Panther Vs Sherman and Pershing

[Mister Fork]

Two of the Sherman crew survived according to the video. (0:48)

Three of the Panther crew survived according to the video. (3:35)

I'm not sure any of the Panther crew survived the video as the Pershing shot the second round the crew trying to escape the turret didn't seem to be able to get all the way out before it went up in flames and I thought that they were strafed by the gunner as well.  But that video is hard to tell. I saw that video years ago on the old World at War series as a young kid almost 30 years ago - this version is definitely more clear as to what was going on.

Thanks for posting it Bong

[Oldman731]

I'm not sure any of the Panther crew survived

Belton Cooper's book mentioned this engagement.  IIRC he also said that one or more of the Panther crew survived.

- oldman

[GScholz]

St Martin's cathedral at Ypres
(Image removed from quote.)
after rebuilding
(Image removed from quote.)

Ypres was shelled by German artillery in The Great War and almost totally destroyed by blast damage. Cologne and London were primarily firebombed. While the Cologne Cathedral suffered some blast damage it was not structurally critical (obviously).

Monte Cassino is a better example of what WWII concentrated air power using high explosives could do...

[Ack-Ack]

Two of the Sherman crew survived according to the video. (0:48)

Stand corrected.  John J Gialluca (gunner) probably never knew the assistant driver was able to make it out okay and also survived.  On the website of the video's creator, he posted a letter he received in the mail from Gialluca's son Doug recalling his father's story of the event.

The last tank battle in Cologne Germany on March 6 1945 happened as Corporal Gunner John J Gialluca approached the square of town between two buildings where suddenly by surprise a Panther Mark V hit their Sherman tank. John remembers the tank burning and they were trapped. The shrapnel went through his legs and he said he was pinned to his seat when a second blast under the turret forced him free from his position. There were no other survivors except Corporal John J Gialluca. There was another tank disabled next to his tank that tried to help the injured. They found John lying on the ground with his 45 caliber hand gun in his hand. Then John said as they were helping him he could hear the blast and gunfire from what is known now the battle of the last tank. The Sherman tank that Corporal John J Gialluca was in was facing the cannon of the 75mm high velocity Panther Mark V. The 76 mm is questionable as for penetrating the heavy armored Panther head to head. This was John's second tank hit in his journey from Normandy Beach and very fortunate to survive. Corporal Gunner John J Gialluca was sent to a hospital in England where he had a lengthy recovery and was able to walk again. After a long fight with kidney cancer John went to be with the Lord on July 5th 1998.

[Cthulhu]

Is there any information as to where the Sherman was hit? From the commander's injuries I'm guessing it was hit in the mantlet, or down around the turret ring.

[Charge]

http://worldwartwo.filminspector.com/2014/07/shootout-at-cologne-cathedral.html

-C+

[Cthulhu]

Thanks Charge. That's exactly what I was looking for. Panther's shot went right thru the mantlet. Explains how the commander lost his leg. Jeez, the Pershing was right on top of the Panther!

[DaveBB]

A Super Pershing (extremely long barreled 90mm gun) destroyed a King Tiger in the final days of WW2.  Unfortunately no one was there to record it.  But it was at point blank range in the rubble of a burned out city.

[WWhiskey]

A Super Pershing (extremely long barreled 90mm gun) destroyed a King Tiger in the final days of WW2.  Unfortunately no one was there to record it.  But it was at point blank range in the rubble of a burned out city.

from what I understood the Pershing also was disabled as well but no one died in it, 
Just going by memory tho

[DaveBB]

http://www.3ad.com/history/news/super.pershing.1.htm

Wow, crazier than I thought.  Super Pershing was ambushed by a Tiger II.  The Tiger II even hit the Pershing in the turret before being destroyed by the Pershing.  Range was approximately 600 yards in this engagement.

[Cthulhu]

It's inconclusive from the story whether the King Tiger ever hit the Pershing, and the rd that killed the Tiger did penetrate the thinner belly armor. Even still, I'm pretty sure the Pershing's gun would probably get thru the front glacis of the Tiger at only 600 yds. 3850 fps is a SERIOUS velocity. I wonder what the lifetime of the barrels was.

[Guppy35]

I'm way late to this one, but a better detailed account in this documentary that includes some other parts of the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFU4q2KkVmA

[GScholz]

Touching.

[SmokinLoon]

Very touching. Goes to show the humanity on both sides of the conflict, and those caught in the middle.