503rd Heer - BattleVault

2. Kompanie
503. schwere SS-PanzerAbteilung
Operation Goodwood, 18 -20 July 1944
Led by Tiger Ace Hauptmann Heinz Rondorf, a holder of the German Cross in Gold, 2. Kompanie /503
schwere PanzerAbtielung would engage several British and Canadian divisions during Operation Goodwood,
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s plan to break through to the “green fields” beyond the bocage.
This attack was preceded by the first use of heavy strategic bombers in a tactical role. The bombing attack was
initially successful, eliminating the third company of the 503rd Battalion as an effective fighting force. This
attack was to be followed by an immediate advance by the tanks of the British 7th Armored Division, the 11th
Armored Division and the Guards Armored Division.
The 503rd would make the British armor pay a heavy price for the ground they gained during
Goodwood. Supported at times by anti aircraft units from the 16th Luftwaffe Field Division and in turn
supporting Kampfgruppe von Luck during the battle the 2./503rd stops the enemy advance on the Cagny-Vimont
road and destroys 40 Cromwell and Sherman tanks. While successful in stopping Montgomery’s attacks, the
503rd lost a number of their tanks including the majority of 3. Kompanie and like the majority of the German
armored units were woefully out of position to stop the American Cobra breakout on the 25th of the month. The
503rd may have won the individual battle but slowly and inevitably they were losing the war.
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The 503rd schwere PanzerAbteilung was the oldest of the independent Tiger battalions, formed in
Neuruppin in April, 1942. However due to the cancellation of the Porsche Tiger program, the battalion did not
receive any Tigers until December, 1942. With the deterioration of the African front, the 503rd was sent east to
von Manstein's Army Group South instead of Rommel’s Afrikakorps. The 503rd distinguished itself in the
fighting around Kharkov as well as Operation Citadel and was a key element of Schweres Panzer-Regiment
Bäke during battles near Cherkassy in the attempts to relieve the Korsun Pocket in late 43. In May 44, the
battalion turned its surviving Tigers over to the 509th s PzAb and goes to the Ohrdruf Training Area to
reconstitute and reequip. During May and June the 503rd receives 45 Tigers, including 12 Tiger IIs.
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The 503rd had a number of exceptional individuals assigned to it. Most notably was the top scoring
Tiger Ace of the war, Feldwebel Kurt Knispel, awarded the German Cross in Gold, and top ace with at least 168
confirmed kills. Knispel was assigned to the First Kompanie and was KIA on 28 April 1943 in Hungary. The
acting battalion commander in Normandy was Oberleutnant Walter Scherf, awarded the Knight’s Cross in
February 1944. Besides Knispel two other members of the unit were holders of the German Cross in Gold and
Tiger Aces with over 103 confirmed kills each, Heinz Rondorf, 2. Kompanie commander and Heinz Gärtner of
3. Kompanie. While the Panzer Lehr division included five of the new Tiger ausf Bs or King Tigers in its
Radio Controlled tank company, only the 503rd would deploy a full company of Tiger IIs as the battalion
command section and 1. Kompanie were fully equipped with these new German behemoths.
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Photo Captions:
1: Map of the initial positions of the 503rd schwere PanzerAbteilung during Operation Goodwood.
2: File photo of Heinz Rondorf, courtesy of the Tiger I Information Center.
3: Flak pals. A Tiger I protected from Allied airpower by a half tracked SdKfz 7/1 2 cm Flakvierling 38.
4: Oberleutnant Walter Scherf, Knight’s Cross holder, acting Battalion Commander in Normandy.
5: Photo of Cagny and the Cagny-Vimont road after the bombing. 3./503 s PzAb was destroyed here.
6: Upturned Tiger of 3. Kompanie, victim of the 1000 bomber attack.
7: Sherman Firefly ‘brewed up’ after being hit by a Tiger’s 88mm gun.
8: Destroyed Cromwell tank near Cagny, possibly destroyed by a Tiger from the 2. Kompanie.
9: MP 40 armed Panzergrenadier in Caen.
10: Tiger 222 of the 2. Kompanie, camouflaged in Normandy.
11: Top Tiger Ace Kurt Knispel of the 503rd, center.
References:
Most reference material was accessed via the Internet and World Wide Web. There are also numerous
excellent books covering the subject.
1. Feldgrau.com: Research based Website covering all aspects of the German military from 1918 to 1945.
Highly recommended. Site link: www.feldgrau.com
2. The Tiger I Information Center. Great site for all things related to the Tiger I. Provides photos, unit histories
and losses and lists the various Tiger aces. Site link: http://www.alanhamby.com/tiger.html
3. The Normandy Campaign. Website by Niklas Zetterling, supporting his book "Normandy 1944, German
Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness". Excellent data on operational units.
Site link: http://web.telia.com/~u18313395/normandy/index.html
4. Tigers in Combat Volume I by Wolfgang Schneider. Published by Stackpole Book, Mechanicsburg, PA
1998.
5. Worldwar2aces.com. Website covering the development and use of the Tiger I and Tiger II. Provides photos
and vintage videos of Tiger tanks in action. Excellent links. Site link: http://www.worldwar2aces.com/
6. The ARMOR Site! Perhaps one of the definitive collections of all things AFV related. Fantastic collection
of technical information on the Tigers I and II and the units that used them. The site also covers modern AFVs
and PC wargames. Site link: http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/main.html
7. Military Images.net. Nice site with an excellent collection of photos and lists of historical battles. Site link:
http://www.militaryimages.net/
8. Axis History Factbook Excellent site for information on the Axis Powers. Covers units, individuals,
equipment and various campaigns and battles. This is a superior site, well worth a visit. Highly recommended.
Site link: http://www.axishistory.com/
9. Wikipedia.com. Online internet encyclopedia. A good place to start research but be wary of using Wikipedia
as a primary source. Good search function and usually provides links to quality site and published works. Site
link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page