Takom | 1021 | Michael Wittmann | 1:16

Plastic figure, glue and paint are no included.

History

Michael Wittmann (22 April 1914 – 8 August 1944) was a German Waffen-SS tank commander during the Second World War. He is known for his ambush of elements of the British 7th Armoured Division during the Battle of Villers-Bocage on 13 June 1944. While in command of a Tiger I tank, Wittmann destroyed up to 14 tanks, 15 personnel carriers and two anti-tank guns within 15 minutes before the loss of his own tank.

Wittmann became a cult figure after the war thanks to his accomplishments as a "panzer ace" (a highly decorated tank commander), part of the portrayal of the Waffen-SS in popular culture. Historians have mixed opinions about his tactical performance in battle. Some praised his actions at Villers-Bocage, while many others found his abilities lacking, and the praise for his tank kills overstated.

Although the number is disputed, he is credited with destroying 135 to 138 enemy tanks. German tank kills were recorded as a unit. When he was presented with the Oak leaves to his Knights Cross by Hitler on 2 February 1944 his total was 117 tanks.

During an Allied ambush on the 8th of August 1944, anti-tank shells fired from Canadian tanks penetrated the upper hull of Wittmann's tank, igniting the ammunition. The resulting fire engulfed the tank and blew off the turret. The destroyed tank's dead crew members were buried in an unmarked grave. In 1983, the German war graves commission located the burial site. Wittmann and his crew were reinterred together at the La Cambe German war cemetery in France.