Panzer Ace was not a term used by the German Army
Wittmann and several other leading German tank commanders are often referred to as Panzer Aces, a term used to compare them to pilots who were awarded the descriptive “Ace”. The term Panzer Ace was not used by the German army during the Second World War. Most German tank commanders serving in the Army did not receive awards for individual kill rates during the war, though many were decorated for successful missions.
Neither the US Army nor the British Army officially recognized individual kill totals for tank commanders. The term Tank Ace was proposed several times and rejected by US Army senior commanders. American military magazines occasionally used the term ace when describing successful commanders such as Creighton Abrams, but there was no official description of the term.
Wittmann’s war service was in the Waffen SS. The SS was more aware of and attuned to the German propaganda ministry, and as such its achievements were highly touted. Waffen SS units routinely provided the propaganda apparatus with exaggerated reports of battles and casualty figures of the enemy to help boost morale in Germany, especially as the Soviet resistance intensified and the cost in German lives increased.
Propaganda units traveled with and operated with the SS. Much of the Eastern Front combat film footage available for viewing today came from these units. German writer Franz Kurowski served in a propaganda unit on the Eastern front. Kurowski later wrote Panzer Aces, which contains highly fictionalized accounts of several tank commander’s experiences during the war, including those of Michael Wittmann.
Wittmann was well known in Germany during the war and the Waffen SS ensured that his record and exploits were broadcast to the German public, including his receipt of the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross from the hand of Adolf Hitler at Wolf’s Lair. Because of his propaganda value during the war, most historians dispute many of his reported achievements, particularly those on the Eastern Front.