tank battalion 100 [25] [26] [27]
Balthasar Woll Oberscharführer 501st heavy tank battalion 100 [28]
Hans Sandrock Major Panzer Regiment 5 123 [29] [30]
Ernst Barkmann Oberscharführer SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 82 [31] [32] [33]
Franz Bäke Oberst Heavy Panzer Regiment Bäke 80 [34] [35] [36]
Hermann Bix Oberfeldwebel Panzer-Regiment 35 75+ [37] [38]
Hans Strippel Leutnant 3rd Panzer-Regiment 1
1st Panzer-Division		 70 [39]
Emil Seibold Hauptscharführer SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 69 [40]
Hugo Primozic Oberleutnant Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 667
Karl Brommann Untersturmführer 503rd heavy tank battalion 66 [41] [42]
Josef Brandner Major Sturmgeschütz Brigade 912
Hans-Babo von Rohr Oberleutnant Panzer Regiment 25
Heinz Kling Sturmbannführer 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
Alfredo Carpaneto Unter-Offizier 502nd heavy tank battalion
Wolfgang von Bostell Oberleutnant Panzerjäger-Sturmgeschütz-Kompanie 1023
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 205
Fritz Amling Oberwachtmeister Sturmgeschütz Brigade 202
Rudolf Roy Oberscharführer SS Panzerjäger Battalion 12
Kurt Sametreiter Oberscharführer 3rd Panzer Battalion, SS Division "LSSAH"
Felix Adamowitsch Hauptmann Sturmgeschütz Battalion 244
Franz Staudegger Oberscharführer SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101
Rudolf von Ribbentrop Hauptsturmführer SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Zaloga 2008, p. 38.
  2. ^ Zaloga 2008, p. 46.
  3. ^ Perrett 2012.
  4. ^ Hart 2007, p. 49.
  5. ^ Forty 1997, p. 60.
  6. ^ Smelser & Davies 2008, pp. 175–176, 251.
  7. ^ Smelser & Davies 2008, pp. 5, 159.
  8. ^ Zaloga 2015, pp. 3.
  9. ^ Kurowski 2004, p. 125.
  10. ^ Smelser & Davies 2008, pp. 176.
  11. ^ Neitzel 2002, p. 413.
  12. ^ a b c Zaloga 2015, pp. 3–4.
  13. ^ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/top-7-panzer-aces.html
  14. ^ Michael E. Haskew "The World's Greatest Tanks: An Illustrated History" Amber Books
  15. ^ "Ghost Division: The 11th "Gespenster" Panzer Division and the German Armored Force in World War II" Rowman & Littlefield 2016
  16. ^ " Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius"
  17. ^ "Bolt Action: Tank War" Bloomsbury Publishing, 20 Sep. 2014 p 39
  18. ^ Wolfgang Schneider "Tigers in Combat, Volume 1" 2004
  19. ^ Patrick Agte "Michael Wittmann and the Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte" 1996 p 328, 349
  20. ^ Anthony Tucker-Jones "T-34: The Red Army's Legendary Medium Tank" 31 Mar. 2015
  21. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  22. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  23. ^ "Paul Egger". Military Art. Military Print Company. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  24. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  25. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  26. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  27. ^ "Korner and Brommann Achtung Panzer" https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204530/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen10.htm
  28. ^ Egon Kleine, Volkmar Kühn "Tiger: the history of a legendary weapon 1942-45" 2004 p 91
  29. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  30. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  31. ^ Christer Bergstrom "The Ardennes, 1944-1945" Casemate 2014
  32. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  33. ^ "Erst Barkmann" Acthung Panzer https://web.archive.org/web/20160314091417/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen5.htm
  34. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  35. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  36. ^ "Franz Bäke Achtung Panzer" https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111730/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen7.htm
  37. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  38. ^ "Top 10 German Tank Aces The Masters Of-the Blitzkrieg" http://historyinfotos.com/2016/05/11/top-10-german-tank-aces-the-masters-of-the-blitzkrieg/
  39. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  40. ^ "The Tank Killers 61 Germantank Aces" War History Online https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-tank-killers-61-germantank-aces.html October 1 2015
  41. ^ Henschler, Henri; Fey, Willi . "Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943–45". Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5. (2003)
  42. ^ "Korner and Brommann Achtung Panzer" https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204530/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen10.htm

Bibliography

  • Hart, Stephen A. (2007). Sherman Firefly vs Tiger : Normandy 1944. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1846031508. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Kurowski, Franz (2004). Panzer Aces: German Tank Commanders of WWII. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3173-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Forty, George (1997). Tank Aces: From Blitzkrieg to the Gulf War. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 0750914475. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Neitzel, Sönke (2002). "Des Forschens noch wert? Anmerkungen zur Operationsgeschichte der Waffen-SS". Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift. 61: 403–429. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Perrett, Bryan (2012). Iron Fist: Classic Armoured Warfare. London: Hachette. ISBN 1780225245. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Smelser, Ronald; Davies, Edward J. (2008). The Myth of the Eastern Front: The Nazi-Soviet War in American Popular Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83365-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Zaloga, Steven J. (2008). Panther vs Sherman : Battle of the Bulge, 1944. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781846032929. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Zaloga, Steven (2015). Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-1437-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
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