The SS panzer regiments

The strike power of the Waffen-SS divisions lay in their panzer regiments, which boasted two battalions of tanks. In 1942 a tank battalion had three companies - one of heavy Panzer IVs and two with lighter Panzer IIIs, each having a complement of 22 tanks. The Leibstandarte's companies, however, all had Panzer IVs in frontline roles, with Panzer IIIs reduced to command tasks. For added punch, each Waffen-SS panzer regiment also had a company of the monster Tiger I tanks attached. By mid-1944 these companies had grown into battalions. This organization was constantly evolving, but it is important to realize that once a panzer regiment was committed to battle it was common for less than half of its tanks to be fit for action at any one time.

The Panzer IV

The 25.4-tonne (25-ton) Panzer IV was the main German frontline tank of the war, and it was progressively up-armoured and up-gunned to meet the challenge of new Allied tanks. In late 1942, the main version in service with the Waffen-SS was the Ausf G model, which boasted a long-barrelled L/48 75mm cannon. With the introduction of this version, the armour balance on the Eastern Front swung back in Germany's favour after the surprise appearance of the Soviet T-34 medium tank the previous autumn. During mid-1943, the Panzer IVs were fitted with so-called armoured "skirts" along the side of the hull and around the turret to deflect Soviet anti-tank rounds. This later feature often led to the tank being mistakenly identified by the enemy as a Tiger I. Many Panzer IIIs were also equipped with skirt armour in an attempt to keep them battle-worthy, but the tank's 50mm cannon could not knock out a T-34, which was armed with the 76.2mm F-34 gun.

The Tiger I

The Tiger I tank was introduced into Waffen-SS service in late 1942 after making its combat debut with the army in August 1942. At some 57 tonnes (56 tons), it was truly a battlefield monster, and armed with the high-velocity 88mm cannon it could knock out a Russian T-34 at a range of almost 2000m (6560ft). Thanks to its 100mm- (3.93in-) thick front armour, the Tiger I was almost impervious to the 76.2mm cannon fitted to the Russian tanks of this period (and most Western tanks as well). In late 1944, the Tiger I was replaced with the monster Tiger II, or King Tiger tank, which was actually tactically less effective.

Contrary to popular myth, the Waffen-SS was not equipped with the famous Panzer V Panther tank until the late summer of 1943, so during the battles around Kharkov and at Kursk, the Waffen-SS had to make do with Panzer IIIs and IVs, backed up by a couple of dozen Tiger Is.

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