When US Shermans Faced Off Against Germany's Heavy Panzers at Puffendorf

in the Autumn of 1944 World War II was raging across Europe the Allied Forces were pushing deeper into German territory and a series of battles were being fought as both sides VI for control one such battle stands out as a testament to the ferocity with which armored units fought from both sides this is the story of the battle of puffendorf a showdown between American and German armored forces that took place on November 17th 1944 puffendorf a small German Town nestled in the heart of the Ryland was about to witness a fierce clash between massed armor from both sides the narrow streets centuries old buildings and Open Fields provided an unusual Battleground for armored Warfare on one side of this Clash stood the formidable German Panzer divisions equipped with their Panther and tiger tanks ready to defend their Homeland at any cost on the opposite side battle Harden soldiers of the United States second Armored Division driving the reliable yet often outclass M4 Sherman tanks the M4 Sherman medium tank was the principal American Tank of World War II during the war about 50,000 and were built to supply both American and Allied troops it proved mechanically reliable and mobile just like the M3 and M5 light tanks it became the Workhorse of the United States Army providing close infantry support spearheading armored attacks anti-tank missions and serving as supplemental artillery its 75 mm main gun however lacks sufficient armor piercing cap capability and it sacrificed Firepower and armor for improved [Music] Mobility the tank became rather obsolete by late 1944 despite the availability of a few Shermans upgraded with a high velocity 76 mm gun most medium tanks continued to use the short barreled 75 they were clearly outgunned by the enemy's largest tanks the 63 ton tiger as well as the 50ton panther the tiger the Panther and even the medium Panzer 4 all boasted thicker armor plating than the Sherman with larger tracks than the Sherman the enemy tanks also had more flotation which could sometimes negate the better Mobility that US tanks had when on firm ground the Sherman's only advantages were Superior superiority in numbers comparatively easy maintenance and increased flexibility in speed of fire due to a gyro stabilizer and power Traverse during the first Army breakthrough battles in July and August 1944 the second armor division tankers had learned how to fight German Panther and tiger tanks with their M4 Shermans they were aware that the 75 mm low velocity shells used in most them for Shermans couldn't pierce the thick frontal armor of Panthers and tigers regardless of the distance but could damage the sides and rear yet they had suffered devastating losses for instance During the period from July 26th to August 12th 1944 a tank Battalion from the second Armored Division had seen 51% of its combat Personnel either killed or wounded and a staggering 70% of its tanks had been either destroyed or sent back for extensive repair however through clever flanking Maneuvers and strategic use of artillery support to fire directly on enemy tanks the American forces emerged victorious in their battles inflicting substantial losses upon the Germans when the roar offensive kicked off in November 1944 the second Armored Division had managed to enhance its Firepower to a certain degree approx o imately half of the division's M4 tanks were now equipped with the more potent 76 mm gun using this upgraded Firepower and the new tungsten carbide cord hvap ammunition tank Cruise could pierce the Panther's front belly plate from 300 yards away with a reasonably good chance of penetrating the front slope Plate at a distance of 200 yd but this ammunition was in critically short supply addition add Al the division's tank destroyer Battalion had recently been equipped with the new M36 destroyers armed with the powerful 90 mm gun on the morning of November 17th two tank battalions from the 67th armored Regiment of the second Armored Division were getting ready to attack toward janer from a slope outside puffendorf preparing to launch an offensive towards the village soldiers in the first battalion observed elongated High Velocity shells cutting deep grooves into the soft Earth between their tanks emerging from the thick Morning Mist a German tank appeared on the scene soon after two tigers and four Panthers emerged from the woods on the western outskirts of jerrian swier the deadly exchange began a Sherman tank was struck erupting into flames games followed by another and then another as the Germans accurately zeroed in on their targets before long the tanks of the second Battalion were also suffering losses due to the Relentless fire from the formidable German tanks the Germans surprised by the rapid progress of the American Advance on the first day of the offensive had quickly deployed units from the battle hardened ninth Panzer Division Veterans of the Eastern Front to Jeran swier [Music] they were launching an assault on puffendorf with a force estimated by the second Battalion to consist of around 20 to 30 Panthers and Tigers the battle in puffendorf unfolded as a fierce tank versus tank engagement with infantry forces on both sides pinned down by Relentless artillery barges the Germans held the upper hand in terms of positioning as the Americans were confined by the terrain steep slopes rendering flanking Maneuvers impossible the Shermans put up a valiant fight courageously engaging the enemy and attempting to exchange blows with their 75 and 76 mm guns however tanks that ventured close enough to bring their guns to bear on the enemy were quickly eliminated by enemy fire even when American Tank Crews managed to land direct hits on the German tanks their shells would often bounce off the thick armor soaring Skyward with a deafening screen it took an astonishing 14 rounds of 76 mm ammunition from one Sherman before it finally found a vulnerable spot on a tiger but in the very next moment another Tiger tank annihilated the Sherman a single combat report captured the the essence of the action Sergeant Julian chansky a tank commander in company D spotted a German tank and fired at it with little visible impact meanwhile tanks on the right flank were under heavy fire Lieutenant Carl's tank burst into flames yet miraculously all five crew members managed to escape unharmed the draw was overcrowded with tanks leaving little space for maneuvering two enemy tiger tanks and four Panther tanks were spotted emerging from the woods on the western edge of janer shrouded in the persistent Mist a veil of bluish smoke descended into the draw and two additional medium tanks on the right side were quickly engulfed in flames then within a matter of minutes four of the lighter tanks were Ablaze with some companies dwindling to less than platoon strength and ammunition supplies running dangerously low the first and second battalions made the difficult decision to disengage and Retreat to the outskirts of puffendorf by, 1600 hours during the withdrawal Sergeant chansky's tank took a direct hit injuring him and causing the vehicle to burst into flames the task force regrouped in a defensive position to safeguard the town against potential recapture chansky's platoon leader Lieutenant Pendleton found himself at the outskirts of the Town parked in a lane his tank had only one armor-piercing round two smoke rounds and six high explosive rounds left Pendleton spotted a Panther Tank moving across his path but realized he was not in a favorable position to engage in combat however the crew of The Mark 5 tank had also spotted him and as the panther Advanced it opened fire Pendleton's Gunner promptly fired two smoke rounds causing the Panzer to withdraw however it returned shortly afterward in response Pendleton Unleashed four of their high explosive rounds with one accurately hitting the driver's hatch this hit convinced the Panzer crew to retreat once more as some companies found themselves reduced to just three or four tanks and with dwindling ammunition supplies both battalions urgently called for the 90mm tank destroyers to advance and provide support Lieutenant Cecil Honeycut platoon from the 72nd tank destroyer Battalion was taking position when suddenly the Panther reemerged and fired an armor-piercing round down the lane narrowly missing the leading M36 tank [Music] destroyer h honey cut swiftly maneuvered his tank destroyer into position and Unleashed Two Rounds at the panther effectively putting an end to the immediate threat the German forces were further deterred by artillery fire which resulted in the destruction of three King Tiger tanks in a single barrage the newly introduced M36 equipped with a formidable 90mm gun was facing its first major Battlefield trial the 90 mm gun had the capability to neutralize the Panther and tiger tanks at typical combat distances however when dealing with the imposing King Tiger it usually required the coordinated effort of two or more M36 and often necessitated a s shot even under such circumstances nevertheless it's worth noting that on November 19th north of frien Hoven a single M36 crew AI achieved the remarkable feat of disabling a King Tiger tank from a distance of 1,200 y the 90 mm round punched through the turret side passed entirely through the breach ring of the 88 mm gun and came perilously close to piercing the far turret wall as the day Drew to a close the American tanks received orders to retreat and seek shelter within the stone structures of puffendorf surprisingly the Germans did not launch a Counterattack their shortage of infantry difficulties faced by their own tanks in navigating the Soggy rain soak terrain and intelligence indicating the arrival of the second armored division's combat command a along with the 66th armored regiment on the evening of November 17th all contributed to their decision to hold back despite the Germans failure to capitalize on their advantage they effectively halted the second armor division's advance for a full 2 days it wasn't until November 20th that sufficient ammunition and reinforcements arrived enabling a successful pre-task Force assault on janer this offensive was preceded by concentrated artillery bares subsequently it took another six grueling days of fierce house-to-house combat in meren house before the second Armored Division finally reached the roar River on November 28th When the Smoke finally cleared over puffendorf both sides had paid a heavy price the town lay in Ruins a testament to the fierce battle that had unfolded in its streets the second day of action on the roar plane took a heavy toll on the second Armored Division they lost 18 medium tanks and seven light tanks all destroyed with a similar number damaged and rendered inoperable tragically 56 soldiers lost their lives and 281 were wounded while another 26 were reported as missing in action the Americans reported that they had successfully destroyed 17 enemy panzers during the engagement the American tanks faced a challenging deal during the battle of the Roar plane the tank Cruise hindered by the difficult terrain muddy conditions that prevented flanking Maneuvers congested areas where they typically received artillery support and adverse weather that limited air support displayed tremendous bravery however they had grown disheartened and disillusioned regarding their tanks capability to overcome German armored forces just 2 days after the the roar plane offensive a sentiment among the second Armored Division tankers emerged our men no longer have the same level of trust in their armor and guns as they once [Music] did another added the Germans have shown continuous Improvement since our encounter in Sicily emphasizing the need for Action from our Ordinance Department to keep Pace with the evolving enemy technology and tactics this wasn't just a fleeting response from soldiers weary from Battle after the war a report from the armored School developed in collaboration with tank commanders from the second armor division who had been part of the puffendorf action concluded that the primary reason for the setback on November 17th was the inferiority of our tanks in terms of guns armor and maneuverability during the roar plane offensive the tank Crews couldn't help but noticed the German tanks distinct Advantage with their wide tracks which barely sank into the ground while American tanks left trenches in their wake the tankers expressed their grievances citing that Shermans were too sluggish to quickly evade anti-tank fire that their Volute spring suspensions hindered maneuverability with most favoring the torsion bar suspension for its Superior maneuverability and reliability that their profile was too tall and that their armor didn't offer much more protection than that of the tank Destroyers most notably the tankers voiced their frustration about their tank guns they had witnessed their 75 and 76 mm rounds bounce harmlessly off the front armor of Panthers and tigers like hitting them with a [Music] peashooter while the 76 mm gun represented an improvement over the 75 mm variant it still lacked the necessary velocity to keep the tank out of the effective range of the more potent German tank gun which could reach out to 3,000 to 3,500 y with deadly accuracy at practical combat distances the 76 mm gun even when using hvap ammunition often failed to penetrate the Panther's glassy plate effectively tank commanders oist their dissatisfaction asserting that the guns are ineffective the crews know it and it affects their morale they pointed to the British approach where they had replaced the 75 mm guns on their lendley Shermans with 17 Pounders as a more effective solution the tankers from the second Armored Division firmly believed that their own Shermans could easily accommodate a 90mm gun offering a substantial Improvement in Firepower

Channel: FactBytes

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Keywords: m4 sherman, sherman tank, ww2 german tank, tiger tank, panther tank, king tiger tank, m36 tank destroyer, ww2 tank battle

Id: 4c1aKfiBa_o

Length: 17min 58sec (1078 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 10 2023