David Willey | Top 5 Veteran Stories | The Tank Museum

The moment tank fans have been waiting for - The Tank Museum's Curator David Willey runs you through his Top 5 Tanks, including some truly amazing veteran accounts of serving in them.
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[@Alex-cw3rz]

That story for the light tank was so emotional and a brilliant message at the end

[@WayneMoyer]

@Spoons We must have captured it. No need to check. I mean who would be stupid enough to line up with us. Right guys?

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@Spoons On Quora there is a fellow who's dad was a truck driver for Rommel who passed through allied lines because he took off his helmet and the truck was covered with dust...carrying 88 rounds for Rommel's AA-turned AT guns! War is chaos when fully underway.

[@cvdheyden]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 Fun fact: Rommel mostly used british vehicles for himself and sent the German ones to the frontline. He appreciated the reliability of the vehicles! The one time saved his life when they met the enemy.

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@@cvdheyden Is this when he goes into the medical tent?

[@cvdheyden]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 Nono XD. Look here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqO6m4qZgtqGqsk

[@rdfox76]

The story I'll always remember, a rather famous quote, from Ken Giles: "The '75' is firing. The '37' is firing, but it's traversed round the wrong way. The Browning is jammed. I am saying, 'Driver, advance!' on the A set, and the driver, who can't hear me, is reversing. And as I look over the top of the turret and see twelve enemy tanks fifty yards away, someone hands me a cheese sandwich."

[@gyozop]

In a way it is the best story and a little bit poetry.

[@ivsaken5830]

I'm gonna make a cheese sandwich now

[@Tactician666]

As 'Top 5 Tanks' go, this one is a mic-drop. Imagine being the poor sod who has to follow this one up. Brilliant story-telling as always.

[@MordalfusGrea]

Just get QuackyBaby in here as a follow up

[@Tactician666]

@@MordalfusGrea I must confess I had to Google him to find out who he was. It turns out that he released his own KZbin video on the premium tanks in 'World of Tanks' yesterday. He's an entertaining speaker and I'd definitely watch his Top 5, but I think we all know there's only one person who can follow on from Mr Willey, and he's got a much bigger moustache...

[@marklittle8805]

One of the best. This was about what matters...the men who went to war in these machines

[@GMan-yg1og]

Drawn out and somewhat boring

[@FieldMarshalFry]

get Joakim to do it? "Centurion, Centurion, Centurion, Centurion, my Centurion"

[@godweenausten]

God, that French girl saying to the British tankist "Thank you for coming" really moved me.

[@TsiolkovskySportingLocks]

yeah me too

[@Adam-ui9qj]

Yea same here

[@foowashere]

Wonderfully touching stories about what really matters-humans. Merry Christmas, and thank you for making and sharing.

[@Camcolito]

Wonderfully touching stories about what really matters - tanks.

[@neilwilson5785]

@@Camcolito And other armoured vehicles as well, don't forget them!

[@Camcolito]

@@neilwilson5785 Do those other armoured vehicles know it's Christmas time at all?

[@wolfmauler]

The correct answer is Raspberries 😉

[@ericgrace9995]

The tragic story of the young RTR crewman of the Mk VI tank loosing his life crossing the Somme was moving. The stoic courage of his family was quintessentially British. We see the tanks and sometimes forget the courage of the men who went to war in them. Thankyou for making these machines come to life.

[@jameshenderson4876]

If I may say, I agree with everything except about the British bit. The courage of families facing loss and tragedy during war I am sure is universal.

[@byronevans7787]

@@jameshenderson4876 what's the point of this comment? Being stoic is a quintessential British trait, it doesn't mean no one else suffers

[@g.w.customcreations3534]

@@byronevans7787 got a computer game character as his profile pic. Pay him no mind. 😂

[@markchisholm2657]

One of the best Top 5 so far. Genuinely moving.

[@matthewlok3020]

Simply the best top five

[@stevenflebbe]

Thank you so much David. We've all been waiting for your top five, and it has been worth the wait. The stories of the veterans associated with each tank gave your choices a human touch that is often lacking when we talk simply about the characteristics and statistics of the vehicles. Thank you again, and Happy Holidays.

[@vladdrakul7851]

Quite Right! .What took so long!! I was waiting for this forever and indeed wondered why just he had not given us his choices far earlier. This and David's whole demeanor is thoughtful, intelligent and what a perfect time for it!

[@lewisthisisjames6632]

How did you comment 23 hours ago?

[@stevenflebbe]

@@lewisthisisjames6632 Through Patreon. One of the Patreon benefits is early access to the videos.

[@lewisthisisjames6632]

@@stevenflebbe oh

[@danam0228]

nicely put, Merry Christmas to you

[@khaccanhle1930]

Am I the only one who nearly cried hearing every one of these stories? I knew so many WW2 vets, I miss them and their stories so much.

[@garethlloyd-tolman9431]

I haven't been this moved in some time, the stories you've attached to each tank have, in turn, broken me and put a smile on my face. I shall be raising a glass to those who have served or are serving in the armed forces. Merry Christmas to all at Bovington.

[@CrotalusKid]

Sounds like you already have raised a few glasses

[@jacquesstrapp3219]

@@CrotalusKid That was uncalled for. The comment sections of the Tank Museum's videos are usually free from trollish and derogatory remarks. Your comment is an exception to the normally high standards of this thread.

[@CrotalusKid]

@@jacquesstrapp3219 it was a simple light-hearted comment, and one of agreement. Pipe down, man.

[@jacquesstrapp3219]

@@CrotalusKid Your "humor" is out of place in a thread about veterans experiences. If you were a veteran yourself, it might be acceptable but you're just a kid that hasn't earned that right yet.

[@jacquesstrapp3219]

@@CrotalusKid I am an infantry veteran and unimpressed by your experiences. If you had served, you would understand why veterans have contempt for those who joke about things that they haven't paid the price for.

[@Paladin1873]

In 1976 one of my mother's best friends was entertaining her uncle from Germany, who was a veteran of the Eastern Front. My Dad spoke German and asked "Uncle Carl" what he did there. He replied, "Ich war ein Tiger Panzer Chauffeur" (I was a Tiger tank driver). He went on to say he was issued a rifle that he never shot, but allowed instead to rust inside his tank. He was captured later on and remained a guest of the Soviets for a year or two after the war. When he finally made it back home, he went to the town square where residents often left messages for missing loved ones. His family had moved away, but he managed to eventually locate them. They were thoroughly shocked when they saw him, having believed he was long since dead. During my brief association with him he introduced me to German menthol snuff. I swear that one sniff felt like it shot through my right nostril, right eye, skull, and out my right ear. I never tried it again, but he obviously got a kick out of watching my reaction. He was a very jovial and engaging character, and I regret I never got to learn much more about him.

[@Aqueox]

You're related to a Tiger crewman. Sorry man... You've got a LOT to live up to!

[@Paladin1873]

@@Aqueox Cute, but he was no relation of ours. Had you ever met him, you would never had guessed he'd served in a Tiger. He was short, bald, and very lively, with a good sense of humor.

[@Aqueox]

@@Paladin1873 Whoops, I totally missed you saying "best friends". Was tired last night. 🤣

[@Paladin1873]

@@Aqueox No problemas.

[@strikerorwell9232]

Its amazing to have had the privilige to hear about what family members did during this horrible war. My grandpa and his brothers fought in the Finnish Winter war against Russia. My grandpa rarely talked about his experiences until the age of 80. But after his 80 th birthday he answered all our questions about what he and his brothers did during the Finnish Winterwar. He told me about how they dealt with Russian pows and how very few Finns had real hard feelings towards these Russian poor conscripts who had no interest in fighting for Stalin and how the Finns fed and treated them well and several of these Pows defected from the Russian army to immigrate to Sweden or England and the US. My grandfathers brother had some local record in killing Russians with his submachine gun and during the war they used him as a local Fnnish hero for all he accomplished, earning him several medallions etc. But after the war, the PTSD started for him and he became more and more depressed and had nightmares about his Russian victims and started drinking. My grandpa was the most compassionate and caring person you could imagine and according to his siblings he remained the same even during the war and my grandpa and his unit members shared their rations with Russian pows and defectors.

[@Lintary]

This has been a really touching series of stories and connections.

[@Axemantitan]

0:11 As an American, it's funny to hear 'scheme' used so casually. In America, it's synonymous with 'evil plot,' but in Britain, it simply means 'program' or 'plan.'

[@canuck600A]

I was discussing this with a librarian of british heritage, scheme comes from the word schematic -a plan.

[@sololobos6969]

@@canuck600A Huh... That makes alot of sense... Thanks for that.

[@juliusraben3526]

I have the same :P im not Brittish. And it sound a bit cute, old people and technology (its kinda close to your parents calling your gamecube a xbox)

[@Hello_there_obi]

Scheme can be used in the context of an evil plot too.

[@ChauncyFatsack]

Them Brits always scheming lol!

[@thomasnoble1816]

I can only echo the comments of how affecting this is. For me, the comment that vets did not necessarily talk much about their experiences hit home. My father was a Bronze Star and Purple Heart holding infantry officer in the U.S. Army from Normandy to the Hurtgen Forest. He only very rarely spoke of his experiences and then briefly. I remember that he once told the story out of nowhere that his CO had called him over for a field conference next to a Sherman. He said that he was very reluctant because tanks drew artillery fire! I only then realized that my civilian idea that tanks were the infantry's friend was not the full picture!

[@jelkel25]

Yeah, my great uncle who was my substitute grandfather and lived across the street was at Monte Casino and it was rumoured he was a Desert Rat before that. Never said a word and we only knew about Monte Casino because it messed him up and my great aunt mentioned his what we would call PTSD these days and where he got it. He got no sympathy from my aunt and didn't expect any, tough generation.

[@jasontrauger8515]

Definitely my favorite Top 5 yet. Talking tanks and history is a wonderful thing. But, adding that human element just makes it that much more special. Thank you, Mr. Willey. And, obviously, happy holiday, to all (and hopefully a better 2021).

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

100%

[@paddyflage]

This top 5 is incredible. Every possible emotion being felt within all those stories. More of this please!

[@PanzerBuyer]

Merry Christmas Tankers of the World!!!!

[@PanzerBuyer]

BTW, here are my favorite Top Five Tanks: 1) King Tiger 2) King Tiger 3) King Tiger 4) King Tiger 5) King Tiger

[@mattwilliams3456]

No love for us crunchies? Merry Christmas to everyone on both sides of the armor!

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

@@PanzerBuyer you've got some nice curves

[@gunner678]

Thank you David. That was by far the best top 5 tanks episodes by far. Excellent work. As a veteran myself of the Balkans conflict, I whole heartedly agree that people should try to listen to veterans.

[@stuartbennett7614]

As an ex infantry soldier I found this to be the best top 5 yet , spending some time on operations in and around warrior ifv I totally understand the connection to a vehicle and the men who crew them I even have fond memories of wmik land rover's excellent piece tank museum well done

[@zanderchiasson8064]

I didn’t expect to cry watching this, this was wonderful to watch

[@performa9523]

I always figured when David Willey got a chance to do a top 5 list it would be something special, and this was assuredly that. Simply incredible- thank you sir!

[@Ciborium]

I'M NOT CRYING! YOU'RE CRYING! DAMN ONION-SLICING NINJAS!

[@HunterTeddy010]

Thank you for reminding us that war is not machines or madmen, but humans doing what they hope is 'right'. and reminding us the horrific cost of those choices.

[@beckster181]

The stories make this so much more real and describes exactly how all vets feel after the heat of battle we by nature are not born or become killers but we stand between the danger and the rest we have sworn to defend even if it costs us everything. Then we have to live with what we have had to do to keep all safe and how it has changed us all . My mother said that the man she fell in love with never returned from WW2 but she understood he had been changed by things he had seen and done. He would never talk about his experiences in details but would some times make statements about how getting Malaria and being pulled out of the line for treatment had saved his life due to the fact the man that took his place had a grenade explode at his feet, or the time when he was helping with air drops and his harness broke as they were pushing the load out of a low flying Dakota and his only chance to survive was to hold as tight as he could to the package he had pushed out and hope he landed on the allied side of the river and then had to stay there for 3 weeks till they had been relieved and how he started the trip in only his hot weather flying kit and ended it 3 weeks later having fought again as infantry. He was meant to be a part of the 7TH Division Cavalry Regiment as driver of Bren gun carrier but during the whole of WW2 never drove them in any combat, their carriers were deemed to be unserviceable shortly after arrival in the middle east and were never used and after return to Australia retraining and being sent to Port Morsby with the still unserviceable carriers the carriers were chained to a group of trees till after the end of the war. He and his Regiment always fought as Infantry. His unit was sent to Port Morsby in 1942 after returning from the middle east and retraining and were put into action at a place called Sanananda road where the first day their CO was killed by a sniper and the regiment was cut into 2 half's with the second half unable to fight through to the first half but due to the Pardre they had there was found a way out through what was described as an impenetrable swamp which enabled the forward half to be withdrawn after it was decided there was no way to rejoin and fight through, My father was in the forward headquarters and was in the half that was surrounded. When the Regiment was officially withdrawn from Port Morsby 3 months after going into the line of around 1,000that landed only 60 were left the rest had either been killed in action wounded in action died of illness or were returned to Australia due to medical conditions, at this point his regiment was struck from the battle order as no longer existing. Many of these details i only found out about in the last 2 or 3 years before his death at 76

[@havennewbowtow8835]

Ordinary people doing extraordinary acts. 👍

[@jackwills7092]

Sherman tanks TOMMY COOKERS as the Germans called them after hitting them with 88mm shells

[@1crannog]

Brilliant! Moved to tears, mate, moved to tears!

[@buggs9950]

Same here, not ashamed to admit it.

[@andrebartels1690]

_Sometimes we play with the subject. They did it for real._ What a great line to show respect for the crews of these tanks in your collection.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I was thinking wow what a great story for the first and then we had that 2nd story, and then again for the 3rd, fourth and fifth, all fascinating stories, it truly is Christmas!

[@Darilon12]

Great work! Reducing tanks to technical data and a few heroic tales leaves out most of history. Fear, guilt and trauma are a way bigger part of tank history than often shown.

[@gizmophoto3577]

Outstanding. My favorite of all the “Top 5” sessions.

[@neilwilson5785]

He did a great job. It must have been a ton of work to do justice to them.

[@chopsandarchie7015]

hear hear

[@goetzliedtke]

The story of the RSM who manned the A-13, eventually invading Italy reminds me of my Uncle Bill. The family had just returned from Uncle Sid's (veteran of the Pacific air war) funeral and my mother-in-law from Lake Forest told how my wife and her parents visited Italy in the early '70s. She went lyrical about how wonderful the trip had been. When she wound down, Uncle Bill piped up to say, "I took a walking tour of Italy from South to North. It didn't seem quite like what you saw." That was the second time he left my mother-in-law speechless.

[@CS-zn6pp]

He story mirrors my great uncles, drove tanks in North Africa, then Sicily and into Italy. He was the only survivior of his Sherman crew which was hit as they were doing a few final checks before beginning an advance. He was outside of the tank checking something on the tracks when something hit the turret on the other side of tank killing the other 4 members of his crew. He was injured and knocked unconscious by the hit and his life was saved when he was dragged to safety by 2 Indian soldiers from the unit they were supporting.

[@michaelmiller7928]

And a Merry Christmas to you Tank Museum!

[@densonsmith2]

David Willey always does a tremendous job of telling the story.

[@vespasian606]

Had a lump in my throat from start to finish.

[@sinclairmarcus]

I met a WW2 veteran when I was working at an old peoples home he recounted a story when he was in a Sherman tank hiding behind a house in Italy. They were discovered and a round from a Tiger tank blew up the the building. A lucky escape but it is incredible hear their stories. Thanks for a great channel from Nz

[@maxkronader5225]

I was privileged to know a WWI veteran who served as an infantry rifleman in the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the early 1980s this gentleman was in his late 80s and had many interesting stories to tell. There is nothing quite like history straight from the horse's mouth.

[@pistonar]

I think that was the best tank chat, ever. You are the right man for that job.

[@maxkronader5225]

I saw the video title and expected the typical technical analysis of tank types. What I got instead was an excellent series of emotionally moving personal stories about real people who had seen the elephant. Well done.

[@askburlefot2645]

Big thanks to David Willey for sharing the veteran stories. I was really moved.

[@stevemolina8801]

A tank is simply nuts and bolts until you ad a crewman. We must treasure these men's stories forever. Thank you for sharing these.

[@ivorbiggun710]

Exactly. Tanks are made up of thousands of hard bits and four or five soft bits. It's the soft bits which are the hardest to replace.

[@mariusmuller7889]

Thank you for these great and very important impressions from tank crewmen. Really great work :) Greetings from a former crewman in a German panzerhaubitze 2000 :)

[@simonshaffer]

One of the all time best films you chaps have done, interesting and profound. Merry Christmas and thanks a lot.

[@neilwilson5785]

It was a moving video. That chap who had to tell the family about their boys loss was moving. The one who survived was just a young boy really.

[@Rexcampion24]

We are so lucky we have the internet so David willey can pass on these amazing stories. Puts tear to my eye's every time.

[@torma99]

After seeing all of the top 5 videos, I was a bit sceptical at first. I thought I would get another Sherman, Panther, T34, Mark IV, etc. list. Boy, I was dead wrong, I am bloody thankful of it! Mr. Willie, thank you for this video. We, regular viewers knew already much of those tanks, but with this presentation, the lifeless steel beasts just came alive. I think this is by far the best Top 5 video, and definitely in the top 5 best Tank Museum videos of all time! 2 years ago I did not know much about tanks. Now with the work of you, Mr. Fletcher, the Director, the other representatives (really liked that AT pieces for example, and the restoration videos) you became a household name, face, and genre in our family!

[@TheSid42]

Absolutely outstanding David. Great stories of the humans of war not just the machines

[@BHuang92]

What a wonderful Christmas gift! David's top 10!!!

[@chopper7352]

Spot on...Very well said David. These WW2 era tanks are great machines, but , they are nothing without a crew whom lived & operated in them.

[@gernotseidler5024]

David Willey is the best! He makes the Top 5 tanks about the people that make the best use of technology and not just about the tanks and technology.

[@1337flite]

NIce one Mr Willey. Thank you. This was the best top 5 so far. The narratives are excellent. Has the tank museum collected any spoken histories from the surviving WWII veterans?

[@HanSolo__]

I think you would like the interview with a Sherman tank commander - veteran. It was recorded by mjr Nicolas Moran. Its easy to find on KZbin. 😉

[@The_Bookman]

@@HanSolo__ kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6KnmmOmrc2tmZo

[@1337flite]

@@The_Bookman thanks.

[@FieryKanata]

As part as our Bachelor in History we had to go talk to Belgian resistance members. The person we interviewed had been captured together with his brothers and sent to multiple concentration camps. That was the hardest talk both me and my partner had ever done. Hearing about the attrocities from someone who was there was just traumatizing. The professors were a bit mad at us for not pushing him even further, but how could we? That man had suffered more than we could even imagine. We failed that class and the year after I took a different one because it was still fresh in my mind.

[@simonkimberly6956]

Why did you fail?

[@FieryKanata]

@@simonkimberly6956 My partner didn't do what he was supposed to do and told me one day before the deadline.

[@milaraplanes3428]

Possibly the best piece David has done to camera for the Tank Museum. Bravo!

[@andrewince8824]

I understand the SS officer to a degree. My Great-grandfather, Reginald Pryke, served in Italy. He never spoke to us about his experiences, something I look back on with gratitude as he passed away when I was 4. Reading his memoirs with his wife, Edna, my great-grandmother, had both of us in tears. She told me about his service, how he held his friends hand in a field hospital as he passed away, how he felt uncomfortable when people praised him for his service, the things he didn't write. What the men fighting that war experienced is something beyond my compression, I've known danger and fear but nothing like what those brave soldiers faced. To be connected to those men is a privilege and an honour. To hear their stories and their deeds remembered, on both sides, is truly valuable and deeply moving.

[@0Zolrender0]

This has to be my Fav top 5. Not beacuse of the tanks named but because of the stories that come with them and how it was delivered. Bravo and thanks from Down Under.

[@Joel-tv2tt]

For some reason until know I had assumed that Mr. Willey had already done one of these, I am very pleasantly surprised. Merry Christmas.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

Wow...Christmas content from the Tank museum! Happy Christmas everyone! 🎄🎄🎄

[@errolkim1334]

They really should make movies about these stories. Imagine joining an enemy column and being waved on. And having the guts to BLAG it. Brilliant. God bless you lads.

[@theeaselrider4032]

Thank you so much David. That was the most informative episode I've seen from you folks. Tying each tank with a personal story about a veteran, really hits home as to why places like your Tank Museum are so important. As is often the case, the stories are of just regular, hard working people, that end up doing extraordinary things simply because it was what was needed. I do so hope in the future I am able to make it over from Canada, to visit you and your excellent museum in person. Thanks again. And I really miss your curator at home series. That was by far one of the highlights of what was generally a pretty horrid year for so many of us.

[@coltfanboi7747]

Arguably the most enjoyable and informative 30 minutes I’ve watched recently. With all the Brexit and COVID stuff getting me down, this really puts everything into perspective. Thanks for 30 minutes of pure enjoyment, information and emotion.

[@barryjobe]

Superb, humanizing story. Reminds me ... In the '60s, I was in a Boy Scout in the USA, and a proudly and patriotically naturalized American who commanded a German tank in WW-II. He told us about his experiences in France. I've never forgotten, and I think this awakened my interest in tanks and AFVs ... their history, modeling tanks - even being the on-camera historian on 9 History Channel programs about mil-tech, including tanks. I'm sure this video has the potential to have the same kind of impact. KUDOS!

[@matthewlok3020]

The veterans’ stories gave me a hell of a roller coaster ride through David

[@roycarter6235]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I just like David had a tear in my eye after he recounted the raspberry story

[@keithrosenberg5486]

I spent a whole day about 20 years ago with an uncle who was a Sherman tank commander in the US 3rd Armored division. It was a wonderful experience.

[@ronyeahwiggie729]

These personal stories are absolutely the best! Steel, rubber and diesel is all fine and good, but the bloke and his stories in these steel beasts make it all come alive. Well done!

[@dr.johannesmunch891]

Thank you curator. You give the history a face and those who long passed away, a voice. Thank you very much. We can't just worship those weapons and celebrate their glorious times in battle, without the souls attached. Thank you also in the name of the men back then.

[@derrickmabbott9095]

David, I have watched all the Top 5 videos, but yours is easily the finest. I am 56, studied military history since I was 6. You have moved me to tears on each of these stories. Thank you for being so good at your job.

[@kampfgruppepeiper501]

Finally the man himself gives his top five! Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁

[@rogerjayraphael]

Hats off to you Mr. Willey , for making this video/ film .

[@dylanmilne6683]

Three weeks of training as a Panzer IV radio operator... Bloody great top 5 btw!

[@jacobschuurman5209]

That was a wonderful episode

[@bmcg5296]

These stories are needing told, and it’s spoken by no better man to tell them. Take a bow Mr David Willey, you command the space perfectly on no bigger a stage! Speaking at the Cromwell you got real emotional there speaking at the end about the French girl. Nearly got me too Mr Willey! The greatest generation of our time are to be cherished and recorded before they are no more. They all served with hero’s, and those hero’s are those who never came back from wherever they got deployed. We must never forget.

[@n0w3lly90]

Very nice to hear a Top 5 based on the very human stories associated with these machines. Brings them to life, and makes you realise what these young men went through. Heroes in the rawest sense

[@istemiyabgu6744]

Would have expected the Mark IV in David's Top 5 tank list. Nevertheless one of the best episodes on this channel so far.

[@fredhogg4361]

The finest Top 5 yet - utterly riveting from start to finish. I would hate to be the one to follow this with the next Top 5. Fantastic job David Willey.

[@cgeissler]

David, you've made the tank museum personal. Bravo!

[@stephencarter4304]

24:32 *chokes up slightly* ...and then she said quietly, thank you for coming" Love the heartfelt narrative. So genuine, without any sort of bombast. A rare thing in the age of KZbin.

[@EarlyPoetNumber1]

Classic DW, excellent Top 5 Tanks, especially the Light Mark VI. Personal stories, priceless.

[@davidmurphy8190]

Going to war in a Mark VI….That is gutsy.

[@JessWLStuart]

Mr David Wiley, this is the best Top 5 Tanks ever. Thank you for sharing the human element involved with these tanks. Will the interviews ever be published? I want to buy a copy! After seeing your Top 5 Tanks, I want to know more about the people behind the tanks! The tanks are cool, but people are inspiring! Also, the heart you show while talking about the Cromwell - it's obvious the people mean so much to you. Thanks for your humanity. Thanks for sharing it with us. I guess I'm saying you inspire us too!

[@nateg9770]

I love all these stories. I knew many WW2 Veterans including both my grandfather's, I miss talking to them about the war. They didn't just start talking about it, you had to show interest and knowledge of the situation and then they gladly told their stories.

[@garrisonnichols807]

It's always a real eye opener when you talk to a veteran of any war. I was in a Barns and Noble book store once reading a magazine about P51 Mustangs when all a sudden a older man probably in his 80s sat down beside me and said. " I used to fly those " He was a Korean war veteran and he just started talking about his experience during the war and the P51D Mustang he flew. There was over a thousand of the planes at his base where they were being sent out of and he said the sun was just coming up over the mountains and when the sunlight hit the steel surface of the Mustangs at his base they all started shinning in the light. He talked about the supercharger whistle nose the plane made and how it flew effortlessly in the air and just the performance of the plane and how by that time they were being decommissioned because the new Soviets MiG-15 and American F86 Sabre jets were just coming out. Really amazing to stumble upon a man who lived during the time and actually flew the planes I was reading about.

[@braddl9442]

I like the focus on the crews. So often everyone gets so hung up on the vehicles they forget the people that crewed them.

[@boltmonkey6869]

Merry Christmas to you David from Indiana in the USA! What a nice surprise for Christmas morning! Thanks so much and stay safe.

[@neilwilson5785]

You too. If you can get here next year, you will be amazed by how huge the Tank Museum is. They have vehicles outside in the rain that are amazing, and inside... wow.

[@rickcheyne]

I really appreciated the story about the "young man" in the Wiking Division. My father-in-law was in the same division and joined as a 17-year old French youth (he had German parents but was born in Rouen). He almost never talked about his experiences, but mostly because his wife discouraged it. When he talked to me about his experiences I could tell he was reliving the experience and it wasn't good for his heart. On the Russian front he described manning a machine gun and being attacked by a solid wall of Russian infantry that stretched across the horizon and firing until they ran out of ammunition. I didn't ask further but it occurred to me that at 1200 rounds per minute he must have killed hundreds of Russians. He knew that if he was captured he would be tortured because the Russians almost never took SS soldiers alive, so he always kept a grenade in his belt and one in his boot: "One for him and one for me" At the end of the war he ended up working for the Canadian Army as a translator because he could speak 7 languages. He mentioned being part of a rescue attempt of Mussolini that I've never heard of. No, not the Skorzeny mission. He said he was part of a second mission to rescue him after Mussolini was arrested the second time and unfortunately they got there too late. If anyone knows of any reference material describing this second rescue attempt please let me know! Cheers, and Merry Christmas.

[@TheGixernutter]

As expected it's David, and the Stories of the men in Tanks that made our History. That created the definitive Top 5 video. Without reservation or exception, we thank them all.

[@ianmarsden1130]

This is without doubt the best 'Top5' I have ever seen and one of the best historical videos. Amazing stories beautifully delivered, and reminding us all of the human cost of war. Very moving. Thank you once again Mr Willey.

[@possum8789]

Just to echo what has been said, this is a brilliant video. Thank You

[@A.J.K87]

Best top 5 tanks by far. Amazing stories. I bought Ken Tout's book this past summer from your shop. It was an absolutely fascinating read. I highly recommend anyone interested in tank warfare to give it a read.

[@ToddChicago]

One of, if not the best, Tank Chats. These veteran recollections are priceless.

[@dr.fistus94]

thank you for taking the time explaining sudetendeutsche. cant express the gratitude enough.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Splendid presentation. Not a word I use alot really. But these stories make the hulking monsters more personal. Thank you so much Mr. Willey. Happy Christmas to you, and all those there at the museum with you.

[@lloritoovidexequield.8609]

Notification Squad, Assemble! =)

[@TNMN12]

The main component to a tank, the people. The young lads doing their duties. Cheers Big Willey and happy holidays to all our veterans and the people they defended without a second thought 👍🏻

[@johnh8546]

You can build more tanks but experienced courageous crews to use them those things are hard to come by. Wars are fought with weapons but won by men.

[@onetrueevan6992]

A great thanks to David for this emotional video. All friends of military history and military equipment should watch it, and never lose focus on what really matters: the people themselves.

[@The_Bookman]

Beautiful. Best Top 5 ever. Thank you.

[@HanSolo__]

Every Tank Movie made is simply a Crew Movie.

[@frederickvondinkerberg7721]

Thank you Mr Willey and the members of the tank museum for your service to preserving and bringing history to life

[@Jambax]

David is pure class. This is by far my favourite of this series, thankyou for sharing these stories and preserving them here.

[@Masada1911]

Merry Christmas to everybody at the Tank Museum! This is a very nice and Christmas like take on the Top 5 concept

[@jayce189]

Best Top 5 ever . Fantastic. Love the personal stories of the soldiers.

[@tonyromano6220]

Damn story of he family made me almost cry. How sad. The British people are just fantastic.

[@Pincer88]

Well, if I'll ever had to do a Top 5 Tank Talks, this will feature no.1, no doubt. Regardless how marvellous the machines are, a world of personal drama goes behind them and it is so good, to hear them told in this loving, respectful manner, even from the German side. I've got tpo say, I broke a bit of a tear at the end of no.4. For I remember how my grandparents spoke of the liberators and what it had meant that they had come to end that terrible occupation. This hommage shows once again what a precious gift freedom is and what it asks of young people to defend it. Thank you so much for reminding us all in this kind and imaginative manner.

[@donaldreising525]

This is my favorite of all of the videos done so far in this series, thank you!