[Video] Tank Battle - Cologne 1945

[Psycho_Sam]

On March 6, 1945, Sgt. Jim Bates, a First Army Signal Corps photographer attached to the 3AD, shot a now-famous 48 seconds of 16mm footage showing the destruction of a German Mark V Panther tank in the cathedral square of downtown Cologne. The Panther was struck by three 90mm rounds from an M-26 Pershing tank of E Co, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3AD. Minutes before this encounter, the Panther had destroyed a 3AD Sherman tank, killing three of its five crewmen.

Bates was positioned on the mezzanine of a bombed out office building about 100 yards from the Panther as events unfolded. Shot at the standard 24 frames per second with relatively grainy, b&w, 16mm film, the image quality was susceptible to any jarring, hand movement, or subject movement. As a result, a number of frames suffered from blurring or mis-aiming, which is understandable in a combat situation. Bates won a Bronze Star that day for his photography, based primarily on this remarkable movie sequence.

http://www.3ad.com/history/wwll/feature.pages/bates.index.htm

Video
Remove the spaces after ".com" to watch as embedding is disabled.
www.youtube.com /watch?v=1qfHgoSTm48

 

[Rak]

Goodie but oldie. Seems like all but one of the German crew died a horrible death too.

 

[Gardner]

I think I saw two escape from the driver's hatch.

 

[Finster]

My Hometown. Very interesting to watch. Thank you

 

[Brendan]

There has been a lot of hype over this clip, and through frame dissection, it appears all of the crew escape the tank with the exception of the soldier that is burning in the copula. Apparently the commander survived the war.

 

[Peter.Steele]

This is really awe-inspiring footage to watch, but it's important to remember that this is not Hollywood. It's not a Michael Bay CGI-driven epic. Fire is one of the worst ways to die, although none are good. Those are real people fighting and dying. Someone underwent a prolonged and agonizing death in that film. Someone was a husband or brother, father or son.

I'm not saying not to enjoy it. I'm just saying ... think about it.

 

[[TW]Wilsonam]

Nasty nit of film, really. After the third (?) round goes in, you can see the effect of the propellant in the Panther's AP rounds exploding inside - sudden jet of flame out of the turret. Burns too slowly to blow the lid off, but very nasty. It takes the HE rounds themselves exploding to blow the turret clean off.

 

[Oldih]

I'm not saying not to enjoy it. I'm just saying ... think about it.

I am pretty sure everyone with some sense in their heads will know that wars are ugly and usually alot of people (regardless of side) will get killed in more or less horrible ways.

When you see enough original photos of dismembered soldiers either due artillery, bombs or something like that it eventually loses the shock value and becomes 'meh' though.

 

[LemoN]

for me a war photo hasnt got to be shocking to tell how horrid war is

this is probably the most disturbing picture i know of WW2

pictures dont have to be disturbing to be disturbing

 

[Brendan]

This is mine: http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn191/Dertinger/horrid.jpg

Probably would be the result of the crew if they stayed in the hull of the tank.

 

[shadowwill]

for me a war photo hasnt got to be shocking to tell how horrid war is

this is probably the most disturbing picture i know of WW2

pictures dont have to be disturbing to be disturbing

I was browsing around ages ago and came across this image

looks like the same guy.

 

[Shurek]

There are a whole series of photos with this guy in them. It's from the so-called Poteau Ambush in the Ardennes at the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. A platoon of SS guys are raiding the destroyed American AFV's and jeeps of their supplies - notably of cigarettes and Spam.

 

[fiftyone]

This old relic is sitting just up the road from me...

Opened up the road for the liberation of Strasbourg.

None survived.

 

[Psycho_Sam]

Thats a large hole, 88mm or something?

 

[LemoN]

Thats a large hole, 88mm or something?

well thats just a part of the armor that got chipped out from the inside, so it even could be a 75mm

 

[fiftyone]

It was taken out by a anti-tank mortar/panzafaust and yes that is the exit hole in my previous post.
Here are the entry penetrations

The story goes that there was a patrol of two tanks, the first, on the crest of the rise, for no apparent reason halted, the second, la "Bourg la Reine" advanced and here is the result.

I've just read a snippet that says that the radio/loader crew member survived.
I'll check.

EDIT this photo was taken three days after...

 

[RedGuardist]

Those holes could not have been made by panzerfaust. Penetration holes are way too big. And hit from panzerfaust/panzerschreck would not blow that kind of exit hole.

It

 

[fiftyone]

I'm trying to verify.
Records say that it was taken out by an anti-tank mortar.

"Previously misidentified as M4A1, it is fitted with an M34 gun mount
with MG shield.
Previously unidentified, and listed as Sherman, this was a Free French vehicle knocked out on 22 November 1944 during the battle for Phalsbourg. It carries the
name “BOURG LA REINE” and number USA#3082386.
It has taken at least four hits on the left side, including one which
has hit the pistol port and passed right through the turret."

I'll have a chat with the local historian the next time I bump into him.

 

[Seth_Soldier]

Germans :553e Volksgrenadier division commanded by general Bruhn"

Bourg La reine: 2eme division blind

 

[LemoN]

those penetrations definatley were made by an kinetic energy penetrator, so no way an anti tank mortar (whatever that is) or an panzerfaust/schreck made that

id say either a 75mm or 88mm