The Panzers and the Battle of Normandy (1)

 

Tiger in Normandy
Spring 1944 at Saint-Martin-de-Fresnay, half way between Lisieux and Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives. One of Panzer Regiment 22nd Panzer IV's has stopped in front of Madame Leroy's café-restaurant.
A Panzer IV of Panzer Regiment 22 crossing the railway line between Troan and Caen on the RN175 road.
A Panzer IV of Panzer Regiment 22 crossing the railway line between Troan and Caen on the RN175 road.
In this report showing the tanks moving up to the front, you can see here a unique assault gun. The chassis of the French Hotchkiss H-39 has here been used to create an astonishing tank destroyer. A 10,5 cm howitzer has been mounted on a chassis, a powerful piece with a range of 7,50 miles, a rate of fire of 6-8 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity of 540 metres per second. The platform is protected by an armoured cockpit. This assault gun was called a Panzer-Feldhaubitze.
A Panzer IV type H in a village in the Caen sector.
Well camouflaged, the Panzer IV's of the 2nd Battalion await the order to move up to the front.
A Panzer IV from the 5th Company. "536" was the section commander's tank.
A 2nd Battalion Panzer IV (note the Hitler Youth Division marking on the left) near Bernay during the advance to the front.
Another Panzer IV of the battalion on the march. You can see the divisional marking on the wing of the pick-up.
12th SS Panzer Regiment - 5th Company: this photo shows the damage sustained by "536" on 7 June 1944 and was taken the following day when the tank was still immobilised.
The 6th Company took part in an exercise in the Ostend area of Belgium in the winter of 1943-1944. This is tank "604" of the deputy company commander.
A halt in a typical village in Flanders.
"625" crossing a bascule bridge to test its solidity, guided over by a man.
12th SS Panzer Regiment - 4th Company: the Panther "415" of the commander of the 1st Section.
A 4th Company Panther destroyed on 11 June 1944 near the school in the Rue Haute-Bony at Rots. The turret is turned towards the church and in front is the edge of the RN13 highway, that is to say fading south. In this photo, taken in 1945, Therese Doublet, an inhabitant of Rots, wearing a British or Canadian cap is posing in the Panther.
The 6th Company of the 12th SS Panzer-Regiment took part in an exercise near Ostend in Flanders during the winter 1943-1944.
This photo was taken by Sergeant Hardy on 6 July and shows tank "837" from the8th Company of the 12th SS Panzer-Regiment beting towed by a Cromwell armoured recovery vehicle from 11th Armoured Division, after it had been knocked out near Cheux. The turret is trained to the rear and one can see the divisional insignia on the back of the engine compartment.
Left: Panzer from the 3rd Company of the Panzer-Lehr-Division at Arnboise in May 1944. The divisional engineer battalion, The Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 130, had assembled a pontoon bridge over the Loire.
The main view of Bretteville after the attack by the Panthers of the 4th Company of the 12th SS Panzer-Regiment. In this photo taken around 20 June, the church tower had trunbled down after having been damaged by fire. Canadian soldiers are examining the Panther Type "G" destroyed by Joe Lapointe in the main street - the first one destroyed by the Allies in close combat in Normandy. Behind the raillings on the left was the Canadian headquarters.
Detail of the rear of the turret of the same tank showing the hole made by a shell fired in error by the Panther folloeing it, penetrating the 45 mm thick steel.
One of the Panther tanks from the 1st Company destroyed to the south of Bretteville, probably by an anti-tank gun situated in the garden of Almir to the south of the church. In the background the barn of Mr Lemanissier can be seen, on the southern edge of the village.
The same tank seen in profile. Its position would appear to be strange which has led to claims that it was destroyed by an Allied fighter-bomber. In fact it was wrecked by an anti-tank gun and because it was blocking the road between Bretteville and Norrey, it was rolled over into the neighbouring field by engineer vehicles. The holes in the bottom of the body were simply caused by trials with explosives tried out a few days later.
One of the Panther tanks destroyed at Norrey.
One of the Panthers from the 3rd Company of the 12th SS Panzer Division wrecked near the realway line. It had been perforated by multiple PIAT bomb impacts, as these wrecks were used for training Canadian soldiers. Note the violence of the fire.
One of the Panzer IV's of the 2nd Battalion of the 130th Panzer Lehr Regiment, destroyed near Audrieu. During the British attack on 10 June, supported by large calibre naval guns, firing from ships anchored out at sea, a shell scored a direct hit on the tank, to the amazement of British soldiers who witnessed the violent explosion. The two-stroke engine hanging out of the end of the hull, show that it was a type "H".
Another type "H" from the 5th Company destroyed during the British attack on the PLD front. An anti-tank round from a 6 pouder gun easily penetrated the side of the hull, blowing off one of the side protections plates in the process.
Panthers of the 130th Panzer-Lehr-Regiment on 10 June 1944
The five Panther type "A" tanks which arrived at Mondaye on 10 June 1944.
This photograph was taken during the afternoon of 10 June near the farm known as Pallières at Mondaye (8 km south of Bayeux).
The same location as it appears today.
nstead of the black panzer uniform the Panther crews wore the green sailcloth version.
Lieutenant Finsterwalder posing in front of the tank. He was killed on 11 June a day after this photo was taken.
One of the five type "A" Panthers in position at Mondaye on the afternoon of 10 June 1944. Note te retractable visor for the driver which was typical of that model. The Zimmerit (anti-magnetic cement) was applied all over the armour plating and grooved to form a pattern of squares to make it adhere better to the metal. The name of the driver's girlfriend "Gerda" is painted on the base of the seat on the hull. The tank is to the north of the farm.
The view as it is today.
The officer visible in the foreground was lieutenant Steindamm. Note the special badges of rank worn habitually on the arm of the protective tunic.
On this photo, taken to the west of the farm, two other Panthers are in position. The first is a hybrid version: a type "A" turret mounted on a type "D" hull. It carried the name "Christel". In the forground the section commanders were assembled to study a map. The man on the right could be lieutenant Gerstenmeier of the 3rd Company of the Panzer-Aufklärungs-Lehr-Abteilung 130 (the divisional reconnaissance battalion).
The view as it is today.
Uniform unique to 130th Panzer-Lehr-Regiment crews. The protective jacket is the same as issued to members of the armoured reconnaissance units which was introduced on 5 May 1941. It does not seem that crews from the Panzer-Lehr-Division generally wore the black Panzer uniform. In the same way the collar patches did not feature the death's-head insignia but instead carried the woven or embroidered plaits known as Litzen, which were pculiar to the Panzer-Lehr-Division.
Monsieur Angot, a farmer, recovered from his field near Norrey-en-Bessin, two bogey wheels from the track of a wrecked Panther of the 3rd Company of the 12th SS Panzer-Regiment. The rubber tyres were still marked with the inscriptions "Continental", "Fulda" and860/100 = D. These relics of the battlefield have been presented to the Museum of the Great Bunker at Quistreham.
The failure of the panzers - 13 June to 20 July 1944
101st SS Heavy Tank Battalion
The 2nd Section tank continued to follow the winding road.
Tiger "131" with Ustuf. Walther Hahn in the turret hatch, posing in front of the church at Morgny.

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