Tanks in the German Army the Vistula River near Baranów Sandomierski. The majority of King Tigers went to Wehrmacht units, while some 150 were assigned to the Waffen SS. The first Tigers II tanks reached schwere Panzer Abteilungen of both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS as early as February 1944. Only two companies of Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 503 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 503), equipped with Tiger II tanks (with Porsche turrets), were committed to the fighting in Normandy. Tiger II tanks of Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 506 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 506), saw combat during the "Market Garden" operation in the Netherlands in September 1944. On 15 October 1944 Tiger IIs
SS Brigade Westfalen consisted of three battalions: SS Panzer Reconnaissance Training and Replacement Battalion 1, SS Panzer Reconnaissance Training and Replacement Battalion 2, and an SS Panzer Reconnaissance NCO Training Battalion. Regiment "Holzer" was named after its commander Obersturmbannführer Friedrich Holzer and consisted of the SS Panzer Training and Replacement Regiment in Augustdorf, which consists of three battalions. The 507th Heavy Panzer Battalion was the brigade's main armor component. The brigade had about 60 Tiger and Panther tanks as of 30 March 1945 according to Charles B. MacDonald. However, according to Steven Zaloga, the brigade instead had 15 old training tanks such as