TANK HUNTER: Armored COMBAT from Normandy to the Rhine | Wilbur Myers
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- čas přidán 25. 12. 2023
- Wilbur Jackson “Jack” Myers was born in June 1923 in Williamsport, Maryland, as one of 13 children. In 1930, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government work relief program founded during the Great Depression.
Myers was drafted in 1943 and was sent to Camp Hood in Texas for basic training. He joined the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion and traveled to Europe in September 1944.
Myers served as an antitank gunner and eliminated machine gun nests, observation posts and vehicles. He operated a three-inch anti-tank gun and later worked in a 40-ton M36 tank destroyer.
Interview recorded on November 3, 2023
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Video Credits:
Interviewer - Luke Ryan
Director of Photography - Umit Gulsen
Editor - Daniel Taksas
These interviews are priceless. The more veterans who tell their stories the richer we all are. All of our war veterans, including up to current times have incredible stories to tell. The veterans and their families have made incredible sacrifices for our nation, the least we can do is encourage them to tell their stories. Thank you for your efforts and thank you to all veterans and their families for their service and sacrifices.
You saved the world. My Dad was a tank mechanic for Patton's 3rd Army and was shipped to Okinawa after VE day. His troop ship was 3 days out when we dropped the bomb. He did not get home until March of 46
🫵👍🏼🇺🇸❤😊
Great perspective Ronald. I always have the most appreciation for the people that performed miracles and did more with less in any given situation while expecting nothing more than pay or compensation in return. No chest pumping, boasting or bragging; just sending it like they seen it and sharing their emotional and physical pain with the world.
So sad that all these things were so preventable had Politicians been better leaders, more proactive and transparent with their people. I realize I wasn't there, but I see the wars and conflict of today and smell the same recipe cooking. Only now it's so blatantly about money, resources, land and time being consumed of people around the world. We're given no say and losing so much by the endless greed of countries that pretend they're Nations but acting like States the whole time.
God willing Earth can come to terms as 1 and do away with the endless squabble over consumption. Using 3x what we would be in defending what we know is a limited supply.
I love the innovation, life skills, opportunity and leadership I have been a part of thru my 18 years with the United States Navy; but the military industrial complex is perpetuating madness and geopolitical instability now in padding their purpose with our peace of mind just like the VA has done with our post-service Healthcare. The VA appears to be trying to get better and I admittedly ran from their system a decade ago because it hurt more working with them than it does without them in my life.
Thank God for men like your father and your perspective and recognition of it. Wish you the best Mt friend.
Saved the world from what? Europe and America are third world bannana republics now. The world is a worse place since the Germans lost.
You're dad is one of many hero's... 🙏🇺🇸🙏
@@griftinggameryou must be stupid
"And here I am at 100!". That whole part put a big smile on my face. As a civilian who owes my life of comfort and freedom to brave soldiers who put themselves in harms way for duty and country... Its hard to put into words the level of respect and gratitude I have for them. Thank you.
Me too and so well said.
And what an incredible man he is.
Absolutely!💯
And this fine gentleman looks great!
Yeah, when he said he was 100 years old, I was surprised how well he remembered and spoke about what he went through more than half his life before this interview. I don't know if he's still with us today, but being a Christian, I know where he will spend Eternity. Maybe I meet him there?
@@rb67mustangI sure hope to be in the company of people like him after leaving Earth.
A centurion, WOW you have seen a lot of change in that time. ♥️🙏♥️🙏
This man's a true superhero
Forever Grateful 💯
Lookin' awfully darn good for 100! Thank you for fighting for a better world! God bless!
Awesome interview with a tank destroyer crewman veteran!
Tank destroyers don't get the recognition they deserve. The M36 with the big 90mm gun was used to counter the Tiger and Panther tanks, TDs played a vital role in the European theater.
Greatest generation, thank you
I am impressed he is 100 and doesn't look it. He looks 80 ish! I hope he lived to be older. He is a true hero.
We do things sometimes that we shouldn't. This man us a true honest soul! That lived something truly horrifying. I'm so so happy that he made it and survived much love to his family as well as him. And to yhe brothers he served with 🫡
I am forever thankful for their service.
This man deserves to never be forgotten. A true American hero!! God bless you, sir!! Thank you for sharing your story. God knows how much I appreciate you and your incredible story!! God bless America!! 💯💯💯🇺🇸
My dad served for 3 yrs. in the 62nd Field Artillery in WWII, it was known as Patton's "Shock Troops". He was in 13 different countries. He fought at the Battle of the Bulge and Omaha Beach Red (second wave). He was in charged of the parts for the 62nd and had 4-5 extra tank engines for replacements. He drove a 2-ton truck with a 50 cal. machine gun on a turret and carried a Thompson machine gun. His name is engraved on a wall at the entrance of the Patton Museum near Chiraco Summit, California. My dad lived to be 100 yrs. and 4 mos. Something he said to me once when I was in high school was "son there is something that is even worse than communism and that is radical Islam". His words are ringing very true today. My dad was a very strong Christian and I know his faith got him thru the horrors that he experienced in World War II. He was never bitter and was always friendly and upbeat his entire life. He was a parts manager for a Ford dealership in Arizona for 40 yrs. John Wayne had a large cattle feedlot in the area and would occasionally bring in a work truck to be worked on. He like to wait in the parts dept. and chat with my dad. He once asked if he could walk down the parts aisles as he like automotive "things", my dad said sure, just don't touch anything. We all loved John Wayne, but to me and my brother our dad was always our true hero.
Fabulous Man.
Unfortunately there are many who are Christian in label only. They fail in the 💕”What would Jesus do.”
@leapinlizard9487- Your words of your father he’s an hero in your family as my father’s fathers friend. He’s portrayed by actor Carl Muldon in the movie in 1980
“Patton”….. My cousin fought many battles….
Dominic my 2nd cousin we respectfully called Uncle Dominic he served in WWII he was General Patton’s first Lt. an served in WWII as an staff officer under General Patton he was on General Patton’s staff an drove Gen. Pattons driver in combat an service for are fine hero’s as we live an breath in America.
“I thank you 1 an all”.
@@randalsiggson7178 Your 2nd cousin was a great American hero. My dad met General Patton twice, he always spoke very highly of him. The "slapping" incident of a wounded soldier in the hospital was widely & unjustly reported, but my dad said Patton did it because he wanted to maybe give the wounded soldier something to hate more than the war. Patton wasn't a believer in hand-to-hand combat, he told his soldiers to shoot the enemy from a distant. He said if you used-hand-to-hand combat and survived he would have you court marshalled.
Im christian my self but trust me it’s not just ine religion, every faith that has reach radical level are dangerous
Thank you Mr. Myers for your story and service.💖
Absolutely precious..🫡🇺🇸
CZcams started on February 14, 2005, too bad that these life story WWII concepts were not thought of earlier, when these brave military men were 18 yrs. younger. First person veteran stories are so much better than the often-embellished stories written by others.
Thank you for your service Wilbur Myers.
My uncle Joe Carchidi is buried somewhere in France. He lost his life as a Sherman tank crew member under command of General Patton.
Sherman tanks were pathetic compared to the germans ....panzers...tigers
@@nickmalone3143and the Sherman’s still won….
@@nickmalone3143maybe inferior as far as armor and firepower. But more armor and bigger gun doesn’t mean a thing when u can’t keep the tank running. So depends on how u look at it I suppose
Sad we lose more of these heroes everyday. Thanks for sharing his story.
If you go to Munich a must see is Dachu. Easy public transportation.
the best of what America has to offer by far. what a great man he is. GOD speed SIR>
Jack is my neighbor. I just did an interview with him about 2 weeks ago and posted it on my channel.
Great episode, his clarity at his age was excellent, I wish my grandpas was the same was the same back in the early 80's. he was already a 1st Sgt when WWII started. Demetia took him over and he tried to tell me things but couldn't by then, the few good times were all he could remember, and he would end up laughing about those and eventually walk away when he lost track, I guess.
A true American. Thank you for your service.
This guy is not only a badass, but a great wealth of knowledge. God bless him, and all the veterans 🙏.
If memory serves, Eleanor Roosevelt's CCC Corp built a lot of the cabins and lodges for my home state of West Virginia's state forests and parks. Almost all still stand today, and are still used. Really remarkable, top-shelf construction. This man more than likely had a hand in the program. My family has stayed in many of them over the years and they've provided very wonderful memories. My thanks...
Can't thank you enough for what you and your buddy's did for us all. God bless you and yours 🤗❤️
Thank you for your service ❤🇺🇸
🫡🇺🇸 greatest generation.
What a good honest man. Maybe that is why God spared his life? The horrors of war, may we never forget.
Thank you for your service sir. Your generation saved the world and too many people in my generation don’t know enough about what y’all did.
At 9:50 he mentions the 104th Infantry Div. My uncle was a rifleman in the 104th, The Timberwolves. He fought from their landing in France in September thru the end of the war in Europe. He fought as an enlisted rifleman, promoted to sergeant and finished his service as an officer in California preparing for the invasion of Japan. Sadly, my uncle passed away two years ago at age 96. Thank you, Jack for your service to your country.
What a heroic, wonderful, amazing man.. God Bless him.
Amazing listening to his story and battles. My dad was a gunner in the 629th Tank Destroyers, everything he is describing are the stories I heard from my Dad from shooting at the tracks of the Tiger because they had 75's and couldn't go head to head to getting the 90's which was a game changer.
Hero
Thank you for your sacrifice sir. You are a honor to your country and a true hero.
I hope Wilbur sees all these good comments someday so he knows how much everyone appreciates him. You’re a hero Wilbur!
One of 13 kids in the depression,germans didn't stand a chance,god looked after the good,evil will always lose ,thanks to guys like this
Theres some rare stuff he tells about 1 is destroying German refueling points during Battle of the Bulge. 2 is the Christmas day truce at the Ruhr. Hes a great guy and a amazing veteran of WW2.
Hero with a heart. Thanks, Mr. Myers.
My next door neighbor was a gunner in a tank destroyer. He was one of the finest men I ever knew, just like Wilbur appears to be. When asked about his role in the Battle of the Bulge, he couldn't recall a single thing. Apparently, he blocked it from his memory. Thank you Wilbur!
Thank you Will! Wherever you are! RWB ❤🎉
I love how wholesome this man is while describing the unwholesome events imaginable.
Those Simple Soldiers who were in the Armor Corps and manned our M - 4 Sherman's really suffered terrible losses in Normandy...
Thinking their M - 4 tanks were better then German Panzers..
Many reasons why :
1. The M - 4 Sherman had to be build " Lite " enough ( 30 tons - compared to a Tiger at 60 ..😮 ) to be able to transport / ship over seas..
2. Built as a " Infantry Support Vehicle " ..knock out pill boxes , machine gun inplacements , etc.
Sooo..yeah
Simple Men trained to do an Important function , under extreme conditions ( imagine operating inside a Tank dury the Winter / Battle of Bulge...😮 😰 )
Who We All owe Everything too..
SALUTE
Shermans weren't necessarily worse than the german Panzers, they just faced a well dug in opponent who was on the defense since 1943. Mines, Artillery, AT emplacements etc all took a heavy toll on the Allied armor. Tank on tank engagements were relatively rare.
I agree on your 2 points, and Sherman did the mentioned job exceedingly well. So it's not fair to call it "worse" than the german big cats.
Sherman tanks lacked armor and knockout power compared to the panzers. The German Tanks was superior in armor and cannon both. The Sherman tank was a rolling coffin it definitely still helped the infantry troops and played a important roll in helping achieve victory.
@@Jotgut
Tank against Tank...the Sherman M - 4 was exceedingly lacking...
It only had 3" of Front armor ...
And its 76 mm lacked fire power to penetrate the panzers unless they hit it in the tracks , thus disabling it ; so they could out maneuver it and obtain a hit in the panzers rear....
There were so few German tanks to counter the allied armor, that most US tankers in ETO finished the war without having seen one.
Even the TDs were mostly delegated to infantry support, acting as mobile artillery or a direct fire asset against bunkers etc. Something like 80% of 76 & 90 mm rounds expended were HE.
The Sherman was very capable of taking on the bulk of German armor; P3s, P4s, and the myriad of the Marder-series.
The few P5s, P6s and Jagdpanzer-hevies were so few on number, they did proved to be nothing more than curiosity on the tactical level.
Except wars aren't fought Tank against Tank. And 76mm could definitely penetrate panzer 4s and tigers. @@nelsonlanglois9104
This is an amazing way to preserve thier storys and our history thank you
Thank you wilber
Thats sad but cute to here him talk about his wife , truly the greatest generation
Mr. Myers is from the same area I’m from. He is well known here, we love him very much. I’m glad he got to go back to Germany and got to do this interview about his experience in the war.
I hope you are doing well Jack. Hello from Hagerstown, MD. Just 8 miles from Williamsport where he’s from. They had flyer a few years ago about him around town. I remember picking it up and reading it.
Jack is a great man and loved very much by us all here. 🇺🇸🤝 God bless him and his sacrifice during the war.
He will be 101 years old this year.
I have Respekt for vets u guys saved the world
Truly , a great interview with a man who severed honorably TRULY ONE OF THE GREATEST GENERATION THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR SACRIFICES SIR THE WORLD OWES YOU AND THOSE that didn't make it home a debt of such depth and breadth that many can't comprehend all we currently have is because of all of you WITH GREATEST GRATITUDE THANK YOU GODSPEED SIR
OMG, this guy reminds me so much of my uncles on my mothers side of the family. 17 kids, 3 of who died when very young. So, 14 kids much like this guys family. All very devote Christians. Super nice guys who were brought up during the depression. Had great parents, had amazing work ethic, a mother who was very kind, always optimistic. 6 of the 8 boys served during WW2, one from Normandy to Germany like this guy. Another who was in a Japanese POW camp from '42 until the end of the war, barely survived. The others in the merchant marines, a MP, you name it. The girls in local factories. All did their part. Just one still alive. So many similarities to this guy and his family. Figured there were others out there, but this is first time I have heard from one. Thank you so much to this man and this channel. I greatly miss my aunts and uncles who have passed, were my connection to a world people nowadays can barely imagine, my kids barely got to know.
Amazing clarity from a real hero.
Thank you so much for getting these incredible men's stories out there in their own words. They deserve to be immortalized.
A grateful nation thanks you, sir! I wish I could thank you in person for your service!😊
Thank you for sharing your story.😊
THANKYOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!❤
Gracias a usted, a sus amigos y compañeros por lo que hicieron. Tengo 27 años y solo pienso en la manera de que niños de entre 16 y 20 y tantos años no tuvieran que haber pasado por eso y que todos pudieran haber llegado a tener mi edad. Me rompe el corazón.
Mas aún, que esos niños se comportaron con el compromiso y la seriedad que requeria cumplir con todas las personas que dependian de ellos, gente como yo, incluso mayor, que no pudieron protegerlos sino ser protegidos por ustedes.
No puedo poner en palabras el respeto que les tengo por haber arriesgado la única vida que tenían. Les debemos la bonita vida que podemos llevar ahora
much respect
Your an amazing man and I’m honoured to hear your story, thank you so much
I love hearing your story ....
-next generation
The greatest generation. Where have gotten to. We miss you.
100% the best generation. God bless this man.
thank you
Thank you for your service! 🇺🇸
Wilbur Jackson “Jack” Myers is great. Hero.
I've heard a lot of these same stories for my Father. He went just about the same route as this man. Dad was in the 372 tank destroyer battalion. They had the 90mm gun.
This man is an inspiration to all who aspire to live a meaningful life. What a champion.
Thank you for your service
Thank you for your service to a FREE and grateful nation.
Amazing detail. Jack is sharp as a tack for a hundred years old.
The greatest USA generation, good people, so much humility and humanity in a Victor of war. mr Myers embodies this.
Good on you Mate, Super High Kudos 👍
Merry Christmas Sir
Thank you
Thank you for your service and sacrifices.
Thank you for your service 🇺🇸
I hear my dad when he speaks!!
Incredible sir. Thank you so much for sharing even the most difficult times.
Thank you Sir!!! God bless you!!!
If it wasn't for men like you I don't know where this world would be. I can't thank your generation enough
Sir, thank you.
Thank you Sir for doing your duty! May God continue to bless you and yours. Also thank you for telling us of your service during the war.
Always blows my mind how well these vets remember their war stories 80 years out I barely remember yesterday's breakfast 😂
My great grandfather was a medic in the 99 division in Pattons army
We have gone so far in the wrong direction as a society. This man was part of the greatest generation. Simple life, hard working, concepts people cannot comprehend these days.
Thank God for this warrior and all the others in the greatest generation who literally saved the world.
I like the reference to the CCC, civilian conservation corps.
had similar experience in the Youth Conservation Corps in the 70's
My Dad was in the Army in Europe during WW2 and he sounds like the same things my Dad went through! He went through the Depression and joined the CCC ! He got drafted into the Army, he and his 3 brothers served! His oldest brother was killed in the Philippines fighting the Japanese!
Thanks to all our Veterans who served. So much more agony and death beyond his short related experiences.
We here living, and the many future generations, will never achieve the level gallantry and heroic sacrifice shown by these men. We are truly blessed to have heard his words.
Our nation owes you an un payable debt of gratitude sir. Thank you ❤ My grandpa, Sgt. Donald Sprauge landed on Utah beach as a mortarman and fought his way to the Rhine River as well. Your generation is the greatest to have ever lived. I'm sorry that we haven't kept it up like it was intended. There are still patriots out there who will do their best to preserve our way of life. You will never be forgotten. 🫡
Ty.....as I am from your Area... know your home area, names caught my ear..
Awesome! My grandfather was in 3rd armor as a tank commander in a Sherman.
Those men served during times after tough times of the depression in the CCC. America needs another CCC to rebuild the road systems, national parks, schools and water systems.
my great grandfather was in the 818th TD battalion during world war 2. he ended up retiring out of the army as a SFC. he would light up when he spoke about his experiences fighting in the war
100? Wow!
Please let me know if this honorable soldier had any contact with the 705TH Tank Destroyer Division. My father was a second lieutenant during the Battle of Bastogne doing reconnaissance work until he was wounded in a jeep accident behind enemy lines while under fire and received a Purple Heart. My Father passed away in 1972 so I never had the opportunity to speak with him about his role in WW II.
He is in the 692 TD battalion, they fought through a different route than the 705th. I am sure they were around each other for certain battles though.
Can you imagine what life would be like if most men were still like this man?
He looks great for 100!!
Remarkable Remembrance Sir, fabulous Remembrance. Amidst the horror. God Bless all in your realm in Jesus name.
Thank you for your service Mr Myers. The world owes you a debt.
I love how calmly he told a man to take a knife off of someone’s throat 🤣
Liked and subbed
Theres a park near my house that has an M4A1 Sherman outside of it. My parents had taken me there when I was a boy and I was just fascinated by this hulking machine. I remember reading the sign under it and the three words Ill never forget was "Death Before Dismount." I asked my dad what that meant and he said "the guys that operated that tank, they would rather have died fighting inside of it than to get out and give up." I remembered my grandfathers words when he would tell me "never give up, no matter what you do. People will remember that you never gave up until the job was done" and I thought to myself that I wanted to be just like them. That I NEEDED to be just like them. The men that operated that tank, who fought bravely. I knew when I was only 5 years old I wanted to be just like them. Sadly, I was turned away by the Army due to having BPD and being almost unable to function without my medication. They said I could sign a waiver and I might be able to get in but there was no guarentee that id be able to be a tanker. Ill be honest, I cried when I got home. I had this dream for almost 2 decades and it was crushed. But hearing these guys tell their stories brings me an immense joy and reminds me of the day my dream of being a tanker began.