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00:01North Africa, 1943.
00:04For the American tankers in their first combat mission of the war,
00:07it's a baptism of fire.
00:09We thought we had the best equipment and everything.
00:12We thought we were well prepared.
00:15The general said, follow my order.
00:18Attack.
00:21Against the German Africa Corps, it's kill or be killed.
00:25Distance, 500 meters.
00:28Tank at 1230.
00:30Fire at will.
00:32Spearheading the German onslaught is Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox.
00:37He would say, it is your task to shoot.
00:40Shoot, shoot, shoot.
00:46The American's only hope is General George Patton.
00:50We felt if we had a man that had that much guts,
00:52well, we had better have some nerve too.
00:54The armies of two of the greatest tank commanders of the Second World War
00:57face off turret to turret in the Battle of Tunisia.
01:01November 1942.
01:02At El Alame, the British Eighth Army deals a devastating blow to the Battle of Tunisia.
01:06Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
01:07November 1942.
01:26At El Alame, the British Eighth Army deals a devastating blow to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
01:37His once mighty Afrika Korps reduced to just 64 tanks.
01:52Their defeat is total, their plight desperate.
01:56The shattered remnants of Rommel's forces limp back across the desert.
02:02Pursued by the British from the east, they retreat 2500 kilometers to Tunisia,
02:09where they face an Allied force advancing across the mountains from the west,
02:13including the fledgling U.S. 1st Armored Division.
02:16Confident and cocksure in their first combat mission of the Second World War,
02:21the Americans come armed with the latest in front-line technology, the Sherman tank.
02:31The Allies' newest tank is fast, with a top speed of nearly 40 kilometers per hour.
02:36And it's powerful, with a 75-millimeter short-barreled cannon.
02:40At El Alame, it proved itself a winner.
02:43And in Tunisia, the American tankers are riding high on expectation.
02:47We thought we had the best equipment and everything.
02:52We thought we were well prepared.
02:55I had no fear.
02:58No fear.
03:00The Allies land an impressive initial force of more than 400 tanks,
03:05100 tank destroyers,
03:07and 70,000 men.
03:10But the American tankers have yet to be tested in the heat of battle
03:13and the cauldron of war.
03:15For all their bravado, they are rookies still.
03:19We certainly were.
03:21We had no actual combat experience.
03:26It was a big handicap.
03:30For Rommel, the problem is a dire shortage of men and arms.
03:35But he's thrown a lifeline when the 5th Panzer Army lands in Tunisia,
03:39bringing with them powerful anti-tank guns and long-barreled Panzer IVs.
03:44In my opinion, it was possibly the best tank in the world at that time.
03:52Even better than the Sherman.
03:57We were under the impression that we were definitely going to be superior to the Americans.
04:07By January, the Germans field 300 Panzers.
04:13Over 100,000 troops.
04:18And hundreds of anti-tank guns.
04:23The fate of Rommel and his tankers hangs in the balance.
04:27Whoever wins here, wins North Africa.
04:30The battle lines are drawn in the remote mountains of Western Tunisia.
04:35The Germans attack first, then dig in on either side of the Fayed Pass,
04:40where they wait for the Americans to launch a counter-attack,
04:43which they do on January 31st.
04:48Their plan, to engage the enemy in open combat.
04:53The general said, follow my orders.
04:57Attack.
04:58I had a lieutenant as my commander of the tank.
05:03Actually, he wanted to get more bars or something.
05:06And he says, I'll go first.
05:09So I was a driver, so we went out.
05:12You could see the Americans attacking from the front.
05:19We were just heading forward.
05:22We didn't know where the enemy was or anything.
05:27I don't want to bash the Americans, but in my opinion, they were inexperienced.
05:37Our 88 guns were camouflaged well in the cactus core.
05:56They enticed you to come through.
06:02And the Americans didn't see it.
06:07And then they opened fire on us.
06:11And the Americans didn't stand a chance against the 88 anyway.
06:21The German 88 is the most lethal weapon on the battlefield.
06:25It has a 4.9-meter barrel and a muzzle velocity of 820 meters a second.
06:31With a clear line of view, it can destroy a Sherman at a range of more than 2 kilometers.
06:44If the 88 was positioned right and camouflaged well,
06:48it was able to bring down tanks that were very far away.
06:55The only way we could outdo them is face them head on.
06:58But if they catch you from the side, you're very vulnerable.
07:05Well, sometimes you didn't even know where they were coming from.
07:09You know, when shell fire hits, it's loud.
07:14Oh, it could be 10 feet away.
07:17When I looked out there, it looked like I could get out there and get a baseball bat and hit those things.
07:26One of our tanks in our company, his 75-millimeter gun was shot off.
07:34It was just like a howitzer mount. It had a short barrel on it.
07:36One after the other was caught down by the 88.
07:46He said, let's get out of here. Let's get the hell out of here.
07:49He said, let's get out of here. Let's get the hell out of here.
07:53Back it up, back it up, back it up.
07:55My feet were going like this, shaking on it.
07:59He said, let's get out of here. Let's get the hell out of here.
08:02Back it up, back it up, back it up.
08:04My feet were going like this, shaking on it.
08:05He said, let's get out of here.
08:06He said, let's get out of here. Let's get the hell out of here.
08:11Back it up, back it up, back it up.
08:14My feet were going like this, shaking on it.
08:19Well, he no sooner said than that, and bam.
08:28That'll help me get me out of here.
08:30That was frightening.
08:39We brought a lot of them down.
08:41So the rest of them turned around and disappeared.
08:49As the dust settles on the mountain pass at Faid,
08:53the lessons to be drawn are there for all to see.
08:57We thought we had the best equipment and everything,
08:59but we finally found out that we didn't.
09:05Dumbass.
09:07At that time, we just felt we were vastly superior to them
09:11in every respect.
09:17But it's a lesson that US commanders refuse to learn.
09:21And just two weeks later,
09:23they will send their tanks down the pass once more.
09:26We just do our duty and follow orders.
09:27That, of course, was a feast for us.
09:28November 1942.
09:29Rommel's Panzer Army meets disaster at El Alamein.
09:30November 1942.
09:31November 1942.
09:32Rommel's Panzer Army meets disaster at El Alamein.
09:33November 1942.
09:34Rommel's Panzer Army meets disaster at El Alamein.
09:35The Germans withdraw at El Alamein.
09:37Green
09:58The Germans withdraw 2,500 kilometers west to Tunisia,
10:05only to be faced by an Allied force advancing across the mountains.
10:11The rookie Americans roll into an ambush at Faid Pass.
10:20The German panzers advance up the pass and take up new positions at Sidi Bouzid,
10:25where the Americans launch their Shermans in another reckless counterattack.
10:32We're aware that the odds are against us from past experience.
10:37We're aware of that. No question.
10:44We don't feel. We just do our duty and follow orders.
10:49The Americans started to attack us with huge formations, like they always did.
11:03That, of course, was a feast for us.
11:07In a show of force, the Shermans attack at full throttle
11:10and with all guns blazing in a classic V formation.
11:13They charge blindly down the pass, kicking up such an immense cloud of dust
11:17they can see nothing to either side of them,
11:19including the two panzer divisions which are lying in ambush.
11:24It's a textbook cavalry charge,
11:26but it's a textbook that was written before the war
11:28and a tactic that is hopelessly out of date against the battle-hardened panzers.
11:33They didn't know there were two German tank companies hiding.
11:38They didn't know that, of course.
11:42You have to say that this was their excuse.
11:51We had discussed on the radio that we let the Americans approach as much as possible.
11:56I believe the first American tank had approached at a distance of 300 meters,
12:07and then the first shot was fired.
12:10And so began the battle of Sidi Bouzi.
12:13There were so many that we didn't have time to discuss who is targeting which tank.
12:34The German Panzer IV is one of the most powerful tanks on the battlefield.
12:38At a range of two kilometers, its 75-millimeter long-barreled gun
12:43can punch through a Sherman's armor plating.
12:46At a fraction of that distance, it will blow a Sherman tank to pieces.
12:53It was a gun with an unbelievable speed.
12:58Our shells would go on a thing like the trajectory.
13:02Well, the Germans went right straight through.
13:08At a range of 1,000 meters, you had to aim only about 10 centimeters higher.
13:16Other than that, you could just use it as it was,
13:20because it shot the shells at a very high speed.
13:23We managed to destroy one American tank after the other in front of us.
13:38But, of course, they fired as well.
13:47I wouldn't say we were blind firing.
13:50Some of it might have been, but the majority of it, we tried to have a target in mind.
13:56I had to duck my head a couple of times, but they never hit us.
14:11The American tanks that were following further behind saw what was happening
14:15and obviously didn't think they had a chance and tried to escape towards the north.
14:20We drove north as well to cut off the retreating Americans.
14:34And then there was a duel between the Sherman tanks, which lasted for just a matter of minutes.
14:45Everybody just shot until there was no tank left, until all of them had been destroyed.
14:53The last tank was maybe 2 kilometers away, and I was able to take down this one as well.
15:08In Sidi Bouzid, we took out at least 45 to 60 Shermans.
15:27Our casualties were zero, but our losses were zero.
15:38The Shermans had shot not a single tank of ours.
15:43And it was a scary scene to see all these burning tanks in a small area.
16:01Two times in two weeks, the inexperience of the Americans has been exposed.
16:07And more than a hundred tanks lost.
16:10With his enemy on the ropes, Rommel comes up with a daring new plan.
16:15To drive a stake straight through the heart of the American position
16:19and eliminate them once and for all.
16:29Tunisia, February 1943.
16:34Tanks of the US 1st Armored Division charged blindly down the pass at Sidi Bouzid.
16:40For the Americans, it's a disaster.
16:44For German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, it's an invitation to finish them off for good.
16:49The American command appeared to be getting jittery.
16:54And they were showing the lack of decision typical of men commanding for the first time in a difficult situation.
17:02Beginners lack the nerve.
17:05I wanted to push forward with all our strength and strike on deep into the Allied rear.
17:09Rommel's plan, codenamed Operation Stormtide, is a three-pronged panzer onslaught through the mountain passes.
17:23And at the epicenter of the battle is a name that will become infamous in the annals of American armored warfare.
17:29Kasserine.
17:30Kasserine.
17:31Kasserine.
17:32Kasserine.
17:33Kasserine.
17:34Kasserine.
17:35Kasserine.
17:36Kasserine.
17:37Kasserine.
17:38Kasserine.
17:39Kasserine.
17:40Kasserine.
17:41Kasserine.
17:42Kasserine.
17:43Kasserine.
17:44Kasserine.
17:45Kasserine.
17:46Kasserine.
17:47Kasserine.
17:48Kasserine.
17:49Kasserine.
17:50Kasserine.
17:51Kasserine.
17:52Kasserine.
17:53Kasserine.
17:54remember the war here in this place there are a lot of dead bodies this is
18:03my land and every year we find bodies the Germans were over there and the
18:15Americans were there this land is where the battle took place this mountain was
18:28the most important place during the battle February 1943 it's a battle the
18:37Americans are not prepared for their defenses around Kasserine are
18:46overstretched and thinly deployed their heavy armor is poorly dug in on the
18:51rocky terrain and C company of the 805th tank destroyer battalion holds the high
18:56ground to the north we was holding the path you might say we wasn't scared
19:01because up until that time we really hadn't had too much conflict while up in
19:06that area it was pretty quiet but we never knew when the something would
19:11happen at first light the German panzers make their move and Rommel himself is at
19:18the front spearheading the attack by cops up it was a short and precise order
19:25follow me and further orders will follow later
19:30short and sweet of course I said yes field marshal sir
19:36they were so close I'll never forget that this bars and naked eye could see to
19:43the right or left bumper to bumper we thought oh my god what's going to happen to our boys
19:48they looked at us with surprise because they didn't expect to see Germans here at all
19:56it was an unusually rapid advance for sure
20:08when we saw them I'll tell you to put the theory and you're right off the bat
20:11it was my task to scout the area with my binoculars from the turret for enemies inside
20:26then I told my gunner turret at 1230
20:36and then to my loader load the armor piercing shell
20:42range 500 meters tank at 1230 fire at will
20:50firefly automatically the charging gunner would reload with another shell
20:59this was all a matter of a couple of seconds
21:04oh my it made us all open our eyes and wonder what was going to happen next
21:19American tank at two o'clock
21:23armor piercing fire at will
21:26we saw a darting flame
21:33he had hit the tank and it was burning right away
21:37on the left side we suddenly saw eight American Sherman tanks
21:48right away we took position
21:54they were shooting as well they didn't hit us we shot better
22:06you're scared but you're only thinking of one thing is survival
22:17so we had several of the guns set up and start shooting down the Germans
22:23the M3 half track equipped with a rear mounted 75 millimeter cannon is designed as a tank destroyer
22:35lightly protected with just 16 millimeters of rolled face hardened steel its only means of defense is to attack
22:4375 would hit the German tanks and it was almost like taking a match and striking it
22:5575 would hit their armor and it would just ricochet right off we couldn't penetrate
23:02outgunned and outnumbered sea company is cornered with its back to the mountain
23:13the tank destroyers are about to become the destroyed
23:16the enemy was real close to us
23:18we was all wondering what to do next
23:23all we could see is that steep mountain
23:27we was more or less trapped
23:32February 1943 the Battle of Kasserie a German tank inferno rages through the mountain pass and the American defenses are consumed by fire
23:53when we saw them I'll tell you to put the theory and you're right off the bat
23:58American tank at two o'clock armor piercing fire at will
24:05oh
24:07it made us all open our eyes and wonder what was going to happen next
24:19c company of the 805th u.s. tank destroyer battalion is trapped
24:24caught between the mountain and Rommel's unstoppable panzers
24:29the enemy was real close to us
24:31we were more or less trapped
24:34and all of a sudden planes came over and we thought oh my gosh now we're really going to be in it
24:45we thought that was the end
24:47I think it was German planes
24:50it was going to be Custer's last stand
24:53and all of a sudden we realized they were some Americans
24:57but they started to scrape the Germans
24:59and they slung up over us and when they did they had their wings rocked back and forth
25:05and followed one another over the top of this mountain
25:08somebody said that they're trying to show us that we can get up over that and get down over the other side
25:14there's a pass up there so just follow that and we can get out of this position so then we
25:20immediately started everybody going get over the hill
25:24you could see it looked impossible but some of us made it some didn't
25:30over the next three days the Americans retreat over 100 kilometers
25:40with more than 6,000 casualties and the loss of more than 200 of their armored vehicles
25:45it's another defeat for the inexperienced and overconfident Americans
25:49our commanding officers were not knowledgeable
25:55they didn't have the experience either that was required against superior forces
26:03but despite the victory at Kasserine Pass Rommel's position is still perilous
26:09his enemies are on all sides
26:11with the Americans reeling to the west
26:15he turns his attention to the British 8th Army in the east
26:18and on March 6th he spearheads another shock attack
26:21this time through the desert at Medellin
26:23we drove from the pass through the desert at high speed creating a huge dust cloud behind us
26:33so that you couldn't see anything behind us
26:39about 150 times we are supposed to push the British 8th Army back towards the sea and destroy them
26:48and that came from us to find them to be it
26:57but Rommel's luck has run out
27:02British intelligence intercepts his orders and 500 guns are waiting for him
27:07non-stop shells hitting in the front, the back, to the left, to the right
27:23next to me approximately 15 meters away
27:26there was a sergeant with his tank and he got a direct hit in the turret
27:30right away I saw flames coming out of the turret
27:42and him sitting up trying to jump out
27:45but then collapsing
27:47in front of me was company commander von Schlieffen
28:02and he got a direct hit as well
28:06blinded by the sand the German Panzers are sitting ducks
28:13unable to engage the enemy because they have no idea where the enemy is
28:22in these four hours all I could see was sand, sand, sand, spraying on all sides
28:32you couldn't see to the left, nor right, nor front
28:36you couldn't see anything at all
28:38just sand spraying around that blocked the view entirely
28:51we were standing there
28:55it didn't make sense to go anywhere
28:58I was standing on the same spot for four hours
29:01and always hoping not to get hit by a shell
29:03and Rommel's tank got hit as well
29:14it had begun all of a sudden
29:16and it stopped all of a sudden at 12 p.m.
29:18as we figured later, 55 of the 150 tanks, one third, had been destroyed
29:34it was a disaster for Rommel
29:35this was Rommel's last battle in Africa
29:53three days later, Rommel is secretly recalled by Hitler to Germany for medical treatment
29:59leaving the Germans bereft of their inspirational leader
30:02just when they need him most
30:05defeated by the British in the desert
30:07their only escape route lies through the mountain passes to the west
30:11but the U.S. forces have regrouped
30:13in Rommel's absence, they've reoccupied the Kasserine Pass
30:18and now they have a new leader
30:21brash and outspoken
30:23General George Patton has taken charge
30:25and where he leads, he expects his men to follow
30:28he told us, which made us silly kind of laugh
30:31we as men from Mars
30:33have no fear of anything
30:35you're in good hands
30:37and you'll come out of this on top
30:39a confident boast by a confident general
30:43whose mettle is about to be tested
30:45in the crucible of battle
30:46the crucible of battle
31:04February 1943
31:05the Allied and German tankers fight for supremacy
31:12in the killing zone of Tunisia
31:14humiliated by one defeat after another
31:20the Americans are put under the command of General George Patton
31:24his task, transform an army that retreats into one that will stand up and fight
31:36Patton would be right there hollering, go get them sons of bees, you know
31:41we felt if we had a man that had that much guts, well we had better have some nerve too
31:47so that gave us a lot more confidence in our self knowing that he depended on us
31:52a reinvigorated American force reoccupies the mountain passes
31:58tightening the noose around the German panzers
32:01and blocking their escape route at El Gattar
32:07here Patton draws a line in the sand
32:10beyond which the Americans will retreat no more
32:12learning the grim lessons of Fayyid and Sidi Bouzid
32:25Patton sets his own trap
32:27and his troops dig themselves in to the hard and rocky ground along either side of the pass
32:32this one is a left over from Egan
32:35so we're all laughing over here
32:38you can find these all over here
32:40this one is a left over from Egan
32:43this one is a left over from Egan
32:46this one is a left over from Egan
32:49you can find these all over the land
33:04this one is also a left over from a weapon
33:09this is my land I was 10 years old and I remember it all
33:24this is my land I was 10 years old and I remember it all
33:26the Germans came up the pass
33:44the Americans were in the mountains
33:49the Americans were in the mountains
33:52I remember the voice of the planes, the weapons
34:11this is my land
34:18this is my land
34:21this is the land of war
34:23look out
34:29March 23rd 1943
34:32the Germans advance up the pass at El Gattar
34:36and this time Patton's tank destroyers are ready for them
34:41we had 36 of them guarding that pass
34:47our recon went out and it bumped into
34:50the Germans
34:52I counted 75 German tanks coming at us across the desert
34:58they were moving real slow
35:01they knew we were there
35:04they were in no hurry
35:07they just kept coming
35:09it looked like they were on a parade ground
35:13it's a calculated gamble by the Germans
35:15the panzers are an iron fortress moving at just 5 km per hour down the middle of the pass
35:22their plan is to use their heavy armor like a blunt instrument
35:25to bludgeon straight past the American lines on either side
35:29as long as we were below the top of the ridge
35:36we couldn't shoot
35:38so you'd pull up, shoot, and back down
35:41pull up, shoot, and back down
35:43there wasn't any problem knowing where the targets were
35:46they were out there
35:48they were out there
35:54when you're on higher ground shooting down
35:56it's a big advantage over somebody shooting up at you
36:00I'd pull up as quick as I could and stop
36:06and by the time I stopped
36:09the gunner had his target and fired
36:12the only place that you could do them any damage was hit within the tracks
36:17you could hit in there, you disabled them so they couldn't maneuver
36:20when you're in combat, first of all, you don't think about the possibility of being killed
36:31you need to focus on achieving the target
36:37under withering fire, the German formation holds firm
36:43resolute and relentless, it inches towards its goal
36:46I'm not being arrogant, but let's face it, we were valued
36:58we were an elite troop, weren't we?
37:11March 23rd, 1943
37:13in the decisive battle of the North African campaign
37:19the German panzers advance up the pass at El Gattar
37:26but for the first time in the campaign
37:29the US force refuses to give an inch
37:34and over 12 torrid hours they slug it out with the Germans
37:38it's either going to be them or us, one or the other
37:44you've just got to hope you're doing the right thing
37:49and doing it as fast as you can
37:56it's kind of hard on the driver
37:58he's sitting up not too far from the end of the barrel
38:01so that's why I don't hear too well now
38:11we were terribly frightened
38:15every soldier would have this nervous feeling in his guts
38:20and would shit his pants
38:21one of the things you had to admire about the German soldier was
38:25we'd knock out a tank
38:27and the crewmen if they weren't hurt
38:29they would take their machine gun off the tank
38:31and ground mount it
38:33and lay there and keep shooting
38:34twice in the course of the day the panzers advance up the pass
38:38and twice the tank destroyers of the 805th battalion hold firm
38:40and the tank destroyers of the 805th battalion hold firm
39:11the losses on both sides are immense
39:14by day's end, 21 tank destroyers and 31 panzers
39:18lie burning across the plain
39:24but the battlefield belongs to Patton
39:27and the exhausted panzer force now has nowhere left to turn
39:30and that was the end
39:34after we had run out of ammunition and gas
39:37there was nothing else to do but give up
39:40and that happened on May 13, 1943
39:51more than a quarter of a million German troops in Tunisia
39:55surrender to the allied forces
39:56The feeling was horror about being captured, of course
40:01there's nothing worse that can happen to a soldier
40:07Until today, we are still proud to have been part of the Africa Corps
40:12Africa Corps
40:14Africa Corps, who were they today?
40:15The Africa Corps, who were they today?
40:19Until today, we are still proud to have been part of the Africa Corps
40:22Africa Corps, who were they today?
40:27The Africa Corps, who were they today?
40:29Elgatar is the Americans' first armoured victory of the war
40:33No more will their battle-scarred tankers be seen as the allies' weakest link
40:38But that success has come at a price
40:43No, I didn't think it would be a breeze
40:48You know, actual combat is never a breeze
40:58It's either going to be them or us, one or the other
41:01so you get scared
41:04We say you can't help it if you've got anything about you, it's human
41:12It's part of, I think, warfare that you've got to accept the fact that you're going to have casualty
41:17that some of your best friends might not survive
41:19The Battle of Tunisia is the closing chapter in the story of Rommel's Africa Corps
41:38But for Patton and his battle-hardened tankers, it is the beginning of a journey that will ultimately lead to victory in Europe
41:46War II
41:54The Battle of Tunisia
41:56The Battle of Tunisia
42:01He dries like flying mighty car
42:04The Battle of Tunisia
42:06The Battle of Tunisia
42:11The Battle of Tunisia
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