The Life and Death of Michael Wittmann
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- Michael Wittmann is without a doubt the most famous Panzer Ace of World War Two. He is the man behind the Villers-Bocage ambush in Normandy. With his 138 tank ‘kills’, he is listed as the fourth best Panzer Ace of the Second World War. Here’s the life and death of Michael Wittmann, thé Panzer Ace of WW2.
This was The AceDestroyer! Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more videos like this, oh, and don’t forget to leave a comment down below! Cheers!
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![After Wittmann's Tiger Tank Rampage - The Fight back at Villers-Bocage [WW2 Documentary]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/u-kQQ40AyYU/mqdefault.jpg)
![After Wittmann's Tiger Tank Rampage - The Fight back at Villers-Bocage [WW2 Documentary]](/img/tr.png)
Before you put a comment, may I ask you to think about what you are writing. This video is solely about the tank warfare of Michael Wittmann. I do not back any of the Nazi thoughts. The last thing I dream of is that anybody of you associates me with the Nazi party or their beliefs. I also do not want any comments related to the extreme right or left and the current state of Europe. Thanks in advance! The AceDestroyer
Yes, those who call him a Hero are quite in the wrong. You are a Hero if you fight for something/someone that is believed to be good. I can not see that in this case. Calling him an extremely skilled tanker is totally accepable though. And that ist exactly the point of this video if I am not mistaken.
@@sniper0073088 no imo you are incorrect; he can be called a hero. He was fighting for something he believed in, even though he was SS, he was Waffen SS which is different from the Totenkopf. The OED defines hero as person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 'a war hero.' Which pretty much wraps any argument about whether he is a hero or not. The allies were viewed in much the same view as you lot view the Axis.
@@respectablebogan3276 Well, If he is a hero, then the way he is being called that in this comment section implicates that these people support the 3rd Reich
@@sniper0073088 The Third Reich no longer exists; how can they support it? Be careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly and label people incorrectly
@@hyeden88 i agree
I think a lot of the credit should to his driver , and gunner as well .
Yes indeed, a tank operates with a crew of 5. Without any one of those five members a tank cannot be operated properly.
title should be Micheal Wittman and his crew
@@musaterlemez6312 except his crew survived the war, at least for Boby Woll / Balthasar Woll. I guess he had not his causal crew in his last day.
And the rest of his company. Germany gave all of the company's tank kills to the commander.
@@princeofcupspoc9073 no. a tank crew earned his kills. that was a real competition between the crews like between the fighter pilots and so on. every soldier wanted his iron cross and so on...
Really appreciated your clear pronunciation of German.
Thanks, I try to do my best to pronounce everything right.
I was surprised and impressed by that too
I understand a little German but unfortunately don't speak any beyond simple phrases, but it's always refreshing to hear it spoken clearly.
Hallo Leute ich bin Deutsch.
AS a German even I think our language is difficult , due to a number of sounds For English speakers to try and use like we have the umlaut ( ä ü ö Ä Ü Ö) and the Eszett ( ẞ ) which is an S
@@michaelhawkins1528 It is EAAASY once you trï
His grave in France is always covered in flowers even today. A well respected warrior admired by both sides. Rest in Peace Michael Wittmann.
Mr. White As Rommel was!We tend to forget some German soldiers did not care for politics,the Nazi party.They fought as a duty to their country.
It was unfortunate about the brutality, murder and destruction of the great cities of Europe and the population.
World War II was unnecessary as was most wars!
Mr. White Kurt Knispel deserves such an honor, even more than Wittmann... but he didn’t receive it because he saved a Russian Prisoner from being beaten by a SS Prison Officer.
@@ventolus2068 hopefully it's you, how man getting born without brain is far beyond me. War cemeteries will be kept forever to remember the fallen no matter one which side they fought.
Mr. White Deary me you are a disciple of genocide, go fuck yerself
@@ventolus2068 👍
you keep saying wittman shot this and shot that, but in reality he just spotted the enemy tanks, it is hes gunner Bobby Woll who killed all them tanks, that is why whenever wittman got a transfer he took bobby woll with him, whenever possible!. the only reason why bobby woll was not killed together with micheal wittman is because woll was in the hospital at that time recovering from wounds!, bobby woll survived the war, he is the only tank gunner ever that got the knights cross of the iron cross!.
Ace crew do all that not just Wittma!!
Yes, the crew does all the work, but an ace crew is worthless if they have a horrible Commander.
All new to me. Interesting. Like a ball club. It took a team, no one player can do it on their own. Perhaps a special feature devoted to Woll? I’d like to know more about him.
fatarsemonkey But in the heat of combat, it's the gunner who make those split decisions that can often make the difference between life or death, success or failure.
The commander of an armoured vehicle is everything in combat. Dont pass comment on things you know nothing about. When we talk about Wittmann we of course talk about his whole crew. The whole crew makes the machine work.You would understand this if you experienced combat.
hugo boss designed the best looking uniforms of the war
@@kimjong-unsupremeleader3600 do a favor to all of us. Please stop existing or learn to talk to people
General Anaesthetic some cunt can’t handle a joke
Dont forget fanta soda from coca cola or Bayer company!
@@meatboy2059 ha ha ha
@@kimjong-unsupremeleader3600 So What's your Point? He just said that he likes Hugo boss and is happy that the Führer kept the brand alive. But you, Can't even handle a Joke, and ironically your name is "Kim Jung-un Supreme Leader". So, What's your Point kid? I don't think that the north Koreans like your name.
Michael Wittmann was most successful during the time when he had his gunner Bobby Voll in the tank. It appears that the communication between Wittmann and Voll was indeed very special.
Bobby Voll used to preset his sight for 600 meter, which made it possible for him to kill a lot of tanks with snap shots without being faced with a situation where he had to fire once, then adjust and fire twice to make the kill.
Wittman and Voll worked out a system where Wittman would provide Voll with the number of tanks he observed and instruction of which order the tanks should be taken out. Short commands and Voll's pre-aimed cannon sight did the rest.
Voll was so successful that he eventually received command of his own tank. It is often debated whether this could have been the reason for Wittmann eventually being beaten. This is by no means certain though.
Kurt Knispel was actually also a former tank gunner. It was relatively unusual for tank gunners to be promoted to command of their own tank so people like Knispel and Voll were indeed special.
The whole thing about Wittmann being in The SS, people should take with a grain of salt. Wittmann never really displayed the level of cruelty and hatred many people associate with SS.
When Wittmann joined The SS, he had already seen service in The Wehrmacht so for him to join The SS at the time would be equal to soldiers today joining a special forces outfit, because that was how SS was viewed at the time. The Waffen SS actually mostly consisted of soldiers who had joined to be part of elite units and to get access to the best equipment possible.
When people watch old footage from WWII, they associate the black uniforms as SS uniforms but the original heavy tank unit Wehrmact uniform was actually also black so the only difference was really the SS insignia on the SS uniforms.
Michael Wittmann became so successful because he managed to integrate his crew into a close nit unit. Of course, he was also lucky. Anyone surviving the eastern front was bound to have had a certain amount of luck.
However, every German armed forces person, who became famous for being a super ace, became a super ace on the eastern front, simply due to the amount of troops and equipment that was thrown at them from the Sovjet side and because the general training and quality of the Sovjet forces were usually inferior to that on the German side.
All the major German tank aces won the majority of their fame on the eastern front.
German tank aces like Kurt Knispel, Martin Schroif, Otto Carius, Johannes (Hans) Bolter, Michael Wittmann, Hans Sandrock, Paul Egger and Fritz Lang, were pretty unique.
Of these, three were members of Waffen SS (Martin Schroif, Michael Wittmann and Paul Egger).
While tankers such as Carius, Bolter and Wittman attained public fame in Germany during the war, it seems the others did not. There may be various reasons for this. It is well known that Knispel had a severe problem with authority. Kurt Knispel was definitely not a nazi in any shape or form. He also only received his knights cross after his death.
Carius became famous for being both very disciplined but also pretty neutral. He played the game so to speak. He was also not a true nazi but played to the tune when needed so he would not destroy his own career.
Most tankers of the highest scoring aces basically fought for their country and not for Hitler.
On the eastern front, most German soldiers learned pretty quickly from 1942 onwards that the invasion of Russia was the blunder that lost Germany the war. I seriously doubt that even hardcore German SS soldiers on the eastern front had any illusions about Germany's chances of winning the war from the end of 1942 to the time they had been driven off the plains of Russia.
Wittmann did not volunteer for a 'special forces' unit, he volunteered to be a member of Hitler's personal armed bodyguard well before the war began. These were not elite units in the sense they had the best men or equipment - the most important qualification was fanatical devotion to Hitler and Nazism 'unto death'.
Thank you for sharing this information. It added much to the documentary.
his name is Balthasar woll come on his nickname was bobby
@@onylra6265 The waffen SS was an elite...everybody knows except you..!
Very well done. I am a retired Tank Commander and was blessed to have been attached to the 137th Panzer Division for training during the cold war (1985, I was a young private from Dco 2/32 Armor, 3rd AD). While training with them it was the first time I heard of Wittmann however, i had forgotten many details and so I really enjoyed your video. Thank you for making it!
Give a shout out to the gunner, driver, loader and the radio operator
Interesting Kurt Kniespiel needs a good biography too..trust all week old Bean
Can you do one old bean
Now you mention Kniespel you have to take into accout that he was a rebelion showing low respect for officers and nazis and therefor never ever got his knight cross because even the grade of a general schould had saluted the nightcross when the meet one. Please se a very clear excample of how Kurt Kniespel showed his disrespect towards nazis in the propaganda movie where his Tiger II tank units was doing a show for the propaganda weekly film. Where he clearly had put his German Cross OVER the nazi symbol in the eagle on his chest. Actual the medal schould had been placed under the eagle symbol and not over... Next a lot of pictures shows a unshaved and not recently cut hair style that not was very professional. But everybody loved him because he never insisted in being the guy there had done the kill. He let other step forward if they wanted. Another sign is when his Tiger II was damaged the unit commander tried to see if there were any survivers in the tank not one time but two times and both was stopped by the russians. Please remember that the Tiger II was a very expensive weaponsystem and was not supposed to be used for fun. So getting 3 Tiger II tanks knocked out to save his life or dead body was a very big thing to do.
@@henrikhilskov It's Kurt Knispel*
Kurt Knispel was even better as Wittman.
@@respectablebogan3276 Well are you always so lame to change subject? ha ha ha. you are so pathetic.
May he rest in peace....what a man he was....wow a true hero.
Dellacondan 👎🏻
Nazi PIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He was hero for his country but to countrys opposing the Nazi's he was a SS pig like the rest of the Nazi's. The only Nazi I liked was the one who attempted to assassinate Hitler.
@@packzero606 No Wittman was part of the 12ss. He was a Nazi to everyone since joining the ss meant you had to be a Nazi.
@@packzero606 Rommel wasnt a nazi. Please, if U write stuff Like that, at least inform yourself. Rommel was a Hero anderen Not a war criminal. But actually every country had warcriminals but that isnt an excuse for all that what the SS did
Wittman:*kills multiple tank*
Shoe maker in a tank:So you’ve chosen death
This guy know who im talking about
Joe Ekins
Found another diamond in the rough channel, you earned another subscriber my friend
Thanks! I really appreciate it!
HE SERVED HIS COUNTRY LIKE ALL OTHERS ALL HEROES
Yes, all those who served for their country should be remembered.
@757WN there are too many retards out there. after all the time hunmanity and society had for evolving one might think plain stupidity would stop, but it doesnt
@@TheAceDestroyer read 757WN comment
@757WN I'm very sorry if my video has upset you in any way. Everything you mention is absolutely right, and I would like to appolagize. I am far from the white power asshole you think I am. I'm just interested in armoured warfare and quite frankly you cannot ignore Wittmann concerning tanks. You are certainly right on the things you say, but I am no supporter of fascism, if it is something that I find disgusting it are people of the extreme right and left.
@@sniper0073088 Again, I'm very sorry if I have upset any one of you, I am no supporter of fascism, far from actually. I find the far right (and left) a disgusting group who like it said does not deserve any respect whatsoever. But like I said, I'm a 'fan' of armoured warfare and in armoured warfare one cannot overlook German Panzer aces. Again, I'm very sorry if I have upset you in any way and I would like to appologize.
The idea that his accomplishments should be at all discredited because he was driving one of the most powerful tanks of that time is absurd. As if his was the only Tiger in service. There were over 1300 Tiger ones produced. If the tank was the only reason he got that many kills, the German army could possibly have stopped both the Soviets and the Allies if every Tiger l and Tiger ll commander was as competent as Wittmann. It’s not all about who has the best Tank, but rather, IMO, it comes down to who is the more proficient warrior.
@josh carrera He was lucky
@josh carrera He had a great tank.
Get what you're saying OP. However, the German tanks were superior and by extension allowed the soldiers to show their true talents and skills. The tanks is a HUGE part of the equation. That does not take away from his success.
@@27Zangle Joe Ekins fucked him up. From my home town too. R.I.P. Joe.
@Kekistan Shitlord a fairytale dreamt up by a random Nazi fanboy.
Whatever his polotics, he was a brilliant tanker, this from a brit and patriot
Shut up. He was a Nazi.
@@fudgedog123 who was that meant for?
Not a nazi, a german soldier, that's like saying russian soldiers are communists, noone says that@@fudgedog123
okay, sure@@monsieurboks but still everyone pays 200% more attention to german war crimes and doesn't give a single shit about allied ones
@@stevetaylor5933 You. Have respect for our own heroes, for having the balls to fight back in Shermans and Churchills. No need to fawn to a dead Nazi in a superior tank.
He was told what to do, then done it. He was following orders! He obviously believed what he was doing was right. Then to choose to go back to the front = a soldier through and through, to be with his comrades! I am from the Allies side, but can see from both sides.....
Wars at futile!!!!!!!
Thank you for this presentation. Stuff like this you won't see on telly here in Germany. Peace to all soldiers fighting for their countries. I hold the space that oneday we realize that as mankind we do shall no longer fight our brothers and sisters.
Michael Wittmann was one of Germany's top Panzer ace's.I wonder if he had stayed in the army instead of the SS would he have been as successful.Something tells me he would have. Very good video !
I think that he was so good because of his MILITARY training when he was very young (the German Army - YET to be "Wehrmacht") was small, but had INCRIDIBLY HIGH-STANDARTS, and then - when he went into the SS 1st Armoured Div - he became (as far as I remember) basically a SCOUT, and "scouts" - among every modern army especially are the BEST - "CRACKED" - soldiers you may EVER have to rely upon - both in defensive "arrangements" as on the advance. When he became part of the "Stug"' 's battalion he was ALREADY an accomplished soldier - very experienced and EXTREMELY well trained, so it's no wonder he became "ACE" in a STUG! :) He was incredibly skilfull - in a kinda..."foxy" way of fighting. It's VERY difficult and extremely risky to go against Russian T-34's with a short-barelled "Stug", so when he got a "Tiger" - WELL! - you could EXPECT this guy to become an ACE! Waffen-SS or not - SOLDIERS are SOLDIERS! ALWAYS TO BE RESPECTED. Thank You for the video.
Thank you for the comment! Great extra!
@@TheAceDestroyer Ouh! ...well!... no problem! It's actually ME who should be thanking YOU for those videos - extremely interesting and well done. Have a nice day. ;)
From what I’ve heard his crew learned how to shoot while on the move
his gunner Bobby Woll also was awarded the knights cross and survived the war died in 1996
Tough Bavarian country lad going about doing his job. At the Oktoberfest he would no doubt have downed 15 mass and still have remained standing.
Hahaha Brilliant comment!
Yeah. Then staggered off to knowingly be attached to a regime willing to murder poor Jewish children.
@@fudgedog123 I know what happened, and that should always be remembered! It is disgusting what the Nazi regime did to various populations, the biggest population the jews. I think Mr Lediard only wanted to bring a bit of humor into the fact that Wittmann was Bavarian. I found the link between Bavarian lad and Oktoberfest quite amusing. You probably have heard stories about the Oktoberfest too.
@@TheAceDestroyer I agree with the bat. I'm glad he was outgunned in the end.
@@TheAceDestroyer Oktoberfest? Ok. Nazi's?,Fuck them.
Dear Acedestroyer, I'm an ex American Army Armor Officer and I think your videos are extremely professional and enlightening. As far as your subject matter, I feel it is extremely important that we preserve ALL history so that we can at least ATTEMPT to learn from our mistakes. Thank you for sharing your research. You're a great historian, in my opinion. Cordially yours, Mark Puchala
Thank you very much Mark! It truly means a lot to me! Very happy to see that you enjoy the content!
Spent three and a half years as a TC on M109.... 1980 to 1983 mid-May (ADATS).... Seen a A 10 come in way too low clipped a Oak tree limb (1 bodacious huge oak tree.) Scattered him & that plane,, all over our equipment,, witnessed and went through it, Seen F-104 British Buccaneers with those crazy-ass Marine pilots,, dog fighting (MOCK ) when we were supposed to be setting up for Static cals, then Dynamic caliberabration, get a little too damn carried away, coming off the FEBA,,, at 50 meters,, at 500 600 knots,,, do a flyover on our equipment,,, literally rattle those tracks,,,, 1 inch on the concrete pads. The test would only stop when one of them would slam into the mountain. couldn't even imagine in my wildest nightmares,,, what Michael Wittmann went through. Beyond imagination,,,.
Wow infinite respect! I'm speechless.
Dale Slover. Then you deserve respect buddy and hou have mine. David UK
Had the same kinda thing as a Brit tankie in the first Gulf War.. American A10 Warthogs coming in on the Basra Road over the top of our kit, so low you could smell 'em.... Great days. great mates. Big respect to all brother "Tankies" past, present and future.
As usual a great report from the Ace Destroyer , Keep up the good work !
Thanks! I really appreciate it!
Didn't Wittman survive Kursk?? Thats says volumes.
Huh? Nine out of ten Germans survived Kursk. Albeit many of them wounded, and many many without their heavy weapons.
What are you trying to say? Soviets had more than 5 times the losses of the Germans.
samous No.Military deaths were around 5 million for germans and 8 million for soviets and that mainly due to germany attacking without even declaration of war while Soviets reorganised
@@Feffdc
I'm talking about the Battle of Kursk, if you failed to realize.
@@Feffdc It was reported (both military and civilian deaths in WW2) that 8 million Germans died as compared to 27 million Soviets, though the more accepted figure was 20 million.
Is it known wether or not Wittmann took part in, approved of, or had knowledge of Nazi genocidal atrocities?
I find it hard to believe that he didn’t at least have knowledge, seeing as he was part of LSSAH - division that was known to burn Soviet civilians to death in their own homes.
What a truely amazing man, dont care if he fought for the nazis, he was an impressive hardworking man and desurves all the respect as a human as probably the greatest tank commander in history. Salut und ruhe in frieden kamerad!
Phase 5 Leaguer You clearly haven’t heard of Kurt Knispel, then.
Some nazi isn't really a nazi
There's a commander that doesn't agree with hitler value, those people not fighting for hitler but for germany
You are remiss for failing to mention that according to historian Brian Reid it was likely that Canadian Sydney Valpy Radley- Waters of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, in a Sherman Firefly, more than likely fired the shell that penetrated Whitmann;s tank and ignited the ammunition therein. And it was the Canadians who were much closer than the British to Whitmann's tank and had a better firing angle and therefore achieved the kill.
As a Canadian, I think it does. Much of the sacrifice Canada made during the first and second world wars goes unspoken of. Canada had over 10% of its population in the armed forces in WW2, joining the war in 1939, although from what I've seen (mostly on RUclips), the U.S. is often given a lot more credit than Canada
Correct.
Dennis Irvin; Excellent mini documentary on Wittmann & his incredible exploits during the war. Heard a lot about him but nice to get some details on his incredible skills as a tank commander & how he died! He was the Red Baron of panzers!! Thanks for The posting & keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it!
That would be Kurt knispel, Wittman was nowhere in comparison.
I heared about Wittmann from an USA tank Commander, he spoke with great respect and honor of Wittmann and he told me about all belonging to Wittmann. As a tank Commander in lrak he knew about tanks and all difficulties in a war area.
In other places on your channel you've asked for suggestions for other videos so here's one.
After the war, Churchill wrote in his memoirs that the only thing that ever really scared him during the war was the U-Boat menace. As such the battle of the Atlantic was one of the most important battles of the war and was certainly the longest lasting from 1939 until 1944. So I'm suggesting that a video about that might be in order, especially about the early part.
In some ways the early part of Battle of the Atlantic, from 1940 to 1941, before the USA or the USSR entered the war, and when only Britain and Canada where standing up to the Germans, was the most important battle of the war. I say this because if it had been lost at that time, Britain would have been knocked out of the war. Thus Germany would have been able to attack the USSR with all it's strength and resources. German industry would have been unencumbered by the bombing campaign. In addition, all of the manufacturing resources devoted to naval production would have been redirected to making tanks for the eastern front. And all of their best fighter aircraft would have been freed up from defending against the bombers and made available for the eastern front. As it is, the Germans made it to the suburbs of Moscow in 1941 while still fighting a two front war. If there had been no second front it is very likely that they may have captured all the land up to the Ural Mountains. And with that going on it is likely that the Japanese would have attacked in the far east with their powerful army in Manchuria. The USA would not have been a factor in the war because without Britain there would have been no D-Day.
Not only was the early part of that battle important, it was also heroic because at that time the Germans had a 5 year technological and training head start against Britain and Canada. The movie "The Cruel Sea" from 1954 tells the story of those early days on a British Corvette quite well and the movie "Corvette K-225" hastily made in Hollywood in 1943 tells the story from the perspective of the Canadian Navy. To give an example of the supreme efforts made, the Canadian Navy in 1939 had only 12 warships but by the end of the war Canada had the third largest Navy in the world with over 300 warships including 120 Corvettes - most of which where built in Canada. But times where so desperate in 1940-41, that some of the first Canadian Corvettes went into action without deck guns. Instead they mounted telephone poles on the deck so that from a u-boat periscope it looked like they had a huge deck gun. If the Germans had known this they could have simply surfaced where the Corvette's depth charges where of no use and the deck gun on a u-boat was more than enough to finish off a Corvette.
So that early part of the Battle of the Atlantic deserves a story.
Hi Buddy: love your work. My apologies if you have already done, can you please make a feature on Kurt Panzer Meyer
I cant remember exact details (read long ago) Kurt Meyer and an advance platoon are three hours in front of the rest of the regiment. Come across a Russian Briagde, aske the Russiand to Surrender. Kurt has about 8 Men with him; the Russians are in total disbelief but admire Meyers humor and balls!
For some reason they dont open fire on him nor attempt to take him prisoner.
45 minutes later Meyers Brigade advance on this Russian Position; and most of the aforementioned Russians are killed or wounded.
Willy Bittrich might also be a great candidate to write a feature about; very chivalrous and honorable fellow, allowed Allied wounded to be evacuated before a major engagement began.
Thank you for the best warrior histories on You Tube. Excellent video editing & history of best known tank ace.
Excellent soldier and warrior..... I've visited your resting place and fellow soldiers ... everyone reading this must go to la cambe cemetery ..amazing views and history
Very nice....Wittmann is my favorite German tank Ace....thank you again.
No worries! Glad you enjoyed it!
Why don’t you have more subscribers!? Amazing work!
Thank you very much for the kind words!
i always honor the honorable warriors of the enemys. He did as well as he could for the side he was on and the side really doesnt matter. thanks for the video. i watched the documentary they made for the search of his remains. was glad when he was found and returned to his homeland.
nice authentic footage, keep you work with next interesting story!
Thank you very much for bringing to light the achievements of this fine officer and his crew. Like so many men, they served their country well, and distinguished themselves honorably.
Even when the Germans were quite obviously going to lose the war, he went to France? Let that sit for a second. Whatever his political leanings were, he quite obviously loved tank warfare over everything else! Complete nutter or genius is the question....either way, a fitting end for a warrior.
Dont forget his gunner Bobby Woll
Offered to be an instructor, said no: he wouldn't abandon his men.
The Captain. Mastered the tank engagement
Kurt Knispel,Hero and Tank Ace,unforgotten.(168+)
that's unfortunate that talented men had to waist their lives at war instead of create they destroy
I think it's been confirmed that the Canadian tank regiment were the ones who were credited with the kill because the tank was hit from their side.
For any rational person it is CLEAR that Wittmann was killed by the Sherbrooke Fusiliers of the Canadian army. And the weight of odds dictates that it was a regular old Sherman with the 75mm pop-gun that put a round through his left rear flank from less than 500 feet and blew his turret off. Only one in four or five Canadian Shermans was a Firefly with its great 17 pounder cannon that could penetrate a Tiger from the front at up to a KM away. Thus, as I said, it is almost certain Wittmann fell to a regular old Sherman.
Wittman tiger was destroyed by a Sherman firefly.
I love hearing stories about and from WW2, and I love seeing the positive comments that others are leaving for you. Great, interesting video; thanks.
Thanks mate!
The tiger tank was by far a more superior tank. Great video and as always there is always two sides to every event.
Wittmann hero worship is a strange thing. Also the tank in your thumbnail is 3 company, Wittmann was in 2. His 205, or even footage riding in someone else's tank on Deutsche Wovhenshau would have been better.
You should also cover Ernst Barkmann, he was that with his Panther what Whitmann was for the Tiger ;)
Thanks for the suggestion! I will see what I find. He seems very interesting though.
@@TheAceDestroyer Maybe also the Ace of the tank aces, Kurt Knispel :)
Absolutely Bachmann is well covered in the fantastic Stackpole publications. See the Tank aces book and Das Reich. Look forward to a video on this great commander to Ace Destroyer
@@TheAceDestroyer ...without forgetting Otto Carius!
Even today there is no firm evidence to back up Barkmann's claims. Given the fact that he awarded himself the Atler kampfer chevron, of which he was not entitled to throws even more doubt on this mans credibility.
About Tiger 007 v. Westernhagen
In the 101st there were 2 von Westernhagen`s OScha Rolf v. Westernhagen (3. Komp. Tank No. 334) and the Commander Ostubaf Heinz v. Westernhagen (Staff Tank No. 007) both are relatives of Marius Müller Westernhagen a famous German Rock Star in the 80`s .
First Wittmann commanded Tiger 205 the 2nd Kp Kdr Tiger, this vehicle broke down and Wittmann commandeered a number of different vehicles incl. 222 and 231, when Kdr. Westernhagen was injured Wittmann assumed command of the Bat. and with it the Bat. Kdr. Tiger 007
Balthasar Woll, Wittmanns former longtime Gunner becomes a Tank Kdr too in 2. Kp. Tiger 212
All Tigers of the Pz Bat had Summer camo and Zimmerit apllied
I presume a Sherman firefly tank was involved at the end. The Sherman with the long barrelled 17lb gun. Whether you were lucky to have this tiger killing tank is debateable, as the German forces always attacked the Firefly first.
I don't doubt he knocked out a lot of tanks but I wonder if the number is right I understand the Germans were meticulous record keepers but in the heat of battle it's hard to know who did what and I wonder if the more famous he became if his numbers got inflated I'm not saying they did I'm just not completely sure what constitutes a confirmed kill
Indeed, I feel a bit the same way certainly because the term kill is very broad. It can consist out of completely destroying another tank by, for example, setting it ablaze. It could also mean that destroying a component of the other tanks like a tank track or a gun which renders the tank temporarily out of action and forces the crew to bail out. That is also seen as a 'kill'. It's a very broad term and we will probably never know the exact number.
I would love to see a movie about Michael wittman.
me too man..
Great documentary , should making a WW2 movie about he's life and all the battle.
Iam here
Brilliant a most proper and informative presentation on the matter. I commend your diligent work. Please do keep it.
Thank you very much!
A hero to many. May he never be forgotten.
🇨🇦🏴🇺🇲🇬🇧💥💥💥💥👍👍👍👍👍
Such bickering! Wittmann was an excellent, gallant, loyal and brave tank commander.
Were some kills attributed to him actually destroyed by other unit tanks? Of course, but VERY few, as the Germans took great pride in accurate accounts of kills; no officer would knowingly "steal" another's shot!
Was Wittmann careless when deploying into the firefight that cost him his life? Emphatically NO! He obviously, and bravely, went into the action where he did because time and circumstances required it, and NOT due to being reckless- he was far too experienced to have done so if it wasn't pressing and needed.
A brave tank commander; fighting for a crazed lunatic and despot like many other Germans who were mesmerized and fooled by Hitler. Once that fact became known to most German soldiers, it was far too late to do anything beyond their duty; just to hang on, fight and try to survive each day was all they could possibly do.
God grant peace to all soldiers of all nations who fought so bravely in WWII...
Visited his new grave stone this June after thieves stole the original in 2015, still plenty of flowers and love for this soldier.. It amazes me that people of today fail to understand difference of the times and insult fallen German soldiers? If you were born in Germany at the same time you would've been fighting for your country too?! Unless you're a coward of course, then you would've been hung.
Well done.
Thanks!
"History would see something remarkable"? Give me a fucking break, it was just an ambush.
So who's the better ace Michael Wittman or Otto Carius
(I'm just asking for public opinion)
I would pick Carius.
...Kurt Knispel is the besz Tank ass. 168 destroyed Russian Tanks.
The book on Villers Bocage from the After The Battle series has a coda on his death. Their research indicates that it was a Firefly gunner from the Northhamptonshire Yeomanry, who "got" Wittmann - from the written source, it looks like The Firefly gunner took out pretty much the whole column, while the '75' Shermans peppered the other Tigers to distract and confuse them. It was a very fast action and if memory serves correctly, Wittman's Tiger was the third or fourth to be knocked out as it was that particular Tiger which exploded.
If you're interested, Norbert Szamverber's book, "Waffen-SS Armour in Normandy: The Combat History of SS Panzer Regiment 12 and SS Panzerjäger Abteilung 12, Normandy 1944" covers this action. I think the war diary of the 12th SS was quite critical of Wittmann at the time of his death, indicating that Wittman wouldn't cooperate with Wunsche's regiment and rushed ahead into the ambush and that Wittmann might have been something of a "hothead" as well as a "daredevil". Good stuff!
Thanks for the information! I appreciate it!
You're welcome! The former book I've had for years but I got Szamverber's book last year - well worth reading!
Guess who got'em
Joe Ekins whit a Firefly
Who was a shomaker and destroyed 3 Tigers in 12 min in Caen
It was his second time fireing a tank
With Kurt Knispel and Otto Carius -Michael Wittmann was one of the best tankers doing WW Il fitting against Bolsheviks All of them did present high discipline tactics and fitting spirit Great video Thanks for sharing
Your English, French and German pronunciation is impressive. Nice video.
pleas make a video wiht kurt knispel and otto carius
I'll try. I'm currently gathering information.
@@TheAceDestroyer
If you want information on Otto Carius, start with his book "Tigers in the mud". You can still get it in english language from amazon...
Thanks! I think they have the book on a web-shop here in Belgium as well.
yes brother, Mick was my childhood hero and still is to this day may our blessed Lord have mercy on him, God with us amen.
For the record operation Totalize was primarily a Canadian operation, not British.
@Dave AdWhat!? Operation Totalize started on the 7th of August!
@Dave Ad Oh okay... No Problem:)
I like a lot this Michael Wittmann video, thanks for sharing this.
Your voice is quite adequate, without the popping drum in the background
Panzer ace par excellence
He grew up quick. What a time he must have had in his life.
herea are some of the details you dont have about wittmann. www.panzerace.net/biography/normandy-1944.html
Excellent video, definitely many German weapons were the best in the World War Two, like those Tigers
Yes it was thanks to the Tiger that Wittmann had so many kills, the Soviet T34 were no match to the better Tiger I.
Actual the Tiger I was a technical disaster and costed the germans very high efforts to keep running. No time during the war there were no more than 77 Tiger I battle ready on the same day on eastfront. Reports revealed that for every hour of figthing it needed 10 hours of service. Tiger I was a panic stop gap solution to be able to meet the t-34. Actual first engagement was a disaster where the lost the very first tiger I intact to the russians.
NO it was not thanks to the Tiger I that Wittmann had so many kills. There were more than 1,000 other Tiger I's there never ever come so close to this. Wittmann got his will regarding keeping the same crew duing the hole period. And one major hero here is the gunner! Wittmann managed and guided him excelent but it was only because the gunner were excelent to calculate distance to the goal very fast that they were able to get all those kills.
Well, it was partially thanks to the Tiger. He certainly had skill, no doubt about that, but if he had had a Panzer III during Kursk and Normandy for example, I think things would have turned out differently.
If he have had a Panther he could had archieved the same. So it is not because of a specific tank it is a mix of circumstances like current technical stage of friend and foe and his management skills and he was allowed to keep his own crew as it was his personal belongings. Please notice that Kurt Knipsel there actual got more kills did never ever had the same crew but he got the best avaiable in the unit. Actual if you analyze his last attack/moving forward in a enemyhold area it was a lame attack. He revealed 2 flanks instead of only one. Even one of his foes said "He moved forward like he was saying. "here I am come let us get some action." If you read the map carefully Wittmann could had drived much more to the left before running over a bare field with natural hideouts for enemy tanks in the front and on the left. IF he had gone far more to the left he would had meet one of the enemy units direct front and had survived the attack due to the thick amour on his front. It was a lame attack not taking into account the more well trained westernallied panser soldiers. A bad habbit from eastern front killed him.
What about Kurt Knispel, a Czech who was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, where he became a Feldwebel, and get command over his own Tiger II. He also got 168 confirmed kills.
I made a video about him, you can find that in my video section, you might be interested in it.
A fine leader and warrior even if on the opposing side.
Kurt was a better tank killer destroying 160 tanks but did not get recognition by Hitler
I made a video about Kurt Knispel, you might be interested... You can find it in my video section.
The Canadians downed the Red Baron in WW1 and in WW2 they stopped the panzers of Wittmann.
Actually, the evidence has for a couple of decades now indicated that it was probably an Australian machine gun nest that shot down the Red Baron. But there is still the possibility that it was Captain Roy Brown, RFC.
Exactly half of the top 20 aces in the RFC during WW1 were Canadian--an incredible percentage for a country of maybe 7 million compared to at least 60 million in Britain! Something about growing up on the Prairies and learning to shoot accurately or go hungry!
@@ToddSauve I suppose the vagaries of war and the inherent risks of combat did more to take out the Red Baron than a one on one dog fight. Just like the probably the best ace of all time Hans Joachim Marseille was not shot down but was felled by an accident as he was bailing his plane when it developed technical problems in North Africa in WW2.
No,Australian troops took down the red Baron and consecrated his funeral..check out the Australian war memorial website for all relevant WW1 footage
Thanks for the video, Michael Wittman is a legend. Great retelling of his story.
5:52 footage of a brummbar in action
Oh wow! Great spot! I hadn't even noticed that in the background. Thanks!
Brilliant video! Very interesting 👏
Thank you! Happy to hear that!
A Film should be made about this fascinating young man, but I think Hollywood thinks there were no German Heroes, How Sad!!!
Jim ! No sweat,my memory nowdays is not so accuRate but usually it is not far out just needs checking out sometimes. It may be possible the Foresters were involved across the otherside of the area with Wittman In Villiers Bocage perhaps? My father had a WW1 bullet in his lower leg wich was not found after cremation . Yet I had felt it in his leg when father was alive and see the scare.
The Sherwood Foresters were brave men also and should also be given credit because Wittman had to be good with a good crew to cause so much damage to the Brits. Thanks for the vid important to not forget the History ! Be Blessed.
Just a correction Zdenek, but think you meant to type Sherbrooke Fusiliers. My late uncle was with the Sherbrooke Fusiliers...went to his grave with 387 grams of '88 shrapnel (he was cremated) from when his 'Tommy Torch' was hit!
I hope you are not offended by me by correcting you.
@@1961jamminen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_Foresters
are you a cousin of mine from down under
Love your accent, gives soul to the narration, I love history and I respect warriors no matter what they believed in everyone defended their own.
Nazi Germany had some brave man too.
I believe that more recently they found Michael Wittmann's communication device which went around his throat in the area where he was killed. I'm sure somebody else knows about this and can give more information about it.
First Battalion Northampton Yeomanry - good job lads!
Walthauser "Bobby" Woll made this guy!
Another unsung hero, for sure! Excellent footage and narration!
Good video, well produced you narrate well.
There is something incredibly romantic about Michael Wittman. I cant stop researching him
I read a book on Wittmann....and I believe he got his gunner the knights Cross also......well done
Some historians and authors of the late twentieth-century found Wittmann's actions at Villers-Bocage impressive, describing his attack as "one of the most amazing engagements in the history of armoured warfare", "one of the most devastating single-handed actions of the war", and "one of the most devastating ambushes in British military history".[54][55][56] Historian Stephen Badsey has stated that the ambush Wittmann launched has cast a shadow over the period between D-Day and 13 June in historical accounts.[57]
German tank commander and historian Wolfgang Schneider [de] is not as impressed. In analyzing Wittmann's actions at Villers-Bocage, he called into question his tactical ability. Schneider states: "a competent tank company commander does not accumulate so many serious mistakes".[58] He highlights how Wittmann dispersed his forces in a sunken lane with a broken down tank at the head of the column thereby hampering his unit's mobility. The solitary advance into Villers-Bocage was heavily criticized as it breached "all the rules". No intelligence was gathered, and there was no "centre of gravity" or "concentration of forces" in the attack. Schneider argues that due to Wittmann's rash actions: "the bulk of the 2nd Company and Mobius 1st Company came up against an enemy who had gone onto the defensive".[58] He calls Wittmann's "carefree" advance into British-occupied positions "pure folly", and says "such over hastiness was uncalled for." He concludes that had a properly prepared assault been launched involving the rest of his company, and the 1st Company, far greater results could have been achieved. Finally, Schneider opines that: "thoughtlessness of this kind was to cost [Wittmann] his life ... during an attack casually launched in open country with an exposed flank.
So glad that all these people were there when it happened ! Uneducated fools
Why light tank exist ? Light tank just have thin armor it just gonna make u run out of steel and gun powder
They were mostly used to recce/scout the enemy. They were also greatly used in the desert campaign. You could travel at high speeds and they could also support infantry where necessary. I also believe they were cheaper to produce and they could stop small-arms fire making it a perfect vehicle for supporting infantry when no enemy tank or at-gun was around.
An interesting video, which does follow the narrative through the use of the known propaganda films of the time. Further research by modern historians with full access to historical materials are challenging the original propaganda narratives, which always should be viewed with significant care.
Considering Villers-Bocage, the actual reality that of the nine Tigers that entered the town of Villers-Bocage throughout the day's battle, including Wittmann's Tiger, all but one was either damaged or destroyed, including a number of Panzer Lehr Mark IV’s, which was conveniently ignored by the original film. This gets lost in the Wittmann Tiger propaganda narrative of the morning. Consequently, the SS-Heavy Tank Battalion 101 were effectively removed from combat by the end of the day. Villers-Bocage was not the overwhelming German success that many narratives portray. Although the Tigers did stop the British advance, the Germans' victory was essentially Pyrrhic. Given, the Tigers lost during this battle were never replaced throughout the Normandy campaign. A smart commander does not take an open field tank like a Tiger into a town without infantry support. The City of London Yeomanry vehicles and soldiers were replaced in 72 hours
I would like to take issue with, Wittmann was ambushed on August 8 1944, it implies he was not aware of the gravity of the situation. He and Meyer were well aware that they couldn’t allow the Canadian and British tank squadrons to attack again given they were already on both sides of the Caen to Falaise road. However, whether they both totally grasped the gravity of the size of challenge before them is questionable at best and foolhardy at worst given the application of the counterattack tactical approach.
The eight Tigers led by Wittmann could considered as one of the most, experienced German units in the theatre at the time. Despite this, because of poor application of tactical leadership they were easily defeated in 12 minutes, by Sergeant Gordon's Sherman Firefly “ Velikiye Luki”, Sergeant Finney’s Sherman Firefly “Orenburg” of The Northamptonshire Yeomanry and the A Squadron of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment due their effective application of armour warfare tactics.
It is now known that the German Army, didn’t rate Wittmann’s tactical abilities, stating he was a danger in combat, to himself and those around him, because he didn’t follow the rules. The fact that 14 valuable Tiger Tanks were lost by actions initiated by him during the Normandy campaign does with hindsight question his tactical abilities and is consistent with the views expressed by the German Army.
This is in stark contrast to the following day when five Tigers assisted in the total defeat of elements of the 4th (Canadian) Armoured Division. Importantly the Tigers followed German Army doctrine with a good defensive positions on the flank of the attacking forces and taking advantage of their 88mm range over the Sherman tanks.
Finally kill ratios needs to be treated with a big load of salt as the claimed numbers from the units are now being actively researched. The OKW applied a 50% cut to all the German forces destroyed claims, to allow for recovery and repair, however this may not have been enough.
Following access to the Russians records, at Kursk the latest analysis of tanks destroyed claims made, after the 50% cut, are higher than the total Russians Tank force involved. All units reported 16251 destroyed tanks for Kursk applying the 50% cuts reduces to 8125 claimed against a total Russians force of 7360. Tiger and Panther vehicles claim 1300 total, so 650 after 50% cut. The actual ratio between the 6064 Soviet losses and the estimated 1712 German losses is therefore not greater than 3.5:1. Consequently, the Panzer Ace high numbers of kills are coming under significant review has information is being made available.
Dylan Calvert, I would refer to Stephen Napier’s book The armoured campaign in Normandy June-August 1944 ISBN 9-780750-962740 is an excellent book on events. Specifically for Wittmann, Tiger Tank Marcus Crowper Osprey Publishing ISBN 9781472812940, this includes detail from the Northamptonshire Yeomanry war diary. Also British Armour in the Normandy Campaign 1944 Professor John Buckley ISBN 978-7146-5323-3, and Bayerlein, after action reports of the Panzer Lehr 9-780764-323423, Tigers in Normandy Wolfgang Schneider ISBN 9-781848-848023; and Steve Zaloga Armoured Thunderbolt ISBN 978-0-8117-0424-3 these are excellent as they all point to archive material which has now been released, which is changing the original narrative. Refer to claims, you may find this interesting, panzerworld.com/german-tank-kill-claims. This is an excellent site, which got me into researching, particularly around operation Goodwood, the references supplied by the article, obtaining a number of the books and articles. Additional this may of interest www.dupuyinstitute.org/blog/2018/07/23/armor-exchange-ratios-at-kursk/. War by Numbers: Understanding Conventional Combat by Christopher A Lawrence I hope this helps, good reading.
DC, your argument is very rational. Good thinking and good writing. I look forward to seeing more of your comments on these threads! It is so tiresome to read that the German master race were the great and fearsome warriors who conquered all in their path and were only defeated by Hitler's idiocy and overwhelming numbers. The SS were obviously good soldiers but they were not supermen. They were defeated on the Western front by citizen soldiers from Britain, North America and Europe--not professional soldiers who had been doing this all of their lives.
Todd Sauve, thanks, I am a Consumer of History, but I like to go back to the source material when ever possible. ruclips.net/video/XXH02YX7gxY/видео.html operation think tank, series of videos from 2012 was the catalyst along with reading the revisionist historian James Holland. I have attached video 3 where Hilary Doyle explains the development of Tiger and Panther with the performance of the SS. He worked closely with Thomas Jentz who was responsible for a lot of research into German Armour. Researching, Normandy, I have concluded SS Panzer units performance is consistent with Hilary Doyle’s summery, the number of times complete companies of SS Panthers were destroyed by, a single tank or a troops of Allied Armour particularly the Canadian’s and British is astounding when you get into the records. The destruction of the Tiger Abteilungs is also fascinating. You are so right about the Allied soldiers, Patrick Delaforce from is book on the 11 Armour “This book contains accounts written by the twenty-year-old ‘virgin’ soldiers who took part in the dramatic battles. “where “The crew of a Sherman tank might be taking on a German Mark IV with modest confidence, a Panther with some optimism, or a Tiger with considerable trepidation.” His description sums up the complete Allied army of June 1944.
Your videos are so illustrating I really learn from you, thanks a lot my dear and I admire your concern about the armourd warfare especially the German side which I'm interested in.
Thanks! Very happy to hear that!