By the Seine… 🇫🇷

During the late August 1944, the s.SS-Pz.Abt.101 had to fight for its escape. The situation was disarray. Contact between the tanks was lost. There were losses to the frequent fight-bomber attacks, not even the Workshop Company was spared from harm. As a result of the uninterrupted fight, mechanism problem and lack of the means to cross the Seine River. The battalion only managed to ferry several Tigers, allegedly seven, over the Seine at Rouen and Elbeuf and evaded towards Songeons.

SS-Sturmmann Ernst Kufner of the 3./s.SS-Pz.Abt.101 described his experience during the retreat from Falaise. His Tiger broke down with transmission trouble south of Cintheaux on 9th of August and was taken in tow by a prime mover. “In the late hours of the evening our tank was taken by a prime mover equipped with a flatbed trailer, and we continued in the direction of Falaise. By the time we reached Falaise the Workshop Company had moved. The city was already under English artillery fire. The tank and the prime mover took shelter in a forest on the periphery of Falaise. That was 10th of August 1944.

We had to watch all day as the main line of resistance was pounded by tons of heavy bombs dropped by four-engined bombers. Individual aircraft even came down and strafed with their machine guns. We resumed our journey in the direction of Rouen during the night of 11th of August. With the arrival of dawn the tractor and tank had to be camouflaged at the side of the road. The enemy aircraft were in the air from dawn until late evening and kept the road under constant surveillance. They never failed to find badly-camouflaged vehicles beside the road. Once we had to look on as even ambulances were attacked and destroyed.

In mid-August we reached the city of Orbec during the night. Two flighter-bombers dropped ‘Christmas trees’ as we were crossing the empty city square. The square was brightly illuminated. The driver quickly moved the tractor into a side street; however the trailer with the tank and its crew were left on the brightly-lit square. The fighter-bombers attacked our tank with bombs and guns. The attacks followed a certain rhythm as the fighter-bombers had to circle for each new attack. We were somehow able to get out of the tank safely and took cover in a side street. The prime mover, its cargo and we all survived the attacks undamaged.

We continued on in the direction of Rouen. The journey ended on the line of hills before the Seine; however, we failed to find the Workshop Company. Our tank commander enquired as to whether there was a possibility of getting the tank across the river by ferry. This was not possible as there was no 60-tonne ferry…”

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Caption:

1. Incidentally, the Tiger I is a rare example of a 2./s.SS-Pz.Abt.101 vehicle without spare tracks racked crossing the street of Rouen. The city had apparently just been bombed by the Allied air force. Vehicles in flames and casualties have been seen. ECPAD archives (ref.n° DAT 2692 L.14)
2. The Ford V3000S ambulance seen in the foreground above, marked “K2” (i.e. Krankenwagen 2), belonged to the 10. SS-Pz.Div., as indicated by a barely visible simple white style “F” insignia on its left fender. The Panther belongs to the I./Pz.Rgt.24, at the time attached to the 116. Pz.Div. You can see a Tiger following close behind. These tanks had just crossed the Seine by ferry, racing for the safety. ECPAD archives (ref.n° DAT 2692 L.13)