re: How were German armored divisions so much more elite than their US counterparts

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Wittman was a Tiger crewman, no?

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Like Knispel he did not start on the Tiger. In fact I believe he actually started in a STUG which in the Wehrmacht was actually a tank destroyer and crewed by artillerymen and not considered part of the Panzer arm. but he did eventually command a Tiger. It was in a Tiger that he was killed in Normandy. but not before he pulled off one of the most amazing armored engagements in the history of armored warfare....

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The following morning, the lead elements of the British 7th Armoured Division entered Villers-Bocage. They had been given the objective of exploiting the gap in the front line, seizing Villers-Bocage, and capturing the nearby ridge (Point 213) to attempt to force a German withdrawal.[18][19][20][21][22][23] The British arrival surprised Wittmann, as he had not expected them so soon.[24] He later stated:

I had no time to assemble my company; instead I had to act quickly, as I had to assume that the enemy had already spotted me and would destroy me where I stood. I set off with one tank and passed the order to the others not to retreat a single step but to hold their ground.[25]

At approximately 09:00[9] Wittmann's Tiger emerged from cover onto the main road, Route Nationale 175, and engaged the rearmost British tanks positioned on Point 213, destroying them.[26][27][28] Wittmann then moved towards Villers-Bocage[28] engaging several transport vehicles parked along the roadside, the carriers bursting into flames as their fuel tanks were ruptured by machine gun and high explosive fire.[28][29] Moving into the eastern end of the town he engaged a number of light tanks[28] followed by several medium tanks.[30] Alerted to Wittmann's actions, light tanks in the middle of the town quickly got off the road while medium tanks were brought forward.[8] Wittmann, meanwhile, had accounted for a further British tank,[31] two artillery observation post (OP) tanks[32] followed by a scout car and a half-track.[33] Accounts differ as to what happened next. Historians record that, following the destruction of the OP tanks, Wittmann briefly dueled without success against a Sherman Firefly before withdrawing.[34][35] The Tiger is then reported to have continued eastwards to the outskirts of the town before being disabled by an anti-tank gun.[36] Wittmann's own account, however, contradicts this; he states that his tank was disabled by an anti-tank gun in the town centre.[25] In less than 15 minutes, 13–14 tanks, two anti-tank guns and 13–15 transport vehicles had been destroyed by the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101, the vast majority attributed to Wittmann.[Note 1][38] Wittmann would however play no further role in the Battle of Villers-Bocage.[39] For his actions during the battle, Wittmann was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (captain) and awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[40]

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The wreckage of the British transport column, and an anti-tank gun, that Wittmann engaged.