Michael Wittmann
SS-Hauptsturmführer (SS-Captain) Michael Wittmann was born in Vogelthal, Germany on 22nd April 1914 and in 1936, at the age of 22, he joined the Schutzstaffel (SS – a paramilitary group replacing the SA). Wittmann joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP – commonly referred to as the Nazi Party) in 1938 at the age of 23 and One month later, he started his army training with the elite unit "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". From 1939 onwards, Wittmann took part in various campaigns throughout Europe.
On 30th January 1944, he was awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in recognition of the fact that had destroyed 114 enemy tanks at the Eastern Front. Adolf Hitler, himself, presented him with the Oak Leaves at Hitler's headquarters Wolfsschanze. Wittmann was the 380th recipient of this medal since 1940 and subsequently was celebrated as a national hero by the National Socialist propaganda machine.
Following D-Day, he was posted to Normandy in mid-June 1944 and was awarded even more honours for his actions during the Battle of Villers-Bocage. On 20 June 1944, interior minister Heinrich Himmler recommended Wittmann for the Oak Leaves with Swords for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Following fierce defensive battles in the southern section of the front, Wittmann took part in "Operation Citadel" (the Battle of Kursk) with the elite unit "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" and also fought in the Ukraine in the winter of 1943/44. He was then awarded the Swords for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, after 22 June 1944.
Wittmann was transferred to Belgium in February 1944 and sent to Normandy after D-Day. In mid-June 1944, he and his unit contributed to the successful counter-attack in response to the British advance near Villers-Bocage; the attackers were driven back and suffered heavy losses.
In early August, British, Canadian and Polish units were ordered to break through from the Normandy beachhead in the course of "Operation Totalise".
Wittmann was killed on 8 August 1944 together with the crew of his Tiger tank by Allied units during the Battle of the Falaise Pocket. His remains were not found until 1983; they were later reinterred at La Cambe cemetery.
Michael Wittmann - Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-299-1802-08 / Scheck / CC-BY-SA 3.0
The Volksbund's reinternment service tried to locate the grave of Wittman and his crewmen for decades. Their remains were found on the 25th March 1983 as a result of information provided by Mr Sanson, the mayor of Cintheaux. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) buried the remains only a few weeks after the local battles without any grave marker but there were no doubts regarding the identity of the bodies. During the exhumation, the identity tag of one of the crewmen was found and Wittmann's widow confirmed her husband's identity on the basis of a dental image which clearly showed his malformed teeth.
The Nazi propaganda machinery perpetuated the legend of Michael Wittmann and even still to this day, many people still view his achievements as legendary. Elaborate model building kits were just one facet. In most popular science publications about the Waffen-SS, Michael Wittmann is portrayed as the Second World War's most successful tank commander and a "hero".
Michael Wittmann's remains were not allowed to rest in peace - even his headstone was stolen in 2015. Today, Wittmann's grave is visited by many Allied forces veterans as well as becoming a "place of pilgrimage" for his right-wing extremist admirers.