According to documents at the German Federal Archives, a fully equipped battalion was assigned 45 Ferdinands but only 40 were delivered before its first operation.

Major Heinrich Steinwachs was given command of the battalion, which included nine staff officers and a maintenance unit plus three companies of combat personnel.

He suggested forming some small groups 5 to 8 kilometres behind the front to act as a local mobile reserve, to be reinforced via the maintenance company when necessary.

Starting on 2 January 1944 until April, the tank destroyers received upgrades—the most externally visible ones being 1) the addition of Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste, 2) an upgraded commander's cupola, 3) re-designed armored engine grates and 4) an MG34 station to the right front of the hull.

[2] The Jagdtiger was the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle produced during the war, mounting a 12.8 cm Pak 44 main gun on a 72-tonne chassis.

However, it was severely underpowered, having been equipped with an engine (Maybach HL230) originally designed for the 57-tonne Tiger I and which had already been found significantly inadequate even for that vehicle.

In April, it fell back to Austria, from where it was to receive new vehicles from the Nibelungenwerk Factory, and finally reached its conclusion in the war under the command of Army Group Ostmark near Linz.