The 506th Heavy Panzer Battalion (; abbreviated: "s.Pz.Abt. 506") was a German heavy Panzer Abteilung (independent battalion-sized unit) equipped with Tiger I tanks until 28 July 1944. During the period from 20 August to 12 September 1944, it was re-equipped with a full complement of 45 Tiger Ausf. B tanks. Some of the first Tiger IIs delivered to the 506th were examples fitted with the early production turret. The battalion saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. As with other German heavy tank battalions, it was attached as needed to larger formations. The 506th was unique in being the only Tiger battalion to include a fourth company. , equipped with Tiger I tanks, was consolidated with the 506th in 1944. It was also unique in that it regularly received new vehicles and replacements from other units to maintain a full complement. The unit served until the collapse of the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945, being officially disbanded by the battalion commander on 14 April. Despite what were often poor conditions of deployment, the unit was officially credited with over 400 tank kills during its service with fewer than 75 combat losses.
Equipment As with other Tiger battalions, the 506th's complement of tanks was supported by mechanized Reconnaissance infantry and Pioneers. The unit was also supported by a battery of four wirbelwind and four Möbelwagen self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The 506th was the first of the Tiger battalions to be solely equipped with heavy tanks; it was never equipped with variants of the Panzer III for support. The Tiger I tanks of the 506th had a unique 2-digit enumeration system: The battalion staff platoon tanks were numbered '01,' '02,' and '03,' and each company's 14 tigers were simply numbered 1-14. The HQ and separate companies could be identified by the color of the numbers: black for the HQ, white for the 1st company, red for the 2nd, and yellow for the 3rd. This carried over to the unit insignia, where the color of the 'W' (commemorating Major Willing) matched that of the company's enumeration.
When the unit was re-equipped with Tiger IIs and later received a 4th company consisting of Tiger Is, the numbering system was changed slightly. While retaining the 1-14 numbering scheme, a prefix digit was added (1, 2, or 3) to signify the company. Digits for tanks of the 2nd company received a white outline, while the yellow digits of the third company were changed to black with yellow outline. The tanks of the 4th company also used the 3-digit system (starting with a prefix of '4') and the color for the company was green (with white outline for the digits).
Combat History Eastern Front The unit was established in St. Pölten on 20 July 1943 and formed from the men of 9th Panzer Division's 2nd Battalion, Pz.Rgt.33. Equipped with 45 Tiger Is, the 506th first saw combat on 20 September, attached to the 9.Pz.Div. Ten tigers, in support of a kampfgruppe from the 10th Panzergrenadier Regiment committed to an assault on the heavily-defended town of Pavlovka. The unsuccessful attack saw the unit lose its first Tiger. Several offensive and defensive operations in the area took place over the next few weeks. Six tanks were lost near Schevchenkove on the 24th and 26th (three on each day). During this period, the commander of the 3rd company, Oberleutnant Hoffmann, was killed. The staff of the 16th Panzergrenadier Division would later submit a report on these engagements. From these, it was clear that the Tiger I, even as early as September 1943, was not impervious to Soviet weaponry- including hits to the frontal armor. All six tanks lost from the 24th through the 26th were destroyed by hits from beyond 1 km. The 506th saw extensive action in the Battle of the Dnieper and in October fought in the Krivoi Rog area, south of Kirovograd. The battalion commander, Major Gerhard Willing, was killed in action on 23 October. By the 30th, only 6 tanks were operational, but 14 back in running order on 10 November. On the 14th, three Tigers of 3./s.Pz.Abt.506, led by Leutnant Graef, found a group of refueling soviet tanks near Nedei Woda- the Tigers destroyed 19 tanks in the following action. On 25 November, the unit knocked out three T-34 tanks but suffered a loss to a rare example of fratricide when Unteroffizier Hendricks's Tiger was knocked out by a German AT gun. This was the first of two instances in which the 506th lost a Tiger to German weaponry. On 25 December 1943, Leutnant Bapistella's Tiger was knocked out by a German 8,8 cm gun captured and deployed by the Soviets.
On 28 November 1943, Hauptmann Eberhard Lange was assigned as battalion commander. With only a handful of tanks operational at a time, the battalion engaged in a number of deployments near Rassnyj during the first two weeks of December. The 506th's unusual numbering scheme for its tanks, not specifying the platoon with a digit, was because of the frequent ad-hoc deployment of Tigers. The unit commander argued that Kampfgruppen were usually formed from whatever tanks were available rather than by official platoon assignment. On 16 December, the unit's 9 operational Tigers were deployed near Kirovograd in support of the 13th Panzer Division. By 20 December, none of the battalion's 27 remaining tanks were operational, but four were in running order the next day. On the 29th and 30th, thirteen Tigers- half of the 506th's remaining tanks- were transported by rail to Oratow to support III.Panzer-Korps where fighting would continue throughout the next month. The unit suffered heavy losses during operations alongside the 16th Panzer Division and had lost 16 of its 26 total tanks by 27 January, but 6 new tanks were delivered on both the 29th and 30th.
Korsun-Cherkassy On 1 February, the battalion undertook a 100 km road march west of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket in preparation for a relief attempt. With 10 Tigers in running order, the 506th took Kutschkowa alongside the 16th Panzer Division on 4 February to begin Operation: Wanda. During the next few days, despite fuel shortages and the subsequent stalling of the advance, the 506th knocked out 49 enemy tanks with no losses of its own. It was strengthened with 5 Tigers and relocated to Winograd with 27 total tanks on 9 February before being attached to schwere Panzer Regiment Bäke on the 11th. Over the following week, the unit conducted relief operations around Lissjanka with support from the Luftwaffe and made contact with the 1st Panzer Division on the 14th. However, in the attempt to break 1.Pz.Div out from encirclement, the 506th was forced to withdraw and destroy 3 of its own tanks in the process. At the beginning of March, the remaining 24 Tiger tanks of the 506th were transferred to the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion and the unit marched to Lemberg for reconstitution.
Dnieper River Defense On 29 March, the 506th began receiving Tiger I tanks. A total of 45 were delivered between that day and 8 April. On 2 April, the unit was ordered to Pomorjany with 22 tanks operational. Supporting the 227th Jäger Regiment of the 100th Jäger Division on 4 April, the western portion of Podhajtzi was taken. By 6 April, the unit had 14 operational Tigers. It succeeded in breaking through Soviet defensive positions west of Brangelowka, destroying 12 enemy tanks in the process. The following day, the 506th destroyed a further 20 tanks while defending against Soviet counterattacks. The unit continued to fight alongside the 100th Jäger Division until 10 April.
Following a march to Slobodka, 22 Tigers were assembled before supporting Pz.Gren.Rgt.73 of the 19th Panzer Division in operations on the 16th. The 2nd company, commanded by Oberleutnant Brandt, assaulted Isakow on 19 April and followed this with defensive operations on the 20th. During the defense, Oberleutnant Brandt was killed and Oberfeldwebel Leihbauer's Tiger was knocked out when ambushed by a Soviet self-propelled gun.
On 21 April, the 506th was again on the offensive, supporting the 1st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht). Five tanks were also employed with the 23rd Panzer Regiment in a successful attack northeast of Zaborkruki, but all five vehicles broke down. Two Tigers were total write-offs. By 29 April, Chocimierz had been captured by the 506th in tandem with Panzer-Regiment 23.
Over the next several days, the 506th's remaining Tigers alongside the 23rd Panzer Regiment fought a series of tug-of-war skirmishes with Soviet forces. IS-1 tanks were encountered during this period, with one captured by German forces on 1 May. A Tiger of the 506th's third company was knocked out by one of these Soviet heavy tanks the next day. For the remainder of the month, the unit was attached to the 17th Panzer Division.
On 1 June, the 506th was equipped with two Bergetiger recovery vehicles. With its 39 operational Tiger Is, the unit supported the retreat of the 1st Infantry Division across the Dnjestr for much of June before being recalled to an assembly area in Slobodka. In mid-July, it marched towards Zlozow where it fought in a series of unsuccessful relief attempts (for the encircled XIII. Armee-Korps) from the 16th to the 21st. Oberleutnant Panzl, commander of the 3rd company, was killed in action on 17 July when his tank was destroyed, leaving the unit with 40 operational tanks as of 18 July.
The 506th fought a series of engagements from 18–24 July, withdrawing southwest to evade encirclement. Most of the unit's Tigers had to be destroyed to prevent capture. This was followed by a march for the next couple of days, during which one Tiger I broke through a 24-ton bridge. From 27–28 July, the 506th fought near Kudlatowka and Kalesch before being relieved and relocated to Munkatsch. The unit's 6 remaining operational Tigers were transferred to the 507th Heavy Panzer Battalion. On 15 August, the unit began transfer to Ohrdruf for refitting. This marked the end of the 506th's service on the Eastern Front. It would remain in the West for the remainder of the war.
Western Front Operation: Market Garden The 506th received a full complement of 45 Tiger II tanks from 20 August to 12 September 1944 and was entrained to the Netherlands, arriving in Zevenaar on the night of 23/24 September and attached to 1.Fallschirm-Panzer Armee. The battalion's headquarters and 1./s.Pz.Abt.506 were sent to Aachen while the King Tigers of 2./s.Pz.Abt.506 (under Hauptmann Wacker) and 3./s.Pz.Abt.506 (under Hauptmann Otto) were assigned to 10th SS Panzer Division (10.SS.Pz.Div) and 9th SS Panzer Division (9.SS.Pz.Div), respectively, and deployed to counter Operation Market Garden.