Michael Wittman was born in Bavaria on April 22nd 1914. As the eldest of five children, he helped around the family smallholding during the German recession of the 1920s. Unable to find employment other than the voluntary labour service, he joined the German Army in 1934 and underwent two years’ military service. On leaving the army, he found work in the construction industry and, impressed by the apparent improvements under National Socialism, applied and was accepted as a part-time member of the political militia. In April 1937 he was accepted into the Leibstandarte, at that time a motorised infantry regiment. In Poland in 1939 Wittman was commanding an armoured car, and after a brief spell as an instructor, Wittman joined the division’s new Stug (Assault Gun) unit early in 1940. He missed the invasion of France due to training and was in the Balkans in 1941 seeing action prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union, in June.
After considerable success Wittman was promoted and moved over to Tiger tanks, in which he made his reputation. He became a household name and celebrity in Germany, touring and carrying out propaganda duties. By the time of Normandy he was credited with over 100 tank ‘kills’.
Wittman’s reputation was clearly enhanced by the Villers-Bocage incident and the German publicity machine worked overtime to emphasis his success. He did long survive however, and having turned down an opportunity to return to Germany he was killed in action in August during Operation Totalise, the first Canadian push on Falaise.