Schwere Panzer Abteilung 504 - sPzAbt 504

schwere Panzer Abteilung 504 (s.Pz.Abt.504) was the second Tiger Battalion to be assigned to Tunisia. (s.Pz.Abt.501 was already in Tunisia and operating against the allies.)

In February 1943 the s.Pz.Abt.504 was advised that its 1st Company would be going to Tunisia, and their Tigers were equipped for tropical duty. Because of the training time and delays in the delivery of vehicles and equipment, the ill-fated 1^st Company did not begin to move until the end of February of 1943. From March 6 to April 16th the s.Pz.Abt.504 was ferried across to Tunisia on motorized lighters, with no losses in transit. Some were unloaded at Bizerta and the rest at Tunis.

25 PzKpfw III, two Panzerbefehlswagen Tigers and 18 Tigers I’s (comprising the battalion staff, workshop company, and 1^st tank company together with the commander of the Battalion, Major August Seidensticker) arrived. The tank company had four platoons, each with two Tiger I tanks and two Pzkpfw III support tanks.

The British in North Africa captured this Tiger of s.Pz.Abt.504. This Tiger doesn't have turret numbers or headlamps.

The 1st Company 504 Battalion Tigers in Tunisia carried small red numbers on the turret sides, as opposed to the very large white outlined turret numbers seen on 501 Tigers. Headlamps removed as above.

Tigers of sPzAbt.504 were camouflaged in overall ‘Braun’ (Desert Brown RAL 8020) oversprayed with ‘Graugrun’

(Khaki Green RAL 7008).

The 504 Tigers in Africa

Upon arrival the commander of 504 learned that the 501 was without a commander and only 11 of the 501’s Tigers remained serviceable. It was therefore decided to incorporate the 501 Tigers and their remaining PzKpfw.IIIs and PzKpfw.IVs into the 504 since only 3 of the 504 Tigers were ready for action around the time of March 10th. Gen.von Arnim then ordered the merged battalion south to the Maknassy pass area in support of Kampfgruppe Lang.

On March 20 they moved west to intercept American forces attempting to break through to the sea and claimed 44 tanks of 9th Armored Division. These would be some of the last victories for the newly combined 1^st Company 504 battalion.

Because of situation in Tunisia getting worse, the 2^nd Company s.Pz.Abt.504 was retained in Sicily. All of the 1^st Company s.Pz.Abt.504 Tigers were destroyed or captured. The First Tiger to be captured by the allies came from this unit. The surviving elements surrendered on 12 May 1943, only 60 short days from their arrival.

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