The battle of Villers-Bocage was one of the more infamous incidents of the Normandy campaign, that took place on 13 June 1944, one week after the Normandy Landings, which had begun the Western Allies' conquest of German-occupied France.

General Montgommery sent the veteran British 7th Armoured Division, the famed “Desert Rats”, through the gap in the German lines as he thought he would, encircle Caen from the south-west.

In June of 1944 Wittmann was in command of a company of tanks of the 101st Heavy Tank Battalion of the 1st SS Panzer Division. Already highly experienced and decorated, Michael Wittman was credited with over 100 tank kills before he arrived in Normandy, most on the eastern front.

The 101st Heavy Tank Battalion had been in Belgium on June 6th, but was one of the first tank units moved into Normandy by the direct order of Hitler.

An intense tank battle ensued on 13th of June between the Wittmann's Tigers and The Desert Rats.

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