102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
The 102nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion () was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It fought as part of the II SS Panzer Corps during the Battle of Normandy and was nearly destroyed. Renumbered as 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion in late 1944, the unit was destroyed in the Halbe Pocket in Spring 1945. Operational history

In April 1943, the Waffen-SS ordered the creation of a series of heavy tank battalions equipped with the new Tiger I tanks — for use in offensive actions on the Eastern Front. Each of the heavy tank battalions would be attached to a Corps of the Waffen SS. Upon formation, the 102nd was attached to the II SS Panzer Corps. Originally, each heavy tank battalion was composed of a single company of Tiger I's, attached to each respective SS Panzer Division in the Panzerkorps. By July 1943, the predecessor of the 102nd — SS Panzer Regiment 2 of the SS Division Das Reich — was equipped with 14 Tiger I's. The battalion was sent to Normandy after the Allied D Day landings. The battalion was almost completely destroyed during the fighting in Normandy; in September 1944 it was pulled back to Germany to reform. Stationed in Sennelager the battalion was renumbered the 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion on September 9, 1944. Equipped with Tiger II tanks, the battalion took part in the defense against the Red Army at the Oder front. During the Battle of Berlin, the battalion was encircled in the Halbe Pocket in 1945 and destroyed. See also
Panzer division

Footnotes

References
 Fey, William [1990] (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS. Stackpole Books. Ripley, Tim (2005). The Waffen-SS at War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925-1945. Zenith Imprint. Schneider, Wolfgang (2005). Tigers in Combat II. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. External links
 Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102 unit history

German heavy tank battalions
German units in Normandy
Military units and formations established in 1943
102
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945