501st Heavy Panzer Battalion
|
Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–45 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | Battalion |
| Equipment |
Tiger I (1942–44) Tiger II (1944–45) |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Stalking tiger |  |
The 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion (German: Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501) (Schwere: heavy, Panzer: tank, Abteilung: battalion) was a German World War II independent armoured battalion equipped with heavy tanks. The battalion was the second unit to receive and use the Tiger I heavy tank, changing to Tiger IIs in mid-1944.
It fought and surrendered in Tunisia, reformed in September 1943, then fought on the Eastern front; destroyed, it reformed with Tiger IIs in July 1944, then mostly deactivated on 11 February 1945.
The first heavy armor units in the German Army were the 501st and 502nd heavy tank companies, founded 16 February 1942. They were combined into the 501st heavy tank battalion on 10 May 1942 in Erfurt, commanded by Major Hans-Georg Lueder. In late August, the first Tiger began to arrive, delivery priority having been given to the formation of the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion. The 501st was promised to the Afrikakorps for use in North Africa, and was prepared for tropical operations. Initially, the battalion consisted of 20 Tiger I and 25 Panzer III.
German heavy tank battalions were initially planned to be composed of two companies, each with four platoons of two Tigers and two Panzer IIIs. Each company commander would have an additional Tiger, and battalion command would have another two, for a total of 20 Tigers and 16 Panzer III.
Following the Allied landing in French North Africa the battalion, with its 16 Panzer IIIs, arrived in Tunisia between November 1942 and January 1943.
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