The T-34 shells bouncing harmlessly off the Tiger’s thick frontal armor.

More and more T-34s started to come over the embankment and Staudegger’s Tiger destroyed them all, one by one. Within minutes Staudegger’s Tiger had destroyed 3 T-34s, suddenly 2 more T-34s reared over an embankment and engaged the Tiger, the Tiger got them both.

He drove out of town towards where German Panzergrenadiers were being overwhelmed by Soviet armor. Staudegger’s Tiger had suffered damage to its tracks and running gear and along with another damaged Tiger was further east than the rest of the regiment’s armor.Īs the Soviets approached mechanics managed to get Staudegger’s Tiger operational but instead of withdrawing the sergeant decided to try and stop the Soviet thrust. What Staudegger didn’t know was that a force of at least 50 T-34s was headed his way. But just three days later the Soviet 10th Tank Corps launched a massive attack against the flank of the 1st SS Panzer Division. Then Staudegger ran back to his Tiger and boarded her.įor destroying two enemy tanks in close combat, Staudegger was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class. Staudegger pulled another grenade out, tore out the pin, and ran to the T-34 just as the crewman opened the hatches to see what was going on. The T-34 exploded revealing another right behind it. Staudegger pulled a grenade from his belt extracted the pin and tossed it through the nearest open hatch before taking cover. But the tank was a Soviet T-34 standing with its hatches open. Snatching up his personal weapon and some grenades, Staudegger clambered down from the Tiger to speak to what he assumed to be another German tank commander. A figure was standing in the turret smoking a cigarette. Staudegger’s Tiger was moving to close up with his unit, it was dark and Staudegger suddenly saw the indistinct outline of another tank ahead, blocking the road. It was the end of the 5th of July and the first days of heavy fighting at Kursk. He commanded a Tiger I of 2nd Platoon, 13th Panzer Division, 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. On the 5th of July 1943, Franz Staudegger was a 22-year-old sergeant in the elite 1st SS Panzer Division.

Battle of kursk tiger vs 50 t 34