Did Tiger I tanks see action in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge? If so, which units?
Thanks!
Leddy
Off the top of my head, sPzAbt 506 was involved in a peripheral action. It had about ten on its roster. You gotta understand that by the end of '44, the production had already stopped and the vast majority of them were already out of service.
And you are quite right. s.Pz.Abt 506 had an extra 4th company for the battle of the bulge which consisted of Tiger I’s. The company was actually s.Pz.Kp (schwere panzer kompanie) Hummel which was attached to 506 as it’s 4th company only for the duration of the Ardennes offensiv.
Some of the vehicles on this unit were old early versions that had been returned to the factory for major repair work and been upgraded with new steel rimmed roadwheels and late style tracks…
TMN1,
Thanks! Great information! Are there pictures of these Tiger I’s with the above modifications? Are the late style tracks like those found on later King Tiger or Hunting Tiger tanks?
Leddy
I had not heard that 4kp/506 had the unusual Tiger Is. Can you point me to references about that? It’d be cool to come up with a pic too. I just perused Tigers In Combat I and there aren’t any Tiger I in Ardennes pics in that book.
Leddy: when TMN1 mentions “late” tracks, he means late Tiger I tracks with the six chevrons. There was no similarity at all between Tiger I and Tiger II tracks.
As the 4th company was actually, as i said, schwere panzer kompanie Hummel that is where you will find the pics … or rather the picture, which is in Tigers in combat vol 2 page 89 and 90 of the hard back edition.
Here is the pictures.
At first we have a tank covered in snow, knocked out in January 1945.
Then we have the same tank a few months later after the snow has melted, revealing the turret number 411 and the early turret and late style steel rimmed roadwheels.
It is the only picture i know of, showing the Tiger I’s of s.Pz.Kp Hummel/s.Pz.Abt 506 in the Ardennes.
Beautiful! I love “oddballs”