When Sgt. Harris Bagged 5 Panther Tanks with 5 Shots | 14 June 1944
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2024
- Bagging 5 Panther tanks with just 5 shots, Sgt Wilf Harris showed that the Sherman Firefly could take on the best the Germans had to offer - and that British tank crews were just as good as their German equivalents.
Set in Normandy in 1944, World War Two historian John Delaney presents a fascinating story from history that deserves to be better known.
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00:00 | Intro
00:52 | Preparing for Battle
02:00 | The Attack
06:50 | Counter Attack
12:04 | The Damage
This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.
#tankmuseum #TankActions #Lingevres
We hope you enjoyed the first episode of this new series - let us know your thoughts and what you'd like to see next!
In all fairness. I wanna see a Video on Creighton Abrams. I hear that he's was one of the Best Tank Commanders, but I don't hear anyone telling me why.
I would love to see a video on the Warsaw uprising and the Tanks used there for the Polish legacy.
Has to be the first tank on tank battle. I know a bit was done as part of the Mk4 vid
This is exactly the kind of content I'd love to see more of. Detailed descriptions of real tank battles, preferably informed by both personal accounts and the work of historians. In my opinion it is much more interesting than discussions of armour thickness and suspensions (not that those aren't important!).
Thank you! Very well done and I absolutely appreciate these war stories. Please continue this series. Any stories involving the A30 Challenger? Or perhaps some Korean War?
I had a Grampa in the 3rd Armored Division in WW2. He was a 19yr. old who trained as infantry, but ended up a replacement loader in a Sherman that had lost its previous two loaders in combat (he had black-and-white pictures of the welded-in "turret-hole-plugs" from which both prior loaders lost their lives). He ended his few months in combat during The Battle of The Bulge, when, while riding in what his battalion commander told them was a "Kraut Scrubbed Area" with his turret hatch open, his Sherman got hit by what he believes was a German 75mm AP round which touched off their tank's forward, right-side ammo rack. All he remembered was a loud "bang" and when he woke up, he remembered screaming in pain while his tank commander pressed freshly fallen snow into the burn wounds on his face and upper-body in an attempt to provide him some temporary relief. He later found out that he and his tank commander were both blown clear from his tank's turret after the initial hit, and shortly afterward the rest of the ammo in the tank brewed up and burned the rest of his crew to death. He had temporarily swapped positions with his gunner, and was fortuitously riding with his head out the gunner's hatch (which, in the event, doomed his gunner to a fiery death). As a child, I remember it taking a long while getting used to my Grampa's facial deformities due to his severe burn wounds. He never complained and neither did my Grandma, although my Mom would tell me in later years that as a child she remembered him waking up screaming in the middle of the night and manically saying he had to get his buddies out of his burning tank. What a horrific war. In my book, they're absolutely the Greatest Generation and through their sacrifices they undoubtedly saved the world.
Now look at what Democrats world wide have done. We on the edge of even greater destruction & ruin
God bless your Grandfather.
My Grandfather served in WW2, my Father in Korea and me in Viet Nam.
Your Grandfather is our Brother.
@@250txc Shut up
From a Tyrant hell bent to change the world into his Idea on the bodies of the vanquished and the weak. America out produced the Germans but at what cost with a Tank that was not up to scratch with even a Panzer IV with a 75mm L36. With hope and a sturdy ride. Their only chance was in numbers against a Tiger I and II or the Panther with a long barrel 75mm! Finally the M26 with the 90mm showed up. The Panther tank Vs. an M26 in Cologne was filmed. That was a Gun Duel fitting the Combatants!
Yes they did save the world, how they are turning in their graves now at the state of the world. It is hard to find any with the calibre that these lads had now days. WW2 in my personal opinion the only just war in many decades.
My grandfather was with the DLI during this action. He took over from the artillery observers when they were put out of action. He directed further artillery and organised the decimated infantry despite being wounded in the arm himself. He was awarded a DCM for his actions that day. Myself, my father and my son visited Lingeveres several years ago to see where this event unfolded. There’s a nice memorial to the DLI at the side of the church.
@250txc - your name is befitting; txc = toxic
@@250txc Why?
From the records of the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, I see that on 16th of July they announce ( this means, read out at a Parade ) that C.S.M. J.N. Howson of "D" company got the DFM.
Then on the 17th, they held an investiture ceremony, but C.S.M. J.N. Howson and two other men were not there to accept their medals, as they had been wounded in action and evacuated.
Was that him?.
The maps are great it really helps to understand what is going on from a 2d environment
Yes, I agree. I would prefer the scale of the tanks to be a bit more regular though. It's hard to understand space and time when the tanks are so huge. Great addition, though.
Which then begs the question...
For the crews, buttoned up, unaware what they're about to face.
Having studied a map for a few minutes before hand. How disorientated would they have been?
This highlights the advantage defenders have over attackers. Defending allows effective abmush positions to be set up, allowing significant damage to be inflicted before any return fire can be brought to bear. The german tanks were highly capable, but they did not have the overwhelming superiority that many claim. The German army simply spent most of the latter years operating a fighting retreat, thus allowing their armour to operate from prepared defensive locations.
You hit the nail on the head with this comment. This is exactly what the issue was.
Yeah, the tactic of "counterattack IMMEDIATELY" made them extremely predictable, giving Allied troops time to set up defensive and ambush positions, the same thing happened when Joe Ekins offed Michael Wittmann, they knew the counter attack was coming so set up a trap the Panzers rolled right into
Also a side note of (whatever the tank version of trigger discipline is 😂) when that one sherman was knocked out the panther followed up with several more hits and judging by the pictures into the exact same place, whereas the British crews hit and double tapped if they had to. Just kinda shows how panic potentially sets in after getting ambushed.
@@FieldMarshalFry The British army of 1944 had made the German tactic of the counterattack a cornerstone of its tactic. Advance using overwhelming artillery support and the creeping barrage, secure position, bring artillery forward, then give the counterattacking Germans a nice welcome with a hail of artillery. They're brutal WW1 style tactics, but they worked because of the stubborn German counterattack doctrine. And if the initial infantry attack was timed well with the creeping barrage it kept British casualties down. Sadly that was not always the cause. And understandable, it takes nerves of steel to stay close to incoming artillery fire.
except if you have an idiot like Michael Whitman go all leeroy jenkins on you an ruin the ambush.
9:11 what amazing courage draper possessed it's like something out of a movie, jumping back into a tank on fire and being fired at to save a comrade.
More than just a comrade. Never been in combat but I'd imagine a lot of those tank crews were closer than most families.
My old Headmaster HM Jennings MC would very occasionally describe Tank Battles in North Africa. Shake the partly cast iron desks we had with the lights flickering, count in thirteens until you hit a number divisible by seven and still play a game of 'Buzz'. He was, I think the first Tanker to join the Guinea Pig Club after 3rd degree burns in France.
He couldn't but be aware of his external appearance, we, very nasty Children, called him Claws not knowing he'd returned to three different Tanks in one action to rescue Men.
I still have a Prep School Term Report which I treasure because of the beautiful script which he'd had to relearn.
I wonder if he was the same man who shouted at me to stay off the cricket pitch at Tunbridge Wells Common when my rubber-band powered model aeroplane alighted upon that hallowed turf?
I'm of the last generation who were taught by "old soldiers" from WWII, although they would have been close to retirement then. Our chemistry teacher had lost a leg, and lurched about on his tin one, our RK teacher had been a prisoner of the Japanese Army, in Burma, and our Latin teacher (I didn't do Latin myself...), had been in France. They rarely, if ever, mentioned their service, although our RK teacher had once exploded in rage, shouting about his terrible experiences, when mocked for his belief by a couple of punk-rocker boys in class. I think, had they made a presentation of their wartime lives, we would ALL have been fascinated, and would have respected them greatly for it.
@@Roll_the_Bones Same here. We had a Teacher called Mr Holt, he was a giant of a Man who walked ramrod straight. His shoes were always polished like Mirrors and his attire was immaculate always. He had a very calm way about him and we all liked him. One day he lost his Temper as a couple of the usual trouble makers were acting up in class, his voice suddenly changed and it frightened the life out of us, i had never heard anyone shout so loud and then in an instant, he went back to his usual calm self, you could hear a Pin drop in that Classroom. We were talking to our History Teacher, a Mr Drake and we told him of this episode and how we had never heard Mr Holt raise his voice before, he told us that Mr Holt was in The Grenadier Guards during The War and that he had seen a tremendous amount of Action and he had been wounded. I never forgot that, that would have been about 1970.
@@Roll_the_Bones I was born in 66, had three different teachers ( one female ) who had been in the Services during WW2.
One had been in the Royal Navy, joined in 1938* as a 16 year old, and he DID tell us quite a few things about the experience.
One REALLY funny thing he told us was, he wasn't allowed to be at sea until he was 20, which was the naval law, even during the actual war ( Only for "other ranks" of course, Officers were allowed afloat at 18. ) So he served in shore defenses for two years that, if he had been in the other services, he would probably have been sent on over-seas service when he turned 19. And of course, as Infantry or Tankers, etc, you went out in a SHIP . . .
When he was old enough, he did four little trips up to the top of Russia in a Corvette, during which the vessel led a charmed existence. At one point after a determined german air attack, he told us, he could see five burning ships, with all of the men on them doomed to death because of the cold. They sailed on.
My uncle was a tanker during the war with the Kings Own Calgary Regiment, Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. He saw a great deal of action and survived the war. Much respect for the "tin can cowboys." 🌺🍁🌺
BS
MUCH RESPECT TO ALL THE CANADIANS, ECT AND ALL THE OTHER NATIONS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND SURVIVED, NOT ENOUGH IS SPOKEN ABOUT
THEIR COURAGE AND SUCCESSES, I THINK IT WAS YOUR COUNTRYMEN WHO GOT WHITTMAN AND PUT AND TO HIS MYTH OR SHOULD OF DONE
Villers Bocage cost the Germans dearly too. It wasnt the walkover that has been suggested. Wittman left his Tiger behind and had to walk back to be rearmed with a spare tank.
Judging from the records (which are sketchy) they lost between 8 to 15 tanks including 6 Tigers (16% of all the Tigers in Normandy at the time) with many other damaged. It was definitely a bloody affair - glad I wasn't there!
There is the real events of what happened at Villers Bocage, and the myth that the Germans created and which has been accepted almost verbatim by almost everybody, including the British and historians who never bothered to check what really happened.
@@JohnyG29 They also lost 17 Tigers and 30 Panthers in Operation Goodwood.
Weren't the Tigers of Villers Bocage recovered and repaired?
Wittman's Tiger was lost. It was hit by a 6 pdr that had been manhandled up a lane and a shot went into the engine. Only for his crew's quick escape, did he evade death or capture that day.
A Sherman Firefly of the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment took out 5 Panthers with 6 shots on June 9, 1944. You know, just in case you think what's described in this video only happened once.
The Sherman Firefly seems quite good
@@JimbobTwentySevenErgonomically not very good. Very cramped interior, but that gun was a beast!
17 pounders remained in service for decades. They knew why they kept them.
@@JimbobTwentySeven Not the best, as they suffered from all the problems that Shermans were known for, and the price of including a huge 17 pounder gun into the turret meant it was extremely cramped. But it is a prime example that it is better to have an okay solution to a problem right now, then wait for a perfect solution to maybe come tomorrow. It could take out the big German tanks, and that was precisely what was needed at the moment. But it did get a bit of a somewhat mythical status among the Brits and the armies that were equipped by them. The Americans tested a few and were not impressed, preferring their 76mm equipped version which morphed into the Easy Eight.
The really fun part happened after the war, when the Israeli army got Shermans and progressively upgunned them. First with the French derivative of the Panther 75mm gun and later with a 105mm gun.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe I still laugh at how the commander and gunner had to close their eyes when the main gun fired, to not essentially flashbang themselves. But it worked so well, they had to paint the ends of the barrels because the Germans would target Fireflies first
Had my heart going listening to this. Incredible story.
It's great to see The Tank Museum (aka 'the Bovington Boys') following the examples of Mark Felton, Dark Docs, and others with exciting actual tank combat stories. Keep 'em coming!
mark felton is a nazi apologist and dark docs just reads wikipedia pages
Mark Felton aka the wikipedia historian?
My Grandad served with the Durham Light Infantry and briefly described the advance on Tilly-sur-Seulles in his memoirs. Thank you for providing me with more detail on the advance and describing how hard the fighting was.
My late father in law served with the Green Howards, part of 50th Northumbrian Infantry Div. He landed on Gold Beach on the 6th June. His Bn. served in the same area.
BS
What’s wrong with you?
I like how the gunner does all the work but gets pretty much none of the credit.
commander locates the targets, loader loads the gun, driver positions vehicle, its definitely teamwork for survival.
You will see in every contact, all branches, people doing the same things, top brass biggest gongs, privates smallest.British forces always been the same
@@paulbellingham3948hence why British squaddies at the time referred to military award OBE's to officers as the "other buggers efforts" award!
It takes an entire crew to fight the tank but somehow those handing out awards overlook this. Sadly nothing has changed. Look at the lists of who receives various awards when Buckingham Palace passes out peacetime medals. Both military and police hand out medals in direct proportion to rank.
Rank hath its privilege. 😊
This was amazing to watch, I even loaded up google maps to see where the fighting was and the different positions of the tanks. The war memorial is still there with bullet holes in its stone!
This is the best video narrative of an armoured action I've ever seen. Really hoping this new series can cover some Canadian tank actions of Italy and Northwest Europe. Well done to the team who made this.
Nice to see a new presenter with his own style!
Fascinating and so well made acount of this battle and the ferocity faced by both sides. I loved the moving battle maps and original footage. The Panzer Lehr were a formidable unit, but so were our tankers when armed with the 75mm/Firefly.
Am from Sunderland, at that time part of Durham County. Have been to the DLI museum in Durham lots of times. Did not realise that they fought in this action.
WITH LOTS OF RESPECT - WE GLAD YOU DID, I MUST GET UP TO DURUM AND LOOK THE MUSEUM UP SOME TIME, THANKS FOR HIGHLIGHTING IT
Thanks for covering this, i recall reading about this exploit in Osprey Duel book 😊 firefly vs Tiger 1.
A well researched and well thought out production, well done and thanks to all involved.
There is so much detail about the Invasion of Normandy that is untold , a well made film of a dramatic story, thank you.
Villers Bocage was a match of 2 halves, each side winning one day. Overall, the Germans lost slightly less but a much higher proportion of their assets and leaving the Allies with greater superiority.
Yeah the Germans losing a tank was worse in the long run than the loss of a Sherman or a Cromwell.
Plus it was under conditions heavily favourable to the German heavy tanks
@@FieldMarshalFry What??? How does hedgerows and towns help the german heavy tanks desinged for open spaces and long ranges?
The events of Villers-Bocage put an end to the plan to take CEAN within the first week after D-Day. It took them almos two month as a consequence.
In the discussion of the Aftermath on the Wikipedia article the following ist written:
In early August, up to 100 men, including Bucknall, Erskine, Hinde and other senior officers were sacked and reassigned. Historians largely agree that this was a consequence of the failure at Villers-Bocage and had been planned since the battle.
Trying to turn Villers-Bocage in a 50/50 situation or even trying to turn it into a positive event for the allies is quite silly. It was the corner stone for the attritionall battle at Cean and the horrible losses during operation Goodwood (500 operatinal tank losses in 48h traded for around 100 german tanks, the fight started with 1100 allied vs 370 german tanks).
Do you have any understanding how overwhelming the allied supply was. Total air superiority, heavy ship based artillery, outnumbering the enemy at least 4 to 1 in men and equipment and at any case.
I would say it was more of a defeat for the Germans, especially in strategic terms.
Most people tend to forget that most of Witmanns unit got destroyed after Witmanns solo run. As while he might have destroyed more vehicles single handedly, his presence did alert the British that an attack was coming and when the rest of Wittmann's unit arrived, the British were now fully alert, were well dug in and prepared, the rest of the German Tigers and supporting Panzer IVs were quickly knocked out by the British.
Wittmann actually did a lot more harm than good when he went off on his own self-glory hunt.
@@Frserthegreenengine
Britain failing their objective despite superior forces......
defeat for the germans.
According to Monty Market Garden was 90% a succsess.
Excellent graphics, great film, photos and especially good narration too. Thank you very much.
Just to say I really like the map format that you added into the video, it makes it easier to understand the action. Please keep up the good work
Thanks for your extensive use of maps and showing positional movements. A lot of documentaries don't do this and I am always left with the situation being as clear as mud, for me.
Thank you for covering this incident.
Wilfred Harris promoted to squadron quartermaster and served with the War Office police.He passed on in 1988.
Excellent graphics, Made understanding the stages of the battle very clear.
An amazing story. Thank you
G'day from Australia, every one a Hero, war is Hell.
WELL SAID AND SADLY NOT ENOUGH IS HEARD ABOUT YOUR NATIONS STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES
Between the explanation, war footage and the diagrams showing the movements, it really allows the imagination to run wild picturing the battle taking place. I would love to see more of these please! Great work!
Great video! Awesome step by step summary of the battle. Incredible, what it takes to make those calls under combat.
Now if someone can persuade a film company to make a British tank movie this sounds like a candidate !
But the US won the war single handedly, everyone knows that😂
We need a series like Band of Brothers on units like the Sherwood Rangers and the Durham Light infantry. They were always right in the thick of the action!
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-would be fantastic, but the big money comes from America, so it’s the American stories that get told…
@@pete1942sometimes it’s the Brits’ stories that get told but they’re appropriated by the Americans. Looking at you U-571.
@@morstyrannis1951 That film was an atrocity.
That 17pdr gun in the Firefly was a seriously good weapon...many say better than the 88?
From what I've read, it arguably was better than the 88 as an anti-tank weapon, and at very least on a par with it. The 88 had a much better HE round though, so it was more versatile, and therefore probably a better gun overall. That said, the 17-pdr was an absolute game-changer for British crews who had spent most of the war being outgunned by German armour. Not any more!
@paulclarke1207 I'm sure I read the 17pdr had a higher muzzle velocity so as an anti tank gun it just had the edge with the extra umph
No
British had ammunition problems
The 88mm, especially the Tiger I's L/56, was more accurate at long range, did more damage and as has been said was a superior dual purpose gun with greater HE power.
In controlled shooting, something like 2 out of 3 rounds hit a tank sized target at 2,000 metres.
@@garethbarnes3680 with APDS the 17pounder was better than the German APCBC but slightly inferior to the APCR by 16mm of penetration at 2000 yards
Fantastic video! I look forward to more videos in this format and series.
I would like to see the Tank Museum follow up with PDF content as gaming scenarios - maps, situation, orbat,...victory conditions....
Excellent video, thanks! I'm looking forward to more of this series.
Thank you for doing such an amazing job keeping the tank story available over the years. A small amount but your work is priceless
Pierre Billotte entered the Chat.
13 panzer III and IV destroyed with his B1bis in one fight, received 140 hits, no damage. Bonjour, Aurevoir.
Funniest thing about that engagement is he was in a group with other tanks and one of them just sort of drove off and nobody really knows where they went.
Great video. Brilliantly narrated.
I have read so much about Michael Wittman's devastating exploits at Villers Boccage but never anything about this action that followed quickly afterwards. As you say, it must have helped to restore the faith of the British in their tankers and their Shermans. My gosh, the losses amongst the supporting infantry were horrific.
It is great to see a serviceman who performed so admirably in the actual fighting, get to the top of NATO forces.
I recall the videos on the death of Wittman and four of his Tiger tanks in August. Eakins, normally the radioman, took over as a gunner in a Sherman firefly and took out three of the Tigers, though it was the Canadians who destroyed Wittman's Tiger.
Thanks again.
Amazing format I really enjoyed it. I can’t believe it’s the first time I’ve heard of this battle
Fascinating, thank you.
Such an interesting story. One of my great regrets is that I will never get to visit the Tank Museum in person.
Australia has an awesome, if somewhat smaller Armor and Artillery museum....Somewhere in the North. I watch a regular series they release every Weds. where they show restoration projects they have ongoing.
The greatest generation. Thank you for sharing.
What an inspiring and courageous story - Thank you!
Great story, well told and animated. What a price to pay though
Excellent video. Thank you.
What a story. So many incredible WW2 tank battle stories from both sides. Makes me want to boot up war thunder.
Incredible Courage and Skill by the British Tank Crews and Sgt Harris!!
Good animations. Clear and easy to understand. Cheers!
Great information. I think sometimes the Germans believed their own propaganda and thought their tanks invincible. I watched a documentary once where a Panther crewman stated how they didn't even worry about Shermans, only to state a couple minutes later that his tank was disabled, by a Sherman. When you look at the battle of Arracourt you can see that Sherman versus Panther was not as big a mismatch as the Wehraboos would have you believe.
75 or 76
When use to 75s it’s a surprise when one has a 76 since both look the same
Depends heavily on which variant. 75mm Shermans weren't up to fighting late-war German tanks, but 76mm variants were.
The same's true in reverse of course, throwing a PzIII against a Pershing or T-34-85 would not go well for the German crew.
@@ikillstupidcomments And the Centurion too.
@@ikillstupidcommentsPanzer 3 wouldn't stand a chance against a Sherman
@@ikillstupidcomments
It depends on the ammo.
The thing I find frustrating in all of this is that one regiment had to hand back their Comets and land in D-Day with Shermans because they hadn't completed their conversion training. Had they been held back two or three of weeks (given that the battle of Normandy was eleven) how different would the fighting around Caen have been with some Comets.
Most situationally aware German play- I mean tankers.
Thanks, Tank Museum.
Thanks for a great video
As I've heard the saying go "there's three things certain in life: tax, death and German counter attacks" 30 Panthers sounds horrific. Great video guys, was on the edge of my seat for this one.
Wow, amazing. Loved this videos with graphics.
...Outstanding History Story!...
excellent vid, fantastic detail at the level that can be related too.
Great story, many thanks!! Proves what all of human experience proves... man to man....whoever is lucky, lives.... (till they ain't)!!!!!
Harris got 5 panther tanks because of his skilled Gunner.
Thanks!
I love how evrebody acts as if Wittman had singelhandedly won the day, instead of being straight up responsibale for hir units anhilation.
The joys of propaganda.
And then there's the way that to this day the 'prowess' of the Tiger and Panther are hailed. When most losses were due to mechanical defects (and the crews destroying them as they retreated).
It's a pretty poor weapon system that can't be kept in the fight. The most effective tank was the PzIV. The Germans should have been building these. But that doesn't fit with the propaganda myth.
@@johnathanh2660 The panzer 4 was putdated, even before Toger and phanter went into service. Tiger was the best Nazi Tank by 44, which says more about the nazis and less about Tiger....
@@yoschiannik8438
The PzIV could be built at far greater volumes than any other tank and Panthers and Tigers were comparatively rare and worse mechanically unreliable.
The Tiger had an Achilles heel, its' final drive, which often failed and this resulted in a mobility kill. Compare that with a PzIV which compared favourably to most British tanks and most variants of the Sherman.
Amazing video - yet another example of how it was much easier to defend in Normandy than it was to attack...
This video shows how hard the fighting was around Caen. The criticisms made of Monty and the Commonwealth forces by the Americans and some revisionist historians were just not warranted. It also confirms the PIAT was an effective tank killer.
Yes, people tend to forget the British and Canadians fought the bulk of the German armoured forces in France 1944. 9th SS, 10th SS, 1st SS, Panzer Lehr, 12th SS, 21st Panzer, 2nd Panzer, etc.
Any criticisms by Americans for the slow progress in taking Caen are made totally redundant in light of their own even slower progress in attempting to take Metz/Lorraine and the Hurtgen Forest etc not long after. Not to mention falling asleep in the Ardennes.
@@lyndoncmp5751 Yeah I do find it really hypocritical when all the buck is passed around, at the end of the day both sides ran into heavy resistance. There seems to be a version of history that attempts to portray the British as "inept" and the Americans as "amazing" when comparing the progress of the campaign in France. I tend to take a more objective view on the subject.
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-
Its astonishing when you think about it. In general the Americans moved no faster than the British and Commonwealth forces in Africa, Italy and NW Europe.
People always talk about how quickly Patton's 3rd Army got across France yet British 2nd Army did 400km in just 5 days from the Seine to Brussels. This gets ignored. This was actually faster than Patton's army moved.
@@lyndoncmp5751 Yup that was Horrocks corps, Monty would have been proud of him no doubt. Dispells the myth of British "slowness"
haven’t heard many stories of the british tankers, thanks, great stuff
This channel produces such fantastic content. ☺️
Thank you, very interesting.
Incredible.
interesting and detailed report, thanks!
Amazing story.
interesting and detailed report, thanks
Danke!
My old regiment great history
What great courage, skill, and heroism, yet what appalling casualties. I salute and honor all the Bristish soldiers who served in this battle, indeed, in all the bloody battles of World War II.
I only discovered this channel a couple of days ago and now cannot stop watching the videos. This one was rather uplifting after watching the video showing the bloody mayhem of the battle at Villers-Bocage.
As I am not trained in military tactics or strategies I am interested in trying to extract the "lessons learned" from these deadly battles. It seems to me that the German tanks often had a technical advantage but not always. The British in their characteristic way started the war with inferior equipment but rapidly improved it. The Firefly tank seems to have been a very fearsome vehicle.
I wonder what was learned tactically. Clearly, the situations were often chaotic and one comment below I thought rang true: the Germans often had the advantage of starting from very strong and well prepared defensive positions. However, when chaos ensued all bets were off and instinct, courage, improvisation and determination really came to the fore.
Great video.
if i'm not mistaken, the second essex reg. was on that eastern flank of the village and faced flame throwers and heavy artillery fire until the support of tanks came along alot later to save the situation. They had a seriously hard time. So brave those chaps, don't know if there is any pompadours still alive today.
Essex were resting on that day, resting and rebuilding - they had made an earlier attack on Lingevres, on June 11th. They got into the village but drew back under heavy resistance into an orchard just on the outskirts (“Essex Wood”) where they were attacked overnight by infantry and a halftrack with a flamethrower. They clung on despite heavy casualties but got withdrawn by Brigade on the 12th because it was such a precarious spot.
TY 🙏🙏
4/7 Dragoon Guards were part of 8th Independent Armoured Brigade along with The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) and 24 Lancers. The SRY had fought in tanks all through North Africa from Alamein to Tunis, but, in order to balance the experience in the Army's armoured brigades prior to D-Day, the 4/7 and 24 Lancers were transferred to 8 Armoured Brigade in exchange for the Staffordshire Yeomanry and 3 Royal Tank Regiment (who had also fought in North Africa) who were moved to bolster the newly created 29th and 27th Armoured Brigades respectively. 8 Armoured Brigade's role in NW Europe was primarily to provide armoured support to Infantry Divisions. This usually meant that a Regiment of tanks would be allocated to each infantry Brigade and each infantry battalion in the Brigade would be allocated a squadron of tanks to support it. Consequently, the major commanding each cavalry squadron was under the command of an infantry colonel. One of the problems this created from time to time was the infantry commander not being willing to take advice from a junior, but frequently more experienced squadron leader. I don't wish to infer any criticism of the DLI and their CO, I wasn't there, but it was noticeable that the attack on the village made more progress after the sad death of the infantry CO, when the squadron leader took command.
I noticed that in a number of previous comments people were surprised that the gunner in Sgt Harris' tank hadn't been awarded a medal. This shows a lack of understanding of the role of the tank commander. Putting it bluntly, a good tank commander kept the rest of the crew alive. The drivers, gunner and operator all had a part to play in the operation of the tank, but the commander made the tactical decisions and (particularly in the Normandy Bocage) had a much greater likelihood of being killed as it was extremely difficult to command a Sherman tank without your head out of the turret. The fact that the gunner was mentioned in despatches is testimony to the accuracy of his shooting. Most regiments were only equipped with enough Firefly tanks to have one per troop, so the majority of the tank engagements in NW Europe were fought by Shermans with the standard 75mm gun. The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, who saw more action than any other armoured regiment in WW2, first in North Africa and then in Europe, learnt the hard way how to knock out German tanks in the close Normandy countryside. They would put down a phenomenal amount of fire on any enemy tank, forcing the crew to close up and rely on their periscopes for visibility. They would also 'brass up' any suspected infantry position with MG fire, forcing the Germans to return fire and reveal their location; they never moved without a round of AP 'up the spout'. This meant that the crews spent many hours every night re-arming their tanks when they might have been asleep, but their willingness to use their ammunition gave them a tactical edge.
For example on 26 June in Fontenay, A Squadron OC, John Semken found himself face to face with a Tiger Tank, only 120 yards apart. Semken fired immediately and in the space of 30 seconds his tank hit the Tiger 10 times. Although the Tiger only suffered superficial damage, the periscopes were all smashed and, with the weight of fire on them, the Tiger's crew bailed out. The SRY's commanders were also adept at stalking German tanks and no-one was a greater exponent than Sgt, George Dring MM. That same day, in the advance on Rauray, George Dring destroyed a Panzer IV, a Tiger (crew bailed out), another Panzer IV and then a second Tiger, which he brewed up. Finally, as it was getting dark, he destroyed another Panzer IV at 1,200 yards with an AP round from his 75mm. The SRY didn't receive any Fireflys until late July 1944. On Tuesday 1 August, during the battle for Point 361, George Dring with his 75mm destroyed a Jagdpanther and another Tiger which he stalked on foot and then moved his Sherman into position to engage.
If you want to know more about the SRY in WW2, then I recommend 'An Englishman at War', 'Tank Action' and 'Brothers in Arms'. The SRY won more battle honours and more awards than any other Regiment in the British Army in WW2, . In the opinion of General Horrocks they saw more action than any other armoured regiment in WW2. Consequently they also had more soldiers killed and wounded than any other armoured regiment. The film footage at 1'.40" shows an 8th Armoured Brigade 'O' Group. The man on the left in the black overalls with his back to the camera is Colonel Stanley Christopherson, CO of the SRY and he is talking to John Semken, who commanded A Squadron, SRY. At 24 John was one of the most experienced squadron leaders in the British Army.
Great info about The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry! Thank you for your input.
WHAT AN AMAZING HISTORY LESSON. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE.
Please do more evaluation of tank doctrine videos
Real heroes during a time which has long since been forgotten.
Noticed that when talking about "stalled" Montgomery was in the video, as usual. LOL
Who took Caen and sacrificed men and equipment to allow the US to break out in Operation Cobra?
Who was put in charge of two US Armies to straighten the Bulge by Eisenhower no less?
Whose subordinate advanced 200 miles in 11 days against a very good enemy.?
Who took the surrender of the Germans in the North which upset Ike?
Who NEVER lived in Villas and Palaces but in a truck with a bed a table some chairs and his trunk?
Who ate the same rations as his men ?
Who never stole a brass razoo in his trek across 3 theatres , unlike Clark and Bedel-Smith ?
MONTGOMERY IS WHO
Very interesting. More please! And yes, the popular dogma of the invincibility of German armour needs to be challenged!
Great video, looking forward to this series. This presenter reminds me of the historian talking about the Luftwaffe from that Mitchel & Webb Look. 🤣
A deadly beast; the good old Firefly. In capable hands, the 17 pounder was deadly, as many German tank crews discovered the hard way.
Good show, old boy. 👍
Among them Michael Wittman
Deadly maybe, because of his canon but beast, not even close. It still had the paper thin armor all Shermans had. Tanks like the Tiger on the other hand totally deserve the title of both deadly and beast.
@@NeodrethPaper thin? 75mm on the front angled to give an effective thickness of 89mm. Stop believing the myths. Sherman was well armoured for it's weight class.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe There are plenty documentaries out there with WW2 veterans talking about the Sherman and not a single one of them talks about effective thickness and well armored. In fact they say exactly the opposite so allow me to believe someone who actually fought the war inside them tanks instead of you.
@@NeodrethYou are comparing a medium tank (and a tank destroyer) to a heavy tank. They have different missions and different capabilities and shouldn't be compared.
However, the M4 Sherman had decent frontal armor when one took the sloping into account.
great vid
Great story, thanks for sharing
How could anyone ever doubt the British given their history?
I remember first hearing about Sgt Harris from Steel Division 1944.
Oh this happened on my birthday
A brutal fight, to be sure.
men of incredible Courage and Bravery.
Happens to me every day in war thunder. The problem is I’m on the receiving end…
Crazy story.. Good job A squadron, 4/7th Dragoons.. wow!
The direction and positioning of the a tank is of vital importance, as is the situational awareness of the crew commander, so the DCM is well deserved, but for the talented gunner to get a MID only is criminal.
The Germans feared the Firefly. That thing was lethal. Whenever they engaged British tank columns they always looked for that menacing 17 pounder sticking out of the Sherman turret so they could attack them first. This then caused British tank crews to use a camo paint scheme to make it look like the 75mm pea shooter. The fact that the cargo net caught on fire from the backflash of the 17 pounder on Roberts Firefly tells you how fierce the propellant charge was in the larger shell casing for its munition. This is of course how the Firefly got its name.
One of the last still images shows the crew of a Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry tank christened Akila, which should have read "Achilles" but the trooper who painted it couldn't spell it.
The image can be seen in "Brothers in Arms" by James Holland.
Pleased to hear that by grafting the 17 pounder onto a Sherman we had something that could compete with the German armour. Very brave men on both sides of the conflict.
Panther tanks are quite intimidating to see in battle.
These tanks were well designed and looked amazing.
The firefly was a tough shot with the 17 pounder.
Great Story.