Panzer aces : German tank commanders of World War II

505 Pages·2004·7.35 MB·English

by  Kurowski

Copyright © 1992 by J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.
Published in 2004 by
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www.jjfpub.mb.ca Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kurowski, Franz.
Panzer aces : German tank commanders of World War II / Franz Kurowski ;
translated by David Johnston.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Originally published: New York : Ballantine Books, 2002.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8117-3173-1
1. World War, 1939–1945—Tank warfare. 2. World War, 1939–1945—
Germany. 3. Tanks (Military science)—History. 4. Tank warfare—History. 5.
Soldiers—Germany—Biography. I. Title: German tank commanders in World
War II. II. Title.
D793.K86 2004
D793.K86 2004
940.54’21’092243—dc22
2004005895
ISBN: 978-0-8117-3173-7
eISBN: 978-0-8117-4845-2
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Franz Bäke
Chapter 2: Hermann Bix
Chapter 3: Rudolf von Ribbentrop
Chapter 4: Hans Bölter
Chapter 5: Michael Wittmann
Chapter 6: Albert Ernst
Chapter 7: The Panzer Forces of World War II
Appendix
Index
Introduction
The tracked armored fighting vehicle, or tank, was first used in action by the
British Army during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. The British hoped
that the new weapon would enable them to break the stalemate of trench warfare.
From the time of their introduction, however, there raged a heated debate as to
how tanks should to be used—as weapons to escort the infantry or as an
independent weapon capable of breaking through the enemy’s fixed defenses.
For the Germans, the appearance of the tank came as a tremendous shock and,
despite their best efforts, they lagged well behind the Allies in tank development
for the remainder of the war. The tank hadn’t played a particularly large role in
Germany’s defeat, but German soldiers who had experienced a tank attack were
convinced otherwise. The Treaty of Versailles denied Germany the right to build
or buy tanks, but the leaders of its post-war army, the Reichswehr, were
determined to pursue the development of the new weapon. In their view the lack
of tanks had been one of the shortcomings of the Imperial Army during the First
World War.
Franz Bäke.
CHAPTER 1
Franz Bäke
WITH THE 6TH PANZER DIVISION IN THE EAST AND
WEST
The French Campaign (Part I)
On 30 January 1940, the 6th Panzer Division, which had been formed from the
1st Light Division, left its garrisons in Germany. The division was commanded
by Brigadier General Kempf, one of the pioneers of Germany’s panzer arm. By
2 February the division had assembled in the Euskirchen area. The division
headquarters was established in Münstereifel. In the west, German and French
forces still faced each other across the frontier. The French promise of help to
the Poles, which was to see French forces attack Germany no later than the
beginning of the second week after a German attack on Poland, had proved to be
a pipe dream. France missed its opportunity to simply overrun Germany’s
weakly defended western frontier and end the war in 1939. When Britain and
France declared war, Germany did not have a single panzer division in the west.
With the return of Germany’s six armored divisions from Poland, any chance of
a quick Allied victory disappeared for good.
The core of the new 6th Panzer Division was provided by the 65th Panzer
Battalion, commanded by Major Thomas. This battalion, which had been part of
the 1st Light Division, was joined by the two battalions of the 11th Panzer
Regiment, which was commanded by Col. Wilhelm Phillips. The two battalions
were commanded by Major Stephan and Major Koll. The period of quiet on the
Western Front allowed the newly formed division to carry out regimental
exercises starting on 18 October 1939.
On 1 March 1940 the 6th Panzer Division was moved into the Wester Woods,
where one week later it was incorporated into the XXXXI Army Corps under
General of Armored Troops Hans-Georg Reinhardt. Also included in the corps