When Fireflies Hunted Tigers - Michael Wittmann's Last Stand
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2023
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On 8 August 1944, Anglo-Canadian forces launched Operation Totalize.
The main objective was to break through the German defenses south of Caen on the eastern flank of the Allied positions in Normandy, and then drive south to conquer the high ground north of Falaise.
The goal was to undermine the German front line and cut off the retreat path of German forces engaged in combat with the advancing Allied armies to the west.
One of their more notable accomplishments during Operation Totalize was when British and Canadian Sherman Fireflies defeated the formidable German armored forces in a counterattack resulting in the destruction of at least four Tiger tanks and the demise of the attack’s leader, the infamous German panzer commander, SS Ubersturmführer Michael Wittmann.
Who Killed Michael Wittmann?
The complete account of what exactly happened to Michael Wittmann and his crew might perhaps never be known, as the details surrounding their final moments continue to be a topic of speculation.
Nevertheless, owing to Witt-mann's legendary reputation, multiple Allied units that were active in the vicinity during that period have laid claim to engaging with him.
#panzerace #germantank #tankbattle
I think it’s important to point out that no one on the allied side had ever even heard of Wittman till long after the war, when historians started publishing books researching in detail long forgotten skirmishes and clashes from WW2, and armchair warriors started fetishising the alleged kill lists of German tank commanders bigged up by the Nazi propaganda machine.
At the time, Wittman’s final battle was just another failed German counterattack in the battle for Normandy. He blundered into a fatal crossfire between two allied tank units and paid the price. Ironically, at the time, neither allied unit was even aware of one another’s presence!
As to who fired the fatal shot that killed Wittman, we’ll never know for sure, it might have been Joe Elkins, it might have been a Canadian gunner; so in fifty years time people will still be arguing on here about who killed Wittman.
There's no I in team . We were allies Canadians in a U. S. Tank . No matter who got him WE got him as a team .the outcome is the same a victory for the allies .
I was thinking the same thing. Who cares who took out Wittmann. I was an aalied team effort that got the job done
In that case why do mericans and you canadians sometimes in your own made documentaries always say "the USA or canadians (AND) the allies, or if its about a battle where no commonwealth was involved, its always the USA but when its turned on the other foot then its the allies, SMH...
Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what what the orator orator was describing. Special thanks 🙏 to veteran tank crews. Sharing personal information/combat experiences. Making this documentary more authentic and possible fighting/perishing/surviving. Knowing certain death ☠ debilitating wounds were often possible. Yet still advanced forward regardless of the consequences. That’s true grit determination to succeed.
I think we can safely say that whoever got Wittman, Canadian or British, if there's a movie it will be an American.
Because?
@@nickdanger3802
Hollywood.
@@adventussaxonum448 How I Won the War is a 1967 British black comedy film starring Michael Crawford, Jack MacGowran, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, and John Lennon in his only non-musical acting role. The film, which was directed and produced by Richard Lester, is based upon the 1963 novel of the same name by Patrick Ryan.
@@nickdanger3802
Not a great film. And?
it will be Brad Pitt
The hunters became the hunted.
Like with the U-boats.
Not so easy once the Allies turned the tables and now it was Wittman's turn to advance on a concealed, prepared enemy with parity of fire power.
This film just shows how great Canadian and British armour was during the Battle for Normandy. The Canadians got Wittmann whilst Eaken's achievement was epic. Chuck in some British/ American technology and job's a good 'un.🇨🇦🇬🇧🇺🇲
The Canucks did not get Wittmann that was Ekins from the Ist Northern Yoemans
@jacktattis,
Nope. Ekins got Tigers 312, 314 and 009 which were 750 to 800 yards away from him but he didn't get Wittmanns 007, which was almost 1,000 yards from him. Ekins couldn't even see Wittmanns 007 behind a rise in the ground. Ekins only saw 3 Tigers.
@@lyndoncmp5751 No no no Osprey Publishing write to them
@jacktattis
Who cares about an old outdated pamphlet? It's not even a proper book.
@@lyndoncmp5751 Write to Dr Hart and tell him
I'm English and was born 9 months after the end of our war. I should hate the Germans but having worked for the army all my working life I would choose them by my side, thank God it's a bit late for me but although married a German lady friend almost broke my neck giving me a hug. It's time that dreadful business is put behind us - but NEVER forgotten on both sides.
Well spoken!
The trouble is all those people that participated are gone, and the rise of right wing politics is, I believe, taking a very dangerous path.
@@davidpowell6098yeah by the left, they have gone so far around the circle scale that they have became far right...
As a american it pisses me off to no end that we dident push harder to get the m26 pershings out faster with there 90 mm high velocity tank gun. It would of made a huge difference in the field and saved lives. I tip my hat to the tommies for fielding there 17lb guns on there firefly's.
It was hard to get Pershings over there. And the Pershing was unreliable and had many mechanical problems. Problems that were never fixed even in Korea, which is why they were replaced by Patton tanks.
@@brennanleadbetter9708 granted and yes I don't disagree with you. The point I'm trying to hit home is that we should of fielded a much stronger tank with a more capable gun than our Sherman's, and yes we upgraded the to the much better 76mm or easy 8 shirman model. Even in Korea the pershings made a impact against Soviet tanks. The Jackson tank destroyer was also a very capable tank destroyer that could of made a difference if brought in earlier. I don't disagree with ur information at all ur info is correct 🙂
@lukecoleman9229 I don’t disagree with you either. Fielding a more powerful tank would’ve helped on the battlefield. The M36 Jackson (as well as the M10 Wolverine) were Shermans converted into tank destroyers. The US was actually trying to put in a heavier tank earlier than people think. The M26’s design goes back to 1942, but it went through several failed prototypes before they finally got it right.
Despite its unreliability, it did have its successes in WW2 and Korea.
I’ve read the book Spearhead (great read btw). It tells the story of the Eagle 7 Pershing and it’s crew.They felt better with a bigger gun, but they soon realized a problem with that. The tank with the bigger gun is the bigger target.
Just the way it is Hans had a 6 year head start on us limeys and 8 or 9 year start on you yanks but we won the race in the end
Pershings were too heavy and large. In addition to issues with shipping them across the ocean, they wouldn't have been able to cross a lot of rivers due to their size and weight. Standard Bailey and pontoon bridges simply couldn't take them.
Stroke of genius by UK to put a fine 17 pounder in the Sherman, The main strength of Sherman’s was that there were plenty of them, they were fast and reliable. But the original gun was inadequate versus later German armor. The firefly was a perfect marriage of strengths.
It was a good solution. Unfortunately the Sherman tank was never intended to figh heavy tanks-that role was supposed to be filled by 90 mm gun equipped tank destroyers.
The Brits were brilliant at improvisation. They stuck a huge gun in the nose of the Mosquito and went out killing german armor with the crazy thing. They had numerous improvs during the war, including the hedgehog that really messed up the u-boats, etc.
The "inadequacy" of the Sherman gun was overcome with tactics and training. At Arracourt, the American tankers used smoke rounds to blind the German Panthers, then got close and knocked out the enemy tanks with side shots.
And the British copied the 17 pounder installation on the Australian Sentinel AC4… (same engineer did both).
@@allangibson8494 They did not copy from Australia
Very effective-a Firefly could be made with 5000 man hours of labor-a Tiger took 330,000 hours
God bless you Joe ekins ❤. Most don't know this but his tank was hit and lost that same day after killing whittman. Joe ekins not only helped kill the legendary tank ace he also survived being hit .
God bless you sir ♥️
Well done ! This is the first one I have seen which gives both the British and Canadian view . Regardless the fine nerves of steel shooting from Joe Eakins deserves a special nod . I read this was his last operation as a gunner ,he was placed in another tank as a radio man . The reasons are lost to history I presume . I can’t see it as a promotion
Well after 4 years in a RAAC regiment from Gunner to Radio man IS a promotion within the troop,
@@jacktattis Jack : I assumed the Gunner was the man If I was in command I’d want a man like Joe on the trigger - Perhaps you could rank them in the tank for us I assume British and commonwealth were the same .
@@TKM1951 I will get back to you,.. I was in a recon unit and I was RAEME
I have a friend who went from Trooper to RSM in RAAC
Getting back to you.
SOP Tank Tp
Troop Leader Lt ----Comd Tp Sgt and 4 x troopers Tp Cpl and 4 x troopers
L/Cpl Gunner
2 x troopers loader and Driver
Sometimes 2nd trooper gunner this may be what Eakers did
The Loader operated the Radio in British Commonwealth Shermans. For him to be made a radio operator probably meant that he was moved to a command tank.
This was very well done, as you explored the facts that were available and were not mentioned by many others who explained this with what may appear as a lack of information and personal feeling as to what happened. You seemed to have take an unbias approach to this.
Its feels so good to know the Tiger was not so undistructable after all and eventually started playing on a level field.
Over the next few days, the Shermans didnt manage to take out another Tiger during Totalize. The Canadians alone lost 44 Shermans at Estrees la Campagne the very next day, many to the Tigers of the same unit (there were still 18 Tigers left in Schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 101 after the Wittmann etc incident).
7/8 August 1NY losses 16 12 Shermans 4 Fireflys German losses 25 : Tigers 5 Panther 4 Pz IV 9 SP Gun 6 One unidentified and it does say Wittmann action 5 tigers 2 x PzIV
And no further Tiger losses of SS101 until August 14th. Almost a week with no Tigers knocked out.
Conversely, the Canadians lost 44 Shermans the very next day, many to the Tigers of SS101.
Beautiful video
It’s unfortunate that brave men killed other brave men who had more in common with them than they had differences at a time when it was obvious the Germans had already lost the war and all soldiers fighting and dying was doing was buying time for the gangsters in charge.
Indeed !!!
The fact that the shot would have been difficult for the Brit doesn't mean he didn't do it, neither does the supposed accuracy issue cited by some here (been watching The Chieftain have we). The 17pdr was very capable of knocking out a tiger at that range.
But Ekins got the closest 3 Tigers, not Wittmanns further away. The Canadians got Wittmann.
@@lyndoncmp5751 The Canadians were not within cooee
You will draw the crabs either Canuck or Sherman fanboys will not believe you.
@@lyndoncmp5751 And exactly where were the Canadians Now be careful I have a map.
I can do better than a map. I have an actual aerial photograph taken just after the battle. It shows the locations of the four knocked out Tigers. It shows three in an approximate line going southeast to northwest. These were the three Tigers Ekins got. Tigers 312, 314 and 009.
About 200 metres to the west is another Tiger, closer to the road and the chateau. This was Wittmanns 007 which was bringing up the rear.
To the south west of Wittmanns Tiger a few hundred metres is a sprawling building. This was the chateau. It had walls that extended eastwards towards the road. Some Sherbrooke Shermans were behind these walls. They made holes in them.
The chateau is long gone but the remnants of the wall foundation are still there. On site measurements proved this wall was just under 150 metres from where Wittmanns Tiger was knocked out.
Finally, Ekins said he opened up when the Tigers got to within 800 metres of him, yet Wittmann was never within 800 metres of Ekins. Wittmann was around 1,000 metres from Ekins. Tigers 312, 314 and 009 however, WERE within 800 metres of Wittmann. The Canadians got him. This is established now. There is even testimony from Radley Walters who was there and saw it happen. He even said he saw the turret blow off after a short while.
The Firefly firing the 17lb Sabot round could even pierce the frontal armour of a Panther tank at about 1000yds although the rounds were in limited supply, but at 500yds they were lethal to anything that a Tiger II
We had a hand in taking down the Red Baron in WWI...although Aussie groundfire possibly may have provided the lethal shot, The Baron was close to the ground chasing the elusive Canadian ace Wilfrid 'Wop" May, while another Canadian Ace, Roy Brown, was on his tail firing...and we probably also got Wittman in WWII, unless Ekins shot flew over Wittman's panzer, did a 180, then hit him on his left side...so, as both the Brits and the Aussies want the credit for these respective "kills", I suggest, in true Canadian fashion, we can, and will, agree to share; If you disagree, and challenge our honour, we'll accept that challenge, and, as the injured party, I suggest the choice of weapons be Sherwood sticks, CCM Tacks for skates, and a nice outdoor rink, preferrably at 20 below.(that's below zero) and we'll settle it. :)
Make that ice rink 20° below 40° and we got a deal.
Wittman hit on RF FLANK
The Brits or Aussies cant ice skate though, but they'll certainly use those sticks and be good at it aswell..
@@wor53lg50 Gee we do have rinks but it is not a everyday sport here Not cold enough. Even in the winter here in Brisbane we wear shorts and TShirts
How about a friendly match of Rugby Union or Rugby League instead? Last team standing and it will not be the Canadians
"It's over Wittman, I have the high ground."
The 17 pdr could penetrate 150 mm of armor at 1000 meters. No tank had side armor that could withstand that, unless they were standing at an acute angle.
Sadly, the rounds accuracy dropped off at that range. The fact that Elkins managed to hit as many as he did is a testimate to his skill. Of interest is the Tiger 1s were shooting back at him after the first shots were fired. One round hit the commanders hatch stunning the tank commander.
@@tankmaker9807 You are probably thinking of the sub-calibre APDS rounds, which were inaccurate beyond 500 meters. The standard solid shots did not have that problem.
Interesting to note the Panthers weaknesses. It had 1.6 to 2 inch side armor that could be penetrated by most Allied tanks and tank destroyers, maybe even Bazookas. The rear top turret armor had .63 inch thin armor. In the rear, it had two exposed radiator fans and four rear openings also over the engine. Even strafing fire or rockets or near hits by bombs from Allied aircraft could disable or destroy the Panthers.
@@TTTT-oc4eb Perhaps, but accuracy issues is one of the reasons why the US Army decided against the 17pdr in 1943.
@@richpontone1 Agreed, and the Tiger had the same engine configuration. Keep in mind the side armor was sloped, which added thickness to the plate.
It is likely to have been a 75mm Sherman from the Canadians behind the Chateau wall. It would easily penetrate side armour at 150 yds. I believe the local farmer collected many elements of 007 and kept them in his yard.
There was no chateau, there were two buildings to the west of the Main road and directly opposite on the other side of the road is a red roofed building that was still there in 2006, none of the buildings were walled. From where the nearest Tiger is 300+m from the two buildings shown in the map the next one in 400+m the furthest is 500+
The 75 mm of the Sherman was ineffective from 400m and the Map I am looking at the shots would have been taken as the Tigers were moving away N/W from those buildings, whereas they were moving right across Ekins front and always in his sights A classic shooting situation
@jacktattis
Totally incorrect. Aerial photos absolutely prove the chateau was there, and the remnants of the wall still exits. It was only around 150 metres from Wittmanns left flank.
Aerial pictures prove where the four knocked out Tigers were in proximity to each other, the Yeomanry and the Sherbrookes. There were 3 Tigers closer to Ekins (312, 314 and 009) but Wittmanns 007 was a couple hundred metres further to the southwest, very close to the Sherbrookes.
The Canadians got him, and I'm British.
@@lyndoncmp5751 I do not care you write to Dr Hart
Whitmans remains were found by a French road repair team, which led to their reburial .
I hope they took the opportunity to relieve themselves.
@@jamesmason2228 I would have fed them to the pigs
That 17pdr was arguably the best gun of the war
The German 8.8 would be on that list, too. Not just the ones fitted to tanks but also as anti aircraft and other uses. It was a feared gun.
@@nuancolar7304 Yes I agree the 17 pounder as a pure A/T gun equal to the 88 as a tank gun awkward and very difficult to use.
Just before this, Wittmann had broken cover along a road and had destroyed a large number of British tanks and vehicles in a convoy on a road, driving along it while shooting! He also had a master gunner in his tank, by then, allowed to shoot if and when possible. Sadly, during a visit to Normandy I never managed to visit Wittmann's Tomb in "La Campe" German Cemetery. It is always covered with flowers.
That was two months before. His master gunner (Bobby Woll) wasn't his gunner anymore. He had his own Tiger in Normandy. Tiger 212, still in Wittmanns company though.
Wittmann was credited with all the kills from Villers-Bocage that day, when in fact he pretty much messed up, killed a few actual tanks, destroyef a couple of Cromwells with wooden dummy guns and machine gunned an ambulance.
He was then listed as the first Tiger loss on the Western Front, (to a British 6-pounder), failed to notify his Tiger platoon, instead walking back to HQ and having alerted the British to the German presence which turned really expensive when Tigers and Panzer IVs and later several platoons of Panthers, attacked a now alert and ready British AT-screen.
@@OptimusPrimo-ju6gpThe British 7 Armoured division was intent on exploiting a gap in the German front line and rolling up their positions from the rear. There were no units to oppose them.
Decisive action by a small group of men averted a disaster and lead to the abandonment of Operation Perch.
So for the loss of 4 Tigers and a P, IV they stopped an entire British Armoured div.
@@OptimusPrimo-ju6gp
1. Wittmann knocked out around a dozen tanks and a similar number of vehicles (half tracks, carriers) . He only claimed 21 "Kampfwagen" (fighting vehicles) not "panzers".
2. None of his 2nd Kompanie Tigers were lost. His own Tiger was recovered and repaired.
3. It was the later attack by 1st Kompanie that lost Tigers. Wittmann wasn't involved with that.
4. When Wittmann's Tiger was disabled, he found himself with British troops between him and his company. He couldn't reach his company so he proceeded on foot north to the Panzer Lehr division. He'd already told his Tiger company to stay put and hold their ground, pinning the British lead elements down which they did. They had no problem doing that and they remained there until reinforcements came.
And the two later attacks lost so heavily because the British were alerted by Wittmann’s glory hound hot dog attack.
Apparently whittmann was restless .before that attack..he hadn't been just right. Over the last few weeks. If he knew fireflies were in the area he wouldn't of done this attack...he was obviously ambushed
Your right, the day he was killed, his superiors orders a counter attack, and Whitman knew that this was predictable behavior, and not of his choosing, as he would rather do recon of the situation, he also was told, he would not be part of this attack, but he insisted he should be in it, he knew it would be suicidal, but he had a strong sense of duty, and knew he would die in battle eventually, the superiors who insisted on sending these tanks into battle with no reconnaissance or plan, is responsible for its failure, as much as the enemy tanks were.
Either way the Germans knew they were cooked but no one dared say a word after the failed plot against Hitler resulted in 5,000 executions.
The main thing ... he was killed and didn't eliminate possibly hundreds more allied soldiers in the following days.
War sucks/ but it is what it is.
Serious historians consider the big lists of kills by German tankers as mostly baloney. That is not to say they were not courageous men, but rather that these were creations of the Nazi propaganda machine who wanted heroes to sell to the German public and stimulate recruitment at a very bad period of the war. Surviving German tankers have also affirmed that no one could possibly know how many tanks they had destroyed. They were too busy shooting at the enemy and manoeuvring so as not to be killed themselves. Confirming a "kill" was fundamentally impossible in battlefield conditions. No one in a tank could tell if their tank had killed an enemy tank, or if another friendly tank had done it. And no one was willing to jump out and see if it was even destroyed as bullets and tank shells were flying thick and fast. Moreover, enemy tanks that were disabled were seldom within easy reach. The average tank battle on the Western front was conducted from 400 yards away. Who in their right mind is going to jump out of their tank and hike that far for the silly purpose of seeing if the other tank is destroyed while a battle is going on? No one. One German tank ace has stated that while he was credited with about 50 kills during WW2, he personally had no idea how many tanks he had destroyed for all the reasons listed above. 🤷♂
The German army and Luftwaffe destroyed more Russian tanks and planes than they actually possessed
So where did the 50,000 + Shermans and 50,000+ t34s go if they weren't taken out by the Germans....huh. and thats not how you confirm a kill fool. And yes it is easy to see if you've destroyed a tank in battle. Quit watching movies for your "facts" on the Second World War goofy a$$ kid.
Rather like the reporting of downed aircraft I suspect.
@@peterrollinson-lorimer On the Western Allied fighter side they at least had film footage to back up claims.
The operational analysis by both sides on the Eastern Front was generally terrible.
That being said, it was possible on the Eastern Front to rack up really impressive kill numbers owing to the general disregard for the lives of their men, the poor training, and the often-questionable quality of the equipment of the Russian forces.
The Canadian Sherbrooke Fusiliers killed him. Period.
There is a nice video showing where his tank was destroyed in relation to a company of M4's, on his flank about 100 meters away as I recall. The M4 75mm could easily penetrate the side armor at that range. His tank was the farthest from the Firefly that engaged the Tigers. Still, a man that looked over the tank before it was scrapped said he didn't see any evidence of a penetration on the hull. If only he had taken a few pictures. None the less, I believe those M4's on his flank took him out, which dove tails nicely with German accounts that say he was engaging a group of M4's when his tank went silent, started smoldering and then blew up.
Yup
Oh Canada 🇨🇦
You are as bad as the Yanks in claiming something Who bloody cares who got him WE as in the Brits/Canucks got him
I watched a BBC history programme of this disputed kill and they concluded it was the Yeomanry 🤷🏼♂️I guess we will never truly know, the important thing was he was neutralised and could not knock up any more kills.
RIP MIACHAEL WITTMANN THNK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
I met walters as a boy i knew nothing of him but my father was in awe of him he was commander of cfb petawawa at the time dad did his rsp he was at the house a few times dad was a lieutenant at the time i know nothing to do with the story
Sir Radley Walters, Canada's greatest tank ace of WWII
@@jonnyblayze5149 That is great but Ridley did NOT get Wittmann
@jacktattis
Radley Walters never said he did. He said he wasn't even firing at him. He did say other Shermans there fired and got him, whereupon the turret blew off after a short while. Walters and other Sherbrooke Sherman were behind the walls of the château at Gaumesnil, just to the west of the road. Wittmann was just to the east of the road, closer to the road than the other Tigers, and around 1,000 metres from Ekins.
Neither Walters or Ekins had any idea who Wittmann was at the time. They didnt care. They were simply firing at enemy tanks.
@@jacktattis I didn't see anywhere that I said he did, now did I . Pipe down kid
@@jacktattis and again, Sir Radley Walters Canada's greatest tank ace of the Second World War.
Not at all Whitman died when he stumbled into them as they were hidden in trees to his right, he did not know they were there and they were lucky as it wasn’t an ambush. He was unlucky that day and it was the new ap shell rounds they had loaded!
Lol what the hell are you saying. Was he ambushed or not?
@@benedictjajo Yes it was Ekins watched them come down the road and waited until he was 800m away before opening fire
@@jacktattis incorrect, already disproved.
@@JuergenGDB No it has not been Even Bovington Tank Museum Curator has now agreed that Ekins got him
As I understand it Wittmann was in a Panzer IV when he was killed. His tiger had been knocked out in the prior engagement and he took to the next available tank.
An example of 2 truths for post D-Day Western Europe: attacking forces lost far more than defending forces and he who shoots first normally wins.
I have read about this man for years. It was definitely a Firefly that got him from the side. From what I have read it was a trap that was set up to get him.
It was definitely a regular Sherman 75mm much closer on Wittmanns left flank. A Canadian Sherman. Only 150 metres away.
@@lyndoncmp5751 From the account I have read the Firefly was waiting in cover on the flank waiting for the shot. I have read that it was a trap set up to get him. In saying that I can only go on what I have read and watched, I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened.
@@lyndoncmp5751 No it was NOT. There was NO Canadian Sherman within Cooee. OR the map on the action in SA Harts book would show them. It doesn't. Because????? THEY WERE NOT BLOODY THERE Even the red roofed building there in 44 and in 2006 is 400m from the nearest Tiger on the day .
@@Spartan902 I have Dr SA Hart Sherman Firefly V Tiger Normandy 1944 by Osprey Publishing [ Dr Hart is a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst ] the book cost me$15 AUD On page 65 there is a map of the action and it does not how any other unit on it. Get a copy from your library or buy one and make up your own mind.
No it was set up to get any Tiger They had no idea it was Wittmann until later
Great Mini doc...
It wasn’t so much a hunt as a turkey shoot. I’ve been to the location where Whitman was killed and also to the German cemetery. Whitman and his wingmen drove unwittingly into an ambush at a range where the 17 Lb’er of the firefly was more than capable of destroying his tank.
They will NOT believe you.
Ekins got the 3 closest Tigers to him. 312, 314 and 009 at ranges of 750-800 metres.
The Canadians got Wittmann's 007 from around 150 metres on his left rear hull by the engine.
Germans: oh you can easily defeat tiger 1 now? Ok! Send tiger 2 guys!
Tell us again how many tigers the Germans were actually able to field?
@@unreliablememory9687 hmmm idk maybe around 200-600
The tiger tanks were unstoppable, until the introduction of Typhoon figher planes. Who were the only thing the Tiger tanks were afraid of.
Having just watched a video showing several tigers stopped by Firefly’s….
When they didn't break down, get stuck in the mud, find themselves too heavy to cross bridges to get into the fight, and then run out of gas on the way, sure, they were completely unstoppable.
I went pig shooting recently. On two occasions I was concentrating on the pigs in front of me. Her boyfriend told me that I didn't see the pigs that were off to the side. Luckily I wasn't at war. I remember a Vietnam vet workmate telling me that it's not fun when they shoot back.
👍👍👍
Wittman was not the highest tank ace, Kurt Knispel
A17lb gun fires a 7.71lkg shell. That is lot of physics
When a French historian told Sydney Radley-Walters in the late 1980s that it was likely his squadron of tanks that knocked out Michael Wittmann his response was: "Who is Wittmann?" It was just another tank battle to him. The idea that the Allies knew anything about Wittmann or his battlefield feats during the war doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Hence, all of these claims are entirely post-war constructs.
An interesting analysis of events. I consider the events a success for Commonwealth Armour.
It important to remember only the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry war diary exists for these events and the Canadian divisional record. The Sherbrooke’s diary was destroyed during the attack. Consequently everything else is speculation. The Northamptonshire success over the 5 Tigers destroyed that day was nothing but an interesting side note event regarding the performance of the Firefly for 30 years, until the 1944 grave for Wittmann’s crew was located. Then the debate started, not helped by the contributions of a now controversial and discredited German author, who embellished the Wittmann story.
The Eastern group was led by Dollinger who was the communication officer of the battalion and his Tiger 008 was a command version, followed in order by Iriohn, Wittmann in another command Tiger 007 and finally Kister. Höflinger leading the Eastern group and was on Wittmann's left on the N158 itself rather than the open field, followed by von Westernhagen and finally Heurich who moved out late, so 7 Tigers not 8 because 1 had failed. However, because of the focus on Wittmann it’s often over looked they were supported by KG Waldmüller (Pz IVs and Pzgrenadiers) and Jagdpanzer IV’s of 1./ SS-PzJgAbt 12 which is covered in Dr Ken Touts book Tank! who took part in the battle, first has a Gunner then a Commander.
The events are well documented in the 1st Northamptonshire diary, Dollinger’s Tigers were identified by lieutenant James, 3rd troop of A squadron the last Tiger Kister was at 1200 yards and Captain Boardman took command over the net and ordered they held fire unit 800yard not at 1093 yards or 1km has often quoted. He also ordered the 75mm Sherman’s to engage to force the Tiger crews to batten down, so limiting visibility. Sjt Gordon engaged Kister with two 17 pounder rounds setting the Tiger on fire, time 12:40, it should be noted one round was a through and through of the turret at that range. Wittmann engaged the Firefly and missed but Sjt Gordon was injured, Lieutenant James took command of the Firefly and engaged Wittmann with the first round, the tank exploded time 12:47, so in the 7minutes later. Consequently the range had reduced further below 800 yards, assuming walking pace the range would be close for a 17Pounder. Finally the Firefly engaged Iriohn with two rounds setting the Tiger on fire, 12:52. It was described rather like practice no 5. The approach had been consistent with Pamphlet B8727 April 1944 for students of the school of tank technology which comprehensive detailed how best to engage Tiger 1 or Panther with all British antitank ordnance following comprehensive testing against captured equipment up to 2500 yards. Needless to say the 17 pounder with APCBC rounds is successful below 800yards . However 75mm it’s not the case consequently Broadman’s 75mm Sherman used HE.
However there were two more knockout Sherman’s Höflinger and his crew leading the Western Group. Also Dollinger, his driver, the artillery observer, his second radio operator, the medium-wave radio operator and bow machine gunner Alfred Bahlo, all survived wounded but his ultra-short-wave radio operator and loader Schott was fatally wounded. This is quoted in the Canadian Divisional diary because they recovered the radio equipment. Of the Western group of Kisters, Iriohn, Dollinger and Wittmann only members of Dollinger’s crew survived the engagement, which was likely knocked out by a 75mm HE round.
The Sherbrooke’s story fundamentally comes from Brian Reid, based upon the recollections of Höflinger provided by Kurowski, and ignores the distance information from the war diaries, gunnery technical equipment performance and the photographs. First there is , a RAF photograph which shows Wittmann’s and Höflinger tanks, parallel to one another with a large building in between, so how could he have seen what happened. Höflinger you will recall is moving up the N158, directly into the Sherbrooke’s who clearly knocked out his tank. So are Sherbrooke’s totally focused on Wittmann, with 3 Tiger Tanks with support driving up the N158, I think not.
Finally Kurowski work has been debunked by a number of German historians, clearly he was focused on "hero-making" at the expense of historical truth. In addition to facts, his writing contained fictional stories. The historian Roman Töppel notes that it is "regrettable that Kurowski was sometimes perceived as a culturally worthy historian in foreign [non-German language] historical studies." Thus, fictional assertions of Kurowski found their way into the historical literature on World War II and that is the rub regarding this story, is it just another Kurowski work of fiction just to sell his books.
Reid has now acknowledged that Ekins from the 1NY was likely to have been the man who got Wittmann Source S.A. Hart Sherman Firefly V tiger Normandy 1944 Page 69 Osprey Publishing 2007
@@jacktattis Indeed, historians with military experience with anti-tank knowledge questioned Ried’s conclusions for a number of years. Nicholas Moran aka The Chieftain’s view, Northamptonshire Yeomanry 4 of the 5 Tigers, the Sherbrooke’s 1 Tiger. Kurowski has a lot to answer for.
Nice video, but dump the computer voice.
I read about how the Panzer SS massacred some Canadians off Juno Beach and shortly after, they annihilated a battalion of German tanks. So good on the Canadians getting some good payback.
I do not know whether it was Juno but I think 26 Canadians were murdered
Well made video but maddeningly poor pronunciation of German names
It's ai what do you expect.
And French place names.
You mean like Whit-Man? Lol
You make Wittman sound heroic, rather than the committed Nazi murderer he was . The death he met was too honourable for someone as low as him.
Have you finished virtue-signalling now? I'm sure we can all see what a good person you think you are.
People keep telling stories of Michael Wittmann as if he wasnt a Nazi propaganda machine, it's dissapointing
Witttmann was still a very capable Tank leader, at the end he and his crew just had bad luck.
Definitely very capable, but was it bad luck or was he just outfought? If we give him credit for being capable it seems a little selective to not acknowledge others may have had to have been capable, rather than merely lucky to defeat him.
I agree Encore. By August 1944, the Anglo-Canadians, through bitter battle losses, had learned to deal with the deadly Tiger formations. I think the point is, the Brits and the Canucks worked together to defeat a deadly foe.
The attack, ordered by Kurt Meyer, had no chance of defeating the allies. The odds, and numbers, were stacked against them. It was a preemptive spoiling attack designed to catch the British/Canadians off guard and off balance in an attempt to keep the route to Falaise closed a bit longer for the allies. While that attack failed, other Tiger actions over the following days did indeed stall the Canadians from reaching Falaise quickly, particularly at Estrees la Campagne the next day where the Canadian 28th Armoured Regiment lost a whopping 47 tanks. Many to the Tigers.
Actually Wittmann’s kill score with the StuG III on the Eastern Front was quite average and he pretty much made a mess of the Villers-Bocage skirmish that the Nazis propagandized so heavily.
@@OptimusPrimo-ju6gp
How did Wittmann make a mess of Villers Bocage? He and his other Tigers of 2nd Kompanie halted an entire British advance on Caen, and took out nearly two dozen tanks plus other vehicles, for the loss of 0 Tigers.
It was the later attack that afternoon by the 1st Kompanie under Mobius (Wittmann wasn't involved) that messed their attack up, lost a number of Tigers and didn't do anything that Wittmann had already done that morning.
One thing we know for sure is it was a British gun that won the day The 17 pounder adapted field gun.
The 17 pounder was not an adapted field gun (apart from the first few used in the desert, which were mounted on a 25 pounder field gun carriage, because the new carriage was not ready). It was a purpose-designed anti-tank gun.
some say it was the 75mm US gun
did ever someone consider making their claims if both sides had equal numbers......
I found that this documentary also supported the argument extremely well that it wasn't Ekins who destroyed Wittman's tank, but the Canadians. Not that it matters, Ekins is still a damn hero - to take out three tiger tanks with one firefly is legendary. czcams.com/video/xP5ndJ1IpiY/video.html
Eakins made no mention of blowing the turret off one of his kills. It's most likely a Canadian Sherman 75 did the deed.
No read Osprey Publishing Sherman Firefly V Tiger Normandy 1944 Pages 60 to 66 it explains the Action of the Ist Northamptonshire Yoemanry It was a Firefly firing one of four different A/P rounds that they had. Ekins got 3 Tigers. They had no idea it was Wittman until weeks later However they had the Troops report for the day which was the same day Wittmann went missing with 2 other tanks
@@jacktattis There were four Tigers knocked out and Eakins claimed three. Wittmann was the furthest in the back. Who knocked out the fourth Tiger?
@@31terikennedy The 4th and Fifth Tigers are not mentioned
Hey if you want to continue this Get in touch with Dr S.A. Hart C/- of Osprey Publishing and tell him he is wrong after all he is only a Senior Lecturer in the War Studies Department the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
It could be that the Canadians got those two
@@jacktattis Yep the fourth one was Wittmann. Eakins claimed three and there was no mention of blowing the turret off of one of them.
@@31terikennedy as I have said write to SA Hart and tell him that he is wrong
The German tank ace was eventually aced by someone else.
Was the Firefly better than the Easy 8?
Better gun not as easy to use. I suspect
Considerably superior in anti tank capability.
The 76mm gun on the US Easy Eight was seen as a disappointment and not satisfactory by 1945, particularly without the rare HVAP ammunition.
Tank Chats #111 | Sherman M4A1 (76) W | The Tank Museum
czcams.com/video/LIPG2_TOITo/video.html
Ì have also seen reports that Wittmann was taken out by aircraft.
No
THE Damage He Recived WAS Typical of a HAWKER Typhoons ROCKETS ?????g
Why the sherment firefly not been use in Korean war?
Because the British replaced it with the far superior Centurian
yeah tawtalize
Does anyone know what was the main British tank of WW2 besides the American Sherman tank and why did the British decide to use Sherman’s instead of their own tanks?
They had quite a few but they had piss poor Guns The Sherman was the only tank that normally carried the 75 mm however that proved inadequate and the opted to go with the 17 pdr in atroop of 1 Firefly to 3 normal Shermans and Later 3 Cromwells
@@jacktattis I’m guessing the main British tanks of ww2 weren’t as mechanically reliable as the Sherman plus they had weaker guns than the standard 75 mm gun on the Sherman
@@larryconnerjr1835 That is correct absolutely pee weak guns The Valentine was so reliable it chased Rommel 2000 miles to Tunisia the GUN was woeful
The Brits had the Churchill: ugly, piss poor gun but the Mks V to VII had 152 mm of front armour and could climb like no other allied tank They did well in Tunisia .
Brit made tanks were always out gunned up to the Comet .
@@jacktattis Do you know if the British had tank destroyers like the Americans in WW2 and if so did they try to put the 17 pounder onto a tank destroyer?
If the sherman firefly is that good why is not been use in Korean war?
Kurt was a bigger tank ace than Wittmann!
A Squadron is not a squadron. The A is spoken with a strong voice because it is short for Able in the phonetic alphabet.
Nebelwerfer 42
Because its a German name you pronounce Ws as Vs. So its not Wittman, but actually Vittman.
His name is pronounced MeCaEl Veetmahn--it's German, not American....
Actually, is pronounced "DEAD GERMAN SS Scum Tanker". May he and his other SS buddies rot in Hell.
Interesting to note that only 126 of the 2,300 German tanks and tank destroyers deployed at the Battle of Normandy were Tiger and Panthers.
However, the British and Canadians faced 70 percent of the German Amour at this Battle.
The British adopted the battlefield strategy of first reconnoitering the field and then positioning their Fireflies in Over watch positions to protect their other advancing Sherman tanks and then moving forward from the rear to continue this protective screen.
While the Fireflies were very effective against Tigers and Panthers in frontal shell fire, the other Shermans could also kill these vulnerable tanks at their sides and rear.
It is also interesting the other Shermans were more effective in killing pillboxes, lighter armored tanks and tank destroyers, and Enemy troop trenches and machine gun nests than the Fireflies and once they vacated the area of Normandy, these were the greater majority of Enemy targets that the Allies’ advances encountered. The Shermans’ HE shells were more suited for that purpose.
There were 600 Panthers and 126 Tigers in Normandy. The Panther was the second most common panzer in Normandy. And a standard Sherman basically had to close within almost point blank range to have much chance against the side armor of a Tiger. That's why the Firefly was immensly popular among the Commonwealth troops.
@@TTTT-oc4eb
This wiki on the Firefly states differently
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly
@@richpontone1 Well, that's Wikipedia for you - they are wrong. Most German Panzer divisions in Normandy had their own Panther battalion. 126 Tigers were deployed in Normandy, in three heavy battalions; 101st and 102nd SS, and 503rd -each of which had 45 Tigers, although they were rarely up to full strenght.
Yes the Brits did not get a HE shell until later
I was wrong they had HE and four different types of A/D rounds from the start
Why the UN Force did' not use the sherman firefly in Korean war?
Centurion
They did. While the M4 Sherman and Cromwell were being phased out, they were still in Theatre. The Majority however would have been the Centurian, Pershing, and M24 Chaffee.
@@JuergenGDB Was the Chaffee ever effective in the Korean War? Vs. T34 85?
@@JuergenGDB The M4A3E8 was the most numerous tank in Korea. We even supplied the Canadians with them. Most more modern tanks were sent to Germany.
@@jayartz8562 By this time the Centurion had been re-armed with a 20 pdr.
Wittmann’s tank was shot in the left rear ass….the Brits didn’t make that shot.
The Sherbrookes got him.
Yes they did.
nO FRONT RIGHT FLANK
@@jacktattis
Nope, left rear. Forensic analysis of a piece of the tank proves it.
They would like to think they did, its the Americanism thats starting to show with canadians, i was hopeing they was better than that, seems thered rather suffer cringe than moral compass..
@@wor53lg50 Yes I have noticed that the politeness ,the modesty has gone They have become the quasi loud American. They are better than that here in OZ we are protected by distance but I have noticed it creeping in especially the younger generation .
It was not the Canadians and this has been recognised since 2006 And he did NOT make a last stand Gnr. Ekins shot him as the Germans were going down the main Caen - Falaise road Page 66 S.A.Hart Sherman Firefly V Tiger Normandy 1944
That book is outdated. It's pretty universally accepted now by real aficionados that the Canadians got Wittmann, while the British got the other Tigers closer to them.
@@lyndoncmp5751 No
@@lyndoncmp5751 No
Sorry I have copied it wrong and how? I have no idea. Wittman and his troop were going NNW away from the main Falaise/ Caen road at a tangent to Le Castelet Rd and right across Ekins front
@@jacktattis
Tigers 312, 314 and 009 can be seen in the aerial photo after the battle knocked out. They were all moving from the SSE parallel to the road and heading NNW. These three Tigers came within 800 metres of Joe Ekins Firefly.
Wittmanns 007, however, was a couple of hundred metres to the south west of these three Tigers much closer to the road and the chateau walls at Gaumesnil. Only around 150 metres from the Canadians, and around 1,000 metres from Ekins.
Ekins saw and took out the three Tigers closest to him. 312, 314 and 009. He never even saw Wittmann's 007 because it was hidden behind a slight rise in the ground. Ekins only ever saw three Tigers. There were more than three Tigers.
Did the Americans ever use fireflys.
No.
@@larry4789 -- thanks, I didn’t think they did.
I am disgusted by people fighting over taking credit for victories in war. In every instance, millions of people worked, risked and (in many cases) died to make it possible for them to accomplish their action. Credit goes to all of the people who participated in the war effort. That is not to say that there are not many instances of selfless and heroic individual actions.
007? Humm
Thats all the Firefly was, a "tank-killer" but all the same, sorely needed by the Brits
It was the Canadians 👍 I'm English
No it was the Brits
Retitle, "When Fireflies hunted the last few Tigers low on fuel". Come on now be honest.
Whit man....im done
That is typical British, Montgomery always tried to minimize the skills of the Canadian army in favor of the British, sad thing is that this British tank Gunnar got all of the free drinks and the Canadian Gunnar got no recognition in his lifetime,😢
Does this man live in all your heads rent free, as bad as americans degrading him, its cringe..
Since the large wxplosion set off the ammo shells in the Tiger tank ,Its funny that Wittman & his crew remains can fit in a shoe box. Lol😅
That was after the reburial. Only 3 of the 5 crew were identified, all from the turret as I recall.
Wittmann wasn't immortal, his Tiger wasn't immortal. But in comparison with other tankers from other armies ,yes. It was an ace with his Tiger ! Like many other german aces !
I think Whitman used his experience of operating a Stug tank, and later applied that skill to the tiger, so he didn’t have to slowly move the turret to shoot. It worked well, as well as his ability to fire the tank in motion accurately. He was tight with his crew, with these skills, they where a force to be feared by the enemy.
@@erikracz4162 Well Whitmann died and a private Brit or Canadian gunner got him
I talked with some veterans about this when I was stationed in Germany and doing USO battlefield tours: one was a Panther commander who participated in the Ardennes Offensive, the other was with 16th Panzer in Italy.
They both said basically, meh. Some guys tracked it, most did not. Neither one had any idea how many vehicles they had destroyed. One remembered that a directive came down for the highest scoring crews' names to be forwarded. His company just picked someone who was due for leave. I recall when I asked one why they didn't remember he said, "I was too damn busy keeping my company and my crew alive."
Wittmann was a good tactician no doubt. But even his most famous battle was at best a tactical victory.
@@grumblesa10 when you receive the iron cross, you know you have done something extraordinary, they don’t give it away for nothing… 🤣
I hope he had a couple seconds to realize he was about to be incinerated. A small piece of the pain, misery and terror that he dished out.
I think you mean the sherwood foresters
The Sherwood Foresters were an infantry regiment that were involved in the battle in North Africa that involved the knocking out of and subsequent capture of Tiger 131, now on display at Bovington Tank Museum, and used in the movie 'Fury'.
Sherwood (Quebec) Fusiliers. My brother and a lake in Saskatchewan were named after Lt Peter Gannaw of the same Sherbrooke Fusiliers who was my Dad's best friend and died in the Netherlands about a month after this battle.
@normanwells2755 thanks for letting me know
No 1st NY
Fairytales from the cowboys
?
Wittmann was not the most successful German tank ace, nor was he ever called 'the black baron' that is post war fiction.
Kurt Knispel was the top ace.
I don't know about infamous - Wittman was a brave soldier fighting for his country, you can't criticise anyone for that, even if they are the enemy! I salute all of the brave Allied soldiers who fought together during WWII.
He was S.S. that says it all
He was a dirt bag, examplified in him being not only SS and a Nazi party member but also machine gunning an ambulance in Villers-Bocage as well as being vastly overrated due to Nazi propaganda.
@@jacktattisheil indeed
Tha AI voice mispronouncing common English words, as well as German, very distracting. Totalize pronounced tottalize is an example.
Lol big words, Fireflies hunting tigers cmon. Also a Sherman Firefly had to ambush because it couldn’t take a punch at all. A tiger could take a punch so the Firefly needed to hit the Tiger on ideal circumstances and deffo not in the openfield.
🇨🇦🇬🇧🇺🇲💥💥💥💥💥👍🧨😂😅
You need to tweak your AI voice. 'Operation TOTTALIZE?' The AI narrators always screw up, somewhere.
When you look at a German tank and a German 88 you have to laugh comparing them to British equipment and we still do it not a clue.
The 17 pounder was comparable, and the Centurion was the best tank to emerge from the war.
Another AI voice. Really?
I hate robot voices
Just to be ironic I had a robot voice read your comment. Try it.
if you can't figure out how to say totalize, you should probably stop...
The most decorated tank ace of ww2, who singlehandedly wiped out big tank battalions, whereever he did it, died against a shoe maker in a turkey shoot scenario. Talk about ironic.
A tank 'battalion' (UK= Regiment)is c 80 tanks. No ace of any nation wiped out an enemy 'Battalion'.
More like camped.....
Ever notice how the Canadians were supporting the Empire in soldiers, supplies and combat. Yet they never get the credit and the Brits "survived by ourselves against all odds" Such a disservice to the Canadian veterans who basically took all of the brunt.
Because when fighting alongside us, our Imperial and Commonwealth allies were honorary Brits.
I think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill The Brits have always recognised the efforts of the Commonwealth
When Brits say they survived alone they are talking about the dark days of mid 1940-1941, before there were a great many Commonwealth troops doing anything practical. To all intents and purposes, the Brits were alone on that side of the Atlantic Ocean for a while.
Canadian cities weren't being bombed in the Blitz.
Fjb
I've always felt that the Sherbrooke's getting credit Wittman's demise makes up for Capt. Roy Brown losing credit for the downing von Richtofen to an Aussie machine gunner.
But they didnt it was the 1st Northamptonshire Yoemanry