Description
Written by Wolfgang Schneider, one of the foremost experts on WW II armour warfare, TOTENKOPF TIGERS is the history of the Tiger Company of the 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. In the fall of 1942, a heavy Tiger company was formed for each of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich and Totenkopf SS-Panzer-Grenadier Divisions. While each of the Tiger companies of the other two divisions was used to form an independent Tiger battalion, the Totenkopf company remained as a company with its division until the end of the war. It used the Tiger I exclusively, never being issued the Tiger II.
Totenkopf Tigers participated in the retaking of Kharkov in early 1943, Operation Zitadelle in July and at the Mius in late July and August. The division withdrew behind the Dniepr at the end of September and fought at Ingulez at end of October and Kirovograd in January 1944. The company broke out toward Balta at the end of March and crossed into Romania at the beginning of April.
It remained there, taking on new tanks, until the end of May 1944. It fought around Targul Frumos until beginning of July. The Totenkopf was then transferred to Poland, where it fought near Grodno in Mid-July. It was a part of the whirlwind battle east of Warsaw and two of its Tigers even became involved in the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944 when they were passing through the city on their way back to their unit. The Totenkopf company was then transferred with its division to Hungary, where it participated in the three offensives to relieve Budapest. It then withdrew through Hungary and Austria, losing its remaining tanks along the way in bitter defensive fighting. Its men then fought as infantry armed with panzerfausts.
It surrendered with its division to the Americans on May 8, 1945. Its men were then handed over to the Russians, many of whom did not return to Germany until 10 years later. Of the more than 500 men who served in this unit, approximately half were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The company was almost in continuous battle for two and a half years, all of it on the Eastern Front. Long overdue, here is their story.
ISBN 978-0-921991-98-4
Hardcover, large format, approximately 320 pages, 448 photographs, 55 maps, 16 pages of colour profiles, 20 documents and several orders of battle.
