SS-Hauptscharführer Karl Körner and SS-Untersturmführer Karl Brommann
SS-Hauptscharführer Karl Körner and SS-Untersturmführer Karl Brommann are both Panzer aces who started and finished their careers on King Tigers. They both served in schwere SS Panzer Abteilung (103) 503, which became part of III SS Panzer Corps (Germanic). sSSPzAbt 503 originated from the 8th company of 3rd Waffen SS Panzergrenadier Division "Totenkopf", which was equipped with Tigers from July of 1943 to March of 1944. On October 17th of 1944, sSSPzAbt 503 received their King Tigers and on January 27th of 1945 was transferred to the
Eastern Front. Following their arrival to the front, unit saw heavy combat in the Neu Stettin (Szczecinek) area, allowing the escape of refugees from East Prussia. During the night of February 17/18, sSSPzAbt 503 was loaded on train and moved to Danzig (Gdansk).
During the combat in Gdansk (Oliwa and Wrzeszcz districts) and Sopot, SS-Untersturmführer Karl Brommann (commander of the 1st Company) destroyed 65 tanks and self-propelled guns along with 44 artillery pieces and 15 vehicles (including some T-34s from 1st Polish Tank Brigade "Heroes of the Westerplatte"). Following his outstanding score, Brommann was awarded with Knights Cross. After the war, Brommann became and remained until his retirement a dental laboratory technician at the university clinic in Germany.
Following heavy losses the remnants of the unit were evacuated to Swinemunde (Swinoujscie) and took part in combat in Stettin (Szczecin) area. In the last days of the Third Reich, six King Tigers from sSSPzAbt 503 attached to 11th Waffen SS Panzergrenadier "Nordland" took part in the defense of Berlin.
In April of 1945, SS-Hauptscharführer Karl Körner (platoon commander from the 2nd Company) was supporting an infantry counterattack in the Bollersdorf area (east of Berlin), when he encountered two Soviet JS-II heavy tanks at a distance of 200m. He quickly destroyed the first one and second one trying to reverse in order to take a firing position drove into an anti-tank ditch and was abandomed by the crew. On the road from Bollersdorf to Strausberg, Körner observed additional 11 JS-II tanks and around 120 to 150 enemy tanks in the process of being refuelled and re-armed on the egde of the village. He then fired and destroyed all 11 JS-II tanks on the road and attacked the rest of the tanks
and their suprised crews. Number of fuel and ammunition trucks exploded causing even more panic among the Russian tankers, while
Körner fired all 39 rounds he had left and knocked out 39 enemy tanks before he withdrew. Following this action, sSSPzAbt 503 and other units were falling back to defend Berlin. On his way to Berlin, Karl Körner destroyed over 100 Soviet tanks and 26 anti-tank guns in total, achievement for which on April 29th, he was awarded the Knights Cross in the bunker of Reichs Chancellery. After the ceremony, Körner returned to his unit on the frontline at Charlottenburg district of Berlin.
On May 2nd, last King Tiger from sSSPzAbt 503 was destroyed during an attempt to break out of the city on the Spandau Bridge.
