653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion
653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion | |
---|---|
German: Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653 | |
Active | 1 April 1943 |
Country | Germany |
Branch | Wehrmacht |
Type | Tank destroyer unit |
Equipment | Ferdinand and Jagdtiger tank destroyers |
Engagements | World War II |
The 653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion (
Eastern Front
The battalion was formed on 1 April 1943, by the redesignation of the 197th Sturmgeschütz Battalion.[1]: 43 The latter was an assault gun battalion which had been formed in 1940, later seeing service during the Invasion of Yugoslavia and on the Eastern Front.[1]: 1–18
The 653rd was initially equipped with Ferdinand
It was assigned to the
A situation report sent by the commanding officer to the headquarters of the 2nd Panzer Army on 24 July reported the status of the unit. It had 54 Ferdinand with 25 operational and 41 Sturmpanzer with 18 of those combat ready. Steinwachs reported that the operational vehicles were "on their last legs" and recommended their withdrawal and the unit to be disbanded and dispersed to maintenance units. He suggested forming some small groups 5 to 8 kilometres behind the front to act as a local mobile reserve, to be reinforced via the maintenance company when necessary.[1]: 52
In August, it fought and around Nikopol during the Battle of the Dnieper as the 1st battalion of the 656th Regiment. On 25 November 1943 the 653rd battalion claimed its 600th tank destroyed; 44 that day. A Leutnant Kreschmer was credited with 21.[1]: 86–88
Italian theater
After heavy losses in Ukraine, the battalion was withdrawn to Vienna to refit. Starting on 2 January 1944 until April, the tank destroyers received upgrades—the most externally visible ones being 1) the addition of Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste, 2) an upgraded commander's cupola, 3) re-designed armored engine grates and 4) an MG34 station to the right front of the hull. The 1st Company was issued the first 11 completed vehicles and was sent south to Italy where it fought at the
By August, the 2nd and 3rd were reduced to twelve vehicles between them; these were withdrawn to refit in Kraków, where they were combined into the 2nd Company. It remained on the Eastern Front, as part of 17th Army, and was redesignated the 614th Heavy Panzerjäger Company. It would see out the rest of the war fighting the Soviet Army, with two Elefants surviving until the Battle of Berlin in May 1945.[1]
Western Front
The 3rd Company, meanwhile, returned west to rejoin the 1st Company, which had withdrawn to Vienna with only four operational Elefants. In September, both companies were issued with newly-fielded Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyers.[2] The Jagdtiger was the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle produced during the war, mounting a 12.8 cm Pak 44 main gun on a 72-tonne chassis. However, it was severely underpowered, having been equipped with an engine (Maybach HL230) originally designed for the 57-tonne Tiger I and which had already been found significantly inadequate even for that vehicle. It was only produced in very small numbers - around 80 were ever built - and the few manufactured would only be issued to two units, the 653rd and the 512th Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion.[citation needed]
Once re-equipped, the battalion was again split up, with the 1st Company assigned to the
References
- ^ ISBN 0811732428.
- ^ a b c "schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653". Lexikon der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 27 April 2013.