Biography
Wittmann's Early Career
Michael Wittmann, the man who was to become the greatest exponent of tank warfare in the Second World War - if not of all time - was born on 22 April 1914 in the small village of Vogelthal, Landkreis Beilngries in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria. The son of local farmer Johann Wittmann and his wife Ursula, the young Michael, like the majority in the region baptised as a Catholic, was to have a fairly ordinary early life along with his brother Johann Jr. and three sisters, Franziska, Anni and Theresa. Wittmann attended elementary and secondary school before joining his father and brother in the day to day running of the family business. During this time Johann Wittmann had bought and sold several farms, moving from Vogelthal in the early 1920s to a succession of different towns in the area. When Michael finished his schooling in 1930 at the age of sixteen, he went to work on the farm.
Early times on the Farm
It was on the farm where the young Michael was to develop skills which were to assist him greatly in his later life - the concept of applying hard work and effort to the task in hand, the importance of teamwork, and, particularly from his father, a decent knowledge of the various types of tools and machinery used on the farm. In addition, Michael's hunting instinct - which was also to serve him well in his later career - was honed to perfection by his early introduction to game hunting, a task which at first presented something of a barrier to the young Michael as a result of his deep love of animals and nature in general. Nevertheless, such skills were essential in order to guarantee the family meal being on the table, particularly during the lean times which had been experienced by most Germans during the 1920s and early 1930s.
Life with the Reichsarbeitsdienst
A year and a day after the accession to power of Adolf Hitler, Michael Wittmann's fairly 'ordinary' existence was to change markedly. Having left his job at the family farm in early 1933, he went to work on a dairy, but this only lasted three months before he was on the move again. On 1 February 1934, at the age of nineteen, Wittmann decided to do his bit for the Fatherland - as many at the time were doing - by joining the Benediktbeuren branch of the Volunteer Labour Service (Freiwillige Arbeitsdienst, FAD), which later became the Reich Labour Service or RAD (Reichs Arbeitsdienst). The RAD, like many similar organisations sprouting up in Germany at the time, placed a great deal of emphasis on co-operation and teamwork; not surprisingly, the young Wittmann enjoyed the experience immensely.
It was at this time that Michael finally made the decision not to pursue a career in agriculture; like many others he had met during his six months' service with the RAD, he decided join the rejuvenated German military, which had recently been released of the yoke of Versailles. On 30 October 1934 Michael Wittmann began a two-year period in the Army, and was assigned to 10. Kompanie of the 19th Infantry Regiment, based at the Arnulf Barracks in the Bavarian town of Freising near Munich.
Left: A young Michael Wittmann in the uniform of the Reichs Arbeitsdienst (RAD) in which he served from February 1934 before beginning his first stint in the regular Army in October that same year. Right: Wittmann in army uniform. Visible on the shoulder bar of his uniform is the number of his regiment, the 19th.
A New Beginning in Freising
Although the military life was something new to him, Michael Wittmann adapted quickly to the rigours of life as part of this new community: once again, the idea of co-operation and teamwork was high on the agenda, although of course the stakes were somewhat higher. Alongside this came the incessant drills and regimented early-morning musters, which helped transform Wittmann and his colleagues from green-around-the-gills recruits to highly motivated, physically fit individuals, and, when all were brought together, into a highly effective and organised fighting force. Many tasks had to be performed repeatedly during training, over and again until the required standards were met.
It was during this training where Wittmann was to come across a Panzer for the first time, the then fledgling Panzer I. Like many of his fellows, Wittmann was instantly fascinated by the metal monster, although as a machine in itself it was very similar to the farm machinery that he had worked closely with along with his father and brother. It was here that he was to learn a number of infantry Panzer-busting techniques, as well as about their many strengths and weaknesses. Wittmann was to remain with 10. Kompanie until September 1936, reaching the rank of Gefreiter. During this time he had relocated to the city of Ingolstadt, and in October 1936 found work as a railway construction worker in the nearby town of Reichertshofen. By this time he had become interested in pursuing a career in the Allgemeine-SS, an organisation which offered a number of benefits, not least of which was the rather attractive black uniform! On 1 October, Wittmann joined the ever-growing list of applicants by applying to his local SS unit.
The Beginning of a new Career: Entry into the Leibstandarte
Fresh from his two years' service at Freising, the twenty-two year old Wittmann had no trouble whatsoever in passing the necessary physical requirements for joining the Allgemeine-SS; a mere month after presenting his application as a candidate, he was assigned to Sturm 1/92 of the Allgemeine-SS, stationed in Ingolstadt and given the SS number 311623. The initial training was tough, and all of the new candidates had to pass a number of demanding physical and medical tests: the standards were excruicatingly high, and a good number of otherwise decent candidates were to fall by the wayside. On 1 April 1937, less than six months after his initial application, Michael Wittmann found himself among those chosen to join the SS-Verfugungstruppe (SS-VT), the military branch of the SS (later to become known as the Waffen-SS). He was accepted as a recruit with 17. Kompanie of the élite Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler, and on 5 April he joined the company in training at the famous Lichterfelde Barracks in Berlin.
The Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler (often abbreviated to LSSAH or LAH) was the premier SS-VT division, its historical foundation being Hitler's personal bodyguard detachment, the 'Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler', which had been created by Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich in the early 1920s. Accordingly, the recruitment standards, which placed a great deal of emphasis on physical attributes and the provision of appropriate ancestral documentation, were far higher than for any of the other SS-VT/Waffen-SS units. Many, including 'Sepp' Dietrich himself, complained bitterly about these rules, many of which bordered on the ridiculous. For example, if Michael Wittmann had attempted to join at any later stage, he would have been refused entry on grounds of his height!
On joining the LSSAH, Wittmann became an SS-Mann, the SS equivalent of his former Wehrmacht rank of Gefreiter. His initial training was as an armoured car crewman, and as part of this training he was introduced to a number of small four-wheeled light reconnaissance vehicles, including the four-wheeled Sd. Kfz. 222 and six-wheeled Sd. Kfz. 232. On 9 November Wittmann attended the official swearing in ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle in Munich, at the same time being promoted to the rank of SS-Sturmmann. In March the following year his armoured company joined the rest of the LSSAH in the march into Austria following its incorporation into the Reich, and less than eight months later the LSSAH was leading German troops into the Sudetenland. On 20 April 1939, Hitler's fiftieth birthday, Wittmann was promoted to SS-Unterscharführer.
Left: Michael Wittmann in the uniform of the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT). The earliest known of Wittmann in a black service uniform, it was taken after 9 November 1937. His collar patches indicate the rank of Staffel-Sturmmann. Right: A Sd. Kfz. 222 Panzerspähwagen, similar to the vehicle commanded by Wittmann early in what would be an illustrious career.
By the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939 Wittmann, now aged twenty-five, was serving in the LSSAH's armoured car platoon (Panzerspäh-Zug), after having undergone comprehensive training with the Sd. Kfz. 222 Spähwagen, first as a driver and then as a commander. Wittmann's first taste of active combat was short, and on his return from duty in Poland he was assigned as a training NCO with the 5th Company of the replacement battalion of the LSSAH. His superiors had clearly seen an emerging talent, and the young NCO didn't let them down as he proved to be an able and canny instructor. On 25 April 1940 Wittmann was moved from the armoured scout company to a new assault gun (StuG) battery. After completing the training with the new vehicles and the powerful 75mm gun (a marked chage from the 20mm cannons carried by the scout cars), he was assigned to the 1st Platoon, joining the unit on 16 July in Paris-Clarmant before moving to new billets in the Alsation town of Metz.
Following the successful campaigns in the West, the LSSAH was to be delivered a number of new vehicles, which included half a dozen of the impressive Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. A (StuG III) self-propelled assault guns - an innovative system consisting of a 75mm KwK (Kampfwagenkanone) main gun housed on the highly successful Pz. Kpfw. III chassis. While stationed at Metz following the French campaign, Unterscharführer Wittmann was introduced to one of these machines, and, after having examined it thoroughly, was determined to command one of them. His efforts were eventually to pay off, and after consulting with his company commander he was offered the opportunity to train on the new system. Not surprisingly, Wittmann leapt at the chance, and instantly set about selecting the three others who would make up his new crew. The selection process was incredibly difficult, more so for the fact that as a result of the StuG III being a new system, there was no-one in the LSSAH who could claim to have had any prior experience of it. Eventually, and after much deliberation, Wittmann decided upon three experienced individuals: as his gunner, Rottenführer Klinck, an expert in the use of Panzer I and II systems; as his driver, Rottenführer Koldenhöff, and as his loader, Rottenführer Petersen.
The StuG III training was both intense and highly realistic; all aspects, including a thorough workout in regards to field maintenance as well as in-depth tactical training, were covered. Wittmann and his crew had to familiarise themselves with every single inch of their vehicle, and had to be able to strip it down whenever and wherever necessary. Such training was essential, as it would often be necessary to carry out such procedures, and carry them out both quickly and safely, while out in the field. As far as tactical training was concerned, it was essential that all Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) crews were aware of the infantry surrounding them; the realism of the training exercises was essential in helping to co-ordinate movement between AFVs and the supporting infantry, and fundamentally, to avoid the nightmare scenario of infantrymen being accidentally injured or killed.
Operation 'Marita': The LSSAH in Greece, April 1941
By the latter part of 1940 the StuG III training was complete, and Wittmann and his crew, now found themselves itching for action. The call finally came in April 1941, following the botched invasion of the Balkans by Italy and Mussolini's resulting plea to Hitler for assistance. The Balkan campaign - Operation 'Marita' - was launched on 6 April, the LSSAH providing a spearhead along with the 9th Panzer Division for the initial assault on the Yugoslav city of Skopje. In less than a week, Yugoslavia had been overrun, and the LSSAH stood at the ready to continue south towards their final objective. The assault on Greece was to see the emergence of the Leibstandarte as a true fighting force, epitomised by individuals such as Obersturmbannführer Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer, the legendary hero of the audacious 'egg grenade' assault on the heavily fortified Klissura Pass. Despite the poor terrain and even poorer visibility, Michael Wittmann and his StuG III crew also played their part in this assault and the resulting push towards Lake Kastoria, assisting in the successful capture of 12,000 men of the Greek 13th Division.
Left: A Photograph of the then twenty-seven year old Michael Wittmann in the uniform of an SS-Unterscharführer, taken in Greece sometime in the late Spring of 1941. During the Leibstandarte's campaign in both Greece and the Balkans, he had been serving as a commander of the excellent fixed-turret Sturmgeschütz (StuG) III self-propelled gun. Like many AFV crewmen, Wittmann was to find the harsh mountainous terrain in Greece a far cry from the battlefield scenarios encountered in the otherwise thorough training programme. Right: SS-Unterscharführer Wittmann (second from the left) and colleagues in June 1941, shortly before the invasion of the Soviet Union.
The Greek capital of Athens was finally captured at the end of April, and the campaign only lasted as long as it did due to the combination of both the tenacity of the well-drilled and proud Greek army and the testing conditions. In taking on the difficult and often treacherous mountainous terrain - the type of which had not been accounted for in the otherwise thorough training at Metz - SS-Unterscharführer Michael Wittmann was to add to his ever-increasing list of credentials.
Following the successful completion of this tiring three-week campaign, the LSSAH was assigned to western Czechoslovakia for refit, earning Wittmann and his comrades a more than well-deserved rest.
This idyll however was not to last for very long: within as little as two months, the fiercest campaign ever known in the history of modern warfare would be launched, a campaign that was see the man who was to become the most successful tank commander in history really win his spurs - and begin his meteoric rise to the status of a legend.
