6
1 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
At 0745 hours the Kompanien occupied positions in the willow groves. The 2.Kompanie took over the securing task north of Maltot. The day was spent without any notable events.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
2 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The day was spent without any notable events.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
3 July 19441
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The day was spent without any notable events.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
4 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The Abteilung with three Kompanien was sent to provide defence for the airfield of Caen2. The 2.Kompanie was deployed at the Venoix main road in the northern direction, the 4.Kompanie at the Venoix–St. Germain [-la Blanche-Herbe] road in the western and north-western directions. The 1. and 2.Kompanien received heavy artillery fire.
An SdKfz 222 armoured car from SS-Panzeraufklärungsabteilung 12, Caen, July 1944. (Cody Images)
During the afternoon hours the 2.Kompanie, adjacent to the 9.Kompanie3, was shifted northwards, in the direction of the aircraft hangars, as far as the ‘Krause bunker’.4
The 1.Kompanie knocked out eight Shermans, the 2.Kompanie four Shermans.5 Three tanks (no. 117, 228 and 237) were damaged due to artillery hits and were towed to the repairs station.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
5 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The defence of Caen airfield continued. The 4.Kompanie launched a night attack towards Carpiquet in a task force with the Grenadiers of the 1./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the “Leibstandarte”.6 The task of the Kompanie was to engage Carpiquet from the north and help the infantry penetrating the village. Following two introductory fire strikes by the artillery the enemy replied with heavy infantry and artillery fire. During the attack the enemy retreated to the western sector of the village, although they advanced again because the Grenadiers did not push forward into the village in time.
The enemy planted a number of batteries and heavy anti-tank guns west of Carpiquet and prevented the Grenadiers from advancing further with the heavy concentrated fire of its heavy weapons. The 4.Kompanie stood in its positions on the main road, south of Franqueville, and supported the advance of the Grenadiers with high explosive shells, the fire of its machine guns and with fire strikes. Meanwhile it destroyed an enemy battery position with three (10.5cm) guns. At dawn the armoured fighting vehicles were engaged in targeted fire by enemy anti-tank guns. This way tank no. 418 was destroyed and Untersturmführer Günther Deutscher was not able to get out of the tank and was killed in action. A number of other tanks received anti-tank gun hits although these were to little effect. The disadvantageous, twisted position and the heavy enemy defence forced the tanks to retreat. They occupied the previous securing positions again.
Before the attack of the 4.Kompanie, the 1.Kompanie, commanded by Hauptsturmführer Kurt-Anton Berlin, carried out a distracting attack and destroyed five enemy tanks and two anti-tank guns. Furthermore, the 1.Kompanie captured 14 Canadians who belonged to the French–Canadian “de la Chaudiére”7 Regiment. Tank no. 138 from the 1.Kompanie was knocked out and burnt out.
War Diary Appendix no. 10.
12.SS-Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”O.U., 26. 09. 1944
4. [Kompanie]/SS-Panzer Regiment 12
Night attack towards Carpiquet on 05. 07. ‘44
Situation:
Following four hours of heavy, thunderstorm-like artillery fire on Carpiquet, Caen airfield and the hills south of the airfield, the enemy had succeeded in occupying Carpiquet village and with this, threatening our right flank, that is, the I./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 26.
Task:
The Kompanie as swift as it could, reached the Fontenay [-le-Pesnel]–St. Germain [-la Blanche-Herbe] road and was to secure in the western direction towards Carpiquet and the airfield.
Course of battle:
Around 0800 hours in the morning the Kompanie took over the sector to be secured given in the order. At 2230 hours the Kompanie received the order to attack Carpiquet from the north and support the attack and the penetration of the Grenadiers into the village. Around 2300 hours the Kompanie detached from the secured sector and coming through Caen reached the abbey 2 km north of St. Germain [-la Blanche-Herbe]. A short briefing about the situation was held there for the tank commanders. The Kompanie attacked at 0200 hours, with the I.Zug on the left and the II.Zug on the right. The rolling attack soon reached its aim, the Caen–Bretteville [l’Orgueilleuse] road 800 metres north of Carpiquet. Following three heavy fire strikes by the Nebelwerfers8 and the artillery, the Grenadiers launched the attack. The Kompanie supported this attack with the firepower of all of its guns. The Grenadiers first reached the railway embankment, then the northern outskirts of Carpiquet. The enemy pulled itself together and responded with heavy machine gun fire. After this, the enemy artillery covered the Kompanie positions in heavy fire. The Kompanieführer identified enemy artillery fire at a distance of 1,200 metres. By the order of the Kompanieführer, the fire of the I.Zug destroyed six guns. The covered batteries that were unseen by the Kompanie repeated their fire with intensified force. Our Grenadiers suffered heavy losses and could not advance into Carpiquet on their own. The order of the Abteilung was then received: “The Kompanie is to advance as far as the railway embankment!”
The II.Zug attacked the railway embankment with the fire support of the I.Zug, and received heavy anti-tank gun fire. One enemy tank was knocked out. Tanks no. 405, 415 and 426 received anti-tank gun hits although without effect.
Leutnant and Kompanieführer Erich Pohl ordered the Kompanie to retreat along the road to Caen. During the retreat Untersturmführer Günther Deutscher’s tank no. 418 was hit on the right side of its turret, and shortly after on the right side of the hull. The tank was burnt out. Untersturmführer Deutscher and the gunner, Sturmmann Rausch were killed. The Kompanie then took over its own sector again to be secured. We destroyed a number of machine gun nests and infantry gun positions.
Pohl
Leutnant and Kompanieführer
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]9
6 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The securing of the airfield continued. The 1. and 2.Kompanien stood all day under heavy enemy artillery harassing fire and fire strikes. The 2.Kompanie fired continuously at the vehicles moving in the direction of Moner. The hit and abandoned vehicles were rescued by the enemy during the night.
The 4.Kompanie gave over its tanks to the Aufklärungszug and the 3.Kompanie, and left for St. Aubin for reorganization. The 3.Kompanie that was stationed in Harcourt for reorganization reached the Abteilung with 14 tanks and occupied positions east of Maltot, in the orchards.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
7 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The securing continued under heavy harassing fire and fire strikes, especially against the 1. and 2. Kompanien. In the late night hours the enemy air force carried out a heavy bombing attack10 against Caen and St. Germain. Approximately 800 four-engine bombers took part in the mission, dropping shell and phosphorus bombs. The Abteilung survived this attack without losses. The 3.Kompanie reached the area of Louvigny at night and established positions there.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[No entry.]
8 July 194411
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The Abteilung secured the airfield of Carpiquet. At 0000 hours the enemy started to barrage our positions like thunder. The firing lasted almost ceaselessly until 1100 hours. At 1100 hours the 3.Kompanie was deployed towards Buron12, supported by the Panzergrenadiers13. The confident attack soon gained ground. In these engagements we destroyed 22 Sherman-type enemy tanks and 6 small armoured fighting vehicles with machine-guns.14 During the advance into the village we knocked out a further five Sherman tanks. The anti-tank guns knocked out five of our tanks because the Grenadiers followed them only very cautiously, and the tanks were left alone on the obstructed terrain. Following the securing of Cussy village the 3.Kompanie retreated to the hill of the Ardenne abbey. During this action the enemy anti-tank guns and tanks destroyed a further two of our tanks.15
The enemy pressure towards the Ardenne abbey was intensified. At 1500 hours the artillery fire grew into thunder-like noise coming from all calibres and from naval guns. The artillery reconnaissance aircraft of the enemy (similar to our Storches16) were constantly circling in low levels and thus were able to control fire perfectly without the slightest possibility for us to counter them.
The enemy attacked with major infantry and tank forces. During these engagements a further five of our armoured fighting vehicles were damaged due to artillery fire and were put out of action. The 2.Kompanie secured south of the airfield and destroyed a lone Sherman thrusting forward in the southern direction. The Kompanie stood all day in heavy enemy fire.
At 1300 hours the 1.Kompanie, commanded by Hauptsturmführer Kurt-Anton Berlin, and the Aufklärungszug, commanded by Untersturmführer Fritz Fiala, with six and four tanks respectively, as well as the remains of the 3.Kompanie with two tanks, were deployed in securing the Ardenne abbey. In the artillery fire that lasted for hours, two of the tanks of the 1.Kompanie became total losses due to direct hits, and three more tanks were seriously damaged. One of the tanks of the Aufklärungszug was hit in the fuel tank, and the track of another was hit. The tank of the Zugführer was hit by an anti-tank gun, though without any particular effect: the optics were damaged and the turret-machine gun broke down because of the hit. During these engagements the I.Kompanie knocked out four Shermans, the Aufklärungszug five Shermans, an anti-tank gun and 1–2 Kompanien of enemy infantry, partly in close combat. In the evening hours the remains of the Abteilung, abandoned the abbey, because our infantry was not there, and established new securing positions on the northern outskirts of St. Germain [-la Blanche-Herbe].
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
[ … ] heavily on the right flank of the division from the back and sides due to flanking fire.17
Because a new breakthrough between Buron and Galmanche was reported, the Aufklärungszug of the regiment with the Pak Zug of the II.Abteilung18 and the command tank, led by the Kommandant, were detached forward to La Folie. The breakthrough by armoured fighting vehicles reported by the regiment did not prove to be real and the tanks reached Mâlon without enemy engagement; there they secured the infantry and with elements of them covered themselves east of La Folie, towards Hill 64.
The 5.Kompanie was hard-pressed at Franqueville; they repulsed two enemy attacks together with the infantry, upon which the enemy retreated. Due to another heavy attack launched there, a further 4 Panthers were deployed.
Around 1800 hours the left flank of the 5.Kompanie withdrew as far as the regimental command post at Ardenne, due to the retreat of the infantry under heavy artillery fire.
Following the repulse of a new enemy attack at Ardenne and Cussy, the enemy moved again, following heavy artillery fire, and occupied Ardenne. The tanks, in close contact with the infantry, retreated until 300 metres south of Ardenne; at 2300 hours the right flank, together with the infantry, went back from Mâlon, La Folie and St. Contest to the quarry on the north-western outskirts of Caen.
Albert Frey as an Obersturmbannführer and Oakleaves holder (see Chapter 6 Footnote 21). (Mark C. Yerger)
The tanks of the II.Abteilung established blocking positions for the infantry, strengthened by an 8.8cm battery with some infantry from II.Bataillon of Einheit “Olboeter” and the Sicherungskompanie of the division.19 On the left flank at St. Germain [-la Blanche-Herbe] stood five Panthers of the I.Abteilung with the infantry of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25 and the II. Bataillon/LSSAH20, though small in number.
Ammunition expenditure: 160 high explosive shells, 190 armour-piercing shells; 2,000 high explosive and 2,800 armour-piercing anti-aircraft rounds.
9 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
After the Abteilung established new securing positions during the night hours, it was ordered to take over the securing of Hill 65. Apart from the 2.Kompanie, assigned to Regiment “Frey”21, the Kompanien departed at 0700 hours, and the Abteilung also relocated its command post from Venoix to the eastern bank of the Orne. We crossed the Orne at Athis without any incidents. On Hill 65 the tanks at first occupied advantageous positions on the front-facing slopes, but the enemy immediately discovered it and launched harassing fire. The 2.Kompanie, which arrived from the subordination around noon, went into positions south of Ifs. Abteilung command post 500 metres south of Hill 65.
The 2.Kompanie, assigned to Regiment “Frey”of the 1.SS-Panzer Division “LSSAH,” received the task of a special mission to secure the airfield until the withdrawal was completed. During this, the 2.Kompanie knocked out four Shermans.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The infantry of the I. and II. Bataillone retreated without pause. At night an order was received that the tanks of the II.Abteilung were to hold the hill positions northwest of Caen town until the next [occurrence of] heavy enemy pressure, then to retreat to the outskirts of the town, but this was cancelled at 0345 hours. This was followed by a new order from the division, according to which retreat would be effected into the southern area of Caen in one step, together with SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25 and other elements, securing positions with the tanks of the II.Abteilung in the sector of Eterville, Athis and the Orne crossing.
Two tanks of the 9.Kompanie (the remains of the 9.Kompanie) were assigned to Kompanie “Gaede” to cover the retreat at Bretteville [sur-Odon]. When the tanks had to withdraw from the hills north of Ardenne at 0445 hours, the infantry securing there had already retreated approximately 0.5 km behind the tanks, although they were not ordered to do so. The enemy did not follow them, therefore they managed to abandon the positions unseen, without any notable events and the leaving behind of any material or people.
On 8 July the II.Abteilung destroyed a total of:
• 5.Kompanie: 22 tanks, 6 armoured personnel carriers and an anti-tank gun
• 8. and 6.Kompanien: 14 tanks, a number of anti-tank guns
• 9.Kompanie: 5 tanks
• Regiment Aufklärungszug: 2 tanks
Our losses:
• 5.Kompanie : two tanks as total losses
• 9.Kompanie: one tank
• one tank had to be blown up during the retreat of the 5.Kompanie because it was totally immobile and could not be towed away
• one tank of the Aufklärungszug ran onto one of our own mines during the night retreat
The wreckage of an American P-47D Thunderbolt fighter-bomber plane shot down by the Germans (although not soldiers from SS-Panzer Regiment 12) in the sector of Argentan on 14 August 1944. The self-propelled 2 cm anti-aircraft guns of SS-Panzer Regiment 12 shot down eight such aircraft before the invasion and at least five more during the fighting in Normandy. (Hungarian Institute and Museum of Military History 55577-13)
The command of the Regiment Aufklärungszug by an Oberscharführer did not fulfil expectations, because, not having radio connections, the Aufklärungszug was driving to and fro in the area. It was only stopped at night and subordinated to the 8.Kompanie for the securing of the hill. However, the unit retreated from this position also, without orders, in an unknown direction.
The Abteilung command post in Athis from 07. 09. 1944, in the afternoon at Etavaux by the Orne. At the command post in Athis a driver and a radio operator were seriously wounded in a fighter–bomber aircraft attack. Upon reaching the securing positions between Eterville and Athis the II.Abteilung had the following operational vehicles:
• 3 command tanks
• 2 anti-aircraft tanks
• 5.Kompanie: 5 tanks
• 8. and 6.Kompanien: 6 tanks
• 9.Kompanie: 2 tanks
Arnold Jürgensen as a Sturmbannführer displaying his Knight’s Cross (see Appendix II). (Mark C. Yerger)
Apart from the constant artillery fired on our securing positions the day was spent relatively calmly. Ammunition usage: 1,000 high explosive and 500 armour-piercing 2cm anti-aircraft shells.
10 July 194422
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The Abteilung secured on the eastern bank of the Orne, through Hill 65, in the direction of Ifs. At times harassing fire and fire strikes hit us. Untersturmführer Richard Kulke died in the hospital (paraplegia); Hauptscharführer Pohl also died, due to a shell lodged in his head.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The Abteilung, with 17 Panzer IVs and 2 anti-aircraft vehicles, was ordered to cooperate with SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 “Leibstandarte”. In order to carry out the order, it established communication with Obersturmbannführer Albert Frey in the early morning hours of 10. 07. 1944. At night and in the early morning hours the enemy thrust forward in the sector of the 10.SS-Panzer Division“Frundsberg” from Fontaine [-Etoupefour] towards Eterville and Maltot, and this way, succeeded in breaking through at more than one point calling for the recall of the infantry at Eterville.
Hauptsturmführer Erich Grätz, commander of the III./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the “Leibstandarte” (see Chapter 6 Footnote 23). (Mark C. Yerger)
The tanks of the 8. and 5.Kompanien occupied securing positions from the crossroad northeast of Maltot to the road leading to Hill 400 being north of Athis, with the frontline towards the west and northwest. Three tanks were temporarily relocated to Hauptsturmführer Erich Grätz’s command post23, the château east of Maltot.
Some Tigers (approximately four) from the Tiger Abteilung of the Korps24 went into positions south of the crossroad northeast of Maltot.
During the repulse of the enemy attacks launched with tank support, and during the counterstroke carried out north of Maltot towards Maltot and Eterville, the II.Abteilung destroyed:
• 19 Churchills
• 12 Shermans
• 1 Cromwell
• 1 flamethrower tank
• 15 armoured personnel carriers
• 1 self-propelled gun
• 1 anti-tank gun
During the fighting Untersturmführer Willi Kändler showed outstanding capacities when he alone, knocked out 8 Churchills in the valley north of Maltot with his tank. Untersturmführer Porsch destroyed five enemy armoured fighting vehicles with his tank. Sturmmann Haase showed outstanding bravery when he continued to fire although his tank, no. 946, was hit several times, until the tank caught fire due to further hits. He himself knocked out three enemy tanks here.
As for our tanks, tank no. 552 received a direct artillery hit and thus was rendered immobile, and one of the tanks of the 9.Kompanie, assigned to the 5.Kompanie, was also rendered immobile because of a hit from an anti-tank gun.
In the late evening hours we ventured to carry out a counterstroke towards Eterville with some tanks of the I.Abteilung and the infantry of Regiment “Frey”25, after occupying Maltot again26. In the north-eastern area of Eterville the infantry succeeded in breaking through, however, after the enemy strengthened its positions in the western part of the village and received reinforcements, the occupied parts of Eterville had to be abandoned.
During the night we secured westwards on the general line crossroads 48–Hill 400.
At night the assault guns of SS-Sturmgeschütz Abteilung 1 of the “Leibstandarte”27 (approx. 40 armoured fighting vehicles) arrived at the positions of the I and II.Abteilung. This way, these could carry out regrouping into the Le Mesnil-Robert area via the bridge at St. André-sur-Orne Ferrières and could gather their forces.
During the afternoon and in the night hours heavy bombardment was laid on the command post at Etavaux, during which Hauptsturmführer Hermann Tirschler was wounded. The command post was temporarily west of Hill 67, north of St. André-sur-Orne.
11 July 1944
I./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
The Abteilung secured with 12 tanks at the same place as yesterday. The constantly intensified harassing artillery fire did not cause any losses to the Abteilung. Around 2100 hours the Abteilung received orders from Obersturmbannführer Wünsche to occupy Maltot via the Orne. The bridge at Amayé–St. André [sur-Orne] was reconstructed as ordered, in order to allow the crossing of tracked vehicles.
The task of the Abteilung was to thrust forward via Maltot towards Eterville. At dusk the Abteilung departed with 10 tanks from the area of Maltot under heavy artillery fire, then after travelling 100 metres, flanking fire from anti-tank guns completely destroyed two tanks. The enemy defended itself harder and offered more resistance than was expected; therefore the tanks were recalled to the outskirts of Maltot. The continuing heavy artillery fire completely destroyed another one of our tanks with a direct hit. The securing continued during the early morning hours, during which we knocked out one Sherman, three anti-tank guns, and a small armoured vehicle28. In the morning hours the Abteilung was replaced by the assault guns of the 1.SS-Panzer Division “Leibstandarte”. The Abteilung was withdrawn, and relocated to the area of St. Aignan-de-Cramesnil. Abteilung command post at the church at Cintheaux.
II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:
On 11. 07. 1944 carrying out assembly in the area of Le Mesnil-Robert. Meanwhile Untersturmführer Herbert Walther, the Ordonnanz Offizier, was wounded in his Panzer II. The tank was a total loss. Otherwise no notable events on 11.07.1944.
1 According to a report written on 3 July 1944, from the 144 Allied tanks knocked out by the 12.SS-Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend,” 105 were destroyed by the tanks of SS-Panzer Regiment 12, 16 by towed anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, and 23 by handheld anti-tank weapons (Panzerfaust, Panzerschreck). In the evening of 3 July 1944, the British battleship HMS Rodney fired 15 shells from its 40.6cm guns at the buildings of the Carpiquet airfield, where they anticipated finding the hidden tanks of SS-Panzer Regiment 12. See also Werner Kortenhaus, 21. Panzerdivision, 1943–1945, Uelzen: Schneider Armour Research, 2007, p.221.
2 An airfield west of Caen and north of Carpiquet.
3 The 9./SS-Panzer Regiment 12.
4 Sturmbannführer Bernhard Krause was commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 26.
5 The Allied tanks knocked out were presumably the Shermans of the Canadian 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse).
6 1./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the 1.SS-Panzer Division “Leibstandarte”.
7 The Regiment was a unit of the Canadian 8th Infantry Brigade.
8 Towed or self-propelled half-tracked German multiple rocket launchers in one Abteilung of the Army’s Werfer Regiment 83.
9 According to the KTB of Panzergruppe “West” (later 5.Panzerarmee) SS-Panzer Regiment 12 lost a total of 44 Panzer IVs and 21 Panthers between 6 June and 5 July 1944, that is, during approximately one month of combat activity.
10 The Allied attack began at 2150 hours and lasted until 2230 hours. The mission was carried out by 467 Halifax and Lancaster heavy bombers as well as a number of fighter-bombers, dropping 2,500 tons of bombs. The German military losses were minimal, but hundreds of French civilians died.
11 Operation Charnwood of the British–Canadian 21st Army Group began that day, northwest of Caen, and lasted until 11 July 1944. The main effort came from I Corps. Subordinated to I Corps fought the British 3rd and 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Divisions, the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division, the British 27th Armoured Brigade equipped with duplex drive (DD) Shermans, the British 33rd Armoured Brigade and the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade. The operation was supported by the units of the 79th Armoured Division equipped with special tanks, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and the artillery of two armies and four battleships.
12 Buron was attacked that day by the Canadian 9th Infantry Brigade and the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers), and these troops encircled parts of the III./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25.
13 Presumably parts of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25.
14 Presumably British Universal (or Bren Gun) carriers.
15 Most of the German armoured vehicle losses around Buron were caused by British M10 tank destroyers, which are reported to have destroyed 13 German armoured vehicles that day. See also John Buckley, British Armour in the Normandy Campaign. London: Frank Cass, 2004, p.31.
16 Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (Stork) light reconnaissance and liaison aircraft. The Allied aircraft in question would almost certainly have been Auster IV observation planes.
17 The KTB of the II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12 continues on 8 July 1944, but the entry of that day is half missing.
18 “Pak Zug” in the original. The II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12 did not have an anti-tank gun platoon. Most probably due to a typing error, this was written in the KTB instead of “Flak Zug” (anti-aircraft platoon), or, it was meant to be the anti-tank gun platoon of the II.Bataillon (not the II.Abteilung) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25.
19 This was presumably the Division Begleitkompanie of the 12.SS-Panzer Division. The Begleitkompanie was the defensive unit of the Divisionsstab, defending it from surprise attacks launched by advancing enemy spearheads. Usually it consisted of a Panzergrenadier Zug, a Kradschützen Zug, a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun platoon, and probably a number of mortars, anti-tank guns and infantry guns. Such units of the Panzer divisions were equipped with armoured personnel carriers.
20 This is presumably the II./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the 1. SS-Panzer Division “Leibstandarte”.
21 SS-Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 1 of the 1.SS-Panzer Division “Leibstandarte” commanded by Obersturmbannführer Albert Frey. Highly decorated, Frey won the German Cross in Gold on 17 November 1941 leading the III./Leibstandarte and the Knight’s Cross on 3 March 1943 as commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1. As regimental commander of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 he was awarded the Oakleaves on 29 December 1943 and ended the war as a Standartenführer. He died on 1 September 2003.
22 Operation Jupiter of the British VIII Corps began that day, west of Caen, and lasted until 11 July 1944. The operation was launched to exploit the retreat of the Germans from the town. The task of the Corps was to occupy Hill 112 and Maltot, then penetrate with its tanks into the Orne Valley. Subordinated to the VIII Corps were the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division and the 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division which was supported by the Churchills of the 31st Tank Brigade. In case of a successful breakthrough the Shermans of the 4th Armoured Brigade were to penetrate the Orne valley.
23 A Hauptsturmführer since 20 April 1942, Erich Grätz was commander of the III./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the „Leibstandarte“ from early July 1944. He won the German Cross in Gold on 20 September 1943 with the 18./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the “Leibstandarte” and the Knight’s Cross commanding the same Kompanie on 14 May 1944.
24 This is schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 101 of the I.SS-Panzer Korps, although by this time schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 102 of the II. SS-Panzer Korps was also fighting in the area.
25 This was SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the “Leibstandarte”.
26 Maltot itself was presumably taken back from the 4th Dorsetshires, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, supported by a company of the 9th Royal Tank Regiment (a battalion-sized unit), 31st Tank Brigade, equipped with Churchills, by parts of SS-Panzer Regiment 12, the Tigers of schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 102, and portions of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 (10.SS-Panzer Division “Frundsberg”).
27 SS-Sturmgeschütz Abteilung 1 was equipped with Sturmgeschütz IV assault guns.
28 Presumably British Universal (or Bren Gun) carriers.