Battle for Cologne: American Shermans Faced Nazi Tigers in This Epic Tank Battle
The U.S. Army’s M26 Pershing tank arrived on the Western Front in the closing months of World War II to take on the German Tiger and other formidable panzers.
Here s What You Need to Know: Cologne s urban rubble offered superb defensive positions to the German panzers.
Sergeant Nicholas Mashlonik watched closely as the Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw) VI Tiger heavy tank rampaged through the village of Elsdorf in the Rhineland-Westphalia region of Germany on February 27, 1945. The 57-ton steel monster sported a long 88mm cannon that extended from a massive turret atop the blocky, angular mass of its hull.
The Battle of Heilbronn: On the Road to Berlin (And Hitler s Death)
The battle for Heilbronn had raged for nine days before the American armor and infantry closed their pincers on the city.
Following its swift advance to the Rhine, the American 100th (Century) Infantry Division resumed its pursuit of retreating German forces. On the morning of March 31, 1945, elements of the division crossed the Rhine between Ludwigshafen and Mannheim and headed straight into the heart of Germany. The war in Europe was in its last throes, but there was still plenty of action to come.
After passing through Mannheim, the division fanned out to the south. The 399th Infantry Regiment, on the right flank, headed toward Hockenheim to establish contact with the II French Corps. On the left was the 397th Infantry, with the 398th Infantry in reserve. The 10th Armored was out in front of the division, with the French coming up on the right. The units moved with all possible speed to prevent German forces fr
Tales from a Sherman Tank: A World War II Soldier Remembers a Fight Through Germany
When asked if he would change anything about his war experience, he said, “If I had to do it all over again––I would have kept whiskey in my canteen.”
Here s What You Need to Remember: A combat medic showed up and took Bromberg to a first aid station. “I was a physical wreck,” he admitted. Suffering from combat shock, everything became a blur. All he could remember about the station was picking up a cigarette butt off the floor. “The next thing I knew I was in a field hospital,” he said.