Yes. He was leading his Company(5 tanks, not full strength 14) in an impossible mission. He had to buy time for Meyer commanding 12SS to construct some sort of second line of defence. The II Canadian XXX was about to break through and take Falaise, cutting off the failed German counterattack at Mortain. The Americans were almost at Le Mans in their deep rear.
He raced forward, fired upon by units to his front(no effect) and was knocked out along with the other 4 Tigers, by a concealed Firefly commanded by a Sgt Gordon, then when he was wounded, by his Troop commander, Lt Young.
It was during Operation Totalise.
Ah the Firefly, pretty much the sexiest thing on the battlefield.
Ah the Firefly, pretty much the sexiest thing on the battlefield.
With Betty Grable’s iconic pin-up photo running a close second. :-D
I beg to differ boys.
Just received my Osprey Duel: Jagdpanther vs SU 100.
Jagdpanther is the prettiest thing on the battlefield. I have thought that since I was a little boy!
@wittmann:
I beg to differ boys.
Just received my Osprey Duel: Jagdpanther vs SU 100.
Jagdpanther is the prettiest thing on the battlefield. I have thought that since I was a little boy!
I have always found fighter planes sexier than tanks.
The Stuka was my first love. Still is my favourite plane, especially after I discovered the tank busting G model.
I have probably misspoken saying how much I loved the Jagdpanther as a little boy. Thinking on it, I was older. Like you, planes were my thing.
@wittmann:
The Stuka was my first love. Still is my favourite plane, especially after I discovered the tank busting G model. I have probably misspoken saying how much I loved the Jagdpanther as a little boy. Thinking on it, I was older. Like you, planes were my thing.
For those occasions when it’s hard to decide if planes or tanks are more exciting, there’s the Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft, which was was nicknamed “the Flying Tank”. :-)
Marc, you are forgetting to whom you are talking: the Sturmovik is Russian.
Axis equipment rocks my boat!
On this day in 1942, the WAVES program started. It allowed women to serve in the reserves of the first time.
October 14th 1944, FM Erwin Rommel took poison rather than face a public trial for treason.
It is also the day in 1066 Harold Godwinson, King of England for nine months, died at the Battle of Hastings.
England would never be the same again.
@wittmann:
October 14th 1944, FM Erwin Rommel took poison rather than face a public trial for treason.
It is also the day in 1066 Harold Godwinson, King of England for nine months, died at the Battle of Hastings.
England would never be the same again.
That’s an interesting coincidence: Rommel and Harold II sharing a death date. Thanks for sharing that.
Hello Marc. It is just one of those dates I don’t ever forget.
I will test you next year!
If we’re talking WW2 history for that date, we should also remember the sinking of HMS Royal Oak by U-47 in 1939, with the loss of 833 lives. It was a daring raid by Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien, striking at Britain’s Scapa Flow naval base right at the start of the war. Prien returned to German to a hero’s welcome. He was a very successful commander, but was lost in March 1941 when U-47 was sunk by British destroyers.
Thanks Herr KaLeun. Was unaware that was the 14th.
Won’t forget now.
On the 12th November 1944, the Tirpitz was attacked by 30 Lancasters of 9 and 617 Squadrons. Two Tall Boy, 12000lb, deep penetration bombs hit her and she capsized. It is not known how many sailors died, but it was probably over 1000.
She was the slightly (2000 tons) heavier sister ship to the Bismarck and the British had been after her for two years.
Could any WW2 battleship survive a hit from a tall boy bomb?
@ABWorsham:
Could any WW2 battleship survive a hit from a tall boy bomb?
The effect of an actual hit on a battleship (as opposed to near misses, Tirpitz having been near-missed by several Tallboys) would depend on the atltitude from which the bomb was dropped (the Grand Slam could reach supersonic speeds if dropped from high enough, and I think the smaller Tallboy could too), on the location of the hit, and on the specific ship. A hit on the deck, right next to (but not on) one of the main gun turrets, would have the best chance of destroying a WWII battleship outright because it would have the best chance of detonating the main ammunition magazines. The Yamatos might just perhaps have been able to survive such a hit, but I doubt that any other WWII battleship had deck armour thick enough to do so…and I’m not even sure about the Yamatos.
A hit elsewhere on most modern WWII battleships probably wouldn’t have been instantly lethal in the same way that a magazine detonation would have been, but would still have been damaging. The least damaging hits would probably be the middle of the forecastle (a non-critical area located outside the armoured citadel), or amidships above one of the torpedo bulkheads (which are built to absorb hits and flood without endangering the rest of the ship). A hit all the way forward that demolished the bow would pretty much immobilize the ship, or at least severely restrict its operating speed, but could perhaps be patched up in a few weeks. A hit on the quarterdeck could be nasty: that part of a battleship is typically large (a big target), unarmoured, and contains the propeller shafts (which are, however, sometimes protected by a strake of armour above them). The best location for a non-lethal but nonetheless permanantly crippling Tallboy hit would be the middle and rear portions of the armoured citadel, if the bomb managed to reach the boilers or, especially, the turbines (big machinery that’s difficult to repair) or the reduction gearing (very sensitive to damage; a handful of metal splinters would be enough to chew them up if the ship was hit while it was steaming).
Very nice response, as usual Marc. Thank you.
On the 11th December 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the US, who in turn declared war on them.
I also saw (and did not know) that Poland declared war on Japan today.
God knows where from. London I suppose!
Today in 1939 Franco declared the Spanish civil war over. In 1942 Hamburg was bombed by the British.
