| Panzerkampfwagen VI “Tiger II” Königstiger (“King Tiger”) heavy tanks of the 1.Kompanie, Schwere Panzerabteilung 503 (1./s.Pz.Abt.503, “Heavy Panzer Division 503”) dispersed under trees near Château Canteloup, a wine orchard located in the village of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts, outside of Rouen, around the time of the start of Operation Goodwind, the British Offensive to liberate Caen. As an independent tank regiment, Schwer Panzerabteilung 503 had seen action on the Eastern Front since 1942. On June 1, 1944, the division was refreshed at the Ohrdruf military training area in Thuringia. From June 11-17, 1944, it was re-equipped with 33 Tiger I and 12 Tiger II tanks with “Porsche” turrets. By July 7, 1944, the division was relocated to France. On July 11, Schwer Panzerabteilung 503 entered combat in Normandy against the British attacking Caen. As a result of the immediate counterattack launched by the 3rd Company from Giberville to the north, the former main line of resistance could be reoccupied without any battalion losses. 11 Shermans and 4 antitank guns were destroyed; 2 Shermans were captured without damage and sent to the German rear. After Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 32 reoccupied its positions late in the afternoon, the Tiger company was pulled out of the line and sent back to the assembly area at Maneville. On July 18, 1944, the 3rd Company was bombed by air during Operation Goodwood, but only 2 Tigers were destroyed. 13 Tigers were destroyed during the entire day. Leutnant Richard Freiherr von Rosen (June 28, 1922 – October 26, 2015), the acting company commander of 3.Kompanie, Schwere Panzerabteilung 503, later wrote: “On July 18, I was in the position we had dug out under my Tiger 311 with Unteroffizier Werkmeister (“Underofficer Chief Technician”). I was awakened at about 0600 hours by the intense noise of engines in the air. Still half asleep, I heard the sound of falling bombs. They hit about 200 meters in front of us, but the concussion was so strong that the tank shook. It was immediately clear to me that the attack was aimed at us, but there was no time to think about it. The air was filled with the rushing of the falling bombs, and I instinctively pressed firmly against the ground. Then came the ear-bursting crash of the detonation. The earth heaved, but I was not yet hit. I was still alive. And then, again, I heard the rush of the falling bombs and again the detonations. I felt completely helpless against that power, there was no escaping, I could not think of anything at all. I have no idea how long that lasted. All conception of time was lost. Suddenly, Unteroffizier Werkmeister and I were thrown into a corner by the concussion. I was completely covered with earth and lay, unconscious, for a while, until the slow return of consciousness and the realization I was still alive. But then the next bombs came and with them, the realization that this was not all a bad dream, but that, at that instant, I truly had no choice but to let that firestorm engulf me again. As I remember, it lasted—with short pauses—a good 2 1/2 hours. It is hardly possible to describe that period of time with words. I only know that I lay under my tank, held my ears and bit the blanket so as not to scream. Finally, the attack seemed to come to an end. As I crept out from under the tank…what a picture!” “Of that once so beautiful park, all that were left were splintered trees that lay every which way, plowed up meadows and gigantic bomb craters that were so numerous that they overlapped each other. It was a gray, hostile moonscape enveloped in an impenetrable dust cloud that made it hard to breathe. Trees were on fire, as were the fields of grain, and one saw the red reflection of the fires in the thick clouds of smoke. I went to the tank beside me, Unteroffizier Peter Westerhausen’s (March 31, 1922 – July 18, 1944) tank. It had taken a direct hit and tongues of flame played in the wreckage. There was no trace left of the crew. I worked my way through the craters and over giant trees, through a true primeval forest, and then got to Oberfeldwebel Sachs’s (???? – July 18, 1944) tank. In front of it there was a giant crater. The tank had been tossed by the concussion and lay on its turret, the running gear in the air. We found two of the crew, dead, and no trace of the others. Two excellent men of the company maintenance section had been killed. They, too, had sought refuge under that tank.” “I immediately ordered the tanks readied for action. First they had to be shoveled free, since they were covered in earth right up to the turrets. Trees had been toppled onto them, tracks torn off—how were we to ever get the company ready for action? The work had to be broken off frequently, because the naval artillery began to register on us with heavy 42 cm [16 inch] rounds. At that point I also noticed that, 15 meters in front of my tank, there was a 6- or 8-meter-deep crater in which the Tiger could have easily fitted. The heavy armor plate on the rear of the tank was severely deformed, as if a shell had struck it. The concussion had torn off the engine’s radiator. It is still unclear to me today what could have caused that. In any case, my tank was unserviceable and I had to change tanks yet again.” From July 20-29, 1944, the 3rd Company was relocated to Mailly-le-Camp to be equipped with Tiger IIs. On August 12, 1944, the 3rd Company was relocated to Paris. Here, most of the company was destroyed by Allied air raids. The rest were destroyed during the retreat from Normandy. Only 2 Tiger IIs could be saved. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0499.jpg |
| Image Size | 4.81 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 8442 x 5640 |
| Photographer | Wolfgang Vennemann |
| Photographer Title | Kriegsberichter |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 15, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Rouen |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | Bundesarchiv |
| Record Number | 101I-721-0364-07 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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