503rd Heavy Tank Battalion (Germany) - Record

Record

The 503rd and the later Feldherrnhalle heavy tank battalions are credited with the destruction of around 1,700 enemy tanks. The battalion lost 252 Tiger I, Tiger II and also some Panzer III. Of these, 123 (49%) were destroyed by their crews and 113 (45%) were destroyed by the enemy. The battalion had more tanks put out of action outside combat than to enemy action. This was a common occurrence in German tank units as a result of the poor reliability of Tiger tanks and the fuel supply problems often suffered by the German army.

The 503rd maintained a kill ratio of 15:1 for combat losses, which was above average for German heavy tank battalions and the second highest for combat losses. The number of tanks claimed as destroyed by the 503rd will exceed the number which were actually destroyed, as a knocked out tank may be repaired, and two tanks firing on the same target may both claim the "kill," resulting in that target being counted twice, and some claims have simply been exaggerated. However, there are several examples where claims were found to be entirely accurate when enemy losses were counted, as when German troops held an area after a battle and were able to prevent Soviet forces from recovering their lost vehicles.