The tank appears to have a bullet or shell hole in the left track guard. This view is a still from a combat camera film. T26A3 (later M26) Pershing of E Company, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, attached to 1st Army, 12th Army Group, commanded by Sergeant Robert Early, approaches Koln Domplatz (Cologne Cathedral Square) on Gladbacherstrasse (where Gladbacherstrasse becomes Christophstrasse, as it crosses Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring).

On a side note I've been invited to a forum dedicated to Napoleons Austrian campaign. He was told later by German troops stationed in the commune that it was indeed the crew of the Stug that killed off the Bourg la Reine.Ī wrecked Stug was cleared away a few days after the offensive (and later sold by the commune to a local company for scrap).Īt the same time it is known that 88 flaks were positioned and were used to defend an anti-tank ditch, built/dug by local people.Īll this is documented, with images by the local historian, who has produced an educational/historical DVD. The mystery remains for the other 80/88mm impacts, (there is no doubt that if the crew had still been inside, no one would have survived).Ī local witness has said that the commander of a Stug slept the night before the battle in his requisitioned cellar. There are reports of similar incidents happening throughout the liberation and push through France into Germany.

I have leaned that the driver periscope hatch was a known weak spot on this particular model of Sherman. The rest of the crew bailed out and survived. The gunner testifies that he took out one German armed with a panzerfaust before the Bourg la Reine was disabled, he did not see where or which direction this disabling shot came from but he assumes there were other hunters in the vicinity.

Bates wwii tank battle cologne 1945