Formation
The 502nd was formed on 25 May 1942 at Bamberg from the 35th Panzer Training Battalion (German: Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 35). On 23 July Hitler ordered that the first Tiger I tanks be sent to the Leningrad Front. The 502nd became the first unit to receive Tiger Is when on 19 and 20 August 1942 four Tiger Is were sent to the unit, which only partially equipped one company (German regulations called for a heavy tank battalion of three companies, with 45 tanks in total). On 29 August 1942 the 502nd arrived at the Leningrad Front, but was not immediately engaged in combat. Befitting the unit equipped with the heaviest tank of the time, the 502nd carried an emblem of a mammoth.
Read more about this topic: 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion (Germany)
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