Originally created in April 1943 as the schwere Panzer Abteilung for the I.SS-Panzer Korps, three Tiger companies were deployed at the front but the headquarters remained behind at he training grounds. On 1 June 1943, the I.SS-Panzer Korps was renamed II.SS-Panzer Korps and the 13.Kp./SS-Pz.Rgt.1 was lost to the s.SS-Pz.Abt. for the new I.SS-Panzer Korps. A new third Tiger kompanie was created and on 22 October 1943, the unit was renamed schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 102.

When the 9.Kompanie/SS-Panzer Regiment 3 was ordered to remain with the 3.SS-Panzer Division 'Totenkopf' in the east, the 102nd was left with two new companies with no experience and the remains of the schwere Kompanie of SS-Panzer Regiment 2 'Das Reich' which returned from the front in April. Six Tigers were shipped from the ordnance depot on 21 April 1944, followed by another 39 between 20 and 29 May 1944.

Ordered to the front in Normandy, the first seven trains unloaded west of Paris on 27 June 1944; however, the threat of attacks from the fighter-bombers was sufficient to delay their arrival at the front until 7 July. On 20 July, the 102nd still had 42 Tigers of which 17 were operational.  No fewer than 30 operational Tigers were reported on 30 July and 21 on 8 August 1944 but all these had been lost by 7 September 1944 and the unit was ordered to return to the training grounds to rest and refit with the Tiger II.

The s.SS-PzAbt.102 (later renamed 502) was ordered on 9 September 1944 to transfer to Sennelager to rest and refit. Due to the shortage, the issue of Tiger IIs was slow in coming. Finally 31 Tiger IIs were shipped from the ordnance depot between 14 February and 6 March 1945. The SS 503rd was transported to the Eastern Front to Heeres Gruppe Mitte starting in mid March, logging their first engagement in combat at Sachsendorf on 22 March. By 27 April 1944 (last report) there were only 5 operational Tiger IIs.