102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
 |
| 102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion | |
|---|---|
| schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102 | |
| Active | July 1943 |
| Country |  Falaise Pocket |
The 102nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (German: schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102) was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It fought as part of the II SS Panzer Corps during the Battle of Normandy and was nearly destroyed. Renumbered as 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion in late 1944, the unit was destroyed in the Halbe Pocket in Spring 1945.
Operational history
In April 1943, the
SS Division Das Reich — was equipped with 14 Tiger I's.[3]
The battalion was sent to
D Day landings. The battalion was almost completely destroyed during the fighting in Normandy; in September 1944 it was pulled back to Germany to reform. Stationed in Sennelager the battalion was renumbered the 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion on September 9, 1944.[4] Equipped with Tiger II tanks, the battalion took part in the defense against the Red Army at the Oder front. During the Battle of Berlin, the battalion was encircled in the Halbe Pocket
in 1945 and destroyed.
See also
- Panzer division
Footnotes
References
- Fey, William [1990] (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5
- Ripley, Tim (2005). The Waffen-SS at War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925-1945. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-2068-3
- Schneider, Wolfgang (2005). Tigers in Combat II. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3203-7
