Michael Wittmann – Legendary Tiger Tank Ace, France 1944

September 8, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Michael Wittmann, German Tiger tank ace, photographed in France, 1944.

Michael Wittmann, German Tiger I tank ace, photographed in France, 1944.

This photograph shows Michael Wittmann (1914–1944), the most famous German tank ace of World War II, sitting on the armor of his Tiger I heavy tank. Wittmann gained a legendary reputation both on the Eastern and Western Fronts, becoming a central figure in the mythos of German Panzerwaffe.

Wittmann first rose to fame during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. On the very first day, July 5, he destroyed 8 Soviet tanks and 7 artillery guns, and by the end of the battle his tally had grown to 30 tanks and 28 guns. These feats earned him awards and recognition within the Wehrmacht as one of its most skilled Tiger commanders.

His global notoriety, however, came on June 13, 1944, near the French town of Villers-Bocage. Leading Tiger No. 007 with a small detachment of five tanks, Wittmann ambushed and annihilated the reconnaissance elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, famously known as the "Desert Rats." In a matter of minutes, the German Tigers destroyed 25 British tanks and 28 other armored vehicles, shocking the Allies and cementing Wittmann’s place in armored warfare history.

By June 14, 1944, Wittmann’s official record listed 138 tanks and 132 guns destroyed. But his career came to a sudden end on August 8, 1944, near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil in Normandy. His Tiger was struck on the side by a powerful shell, most likely fired by a British Sherman Firefly, causing the ammunition to explode and killing the entire crew instantly.

Although celebrated in Nazi propaganda as a hero, Wittmann’s story remains controversial, embodying both the deadly effectiveness of the Tiger I and the brutal reality of armored warfare in World War II.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: German war archives, WWII tank warfare records
📍 Location: France
📅 Date: 1944
📷 Author: German war correspondent (unknown)