Toch nog even wat info over de Tiger Abteilungen die in Wezep aanwezig geweest zijn. Bron:
http://www.sturmvogel.orbat.com/tigers.html Ik heb globaal de periode aangegeven waarin deze in Wezep aanwezig waren:
schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507 (23.12.43-25.2.44) een volledig uitgeruste Abteilung met 45 Tigers:
7 May 43 originally formed by reorganization and redesignation of I./Panzer-Regiment 3 (at Wien/Modling?)
30 Jun 43 redesignated I./Panzer-Regiment 3 again and re-equipped with Panther tanks
23 Sep 43 s.Pz.Abt. 507 again formed in Vienna area with from I./Panzer-Regiment 4 [Tessin: 28 Sep 43]
23 Dec 43-25 Feb 44 completed equipment with 45 Tiger Is in Wezep/Zwolle, the Netherlands
Feb-early Mar 44 6 more Tigers delivered 15-21 Mar 44 sent to southern Poland, Lemberg area7 Apr 44 6 more Tigers delivered
14 Apr 44 6 more Tigers delivered
31 May 44 Army Group North Ukraine with 47 Tiger Is (45 operational)
30 Jun 44 2 Tigers delivered
30 Jun-2 Jul 44 transfer to Baranovichi
28 Jul 44 6 Tigers delivered, 44 on hand
8 Aug 44 6 Tiger Is delivered and 6 more received from s.Pz.Abt. 506, 55 on hand
21-22 Aug 44 13 Tigers lost, most in swampy ground and destroyed by their own crews
25-27 Nov 44 10 Tigers delivered, 51 on strength
6 Dec 44 one more Tiger delivered
19-21 Jan 45 19 Tiger Is lost, mostly by their own crews
24-30 Jan 45 22 more destroyed by their own crews due to lack of ferries across the Weichsel
12-15 Feb 45 transferred to Sennelager, less 1./, for re-equipment with Tiger IIs [Jentz 3: 6 Feb 45]
19 Mar 45-22 Mar 45 re-equipped with 21 Tiger IIs, including 3 Tiger IIs each from s.Pz.Abt. 510 and s.Pz.Abt. 511
30 Mar 45 2./and 3/. in action against U.S. forces in central Germany
4 Apr 45 remnants of 1./ arrive at Sennelager without tanks
11-17 Apr 45 transferred to Prague/Milovice and ordered redesignated as Panzer-Abteilung 507 to be equipped with Jagdpanzer 38(t)
6 May 45 10 Hetzers received and attempt to breakthrough to the American-occupied area of Czechoslovakia
12 May 45 surrender to US forces and later turned over to the Soviets
Europa: 1x 4-3-8 Pz II 507
FitE/SE: Jan I 44
SF: Jul I 44, West: Forming; Jan I 45, West: Full, withdraw to East
schwere Panzer-Abteilung 504 (18.09.43-29.04.44) een volledig uitgeruste Abteilung met 45 Tigers:
13 Jan 43 formed in WK XI (Fallingbostel) with two companies from personnel of III./Panzer-Regiment 4 [Schneider: 18 Jan 43]
13 Feb 43 2./ renamed as 1./s.Pz.Abt. 505, cancelled 4 days later
27-28 Feb 43 entrained for Italy
6-8 Mar 43 arrival in Italy
8 Mar 43 Stab./ and 1./ equipped with 11 Tiger Is and 19 PzKpfw III Ausf. N sent to Tunisia
12 Mar 43 first 3 Tigers arrive
17 Mar 43 s.PzKpfw.Abt 501 with 11 Tigers is attached to the Abteilung
20 Mar 43 3./ formed [Schneider: 3 Apr 43]
22-23 Mar 43 5 Tigers arrive in Bizerta
1 Apr 43 2 more Tigers arrive in Tunis
13 Apr 43 2./ equipped with 9 Tiger Is and 6 PzKpfw III Ausf. N and ordered to Sicily (several PzKpfw IVs acquired on Sicily)
16 Apr 43 1 last Tiger arrived in Bizerta
10 May 43 2 Tigers delivered to 2./
12 May 43 Stab./, 1./ surrendered in Tunisia
June 43 6 more Tigers delivered to 2./, 17 on-hand
22 Jun 43 3./ redesignated 11./Panzer-Regiment Großeutschland [Schneider: 2 Jul 43]
10 Jul 43 2./ attached to Fallschirm-Panzer-Division Hermann Göring with 17 Tiger Is
17 Aug 43 Only 1 Tiger is evacuated across the Straits of Messina, but breaks down shortly afterwards and is abandoned
18 Nov 43 reformed from surviving personnel of old unit and Pz.Abt.18 (at Wezep bei Zwolle-Netherlands), 3./ is formed from PzKpfw.Kp. 314 (Fkl) and retains its B IV demolition vehicles
28 Feb-21 Apr 44 45 Tiger Is delivered 30 Apr-4 May 44 transferred to France, area west of Poitiers
3 Jun 44 ordered to Italy [originally under orders for Eastern Front]
9-14 Jun 44 arrival in Italy, one Bergepanther destroyed by Allied fighter-bombers
1 Jul 44 9 of 18 Tigers operational, of the 27 losses only 2 are due to enemy action, the rest had to be abandoned
26 Jul 44 12 replacement Tiger Is received
14 Aug 44 1./, without tanks, is sent to Wien for familiarization with the Tiger II
30 Nov 44 3./, without tanks, is exchanged for 1./, still without tanks
12 Feb 45 15 Tiger Is received from s.Pz.Abt.508
15 Mar 45 all 32 Tiger Is operational
28 Apr 45 last Tigers destroyed
NOTE: Tessin erroneously has this unit on the Eastern Front in 1944
Europa: 1x 4-3-8 Pz II 504
FitE/SE: Apr I 43
SF: Nov I 43, West: Forming; Dec I 43, West: Full; Jun I 44, West: transfer to South
schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102 (voorjaar44-11.06.44) volledig uitgeruste Abteilung met 45 Tigers:
15 Nov 42 s.PzKpfw.Kp. for SS-Panzer-Regiments 1, 2 and 3 ordered formed
22 Apr 43 Stab for s.PzKpfw.Kp. of Waffen-SS divisions ordered formed as schwere-SS-Panzer-Abteilung-General-Kommando-I. SS-Panzer-Korps, control of divisional Tiger companies retained by the divisions
1 Jun 43 redesignated schwere-SS-Panzer-Abteilung-General-Kommando-II. SS-Panzer-Korps
Jul 43 ordered to finish forming at Walki, near Kharkov, 3 Tigers delivered
10 Jul 43 "Zitadelle" 13./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 with 13 Tiger Is
s./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 with 14 Tiger Is
9./SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 with 15 Tiger Is
19 Jul 43 schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung-General-Kommando-I. SS-Panzer-Korps ordered formed from existing elements in Sennelager and Augustdorf equipped with 3 Tiger Is, 13./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 detached to form 3./ of new schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung-General-Kommando-I. SS-Panzer-Korps
Aug 43 subordinated to 2. SS-Panzer Division Das Reich, some elements act as infantry
Oct 43 transferred to Augustdorf
22 Oct 43 reformed in Augustdorf [Tessin: France]
4 Nov 43 redesignated schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102 effective 22 Oct 43
Jan 44 transferred to Argentan, France
Spring 44 Transferred to Wezep, the Netherlands 21 Apr-29 May 44 45 Tiger Is delivered
15 May 44 absorbs 268 men from s.SS-Panzer-Abteilung 103, not enough men to establish 3. Kompanie
6 Jun 44 personnel on courses at Paderborn return to Wezep11-12 Jun 44 transfer to Calais region
14 Jun ordered to Normandy front
21-23 Jun detrainment of 2. Kompanie in Versailles, road march to the front begins with a number of breakdowns
2 Jul last trainload arrives in Versailles
7 Jul 44 28 operational tanks, but 3. Kompanie still hadn't reached the front
9 Jul-1 Aug 44 subordinated to 10. SS-Panzergrenadier Division Hohenstauffen
2 Aug transferred to sector of 9. SS-Panzergrenadier Division Frundsberg with 38 Tiger Is
1 Sep 44 all tanks lost during the retreat from Normandy Sep 44 redesignated schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502 when reformed in Sennelager
Between 10 Jul and 20 Aug claimed 227 tanks and 28 AT guns
27 Dec 44 6 Tiger IIs delivered, later transferred to s.SS-Pz.Abt. 503
14 Feb 45-6 Mar 45 equipped with 31 Tiger IIs
early Mar 45 transferred to Stettin-Army Group Center
19 Mar 45 Küstrin area, Army Group Vistula
Europa: 1x 4-3-8 Pz II 102 (SS)
SF: Aug I 43, West: Forming; Jun I 44, West: Full; Jan II 45, West: withdraw to East
Er zijn dus drie Tiger Abteilungen volledig uitgerust in Wezep. Op tijdstippen dat er twee eenheden tegelijkertijd in Wezep zaten kunnen er zelfs veel meer dan 45 Tigers aanwezig geweest zijn. Het lijkt me toch dat dit wel een doel was waarbij je eens wat risico's kunt nemen in termen van verliezen aan vliegtuigen, vliegtuigbemanningen , burgers en woningen. Ook al zijn die doelen (tanks) dan misschien moeilijk uit te schakelen. We hebben het hier tenslotte over Tiger tanks. Er zaten gemiddeld 30.000 manuren in de produktie van een Tiger I en de kosten waren 250.000 Reichsmark. Bemanningen waren specialisten die moeilijk te vervangen waren, om nog maar te zwijgen van de schade die deze tanks aan de geallieerden berokkenden op het slagveld.
Arjan