- hace 7 semanas
Categoría
📺
TVTranscripción
00:00¡Suscríbete al canal!
00:30...single-handedly halts an Allied advance.
00:33One German tank was able to knock out so many British tanks in a matter of a few minutes.
00:41Whitman's final battle turns him into a Nazi legend.
00:45It was almost suicidal for the Germans to mount that attack.
00:52Even though it's been 60 years after Whitman's death, his legacy, his mystique, maintains.
01:00¡Suscríbete al canal!
01:01¡Suscríbete al canal!
01:02¡Suscríbete al canal!
01:03¡Suscríbete al canal!
01:05¡Suscríbete al canal!
01:17La Camde German Military Cemetery, Normandy, France.
01:2321,000 graves
01:26A monumento a la muerte de la guerra de la army en Normandía
01:29Y a la descanza de Adolf Hitler's reviled Third Reich
01:33Y ya amongst the rows of unadorned gravestones
01:38There is one man's grave
01:40That is always honoured with fresh flowers
01:42His name, Michael Whitman
01:47Whitman is considered the greatest tank ace of all time
01:53He was the ace of aces
01:56Many people say that he was a very quiet, likeable man
02:01He wasn't your typical Nazi
02:04Most tank commanders weren't personally decorated by Hitler
02:09But most didn't quite stand out with the number of kills that Whitman did
02:15Whitman's mentality was aggressive, motivated, disciplined
02:20Kind of encapsulates the panzer arm of World War II into a person
02:26Whitman died here in the fields of Normandy
02:33But his legend began in the fields of Bavaria
02:37Born in 1914 on a farm south of Nuremberg
02:41Whitman was a country boy living the healthy outdoor life
02:45At 19, Whitman is drafted into the army for compulsory service
02:51As all young men are in the Germany of Adolf Hitler
02:55In 1937, after completing his service, Michael Whitman, age 23
03:02Eagerly volunteers for Hitler's personal bodyguard
03:05The Leipstander, SS Adolf Hitler
03:09It's an elite unit
03:14They were in parades, they were very regimented
03:17It would have been hand-picked personnel
03:19They would have had certain height and physical fitness requirements
03:23A certain look
03:24He's not only a volunteer, but he's seemingly politically indoctrinated
03:29To want to be part of this unit
03:31I swear to thee, Adolf Hitler
03:35As Führer and Chancellor of the German Reich
03:37Loyalty and bravery
03:39I bow to thee, obedience unto death
03:43Being the honor guard
03:46I'm sure it was very appealing to somebody in their early 20s
03:49With the black uniforms and the smart look
03:53And the whole elite quality about them
03:56Michael Whitman embraces absolute loyalty to Adolf Hitler
04:00And his policy of persecution of the Jews
04:03And to his program of conquest and expansion of the Third Reich
04:10But in September 1939, Hitler invades Poland
04:16Triggering the Second World War
04:18Now for Whitman and his generation of young Nazis
04:22The parades are over and the fighting begins
04:25Because of his excellence as a driver
04:29Whitman is given command of a reconnaissance vehicle
04:32By early summer 1941
04:37The Nazis are the masters of Europe
04:40But for Adolf Hitler, the real prize lies to the East
04:43The Soviet Empire
04:45Vast spaces for the master race to conquer and colonize
04:49June 22, 1941
04:53Hitler invades the Soviet Union
04:56Codename Operation Barbarossa
04:58Three million German soldiers
05:02Led by 3,600 tanks
05:05Plunge into the Soviet Union
05:08Against the Germans, the Soviets mobilize
05:122.9 million men
05:15And 20,000 tanks
05:18Despite their superior numbers
05:21The Soviets are quickly overwhelmed
05:23By the speed and skill of the German panzers
05:25Michael Whitman's reconnaissance unit
05:31Races over the Soviet frontier
05:33With the Leipstandard
05:34Part of the leading armored force
05:36Hitler's armored divisions were important
05:39In the fact that they were the ones
05:41That were spearheading the advances
05:43The whole mentality of the tank force
05:45Was always keep moving
05:47Whitman and the Leipstandard are now part of the notorious Waffen-SS
05:53The Waffen-SS had a few premier divisions
05:59Leipstandard being one of them
06:00That maintained its elite status throughout the war
06:03As the panzers slash hundreds of kilometers through Russian defenses
06:07Millions of prisoners are taken
06:09The Waffen-SS does have a reputation for committing atrocities on the eastern front
06:15Over three million will be shot or starved to death
06:19Three weeks after the invasion
06:23The Leipstandard is closing in on the Ukrainian capital Kiev
06:27At the forefront is reconnaissance sergeant Michael Whitman
06:31July 12, 1941
06:33The panzers advance over hilly wooded country
06:38As they near the city of Zhitomir
06:41200 kilometers southwest of Kiev
06:43The Soviets counterattack
06:45Dozens of Soviet T-34 tanks bear down on the Leipstandard
06:51The T-34 has been a shock for the Germans
06:55Weighing 26 tons
06:59The T-34 is heavily armored
07:01With sloping sides to deflect shells
07:04Armed with a powerful 76.2 millimeter gun
07:09It is better than anything the Germans can field
07:12Wittman is ordered to reconnoitre the enemy forces in a Sturmgeschütz III or Stug
07:26Wittman drove his Sturmgeschütz to high ground
07:31He tried to locate the Soviets
07:33He spotted two groups of Soviet T-34 tanks
07:38Six coming from northeast
07:40And another 12 from the east
07:44That meant 18 T-34s against Wittman's single assault gun
07:50It was no match
07:55Wittman had to act quickly to even the odds
07:58He ordered his driver to take the Sturmgeschütz off the high ground
08:03Wittman has been ordered not to engage the enemy tanks
08:09As the heavier T-34s outgun his Sturmgeschütz III
08:12Sturmgeschütz is designed initially to be infantry support
08:18It's not designed to engage other tanks
08:20Built on the chassis of a Panzer III
08:25The Sturmgeschütz is a turretless assault gun
08:29Which means the driver has to swing the whole vehicle around
08:32To aim its high-velocity 75mm cannon
08:36The Sturmgeschütz has a movable cannon of 24 degrees only
08:44You have to face the enemy straight forward, not from the side
08:50If you see the enemy, you have to turn
08:53Despite being outnumbered and outmatched by the Russian tanks
08:57Wittman disobeys his orders and attacks the T-34s
09:02His personality that was mated to the Panzer credo of attack
09:08That that would have been the first thing he was looking for
09:11Was an opportunity to be preempted
09:14As the T-34 surged forward towards the crest of the hill
09:19Wittmann's only hope was to set up an ambush
09:23It was a direct hit
09:29A second T-34 surged over the hill
09:34It went up in flames
09:38A third T-34 managed to get a shot at Wittmann's Sturmgeschütz
09:44The T-34s were not as accurate, we thought at least, than ours
09:52More Russian tanks poured forward
09:55There were just too many
09:56Wittmann headed for cover
10:00He used the assault gun's low profile to hide it in a small wood
10:04I liked the Sturmgeschütz because of the low silhouette
10:08And that gave me a feeling being safer
10:12But facing so many T-34s, there was nowhere for him to hide
10:16Wittmann's driver swiveled the stool to bring its gun to bear on the Russian
10:25Firing would have definitely been an issue
10:28Because of the inability to track a target via a turret
10:32You would have to maneuver the vehicle
10:34And again, his gunner scored a direct hit
10:39With the T-34
10:42The only weak part is between the turret and the body
10:47To get right into the crack
10:50Another T-34 tried to target the thin side armor on the Sturmgeschütz
10:56Wittmann had to turn quickly and fire
10:58Before the Russian got in a shot
11:00You hit the tracks if you can
11:03When the tracks burst, of course
11:07He just goes around in a circle
11:09With his fast maneuvering, Wittmann began to even the odds
11:13Then, three more enemy tanks attacked
11:17Wittmann opened fire
11:20Only one of the Soviet tanks escaped
11:24Six of the formidable T-34s destroyed in just a few minutes
11:31Wittmann and his crew stopped the Soviet armored attack
11:36For his actions, Wittmann is awarded the Iron Cross Second Class
11:42Impressed by his exploits, Wittmann's commanders sent him back to Germany
11:49To train to become an officer of the SS
11:51Wittmann's career is on the rise
11:55Autumn 1942
11:59Bad Taltz, Germany
12:01Michael Wittmann begins his training in Heinrich Himmler's Waffen SS School
12:06Its aim is to form a new SS military elite
12:11The future leaders of Hitler's Nazi empire
12:14Wittmann graduates as an SS second lieutenant
12:19And is soon training on Germany's newest tank
12:24The Tiger
12:26Hitler's answer to the Soviet T-34
12:30It is the most formidable tank in the world
12:33At 100 millimeters, the Tiger's frontal armor is virtually impregnable
12:40Its 88 millimeter gun can cut through a T-34 at over 2 kilometers
12:46Wir waren nun Tigerleute
12:50Waren stolz, hatten das beste Gerät, was wir hatten
12:53Es war auch ein guter Panzer
12:55Und wir waren zum ersten Mal
12:57Den russischen Panzer ein Haus hoch überlegen
12:59In February 1943
13:03Wittmann is called back to the Russian front
13:05As part of the Leibstandards' new Tiger Company
13:08But by the summer
13:13The tide of battle is turning against Germany
13:16Soviet forces surge west
13:20Creating a huge bulge protruding into the German lines
13:23Near the Russian city of Kursk
13:25Desperate to regain the initiative
13:28Adolf Hitler plans a counter-offensive
13:30Operation Citadel
13:33It will be a two-pronged attack from north and south
13:36To chop off the bulge
13:38Leaving half a million Soviet soldiers cut off and trapped
13:42For the Citadel offensive, the Germans have amassed
13:46780,000 men
13:49And 2,500 tanks
13:52To meet the Germans, the Soviets field almost 2,000,000 men
13:57And more than 5,000 tanks
14:02The Leibstandard will be at the front of the southern attack
14:06With them at the spearhead will be Michael Wittmann
14:09Now commanding a platoon of five Tiger tanks
14:12On the eve of battle
14:17Wittmann's commander reads out Adolf Hitler's message to the crews
14:21Soldiers, today you set out on a great offensive
14:28Whose result can decisively affect the outcome of the war
14:32Ma soldiers
14:34Now, finally, you have better tanks than the enemy
14:38The German homeland looks to you with ardent confidence
14:42We just thought we were superior to the Russian tanks
14:48At least we were brainwashed to believe that
14:51Which helps to make you feel superior, you know
14:55You know what propaganda does
14:57July 5th, 1943
15:01At dawn, the Tiger crews wait for their attack to begin
15:05The order came over the tank radios
15:09Panzers, forward
15:11As we advanced, we were met by a relentless storm of fire
15:18The Russians had prepared line after line of defenses
15:23With dug-in T-34s
15:26Because the T-34 was inferior to the Tiger I
15:30It needed to compensate for its deficiencies
15:32One of the ways was to have pre-dug positions for the vehicles
15:37The incoming round would have to penetrate
15:40Probably several feet of dirt
15:41To be able to actually get to the vehicle itself
15:43The Tiger's powerful 88-millimeter gun
15:48Is able to break through the Russian defensive
15:50While the Russian shells bounce off the Tiger's armor
16:00Overcoming line after line of Russian defense
16:13Whitman and the Tigers pushed towards their objective
16:16But the Russians continued to throw wave after wave of tanks that are advanced
16:21These were all fresh targets for Whitman's gunner
16:26We call it zusammen gespielte, you know, played together, you know
16:41So that one interacts with the other the right way
16:57The loader, the gunner, the commander, the driver, the radio man
17:01It's a tightly knit group
17:03July 12th, 1943
17:07The Germans set off to assault the final Soviet defense line before Kursk
17:12Whitman's commander is wounded
17:16And Whitman must take over command of the Leipstandards Tiger Company
17:20Just as the Battle of Kursk is about to reach its climax
17:24Unknown to the Germans, the Russians are preparing a desperate last-ditch counterattack
17:31The Germans were on the verge of breaking through into open country
17:35And the Soviets were starting to panic
17:38They were going to throw whatever they had available into the mix
17:41The Russians send 500 tanks west to attack the German right flank
17:46But the Waffen-SS tanks turn east
17:48These huge tank forces are about to collide
17:53Near the little town of Prokhorovka
17:55Second Lieutenant Whitman and his crew are ordered to high ground
18:00In the distance, what seemed like a dust cloud was rising
18:10Suddenly, hundreds of Soviet tanks appeared at the crest of a hill
18:16Headed straight towards Whitman
18:18We were in shock
18:21The Soviets were not on the defensive
18:23They were attacking
18:25Just 1,600 meters from Whitman
18:29More than 100 Soviet tanks are charging towards it
18:33Over the gently rolling land of the steppe
18:35We had a number of hills
18:37But it was predominantly open terrain
18:39So the Tiger tank could engage at long distance
18:42With a well-aimed shot, a Tiger can knock out a T-34 at a distance of 2 kilometers
18:49But the Russian tanks have to get much closer before their guns can have any effect on the Tigers
18:55The T-34s raced towards us, trying to close the deadly gap
19:12They came back into view, now only 800 meters away
19:19The Tigers opened fire
19:21A lot of tanks in a relatively small area
19:30Something of a shooting gallery from a Tiger 1 commander's perspective
19:34The T-34s were still not close enough to penetrate the armor of the Tigers
19:38So they had to keep advancing
19:41Straight through our barrage
19:43They got to 700 meters
19:47Getting closer
19:50And closer
19:52And closer
19:52The Tiger guns were belching fire
19:57But there were too many
19:58They couldn't all be stopped
20:00The Russians slam into the SS formation
20:11At close range
20:26The German tanks are vulnerable
20:28Whitman's Tigers spring into action
20:31Whitman's gunner fires on the move
20:36Again and again
20:37One of the reasons that Whitman was so successful as a Tiger commander
20:43Was his ability to fire while moving with the vehicle
20:48And that way they could acquire the target
20:53But they'd get rounds on the target more quickly
20:55Such a technique wasn't normal
21:00In fact, German regulations stressed that the tanks should not fire when on the move
21:05It's basically a waste of ammunition
21:06But Whitman and his crew have mastered the difficult technique
21:12Using it to their advantage
21:13From Whitman's perspective, Prokhorovka would have just been chaos
21:20It would have had firing at close range
21:24Whitman's tank is hit twice
21:28But keeps on fighting
21:31The battle rages for hours
21:44The Russians take appalling losses
21:48But they succeed in slowing the German advance
21:54They bombed our aircraft
21:57They bombed the German aircraft
22:00I thought they were able to destroy the bomb
22:04Kursk is considered one of the greatest tank battles in history
22:09Because of the numbers of tanks
22:11And other armored vehicles involved in a relatively small area
22:14Our Tiger company had a series of fine successes
22:20Over the whole Citadel-Kursk battle
22:24We destroyed 151 enemy tanks
22:27Despite the success of the Tiger units
22:34The ferocious Russian defenses has stopped Hitler's offensive
22:38The Germans have lost the decisive tank battle on the Eastern Front
22:44From now on, Michael Whitman will be fighting for his
22:51And for Nazi Germany's survival
22:53In its third winter on the Eastern Front
22:59The German army is in full retreat
23:01The Russians have pushed them 500 kilometers
23:06From Kursk back into the Ukraine
23:08Michael Whitman's Tiger unit
23:11Is fighting a series of desperate rearguard action
23:13Tiger units would have been sent from one sector of the front to the other
23:19To try and plug gaps that had been opened up by Soviet armored forces
23:23And attempted to blunt them
23:25So that way German forces can continue their retreat to the west
23:28The rapid Russian advance leaves the Soviet supply lines stretched dangerously thin
23:35Making supply convoys a vital necessity
23:39December 6, 1943
23:45Whitman and his unit now designated the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
23:51Are poised to attack a Soviet supply convoy near the town of Brusilov
23:55But between the convoy and the Tigers are batteries of Russian anti-tank guns
24:04The Soviet 76.2 millimeter divisional gun is a tank killer
24:13It can smash through a Tiger's side armor at a distance of nearly 1,000 meters
24:19And wreck its tracks
24:20To kill these anti-tank batteries
24:29Whitman's tactic is to play a dangerous game
24:32Using himself and his tank as bait
24:36Whitman drove to high ground
24:40He was tempting the Russian gunners to fire at him
24:47They took the bait
24:50But now the gunners had revealed their positions
25:01Under heavy fire Whitman quickly retreated
25:07Then our Tigers raced at the anti-tank guns from their blind spots
25:13Charging straight at them
25:14Before the Russians could turn the guns around
25:16Whitman's tactic has worked
25:32The anti-tank batteries are now a smoking wreck
25:38But his Tiger reveals just how dangerous Whitman's game can be
25:43We counted a total of 28 hits on the Tiger
25:47Some of them were smaller, of course
25:49But there were also some big enough to easily put one's fist into
25:54With the anti-tank batteries eliminated, Whitman races towards the supply road
26:01He drives into cover to observe the road
26:05And he spots a convoy
26:07Though he's heavily outnumbered, Whitman decides to attack on his own
26:15Whitman would have been trying to make the best of a bad situation
26:21He would have been increasingly reckless due to necessity in engaging enemy targets
26:26Like a wolf attacking its prey
26:29He quickly knocks out the lead tank
26:32And the rear tank
26:35Leaving the convoy trapped on the road
26:39At his mercy
26:41Whitman blasted the enemy with furious barrages of gunfire
26:46He placed his fiery mark on the road
26:51Smashing long lines of Soviet vehicles into junk
26:54This caused mass confusion among the Soviets
26:59Whitman's daring lone wolf attack has worked brilliantly
27:04The Russian convoy has been destroyed
27:06Over the next few weeks, he goes on a rampage
27:11Knocking out 61 enemy tanks
27:15His total kills soon reach 117
27:22He paints the number of kills on his tank barrel
27:27On January 16, 1944, Whitman is awarded the Knight's Cross
27:34Nazi Germany's second highest military honor
27:37Then just a few weeks later
27:39His Knight's Cross is upgraded with oak leaves
27:42And he is promoted to first lieutenant
27:45On February 2, 1944
27:48Whitman is called to the Fuhrer's Eastern Front Headquarters
27:52To receive his new commendation from Adolf Hitler himself
27:57I think one of the reasons that Whitman was decorated to the degree that he was
28:01Was that he was part of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division
28:05And that's Hitler's name in the unit
28:10Whitman is now ordered back to Germany
28:13Where his exploits have already made him famous
28:19But the country he finds upon his return
28:22Is in ruins
28:23A result of Allied bombing
28:26The sight of such senseless destruction of our cities
28:31Is enough to make one's heart bleed
28:33The Anglo-Americans have taught us to hate
28:37They will see this hate transformed into energy
28:41We desire one thing
28:44To get them in front of our guns
28:46We have only one watchword
28:51And that is revenge
28:56The war effort was definitely going against Germany
28:58And they were looking for ways to keep up the public morale
29:01He visited the Henschel factory
29:03Where the Tiger one was made
29:04And made a speech to the workers there
29:06I think Whitman was used as propaganda for the Nazi party
29:10But I don't think it was totally unwilling on his part
29:13I think it was just another way of contributing to the war effort
29:16The Reich made him a celebrity intentionally
29:20During his triumphal tour of Germany
29:22Whitman marries 19-year-old Hildegard Burmester
29:26The couple is offered a special wedding gift
29:29Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf
29:32Hitler went to Whitman's wedding
29:35A tank ace in Germany was so important
29:39Before he can arrange a honeymoon for his young bride
29:42Whitman receives a new posting
29:45So his wife accompanies him
29:47With his Tiger Battalion
29:49To the Chateau Elbeuf
29:51In Normandy, France
29:53Michael Whitman will soon have his chance
29:56At revenge on Germany's enemies
30:03On June 6, 1944
30:05Allied forces land in Normandy
30:07Hitler orders his Panzer forces to drive the Allies back into the sea
30:16For Michael Whitman and his Tigers
30:21The Allied beachhead is over 200 kilometers away
30:24Whitman started off on June 6 with 45 Tiger tanks
30:31Which is a full complement for that 101st Heavy SS Tank Battalion
30:35But it takes Whitman five harrowing days
30:38To get his second company to the Normandy battlefield
30:41Under unrelenting attacks by Allied fighter bombers
30:44That decimate his forces
30:50And a week later it was down to about six vehicles that were serviceable
30:57Whitman and the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
31:00Are positioned on the left and most crucial sector of the front
31:04Facing the British and the Canadians
31:07The Germans would have concentrated their armoured units
31:10Around the British and Canadian sector
31:12Because if that sector had fallen
31:14That would have been the shortest route to Germany
31:16So they had to hold that with their stronger units
31:22The Allies are preparing the break out of the beachhead
31:25Their plan is to send the British 7th Armoured Division
31:30Towards the key city of Cannes
31:32Through the town of Villers-Bocage
31:34June 13th, 1944
31:39Sheltering from Allied bombers
31:42Whitman positions his surviving Tigers
31:45Under the cover of trees
31:47Near Villers-Bocage
31:49The British 22nd Armoured Brigade
31:53Was moving through the town
31:55The column of British tanks is just 200 metres
32:00From Whitman's position
32:01The British do not know Whitman is there
32:05But they are about to find out
32:07Then a man came into the command post and said
32:12Obersturmführer, tanks are driving past
32:15I don't think they are German
32:17I had no idea that the enemy might suddenly appear
32:22Whitman saw that there was an opportunity
32:25And that the British armoured vehicles
32:28Were in a nice, neat line approaching his position
32:32I went outside and saw English and American tanks rolling past
32:36About 150 to 200 metres distance
32:41Never had I been so impressed by the strength of the enemy
32:44As I was by those tanks rolling by
32:49Whitman is facing 138 tanks and armoured vehicles
32:53While he has only 6 tanks
32:57The decision to attack was a very difficult one
33:00But I knew it absolutely had to be
33:03And I decided to strike out at the enemy
33:06Whitman's split-second decision will become legendary
33:10I had no time to assemble my company
33:15I set off with one tank
33:17I drove up to the column
33:19Surprised the English as much as they had surprised me
33:22I first knocked out two tanks from the right of the column
33:26Then one from the left
33:28With them being in such close proximity to each other
33:33There was no room to manoeuvre
33:35I then turned about to the left
33:37And attacked the armoured troop carriers
33:39In the middle of the armoured regiment
33:41They never left the road
33:45They were so surprised that they took to flight
33:49But not with their vehicles
33:51Instead, they jumped out
33:54And I shot up the battalion's vehicles as I drove by
34:01I drove towards the rear of the column on the same road
34:04Knocking out every tank that came toward me
34:07The enemy was thrown into total confusion
34:13I was able to take out tanks
34:18As well as armoured troop carriers
34:21Then I drove straight into the town of Villers-Bocache
34:26The town has already been occupied by British armour
34:31Whitman continues his single-handed attack
34:46Claiming a total of 21 allied tanks destroyed
34:52I got to approximately the centre of town
34:57Where I was hit by an anti-tank gun
35:02My tank was disabled
35:05I fired at and destroyed everything around me
35:10That I could reach
35:11I then abandoned the tank
35:26Whitman's deadly rampage
35:30Has lasted barely 15 minutes
35:32But he has devastated an entire enemy regiment
35:36By single-handedly knocking out the British column
35:39It kept the allies from taking the area around Kahn for two months
35:43And it added to the mystique of Whitman's abilities as a panzer commander
35:47German newsreels make the most of the allied setback at Villers-Bocache
35:52Whitman is the most famous tank officer in the German army
36:02But the following day the stress of battle shows on his face
36:13Whitman is celebrated for his astounding feat by 1st SS Panzer Corps commander Sepp Dietrich
36:19Who recommends him for yet another commendation
36:23In July, Whitman is once again personally decorated by Hitler
36:29This time adding two swords to his knight's cross with oak leaves
36:34Whitman was the most decorated tank commander
36:37Not only for his experience on the battlefield
36:39But I would think also for the propaganda value that could be showcased through him
36:45And so Michael Whitman reaches the height of his fame in Normandy
36:50And it is in Normandy that his fate and his myth will be sealed
36:54August 8, 1944
36:59Two months after Villers-Bocache
37:02Michael Whitman is now a captain
37:05And acting commander of his battalion
37:08Yet as Whitman's career soars
37:12Hitler's army in Normandy is headed towards destruction
37:18Now the allies launch a decisive punch
37:25Codenamed Operation Totalize
37:28British and Canadian armor storms along the Cannes-Fillais road
37:33Smashing 14 kilometers through the German lines
37:37Towards the village of Sinto
37:39As 300 allied tanks bear down on Sinto
37:43The 12th SS Panzer Division is ordered to bar their advance
37:50With the remnants of the heavily outnumbered division
37:52Is Captain Michael Whitman
37:54With a small group of Tiger tanks
37:57The division's leader, Colonel Kurt Mayer
38:02Now orders an immediate counter-attack
38:05Whitman's Tigers were standing ready behind a hedge
38:11East of Sinto
38:12We had to risk the attack in order to win time
38:15It was almost suicidal for the Germans to mount that attack
38:22But this was their system
38:25If they were hit, they would hit back immediately
38:28Whitman is in reserve, but he insists on leading the attack
38:33Michael said to me, I must be in the attack myself
38:37For the other officers can barely cope
38:41Kurt Mayer knows the situation is hopeless
38:45I shook Michael Whitman's hand
38:47Michael laughed his youthful laugh
38:49And climbed into his Tiger
38:51And so Michael Whitman sets off on the attack
38:55Just eight German tanks advancing against 300 allied tanks
39:01I don't think Whitman is exactly a fatalist
39:04I don't think that he just figured that he was going to die
39:06Maybe this was the best place to do it
39:08Whitman and probably his crew didn't think so much about their own personal safety
39:12As the overall war effort
39:16What Whitman doesn't know is there is a hidden danger waiting for him
39:20On either side of the Cannes-Fillais road
39:24British tanks of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry
39:28Are lying in wait in the woods to his right
39:30Canadian tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers are hidden behind a wall to his left
39:36We drove off
39:42Michael right of the road
39:44And I left of the road
39:46Approximately 800 meters to Michael's right
39:48There was a small wood
39:50Which looked suspicious
39:52British tanks hidden in the woods observe Whitman
39:58There were four
40:02Certainly four Tigers
40:04Which came down on what would have been our side of the main road
40:10The Canadians of the Sherbrooke's
40:14Were as far as I can see actually much nearer
40:17But they were on the other side of the main road
40:20The Canadian tanks are hidden from Whitman's view
40:24Behind a long chateau wall
40:26We sneaked up right beside
40:29A brick wall and got in reasonable cover
40:33Just hit the wall just enough that you could get your gun
40:37That you could move it sufficiently
40:39I could see on the right
40:43The first German tanks came out from Sinso
40:47Right away I can remember the wireless net becoming active
40:53I can see them I can see them
40:55I can see them
40:57I saw these targets
40:59Come in crossing front of us
41:01About 1200 yards of white
41:03My tank commander
41:05They said wait till I
41:07Got to about 800 yards
41:09We drove about one to one and a half kilometers
41:13Oh it's now starting to get a bit itchy
41:19The Allies not only have the element of surprise
41:23They have a new tank
41:25The Sherman Firefly
41:27The Firefly
41:29Upgunned with a powerful 17 pounder cannon
41:31Is able to penetrate 130 millimeters of steel
41:35Enough for even the thickest armor on a Tiger
41:39For the first time we realized that we now had a tank
41:47Which was equal to the Tiger
41:50Whitman's Tigers are now in the kill zone
41:53With my eyes I could see the tank closest to the road
42:00About 200 yards I guess
42:03The tank commander said advance driver
42:09And we pulled out of cover
42:11As we pulled out of cover he says target the rear Tiger
42:17I fired
42:21We began taking heavy fire
42:23And then I received a radio message from Michael
42:26Achtung, Achtung, von rechts
42:29I'd look round at the second tank
42:36I fired one shot at the second tank
42:42The loader reloads
42:44Again filed and ready
42:48Three of the four Tigers are now knocked out
42:51Whitman's tank moves on along
42:56From close range
42:57The Canadians now open fire at Whitman's tank
43:01One that he was in
43:03I think went by me
43:05Other people from my squad were firing at it now
43:09Whitman's Tiger is hit
43:18When I got to within 300 meters of Michael's Tiger
43:21Flames suddenly shot from the tank
43:23I can remember a tremendous explosion
43:28And seeing the turret hit the ground
43:33August 8th 1944
43:35Michael Whitman has fought his final battle
43:37Whether his last thoughts as he went down the road were simply
43:52Valhalla, here I come
43:55A sort of a death wish
43:57He must have known there was no way they were going to win
44:01August 25th, just days after Whitman's death
44:05The German army in Normandy is defeated
44:10Many of Hitler's soldiers remain in Normandy
44:15Buried in La Comm German military cemetery
44:19Somber gravestones recall the unheralded end of the Nazi empire
44:31Yet Michael Whitman is still celebrating
44:35I think there's a myth to Michael Whitman's combat experiences
44:40People look at him as, yes, being a Nazi
44:42But it's not the reason that they admire his abilities in combat
44:47I think if you're on the receiving end of that
44:50You're going to have a different perspective
44:52He accepted the doctrines of Hitler
44:58Enough to get in his tank
45:00And invade other people's countries
45:03Country after country
45:05To kill men, women and children
45:07He might have been a hero to the Germans
45:10But not to me
45:13Even though it's been 60 years after Whitman's death
45:18His legacy, his mystique, maintains to today
45:23I swear to thee, Adolf Hitler
45:27As Führer and Chancellor of the German Reich
45:30Obedience unto death
45:48You could tell us
45:49You could be worthy to come beyond the resolution
45:54TheВОANDO The
Sé la primera persona en añadir un comentario