A fantastic model of the German Tiger 1 tank, tactical number 222, commanded by SS-Oberstrumführer Michael Wittmann of the 1^stSS Panzerkorps, has been donated to the Armourgeddon museum by the family of the model builder, the late Brain Watt. Staged in a set created by Gary Bustard, the 1:16 exact replica tank is depicted as a metal tank from the Forces of Valor extreme metal series. The model is a limited edition, number 778 of 2000 and began to be built in the year 2000. The die-cast vehicle depicts Michael Wittmann’s assault on Villers bocage.

Michael Wittmann (1914-1944), born in the Bavarian village of Vogelthal, won the coveted Knight’s Cross with Oak leaves and Swords. He was considered one of the greatest if not the greatest exponents of the art of armoured warfare in the modern era. 

Wittmann made a name for himself across the battles of the Eastern front and in the west, known for his exceptional skill and bravery. A highly respected commander, from both friend and foe, his actions, decisions and tactics during the Normandy campaign, particularly during the Battle for Villers-Bocage, made the young panzer a legend. 

The Battle for Villers-Bocage on the 13^thJune 1944 saw SS-Untersturmführer Michael Wittmann’s Tiger S04 and its crew of 5, including SS-Rottenführer Bobby Woll, SS-Panzerschütze Werner Irrgang, SS-Panzerschütze Sepp Rössner and SS-Sturmann Eugen Schmidt enter into battle. 

The Allied troops’ landings on the beaches of Normandy on the 6th June 1944 were to make a new chapter in the war stories of the panzer commanders. Given their orders the day after the Normandy landings, Wittmann’s unit and the refitted 2^ndCompany moved swiftly to the Normandy area from their base via Paris. The route was precarious, with the company soon the target of air attacks. During the drive north, 5 men’s lives were lost. One the Tigers damaged on the journey was commanded by Bobby Woll which allowed Wittmann to seize the chance to recruit Woll as his gunner. By the night of the 12-13^thJune, Wittmann and his crew, along with 5 other serviceable Tigers at his disposal, had arrived at the front near Bayeux, in the area near to the village of Villers-Bocage. 

On the morning of the 13^thJune, 1944, it was believed that the Allies were about to launch a massive offensive to outflank the Panzer Lehr division. Wittmann suggested that his Tiger carry out a reconnaissance of the area- which was immediately approved. The village was crucial for establishing a foothold in the area, with the intended target zone Hill 213 near the main crossroads to the north of the town. At 6am, Wittmann, with Bobby Woll behind the 88mm main gun, set out along the wooded area to avoid being spotted via an air patrol. 150m from Hill 213, Wittmann met an Army sergeant who told of a convoy heading their way. Taking cover 400m walk from their tank, in a fox hole, Wittmann spotted a seemingly endless convoy of Allied vehicles. These vehicles, unbeknown to Wittmann at the time, were the lead element of a highly trained British unit, the 4^thCountry of London Yeomanry, part of the 22^ndArmoured Brigade of the 7^thArmoured Division. Made up of both Cromwell and M4A4 Sherman Firefly tanks, A Squadron had positioned at the east of the village, B Squadron at the west, whilst Regimental HQ had been set up on the main street of Villers-Bocage itself. Behind A Squadron were the 1^stRifle Brigade, armed with 12 M3 half-tracks and 3 Stuart M5A1 ‘Honey’ light tanks. With few German forces of any substance in the region, allowing the convoy through would have provided the Allies with a clear route to the town of Caen. 

With only 5 Tiger tanks available, one of which as damaged, Wittmann knew that he had to take enterprising action himself. Leaving the fox hole, Wittmann sprinted towards his unit. The first Tiger he jumped into, Stief’s Tiger 234 had its Commander briefed and dispatched to brief the rest of the unit. However, as the driver cranked up the engine, it was clear that the tank was not in a good condition. Wittmann disembarked and sprinted toward the Tiger of SS-Unterscharführer Kurt Sowa, Nr. 222. Wittmann gave the command to the new vehicle to all-out attack the enemy, telling the rest of the Tigers to stand fast and hold their positions. The lone Tiger charged relentlessly through the column of Allied tanks, with enemy shells bouncing off its thick armour. With no time to return to their vehicles, the British crewmen scattered to take cover, abandoning their stricken vehicles. Gunner Woll took out a half-track at the head of the column, blocking the road and preventing the other tanks from escaping. Shooting down a Scout Car and with an unceasing machine gun fire keeping the Allied troops in hiding, Wittmann continued through the line of parked tanks. In all, fifteen vehicles and two 6-pounder anti-tank guns and 3 Stuart light tanks were reduced to burning wrecks. Continuing forward, Wittmann encountered a further 4 Cromwell tanks which were immediately destroyed. Entering the town, the Tiger took out two decoy M4A4 Sherman command vehicles and slammed another 88mm shell into a scout car. Wittmann then grabbed the MG34 mounted on his cupola, supporting Woll to take down the M3 Half Track of the medical officer, to disable the vehicle and block the road from all directions. 

Wittmann then encountered a Sherman Firefly, commanded by Sergeant Lockwood and took a light hit. In response, Wittmann drove into a wall, causing the rubble to bury the British vehicle. One of the only vehicles left intact after the attack, a Cromwell under the command of Captain Patrick Dyas, waited for Wittmann to pass before following the lone Tiger up Clémenceau Street. Taking a shot at the tank, two 75mm shells simply bounced off the Tiger and Dyas’ cover was blown. A single shot blew Dyas out of his cupola, dazed but unhurt, but left his gunner and driver dead. Continuing down Rue Pasteur, Wittmann’s Tiger was eventually brought to a stop by a British shell from an anti-tank gun. Abandoning the vehicle, the crew made their way back on foot to Panzer Lehr HQ to report on their single-handed destruction of twenty-one enemy tanks, a number of half-track, troop carriers, Bren gun carriers and a handful of Scout cars. It remains one of the most astonishing feats of WWII and single-handedly prevented the advance of the British Army. Driving the enemy out of the village of Villers-Bocage as one of the few occasions that the Germans had any ascendancy during the last two years of WWII. 

The incredible model of Wittmann’s Tiger Nr 222 and a scene in Villers-Bocage is housed in the museum at Armourgeddon. We are delighted and extremely proud to display the replica on behalf of Brian Watt and his family in the hope that thousands of people can learn more of the village of Villers-Bocage and its role in WWII whilst seeing an exact model of the tank in minute detail. 

If you wish to visit the museum at Armourgeddon, please do so during our open season from April to October, Wednesdays to Sundays, 9am to 4pm. For group bookings outside of these times, please contact Armourgeddon on 01858 880239.