One of the things that gets left out of the Wittman legend - is that he had a really good gunner. I would say that one of the major reasons for Wittman's success - was the skill of that gunner. .

@chriskingston4270

3 жыл бұрын

Bobby Voll

@joespeciale5875

3 жыл бұрын

Which, Wittman being a senior tank commander, probably was able to select the best crewmen for his team.

@BobSmith-dk8nw

3 жыл бұрын

@@joespeciale5875 I don't remember. The biography I read on Wittman was ... some time ago so I don't remember the details of his career. I do however remember the skill of Voll. That guy was really good. .

@tedillg1364

3 жыл бұрын

@@joespeciale5875 Voll und Wittmann were together for much of the war. Toward the end Voll was given his own Tiger. At some point it was knocked out of the fray and Voll ended back in Witmann tank

@romuloambay9624

3 жыл бұрын

together, wittman and his gunner an enlisted personnel received the knight's cross, a very rare occurence in the german war force. .

I watched a documentry about Kurt Knispel, he helped out a Russian POW who was getting grief off a German SS soldier, he put him in his place and his career suffered for it. A true tank commander. As an ex-Tankie myself I can respect that.

@clara429

3 жыл бұрын

Dave Pritchard , i think he was totally different to the Germany officers , long hair , and look like he did not value his range , he die at 23 years old , just a baby .

@berndf.k.1662

3 жыл бұрын

I guess this story is rather a legend than reality to confirm the post-war narrative about the difference between Waffen SS and Wehrmacht. Or do you have clear evidence ?

@berndf.k.1662

3 жыл бұрын

@@clara429 not really. The Luftwaffe was full of such officers and also the midget warriors of the Kriegsmarine. Besides the hair fashion gradually 1943 and radically in 1944 changed from short to long. May grandfather - Waffen SS - told me the onliest regulation was to have the ears free of hair so they combed their long hairs just back over the ears. Once in battle or after it the hairs in diarra looked the same Knispel style. By the way in 1944 no German front officer cared about things like hair order.

Not to be like that but. Any Ace would tell you, that they wouldn't reach their success without an ace crew behind them.

@LynxStarAuto

4 жыл бұрын

That is why when he was awarded his medal, he accepted it with his crew present.

@gayle1137

4 жыл бұрын

Even rreyeyrrryeyrtürrteye

@tkgus2408

4 жыл бұрын

You were like that

@vonn4017

3 жыл бұрын

Wittman kept the same crew with him. at least as long as they lived

@KristerAndersson-nc8zo

3 жыл бұрын

True but I Believe his gunner also got the Knights cross.

His tank number was 007 ! So he was the German James Bond but in a tank ! How cool is that

@timodasbach9435

3 жыл бұрын

The real James Bond was Otto Skorzeny.

@cyrosubod2317

3 жыл бұрын

@@timodasbach9435 bruh hes badass af

@barrymccokiner7559

2 жыл бұрын

He had to borrow the 007 tank. The numbers relate to squadron, troop, individual tank etc

@AwesomeBeatles

2 жыл бұрын

I heard he was shaken , not stirred

@holgermessner851

Жыл бұрын

No idea. But as mentioned,the 007 was taken to write James Bond novels. When I got drafted to the German Bundeswehr in 01.1982, I heard my own social insurance number the 1st time. It ends with 007. I always had to listen to: Look there comes 007…. I didn’t gave any thoughts about it until I moved to Canada and one Immigration officer asked my social insurance number and it started again. Bond just arrived. - Anyway. Watching this history documentary I wonder myself. Absolutely no way that tanks would move without infantry protection. That was suicidal! How I know? I was a infantry tank commander and the big guys always said: After you guys!

To Michael Wittmann's score of 138 tanks. It should be noted that he also destroyed 132 artillery and anti-tank guns, the latter of which worried him more than other tanks. So, his total kills would be 270. Quite a feat. When referring to Wittmann, and his kills we need to say, "Wittmann and his crew." They were, after all, a great team. Please note that not all of his kills were not done with a Tiger tank because his first tank was a STUG III. When the screen goes black, is that where we cut for some TV ads? "Now, gunner, don't fire until you see the serial numbers on their hull." Wittmann is the ideal example of a "Lone Wolf." Unlike Sherman crews, who painted nicknames, like "Fury" on their tanks, Tiger crews painted "Kill Rings" on the 88's gun barrel. I would like play a multi-player game with the graphics used in this video. Finally, Ian Flemming was a British intelligence officer during WW2. It's said that he used Wittman tank number, 007, when he created James Bond!

@brandonfields5928

Жыл бұрын

Guess that "Panzer chocolate" works, talk about aggressively engaging the opposition, dang.

@weirdopokemon2199

Жыл бұрын

It should also be known the German who killed more tanks them him had a attitude and stuff he killed 189 or something like that. Watch the videos on him I forgot his name. Whitman was the most decorated tank ace. He was the guy who killed the most they didn't decorate

@weirdopokemon2199

Жыл бұрын

Kurt knispel I believe my friend look em up

@CaptLiberator

Жыл бұрын

pl

@daveybyrden3936

8 ай бұрын

"urban legends" repeated by you as if they were facts.... "it is said..." Yes, "it is said" by people who don't know what they're talking about. Here, have some real facts: - German tank crews DID paint names on their tanks. I could show you a dozen photos of them on Tigers alone. - Wittman's unit was very reluctant to paint rings on their Tigers' guns. They didn't want to attract attention. That's also why they didn't have a Tiger numbered "001". - There is no way that Fleming would use Wittman's number "007". He wouldn't have known where or when Wittman died, and Tiger "007" didn't belong to Wittman anyway, he borrowed it that one time.

when the host kept grabbing the guys collection pieces and you could see the guy was clearly reluctant to let him handle them, i cringed, that man spent his whole life collecting those pieces, if he dont want you touching them, gotta respect that

@Yabuddy53

3 жыл бұрын

Ya that was awkward

Kurt Knispel was the Top ace.

@ronaldblythe7559

4 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah? You watched him.. and counted all of his kills?

@buninparadise9476

4 жыл бұрын

@@ronaldblythe7559 I am Kurt Knispel

@Mrtweet81

4 жыл бұрын

Don’t you read the comments before you post, this has been commented several times before you.

@sam8404

4 жыл бұрын

@@Mrtweet81 who cares?

@johnwoodcock3208

4 жыл бұрын

LAH trumps all!

“One of the men killed in the action was Germany’s highest scoring panzer ace” Oh, so this is a film about Kurt Knispel then?

@theundenaiblebobtheundenai1911

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah indeed Kurt knispel , you also watch marc Felton production

@Mrtweet81

4 жыл бұрын

theundenaiblebob theundenaiblebob You know it, Dr. Felton is the man! But he called him Kurt Knipsel though...

@ricardocorbie6803

4 жыл бұрын

Kurt was the man,, but this warrior was ostracized by his superiors because he fought But hated mistreatments of the vanquished! He went unrecognized!! Whereas Whitman was heralded!! Such a shame!!

@pillager6190

4 жыл бұрын

@@ricardocorbie6803 ah. That answered my question. SS v. Wehrmacht. Thx

@Tellgryn

4 жыл бұрын

@@ricardocorbie6803 Wrong as I posted below much of what you think you know of him is made up.

Kurt Knispel was the scariest tank killer. His records are unbeatable, but yes, Wittmann was an élite so was Otto Carius. Panzer aces were superb

@clara429

3 жыл бұрын

Daniel Falconi , yes he was , and he was only 23 years old when he die, war have no winners , no even one , but i respect the valor of this men , because they were soldiers and they follow orders ,

@DannyBoy777777

7 ай бұрын

There is no evidence for any of Knispel's claims. None.

Can you imagine how things would have gone with anything like parity of numbers or without allied domination of the skies? The abilities of even the scratch German battle groups and their commanders are immense. It has to be respected.

@noahsagutch8314

2 жыл бұрын

Tigers had lots of problems with them They'd break down lots and spare parts were rare If you got them they'd brake anyways Fuel was rare as well They weren't unstoppable machines that everyone thinks they are Yes they were deadly but not indestructible

@harveybrown37

2 жыл бұрын

Artillery superiority and logistics alone were enough.

@austinmartin5446

Жыл бұрын

@@harveybrown37 no air superiority not artillery

Im a German and i must give the allied tankers much respect for their bravery. It must be a terrible feeling of doom, terror and fear if you see your shells bouncing off into nowhere while the 88mm gun slowly takes aim for you... But nontheless, they continued their mission.

@The23Anonymous

3 жыл бұрын

@@1videofiend What are you talking about? Your timelink goes into nowhere special. And of course Wittman was brave... I mean, he is the highest decorated ace of maybe all time, so why should i point this out once more?

@robertmaybeth3434

3 жыл бұрын

Hello fellow German, as ethnic German, I can tell you the allied tank commanders sure did a lot of lying, or just not saying the weaknesses of the Sherman! The amazing thing was, the British captured a Tiger in perfect condition in N. Africa, had over A YEAR to analyse it, and still had no truly effective counter at all until 1945 (at which time the M26 Pershing was available in numbers). Patton decided the Sherman was good enough, since he wasn't in a Sherman crew i guess, when I believe he should have fast-tracked introduction of the Pershing tank as fast as possible! A Sherman going against a German cat, or even the Panzer IV, was almost suicidal since even the Pzkfw IV could easily outshoot the Sherman's weak gun from 1,000 meters away....

@williamredfern5504

3 жыл бұрын

@@robertmaybeth3434 England invented the tank to their loss in WW2, (my farther served right through desert and Europe) But I admire the panzer crews, Britain made rubbish tanks and be honest still do,and told lies, and also try to avoid tank battles, to have to use shermans says it all,, it's not politically correct or patriotic for me to say this but who cares,,

@williamredfern5504

3 жыл бұрын

@@robertmaybeth3434 British and US high comand should have been imprisoned for criminal incompetence,,,, in this day and age they should now named and shamed for their offspring live with,,,, For the rubbish tanks they issued to the crews to die in

@robertmaybeth3434

3 жыл бұрын

@@williamredfern5504 Damn right. It was Patton who chose the Sherman, since the M26 Pershing, which would have saved thousands of American lives, was not quite ready by 1944. But the M26 could, and ought to, have been fast-tracked the way the Germans did for the Panther! Patton showed a very cavalier attitude towards his men's lives, plenty of things he did shows that, the only American commander that is worse I can think of is that idiot Halsey (who sailed his fleets into hurricanes, TWICE, killing hundreds of US sailors).

Especially at 16:16 I am amazed by your attention to detail for finding exactly where the action with Wittman's Tiger took place. Anybody that's read accounts of WW2 battles, has to wonder exactly what the terrain looked like, in this case we get to find out exactly what it looks like.

@daveybyrden3936

3 жыл бұрын

Don't thank "timeline" for that. Thank the historians who actually went and found this out and told the rest of us.

Great documentary first time hearing about wittman, it’s nice to hear story’s on foreign military leaders n aces, my grandfather was a Sherman tank commander who fought in Belgium , my dad and uncles said he never spoke a word about the war even when they tried to get him to and he died when I was younger so never got to talk to him about the war when I became intrigued, I mean before in a tank basically means ur on the front lines and can only imagine what they saw and experienced

In 1944 France my farther was Brittish artillery gun spotter, at close quarters he watched 6 US shermans taken out 3 at a time by a single Tiger, Later it was hit by an RAF plane with a rocket, when he checked it out there were quite a few rings painted round the gun barrel,, round the turret it said ,,May the Valkyries take Me,, if Valhalla exists I guess they will be there,,

Wittman was certainly the most glamorised German tank ace. Someday I hope to go see the combat area.

Kurt knispel had the most kills but because he introvened when ss guard mistreatment of a Soviet soldier. From that point on he was treated differently never received a knights Cross and was awarded medals much slower.

@robertmaybeth3434

3 жыл бұрын

for whatever good the medals are good for except prestige. I submit that once you had the Iron cross, you could show it to a whole lot of people before you met somebody that understood the different grades of the iron cross ("Iron cross; ironcross with diamonds; then iron cross with diamonds, swords, pearls, cubit zirconium and pez dispenzer attached" etc.)

@williamredfern5504

3 жыл бұрын

@@robertmaybeth3434 Here in GB I obtained an Iron Cross with the crown and 1914 and below the eagal of the Third Riech 1939,, I don't know who received it ,,also a German paratroopers helmet found on a riverbank in scilly plus many more items,, but I treat them with the same respect as my late farthers medals,,

@williamredfern5504

3 жыл бұрын

More fool him

@hypedpanther6464

3 жыл бұрын

He was also a sudeten german, not a pure blood german.

Highest scoring tank ace is a lie , Kurt Knispel was the highest Ace

@222welder

4 жыл бұрын

It took less than 30 seconds for the writers to get something wrong.

@tonyromano6220

4 жыл бұрын

Wasn’t Kurt actually artillery?

@222welder

4 жыл бұрын

@@tonyromano6220 I'm fairly certain that Knispel was just a tanker. Wittman, however, started in armored cars and did some time in assault guns I think. My memory might be failing me though.

@michaelsexton70

4 жыл бұрын

a quick wikipedia check notes that the numbers for both Kurt Knispel and Michael Wittman are in question.

@PlacidDragon

4 жыл бұрын

@@michaelsexton70 They are always going to be (same as the air aces having their numbers questioned, etc)..

The moral grandstanding at the end was uncalled for. I don’t need to be reminded who the bad guys were, thank you. Nothing about Wittman’s heroism, courage or abilities need to be viewed in the light of who he fought for or why, it’s irrelevant in that context.

@cybereus836

4 жыл бұрын

It was super unnecessary. We get it he fought for the Germans and was part of an SS Panzer Battalion. Doesn't make him any less brave, or any less of a hero.

@terrynolan5831

4 жыл бұрын

its completely within context and worth reminding people, you don't think that ...your opinion , not mine

@cybereus836

4 жыл бұрын

@@terrynolan5831 it's really not? He was a Tank Ace for a country that didn't end up on the right side of things. He's fighting the war not leading it.

@LTA_Design

4 жыл бұрын

They were indoctrinated they thought they were fighting for the good guys just like America thought they were the “good guys” in Vietnam and the British thought they were when they were colonising

@daveyev5300

3 жыл бұрын

@@LTA_Design Yeah we thought wrong, should've cleaned the land before colonising.

Having discovered Hans Von Luck, Carius and others of late I'm bound to say I feel this propagation of SS Unterfuhrer Wittman is wasted with his place in the mainstream history books assured . Thanks again for your work and effort uploading this.

Great Documentary Thank you so much 😀

Has a proud Canadian i must honor these brave Men ...Thank You

Note: The host is mispronouncing "Leibstandarte" : it should sound like "Laib..." not "Leeb..." Saying "Leebstandarte" is like saying the Love guards not the Body (Life) guards.

What happened is that General SS Panzer Meyer in the desperation of the situation, sent Wittmann on a suicide mission. Even the powerful Tiger can't move without monitoring the armored infantry in half-track vehicles, which has a much larger field of vision and protects the tanks from stealth attacks. Nor has there been a vanguard of Clarifiers with light, fast armored vehicles whose mission is to recognize the terrain ahead and avoid surprise attacks and ambushes. So the tigers, contrary to the classic rules of combat that had existed since Alexander the Great and during the Roman Empire, where there were expert clarifiers officers, advanced without any auxiliary protection and with limited vision, relying only on luck and fell into a crossfire ambush where the tanks were fireflies of sufficient caliber to destroy them.

@bepolite6961

Жыл бұрын

Controversy still exists over whether it was a Canadian or British Firefly that accounted for Wittman and the three other Tigers destroyed with him in his attack. One thing is for certain though. It was the British 17 pounder mounted in the Shermans that did the work.

So, Wittman drove right into an ambush. Which was a fitting end for someone so skilled at ambushing allied tanks. live by the sword, die by the sword.

@jmy7622

2 жыл бұрын

A fitting end? He was hyped up by propaganda, there were many other very capable German tankers but as with their pilots they usually fought until they died or the war ended , no rotation.It seems he fought by the rules, I would have liked for him to survive, he would have had some good stories to tell, but it was war but I don't wish death on anyone unless they're a war criminal.

Kurt Knispel was the Germans top boy not Wittman.

@frankdietz9413

3 жыл бұрын

You actually cant tell who scored higher. Both of them never counted the tanks they destroyed. This is just estimated and could be way lower or higher for both of them. And by the way, knispel was a gunner for most of his kills, not a commander.

@hanschouwman4536

3 жыл бұрын

@@frankdietz9413 he became a commander only he hit an ss man for mistreatment of a Russian POW

@YKNDR34D

3 жыл бұрын

yes

@jeffreywhite7899

3 жыл бұрын

My vote is for Otto Carius.

@tarl1812

3 жыл бұрын

It's a debate that will never get resolved most never keep track unlike fighter pilots, but in a photo of Wittman it shows his tank and circles on the barrel counting his kills so he did seem to have counted so his total of 135 is most likely correct, how many Kurt got 168?? All were exceptional Tank men which died in battle.

It must be devastating for morale when you cannot rely on your tank to protect you and to realize that you're not fighting on equal terms as far as armour and gunpower.

@unnaturalselection8330

4 жыл бұрын

On the other hand, it also has to do a number on the morale when you destroy 4 enemy tanks, the 5th one gets you, and you realize that from a production standpoint, you just lost the materiel battle anyway.

We should give the gunners the same treatment as the commanders, same with drivers and radioman, theyre a unit working together. With one of them removed the tank is not functional any longer.

@grumpycat4584

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly.

His gunner Bobby wall was the best he could not have done it without him he survived the war respect Bobby rip

I want to say this was interesting but perhaps I should say informational. I lost a lot of family in that war. It's really sad. War sucks.

@dkolle3446

4 жыл бұрын

it really is! My grandfather served in the german navy, his brother in the army and I used to play with a model of the Bismarck he had at his home...don't listen to anybody who says war is some sort of an option! I was very young but you could tell what an impact these years had on him...so many young men lost their lifes and the ones that survived were robbed of their youth and innocence!

@menwithven8114

3 жыл бұрын

@@dkolle3446 I'm an American of German descent and had family fighting on both sides! Michael Wittmann was my great uncle and actually came very close to fighting Wittmanns for the Americans. I hold the same last name and have talked to the vets on the American side of my family about him. They all held him in extremely high regard.

Very well done, and the ending was spot on. Thank you

@andrewdavison7700

3 жыл бұрын

Your welcome

Brave tanks officer with faithfulness emotions he had of his leader at that time...nice video thanks for sending

Absolute top notch investigation by Norm Christie

Michael Wittmann wasn't the only Tank Ace that racked up more than 100 confirmed tank kills, there were others, such as Kurt Knispel and Otto Carius.

@suzyqualcast6269

3 жыл бұрын

Forget thee not Sgt Ernst Barkmann, an expert with a wrecked panzer in Normandy.

@selfdo

2 жыл бұрын

@@suzyqualcast6269 Barkmann's Corner.

@bepolite6961

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, but they were not SS, if they had been, they would have been wearing has much neck jewellery has Wittman.

At 13:04 a Soviet IS-2 is shown firing, but is presented as a Firefly.

Someone I know was a tanker in the early to mid 1980's and I remember him studying the tactics of this tank commander and talking about it to me.

Editor: How many explosions should we add? Director: Yes.

@andrewescocia2707

3 жыл бұрын

the cgi is so damn good, it's like watching a movie

@Seygem

3 жыл бұрын

@@andrewescocia2707 lmao. It really isn't.

@andrewescocia2707

3 жыл бұрын

@@Seygem wow look at mr fancy pants with his 21st century movies

@Seygem

3 жыл бұрын

@@andrewescocia2707 lmao. look at any "modern" game, movie, or even a lot of other documentaries. they outshine this. by far. it's not like watching a movie, it's like watching an early 2000s documentary. (outstanding coincidence, given what this is)

@andrewescocia2707

3 жыл бұрын

@@Seygem lmao indeed friend lmao all afternoon

The UK solder that destroyed the first three Tiger tanks crossing that field said that "Anyone that goes into another country to kill is a criminal. They may have been heroes to them, but not to me". Well said. Excellent investigation. Wittman's tank was hit with an armor piecing round from the Canadians at 143 meters away, the fuel and ammunition exploded and blew the turret off the tank. The crew all perished.

@inpersonaDK

4 жыл бұрын

....and we all know UK once where an Empire :) Anyway wast of so many young strong men in the western world be course of these power and hungry elites

@rodrigogalecio8928

4 жыл бұрын

Well said: "Anyone that goes into another country to kill is a criminal", I agree, and so, the British Empire is the biggest crime in history!

@Mrtweet81

4 жыл бұрын

So the British soldier was a criminal, since he went into France to kill people?

@pillager6190

4 жыл бұрын

@@Mrtweet81 by his personal opinion? Yes. Not mine

@mottthehoople693

4 жыл бұрын

@@rodrigogalecio8928 hes was an old man..definitely dead now

One of the best documentary. Well explained. Must Watch if you love WW 2 history.

@zirkoleonardi129

4 жыл бұрын

Jose how can you say it is "one of the best" . Please explain.

soldier like that should have serve the benefit of humanity and not the evil that exist in our midst.

Nice documentary , thanks for uploading it , I really enjoyed watching it , please upload more ww2 documentaries like this

As you all should know, In German the letters W and V the sounds when spoken are switched .... So the "W" in WITTMAN is pronounced like a "v" ... making Wittman ....Vittman

Wittman was the best SS tank ace. Kurt Knispel was by far the best German tank ace.

Well done, very informative.

You have to admit that his rampage at Villers-Bocage was pretty hilarious - sight! BOOM! Sight! BOOM! Sight! BOOM! The crew was probably laughing inside their tank, it was just so ridiculously easy.

@waynerobert7986

22 күн бұрын

Wittmann lost 5 very expensive Tigers that day at Villers Bocage. The German losses that day were more expensive than the British losses.

Well Documented and put together 👌

Is Kurt Knispel all but forgotten?

@hypocriticalnihilist645

4 жыл бұрын

Who?

@raymondkisner9240

4 жыл бұрын

Yes but is getting better known

@6412mars

4 жыл бұрын

@@hypocriticalnihilist645 very funny

@hypocriticalnihilist645

4 жыл бұрын

@@6412mars 😉👌

@bozobaz30

4 жыл бұрын

Hopefully

This is so interesting, I thank you for posting.

Amazing parallels to the death of The Red Baron

My understanding Whitman yes is an ace but Kurt was the Ace of aces of tankers in the German military Panzers. Both were terrifying to face

A real hero of the world we need more like Wittman!

@bezahltersystemtroll5055

4 жыл бұрын

Meh. I think we need more brilliant scientists.

@neganrex5693

4 жыл бұрын

@@bezahltersystemtroll5055 We need scientists that can get it right from time to time than push idiot agendas on command.

@shad0wrune

4 жыл бұрын

No we don’t. All are fine 6 feet under.

@springamerican3757

4 жыл бұрын

You mean more dead Nazi's?

Interesting to see all the exhibits of his tank . But he’s keen handling that AP shell lol

The fighting in normandy became so intense that over a million men was slugging it out in a 50 mile area,this was a fight to the death, despite popular believe they wasn't many tigers in normandy, while the allies had thousands of shermans the germans had less than one hundred tigers in normandy...

My father was wounded in the Bocage 25 Aug, 1944. He was in the 29th Division, 115th Infantry, Company F. He was wounded by a mortar shell tree burst. I still have the piece of shell.

@fatdad64able

4 жыл бұрын

Who has the tree then?

Whitman ended up holding up the british for weeks with that one brave move,he was awarded the iron cross with oak leaves and diamonds the highest award given to any tank commander at that time, isn't that something 🤭🤔

@rons4778

2 жыл бұрын

And achieved absolutely nothing

Awesome investigation. Germany had several great tank commanders. Whittman knew it was a suicide mission. He knew the odds were against him.

Even with the 17 pounder, the Firefly was not an equal of the Tiger I. The Tiger was still a somewhat better tank than the Sherman (once on the battlefield). It's thicker armor meant that it could take out a Firefly from distances beyond a Firefly's ability to penetrate the Tiger I's armor. The Firefly had a better gun than the Sherman for certain and could take out a Tiger I but it was not an equal on the battlefield.

@springamerican3757

4 жыл бұрын

Not on that day it wasn't.

@daveyev5300

3 жыл бұрын

Shermans were good at hiding, right place at the right time.

@joshuabrown3525

10 ай бұрын

The problem was that the Black Baron was so close to them at about 170 meters that even those small guns could knock him out. Let's not forget that the Canadians with their short barrelled 76mm guns still could do damage, and in the right place; he had no chance. Of course, the Canadians didn't even know who the heck this guy was. They saw a tiger and a they knocked it out.

I had the pleasure to work alongside a panzer mechanic Billy Hoffman, for many yrs , when I was young lad , the man was a genius on the tools.

I doubt you check comments on a video from May, but I thought you did an excellent investigation and forensic re-creation of the battlefield in question. Some speculation is a given, but your conclusion is the most likely scenario to be true.

I live in Sherbrooke (home base for the Sherbrooke Fusiliers regiment - now hussars). Never heard that story before. But we still have ''The Bomb'' as a reminder of these incredible times.

@suzyqualcast6269

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe read After the Battle Panzers in Normandy, Eric Lefevres. Jean Paul Pallud identified the site of Wittman wreck and his and his crews bodies, thereupon to be interred at la Cambe.

@dioraranel2000

3 жыл бұрын

@@suzyqualcast6269 Ohhh thanks for the tip. Just ordered a used copy.

there were lots of Ace in the German ranks, Wittman, Knispel and Peiper.

Don't you just love the way these people use their phraseology? Terrifying? How about Brilliant or Heroic? Just because he was the so-called enemy shouldn't make his deeds any less amazing than those of our own!

@hypocriticalnihilist645

4 жыл бұрын

No! He was on the other side! He was, therefore, 100% complicit in all decisions and actions made by the upper echelon of the opposing military force, thus making him an evil monster. My grandfather, low-level soldier serving in an artillery unit, clearly was a bloodthirsty, murderous, villainous, psychopathic anti-semite of the highest order.

@hypocriticalnihilist645

4 жыл бұрын

@GStates You're one of the people who reads a joke on a KZread comments page and then ascribes a bunch of crazy things to it, that even if they were true you would have no way of knowing.

@superLoafOX

4 жыл бұрын

GStates I think @Hypocritical Nihilist was being sarcastic dude

@user-mz6ts4xn6i

4 жыл бұрын

Victors write history. little do the bluepilled sheeple know that the bad guys won the great war...... That's what we are seeing unroll in Europe

@user-mz6ts4xn6i

4 жыл бұрын

@@ColonelHoganStalag13 He is sarcastic dude. No soldier is to blame for a world war where they are forced to participate. There are many sides of history, you only live in the one written by the victors. I also have tons of NSDAP family members who were really kind and great people who achieved tons of things that benefit alot of people today. Yet if i mention it, people inadvertently believe that they were evil monsters without thought of mind. Reality is way way more complex than you seem to perceive it.

He's a hero.

The truth is that Whittman escaped that's why his body was never found. He could see the war was lost so he found a British uniform, persuaded a British soldier named Fleming to help him escaped to England where he changed his name to James, James Bond and kept his favourite number 007.

Is easier to be an ace tanker when you have a superior tank.

@hertzair1186

4 жыл бұрын

...it helps, but skill is required

@iconicyard1311

4 жыл бұрын

why did it take the allies so long to make a tank to match the tiger.the Russians were the most successful.

@samb2052

4 жыл бұрын

lobo de la suerte Because they didn’t need to. Building thousands of Shermans which could be shipped more efficiently, made more sense than hundreds of heavy tanks which need more shipping. Furthermore, the Allies were generally able to manoeuvre around German heavy tanks and stroke at their weaknesses. It’s the difference between strategy and tactics.

@tekay44

4 жыл бұрын

and, much more experience.

@mjoelnir58

4 жыл бұрын

Not so easy if you are outnumbered 10 to 15 times by your opponents.Plus air superiority.

13:04 You guys used a clip with an IS-3. Michael Wittman never saw one of those I promise lol.

@centurion1314

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. The IS-3 wasn't used during the War.

@SvenTviking

3 жыл бұрын

Crewed by Midgets and carrying little ammunition, I believe.

@Theywaswrong

3 жыл бұрын

Doesnt matter one whit...mann

@Seygem

3 жыл бұрын

@@Theywaswrong it does matter a whole lot. a channel that wants to seem professional can't make mistakes like that.

All in all. I hate that he died in an ambush. He's was an enemy, but he was a warrior, if a warrior is to die in violence it should be head on! He was a great killer, a good leader, and has mustered out of the German army and has gone to his next life, hoping for mercy and fearing justice. . . . Just like all the dead.

@bobsagget823

4 жыл бұрын

My father was wounded in the Bocage 25 Aug, 1944. He was in the 29th Division, 115th Infantry, Company F. He was wounded by a mortar shell tree burst. I still have the piece of shell.

@dickvarga6908

4 жыл бұрын

He got as good as he gave others.

QF 17pdr (76.2mm) equipping the "FireFly" was a good gun but I personally think that saying that a FireFly was as good as a Tiger 1 is stretching it abit. The Tiger2's 88mm was definitely superior & this is easily seen if you compare the 88mm shell sizes between a Tiger1 to a Tiger2.

@Seygem

3 жыл бұрын

Your comment makes absolutely 0 sense. First of all; shell size doesn't mean better gun. Secondly, how are you determining how good/bad the 17pdr is if you compare the 88s on tiger one and two?

I have been studying WW2 for 40 years and have a bookcase full of books on the SS. I have never read of Wittmann referred to as the Black Baron.

@freddieclark

6 ай бұрын

That's because the term was made up long after the end of the war.

Actually it explode itself because the Tiger cannot contain the pure AWESOMENESS of Michael Wittmann

@pillager6190

4 жыл бұрын

LOL. Maybe a Tiger II or JagdTiger could've ??

@mottthehoople693

4 жыл бұрын

Id say Wittman and his crew had a game of soggy sao...after being away from their loved ones for so long.... and wittman packed such awesomeness he blew his own tanks turret off

I think today the tendency for people to hero worship men like Wittman has less to do with politics and more to do with the man as a warrior in a time that was full of warriors on both sides.

@andrewdavison7700

3 жыл бұрын

You sucked him off.

I have to disagree with the gentleman at the end of the program, who stated that anyone who comes into another country and kills, is a criminal. Soldiers are given orders and being honorable men, they must obey those orders. At the end of the war, the victors get to write the history, and then they decide who the criminals were. You can fault the leaders but you cannot fault the soldiers...

@researchpatrol1437

2 жыл бұрын

As determined at Nuremberg "just following orders" is not a valid excuse.

Great video! more,more

And what of Kurt “Panzer”Meyer? Ah, there he is.

@dickvansteijn4115

4 жыл бұрын

He got that monicer because he fell of a roof during his training and was uningured. That man is built like a tank the comment was. Hence Panzer Meyer

Tank ace drives over open field with no cover? Maybe had just had enough of the war knowing the end was near … perhaps his journey into Valhalla as one interviewed soldier says?

Your pieces are brilliant..honest and with respect...thankyou.

@zirkoleonardi129

4 жыл бұрын

I see this as a hypocrite see from 44:00

@johnaitken7430

4 жыл бұрын

Zirko Leonardi I’ve seen many of his productions and while made for a tv audience his respect for those who fought, either side, is genuine..it’s not current KZread influencer stuff or style so the age shows a bit

Killing tanks isn't the most amazing thing he did with a Tiger tank. The most amazing thing he could do with it was to keep it running!

@markmitchell450

3 жыл бұрын

@K Will they weren't the most reliable thing and difficult to repair

I still like the King Tiger tanks

@lisajohnson9456

4 жыл бұрын

I would love one then we would see who gets cut up on the road.

@AlreadyTakenTag

4 жыл бұрын

What about ZE TRANSMISSION

I wasn't sure if I saw this before or not until I heard this dude say, "About 50 yards?" If you pay attention to him, every time he tries guessing the distance it's 50 yards everytime & he does it in this video like 5 to 8 times but it feels like 10.

Imagine that you are moving into a area that was declared safe and then wittmann bursts out of nowhere in his tiger tank, I personally would be grateful if I survived the encounter

If the allies did not have control of the sky’s when they invaded France we would had no chance against the German tanks.

@JohnSmith-kz8yo

4 жыл бұрын

sure..you control the air you also pretty much control the ground

@stastu6484

3 жыл бұрын

Buddy there was like 100 tigers on the entire western front, most were panzer 4s and besides the Allies had lots of 76 shermans and fireflies, they were just so rarely needed as there were so few "wunderwaffle" tanks like the tigers and panthers

"When this war is over we will be accused of an infinity of murder as if all men at war everywhere hadn't behaved the same way" The book "The Forgotten Soldier

@jameszeschke2182

3 жыл бұрын

An awsome book about a French-German caught in a war few wanted

@reginaldmcnab3265

3 жыл бұрын

Very interesting book! The first book that I had read that was not by an allied soldier but from a German soldier.

@joespeciale5875

3 жыл бұрын

And it’s the cowardly Neville Chamberlain diplomats, the so-called statesmen, that actually create the conditions ripe for war and mass murder.

@olivernorth7418

3 жыл бұрын

I forgot when Americans soldiers murdered 6 million jews, I thought they only executed small numbers of SS prisoners in retribution

We’re just gonna forget about Kurt Knispel then? Alright then

Well done.

What beautiful scenery for such destruction! I love the history In Europe and the historic buildings.

@rogerjohnson8707

4 жыл бұрын

In 2018 and 2019 I spent several weeks going through the WWI battle fields of France and Belgium. Beautiful country. Never particularly thought much of that part of the world but it made a believer out of me. Paris, not so much.

@W.A.T.P...55

4 жыл бұрын

I'm British and I love the fact my country has such history..I don't always like the things I learn,,but it's mostly amazing and historic things I find out

@shanebeckett3557

3 жыл бұрын

@@rogerjohnson8707 immigration has almost killed western Europe your lucky you atleast got to see it before Islam tales over

@inthemaze7441

3 жыл бұрын

D you should be proud! I’m American and can’t think of a better alliance.

@andilemuthe1658

3 жыл бұрын

History of blood and suffering?? Nothing to be proud of

Legend in his own right

Man... that man had a serious uni-brow.... so prominent and on display for all to gaze upon.

@scottyfox6376

3 жыл бұрын

Bathe in the Glory of the Unibrow..👀

Why don’t timeline do a documentary on the real panzer ace of aces Kurt Knispel? A real hero

Otto Carius was another top German tank ace (150 kills). I read his book, "Tigers in the Mud" but in truth it was pretty boring. He died not long ago in 2015 at the age of 92.

@andrewdavison7700

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Michael Wittmann rest in VALHALLA with your Friends. You never forgotten.

@rowangovender1895

4 жыл бұрын

uweyaa Remember , who and what he fought for. Before you admire him, you hear what that British tanker said in the end of the documentary.

@KBauer-cs1rh

3 жыл бұрын

@@rowangovender1895 May I remind you that Great Britain leads the chart starting the most wars of all times terrorizing many Countries while Germany is pretty much at the bottom of that list. And it was also Great Britain to tell the Polish not to agree to anything the Germans offered while they continued to kill thousands of Germans in those areas that became polish after WW1. And as long as nobody talks about all this, the real instigators living among us still work to create one conflict after another. Cecil Rhodes, Alfred Milner, Churchill and their "Round Table Society" stand guilty as charged.

@Pifferfish

3 жыл бұрын

@@KBauer-cs1rh That's some premium whataboutism.

@KBauer-cs1rh

3 жыл бұрын

@@Pifferfish Are you referring to this video?

@Pifferfish

3 жыл бұрын

@@KBauer-cs1rh I'm referring to you refusing to acknowledge why the Germans were fighting, and what for. "But whatabout--" 1/10 attempt at deflecting.

At 8:30 the translation is wrong. The narrator talks about a "stronger tank unit" , not a heavy tank division.

I disagree with the feeling that Whittman in death should not be romanticised as the presenter proposes. He was not a war criminal. He was simply a soldier fighting a war. We should not detract from his memory. His memory should be cherished as we respect our own fallen.

Thank you for putting out a documentary with free, public access. However, you don't need to say his full name every 30 seconds... the intro was a bit tedious.

Does it matter. Point is he died being overwhelmed by allied armor

@Dave-jj3fk

3 жыл бұрын

@@teosalmela9117 this dude did not ask an educated question

This video never mentioned Whitmans record on the Russian front, or explained how he was able to operate the Tiger Tank at the rate he did. He got his iron cross for incinerating over a a hundred Russian tank crews!

By 2783, we'll know what every German soldier did during WW 2: which one sneezed when, whether Obersturmbahnführer X preferred his eggs scrambled or sunny side up and whether the Gruppenführer Y was killed by a Russian sniper or an irritated bear. By then, the British also might pronounce words like Leibstandarte correctly (it's not Lieb, it's Leib, just like the "y" in why, so not that terribly difficult actually, it is not Japanese). It's also preferable not to Anglosize words like Tiger or Michael, but to use the correct German pronounciation. Just minor details, but it adds extra professionalism. The Germans don't call prince William Wilhelm, do they ?

I always thought that Kurt Knispel was the greatest panzer ace...

@W.A.T.P...55

4 жыл бұрын

He was

Wittman's kills was also greatly involved with his gunners ability to get the tiger into the meal time position to fight his Tiger Tank, Balthasar Woll who survived the hit that killed Wittman and only died 1996.

@nancybarnes29

4 жыл бұрын

absolutely right

@mdlclassworker3384

4 жыл бұрын

Yes that's why it's a crew, the driver, the, gunner etc etc, all had to be top notch, but the commander was still responsible for that, as well as the tactics

@michaelmace924

4 жыл бұрын

What's crazy is I couldn't find a video that says Balthazar Woll at all. With all of the controversy surrounding the death of the Black Baron you'd think there'd be quite a few people wanting to talk the guy in that tank who survived. IDK, that's the man I would've wanted to talk to, before he died of course.

@michaelmace924

4 жыл бұрын

I might not be an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. 😁

@mkoschier

4 жыл бұрын

Interesting detail that Woll survived he was awared the Knights Crosss by the way

His courage... sir I like all his strategies.

Dr. Toboggan's Hickory Smoked Ice Cream Sandwich Is The Best For Anxiety!

I think Whittman made a calculation that his time was up and decided to go out in a blaze of glory. As the host said at the end, a suicide mission.

@well-hiddenme5846

3 жыл бұрын

What prevented him to simply fly a white flag on the top of his Tiger at the right time? Would he, he would be later in a strategic position to re-build either the West or East German motorized ground force (his choice, most likely it would be the West at begin, than the common one... and than retire in glory as a decorated vet). What prevented? His stupid brain and his dishonesty or complete blindness. In addition to be faithful not to his wife, but to a criminal cause. This guy is a complete loser.

@typehyuga607

3 жыл бұрын

@@well-hiddenme5846 go destroy a hundred tanks before you call him a loser