I've work for a long time to obtain the following text.
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June 13, 1944 Synthesis and page-setting: J Secardin. Cohesion and checking of the data: M. Querrec
For nearly a week the Allies had progressed towards the interior of France. West of Caen, the push was so strong that the German 352nd Infantry Division was forced to move back and leave the flanks of the Panzer Lehr division exposed. Montgomery, conscious of the opportunity that this offered to him, decided to launch Operation Perch: The 7th armoured Division "Desert Rats" would attempt to circle around the front of the Panzer Lehr Division and, by a wide turning movement of the 5th American Army and the British XXX Corps, make a surprise attack on the rear of the Panzer Lehr while also taking Villers Bocage.
The British were unaware that the 2nd heavy tank company of the 101 Abteilung had received orders to take and hold point 213, which was located above the crossroads at Villers Bocage. After having reached its position in the night so as not to be noticed by allied aviation, Michael Wittmann and his tanks were in position approximately 150 meters south of RN 175. There were 6 Tiger tanks (205, 221,222, 223, 233 and 234) whereas the British column consisted approximately 200 armoured vehicles.
Allied forces
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) : Capture and hold point 213.
1/7 Queen's Royal Regiment : Securize of the Villers Bocage exits (except that of L'Eglise) HQ in the bottom of Villers. Company 'A': the area around the railroad station. Company 'B': center of town. Company C: Pasteur and Clémenceau streets. Company D: close to the cemetery.
22nd Armored Brigade
5th Royal Tank Regiment: Capture and hold the area of Maisoncelles-Pelvy (3km SW) in the south of D71 which connects Caumont to Villers and Point 142 which overlooked the city at the bottom of the valley.
5th Royal Horse Artillery: Capture and hold the other exits from the city: Battery Sexton: take position to the north of D71 and in the small valley where the roads to Coudray and Chouquet Bridge run.
German forces
1st and 2nd Heavy Tank Companies of 101 Abt, assisted by elements of Panzer Lehr
Germans who (they had to move several times in the night following artillery barrages and await a favourable moment to intervene) observes the progress of the British.
Wittmann sees the British column of the 4th CLY Squadron leave Villers Bocage and move towards point 213, near his tanks. The British, however, proceed bumper to bumper in a defile on the way up the hill. Wittmann decides to attack between Point 213 and Villers Bocage, completely cutting off 'A' Squadron of the 4th CLY. Since Tiger 233 is stopped by a track problems, Wittmann moves towards his Tiger N° 205 but, wanting to save time, he goes to the nearest Tiger, N° 234. After a few meters, this Tiger develops engine problems. He then jumps into the tank which follows it, N° 222 of Sowa, and proceeds North to join RN 175. He orders the remaining two operational tanks to hold their position while he carries out the attack. Wittmann counts on the effect of surprise to inflict the most possible losses on the British while waiting for reinforcements. "I have not been able to gather my company. I have to act very quickly because I must suppose that the enemy has already located us and intends to destroy us at the starting position. I left with my tank. I ordered the two other tanks to move back at once but to hold the terrain."
At 8 a.m. (9 a.m. German time) Wittmann's Tiger starts off. In a few minutes, in the direction of Caen, it destroys 3 tanks (1 Sherman Firefly and 1 Cromwell on the right, 1 on the left) before heading for Villers and attacking the half-track vehicles of the Rifle Brigade without stopping. It thus will destroy 9 half-track vehicles, 4 loyd-carriers, 2 carriers, 2 anti-tank guns of 6 pounds then 3 light tanks Stuart (Honey) and 1 other half-track vehicle. Entering the city, it destroys 3 of the 4 Cromwell in position at the top of the Lemonnier farm.
Wittmann then enters Villers Bocage. Alone! He follows the street G Clémenceau where his tank destroys 2 Sherman command tanks (wooden turrets) of the 5th RHA before putting out of combat 1 scout car and 1 half-track vehicle. As Wittmann arrives at the Place Jeanne d'Arc, he is face to face with the Sherman Firefly of Sergeant Lockwood of Squadron B. Sherman Fireflies are the only vehicles able of going head to head with a German Tiger and the British tank sends four 17 pound shells towards the German tank. One shell hits the hull of the Tiger which reacts by knocking down a section of wall on the Sherman. Wittmann makes a half-turn, his tank lightly damaged. As Wittmann returns down the Rue Clémenceau, a Cromwell tank, which had not been destroyed, (that of Captain Dyas) faces him: two 75mm shells don't stop the Tiger. Then one shell from Wittmann's 88mm immediately puts the Cromwell out of combat.
As Wittmann continues on the road leaving Villers Bocage, the tank receives an anti-tank shell in the left track. It comes to rest along the street, in front of the Huet-Godefroy store but not without engaging all targets that were within its range. Thinking that the tank might be able to be repaired later, Wittmann and the crew abandon it without destroying it and leave the place of the engagement on foot and without weapons.
Wittmann and his men end up joining the HQ of Division Panzer Lehr, located nearly 7 km from Villers Bocage. Following this action, 15 Panzer IV of IInd Battalion of the 130th regiment will leave Orbois in the direction of Villers Bocage under the command of Captain H. Ritgen with the aim of blocking the exits to the North. Before reaching their objective, they are taken under the fire by British anti-tank guns and are blocked, a fascinating tank fire. Bayerlein, commander of Panzer Lehr, notified of the situation, orders the Panzer IVs to fall back and regroup at Villy Bocage. The tanks take the direction of the castle of Parfouru on Odon, where, after repairs are made to the 14 survivors, they set out again to attack under the orders of Unteroffizier Philipsen: 4 attack from the south (2 are destroyed whereas the 2 others fall back) and 10 by the street George Clémenceau (2 destroyed).
Wittmann is then brought back to Point 213 in his schwimmwagen to speak with Mobius (commander of the 1st company) about the second attack that the 101st Abteilung is about to deliver. The tanks of Mobius enter the city by the d'Evrecy road and join those of Panzer Lehr at the market place to coordinate their offensive. They will be distributed so as to occupy the city from the street Pasteur towards the place Jeanne d'Arc, on Saint-Germain street, on Emile Samson and towards the crossroads of the streets Jeanne Bacon and the Joffre Boulevard. But British resistance is now organized and the effect of surprise is no longer decisive. One 57mm anti-tank gun of the 1/7th Queen's which took the street Jeanne Bacon in enfilade hits 3 Tigers of which only one could be repaired.
At the end of the afternoon, and in spite of an attempt at a turning movement by the tanks of 'B' Squadron, Villers Bocage will remain in German hands and be the symbol of another British failure of the Normandy campaign. The British losses were:
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars : some Honey/Stuart
4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) : 20 Cromwell, 4 Sherman Fireflies, 3 Honey/Stuart, 1 Half-track vehicle, 3 Scout cars,
Rifle Brigade : 9 half-track vehicles, 2 Bren-carriers, 4 Lloyd-carriers
5th Royal Horse Artillery: 2 Cromwell, 1 Sherman. German side, only 6 Tigers were lost (of which 1 will be repaired) and 5 Panzer IVs.
German propaganda at the time needed a hero: the events at Villers Bocage were thus ascribed almost entirely to Wittmann alone who sees himself given credit for 27 of the 30 destroyed English tanks!! If one looks more closely at the events, one arrives at the score (already impressive) of 12 tanks (5 Cromwell, 3 Honney/Stuart, 4 Sherman) plus 1 Scout car, 10 Half-track vehicles and 4 Lloyd-carriers. The total adds up to 27, but not 27 tanks! German L'as of the armoured tanks, hero of the Eastern Front, had just been spotlighted once more. His superior, Sepp Dietrich, awards him the Iron Cross with diamonds and swords, a decoration which will be given to him personally by the Führer on June 25 at Berchtesgaden.
Links
Panzer Ace
The Panzer and the battle of Normandy
Panzer Museum
Alanhamby
http://www.panzer.punkt.pl
Villers-Bocage de Henri Marie (Heimdal)
Historica n°38 : Tigres au combat Villers-Bocage
39-45 Magazine : Différents articles
Remarks: Testimonies of the German and British veterans, as of civil French are contradictory on many points. Also, the various books and consulted sites provide versions appreciably different from this battle on June 13, 1944 at Villers Bocage. The exploits of Michael Wittmann reported by his chief Sepp Dietrich in his citation of decoration and Dietrich's nomination of Wittmann to the rank of Haupsturmführer are totally false. Also the authors of this article would be happy for any input from the readers.