PANZERS NORMANDIE 44 - SS-Panzer-Abteilung 17 "Götz von Berlichingen"

This detailed work recounts the history of the SS-Panzer-Abteilung 17 during the Battle of Normandy in 1944.

The operations of this tank battalion of the 17.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division « Götz von Berlichingen » are far less well known than those of the other Waffen-SS armoured battalions committed during the summer of 1944. This is most likely due to its late formation at the very end of 1943 and beginning of 1944, through to its near-total annihilation in the Roncey Pocket at the end of July 1944, after only 6 to 7 weeks of operations.

The SS-Panzer-Abteilung 17 was also one of the most atypical battalions of mid-1944, and this in more than one respect: a tank battalion with a full complement of assault guns — at a time when assault artillery units were equipped with Sturmgeschütze III — it would receive some of the brand-new Sturmgeschütze IV, making it the only Waffen-SS unit to be equipped with this type of vehicle in Normandy!

Its young tank crews, with one of the shortest training periods on these new vehicles, excelled in anti-tank combat, perfectly concealed in the hedgerows of the Norman bocage. The GIs often said in Normandy: « A Tiger or a Panther, even if very dangerous, can be spotted from a distance — but that d*** Sturmgeschütz, it's often too late by the time you see it. »

But the young German crews also paid a heavy price for their commitment against American units and could not withstand the tide of Operation « Cobra ». Of the barely ten vehicles that managed to escape the "Roncey cauldron", only one would certainly make it back to Germany… Among the losses, and by no means the least, the battalion would record the death of its Kommandeur in August 1944…

Previously unpublished testimonies, exceptional iconography featuring previously unseen documents, and illustrations by Felipe Rodna will bring new elements to the history of this little-known panzer unit, allowing us to stay as close as possible to the historical reality of combat inside the Sturmgeschütze IV of the "Götz"!

Essential reading for all specialists in German armoured units engaged in Normandy 1944 and for military history enthusiasts! Not to be missed to complete your collection of volumes in this series!