The Division Waffen SS "Das Reich". 14 Panther Tanks VS 86 Russian Tanks. An Epic Tank Battle.

[@marcusagrippa7478]

My grandfather served in this division and took part in the battles up to the Third Battle of Kharkov. There they were separated from their unit and fell behind the Russian lines. They fought their way over hundreds of kilometres to the German line in a stolen truck and travelled all over Europe until they were back in their unit, which was in Normandy at the time and was later deployed in the Allied landings in Normandy. this is what my grandmother told me shortly before she died last year and I was able to reproduce almost all the details in the illustrated book about the division. My grandfather had never reported on his experiences.

[@Desertduleler_88]

Europe is still missing those generations today, I've lost count how many courageous efforts were done by individuals in the German armed forces.

[@bobns509]

well, do you care how many not so brave deeds are done by their comrades: There are a plenty of holes with a bodies of woman, children and old people inside. You can ask Poles about ukrainian deeds, Russians about German deeds and Jews about sitting in a huts and waiting for a new established state.

[@RonSilver-l8e]

To lose a natural ideal single individual in any great work places a mark on time itself ! In 24 hours divided , equal and never to be forgotten.

[@RonSilver-l8e]

@@bobns509In Ghetto Huts while merrily spinning their Dreidels , you should have stated ? !

[@nzmonsterman]

Great video and narration of an epic battle. The men on both sides have my respect for facing these challenges each day.

[@agentolshki4265]

The photos on this channel are amazing

[@FREDOGISFUUN]

Back in the day, you could "Gerry rig" anything and get it going again. No panzers in the states, but a "knocked out" 1970 Nova wrecked in a ditch, I "Gerry rigged" it and we where off and driving. Today, Tech takes "Gerry it" impossible, a lost art, and lost phrase spoken.

[@ДушманКакдела]

It must be spelt "jerry"

[@daleburrell6273]

​@@ДушманКакдела...I always thought it was "jury"-rigged

[@johnmorales7057]

Sad but true this way of doing things kept people humble and above all else self sufficient. Ahhh the good ol’ days .

[@Webedunn]

I’ve seen guys go up to a 1960’s pickup truck that was in the weeds for 40 years, put fresh gas in, battery and it started. 😂

[@Webedunn]

@@daleburrell6273it’s both. Gerrymandering is where “gerry rigged” comes from but “jury rigged” is also used.

[@thomater089]

Solche Erzählungen kenne ich noch von meinem Vater.(Kursker Bogen) Die Russen hatten an allen Frontabschnitten höchste Verluste an Soldaten und Panzern, aber die deutsche Wehrmacht marschierte ab Herbst 1943 immer zurück in Richtung Westen.

[@fwnm]

Exakt was der Ukraine gerade widerfährt. Die Russen hängen nicht an ihrem Leben. Merkwürdig

[@scientiaaclabore3362]

It must be noted that the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich did not have Panther tanks physically present with it during the German offensive phase at Kursk in July 1943- Operation Citadel. Its Panther tank battalion (I./SS-Pz.Rgt.2), which was being formed in the Reich, arrived on 22 August 1943 with a total of 71 Panther tanks. It was especially valuable, because in the course of July-August 1943 Das Reich suffered heavy losses- over 7,500 killed, wounded, missing, sick and other non-combat losses in total. By 30 August 1943, its combat ranks were badly depleted, with its _Gefechtsstärke_ (combat strength) being just 5,962 soldiers. So the arrival of its Panther battalion proved to be very valuable.

[@billcallahan9303]

You humble me 3362. I've been studying Eastern Front warfare for 30 years & can't even compete with your detailed comment.

[@juanmarelli7450]

Actually, during Citadell, leibstandarte, Das Reich and Totenkopf was Pz-grenadier divisionen, not pz divisionen, because them had only one pzregiment, the 2°, being the 1° in germany training with the new panther D..

[@creightonleerose582]

WELL stated.... -So very many assume so, the Panther tank debut 'Combat Eval' testing task was GrossDeutscheland Div pure dis/pleasure in doing so....;) -Most also assume the Heavy elements of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd SS were rollin around in what amounted to hundreds of Tiger E's on the southern front, when all 3 had used no more than 14 or less during the early offensives combat tasks.... -Often also believing them taking losses in the dozens upon dozens of total write-offs as to Tigers during the Kursk offensive, when the subsequent post-Kursk Mius battles ground those numbers down quite significantly in terms of personnel & material losses. Losses for Tiger 1's per SS Division(s) in the single digits per Div.... -As you'd stated: July & Aug were particularly costly for what remained of the 2nd SS, akin to the divisions remaining total strength after Operation Typhoon in the winter of '41, completely decimated from its full complement numbers of 20-21,000 personnel. Just incredible, as the war ground on, that of the 'Big 5' Waffen SS Divs being depleted of manpower & then rebuilt 4 to 6 times over...Ugggh.... As another student of history, if you dont possess already >I HIGHLY recommend< these books: ~ "Das Reich Tigers Of The 8th SS Panzer Reg 2" (Original 8th Co/102/502) by Wolfgang Schneider ($80-85ish Hardback) ~ "The Battle Of Kharkov Winter 1942-1943" by author Jean Restayn ($100 ish-hardback) ~ "Repairing The Panzers VOL 1 & 2" by author Lukas Friedli ($80 ish per hardback copy) ~ "The Panther Battalion Brandenburg" Axel Urbanke & Wolfgang Ockert ($100-$120ish -EXCELLENT book!;) These^ books have TONS of previously unreleased photos, maps & veteran accounts in English translated from German (German language accounts also contained within as too the Urbanke/Ockert book) -Be well...;)

[@billcallahan9303]

@@creightonleerose582 Creighton, you're an Eastern Front scholar. You should write your own book. I've read, honestly, about 80 to 100 books on that entire field. My problem is retention of facts like you have shared. I drowned as a 15-year-old dumb ass kid. I think it has, hell, I know it has affected my retention ability & has plagued me all of my life. Again, thank you very much for that excellent comment...and I'm glad you never drowned. I was under about 20 minutes they estimated.

[@creightonleerose582]

@@billcallahan9303 Why thank you Sir/Bill! No problem, a situation close to my own heart... -Ive read a TON as well & possess an extensive WW2 German armor reference library for my modeling hobby & personal interest(s) in the subject... -Thankfully Im able to retain a fair amount of data & have a near idetic/photographic memory for things I ENJOY, everything else drops through the sieve of my brain-bucket!...Ha!, But I DO cheat @ times n' use the InnerToobz for some stuff as too comments here, I do try to get facts straight IF I can...;) -Mostly the ones I tend to easily recall are the personal stories of all those vets, as there are some WILD* ones indeed! (BTW: An >excellent 3 DVD set/series< exists that can be purchased entitled: "Voices From Hitlers Army" Its 100% German WW2 Veteran interviews & personal accounts from all the WW2 Germanic service branches. From U-Bootes to Luftwaffe & everything in between. DEF worth a purchase if interested? ENG subtitled too;) -Oh man!?...Well Im glad youre still HERE Bill! -Sheesh!...What a traumatic experience! Im also quite fortunate to be living after all the dangers/!FUN! fri/sat nights Ive experienced too. Ive made 49 circles around tha sun this last Christmas Day...(B: 12.25/1974) * Heres a FUNNY one: One of the better known officers of the foreign Waffen SS 'Sturmbrigade Wallonien' (Belgian Walloon/Flemish volunteers, unit attached to 'SS Nordland Div') A man/officer named: Leon Degrelle (im sure youve heard about him?), In the late summer of 1943 IIRC?..-Somewhere in southern UKR, his small infantry platoon/group of 30 guys w/o heavy weapons/AFV's, were observing their ordered objective from the cover of a copse of trees/windbreak between farm fields... And having a HELL of a time considering advancing to meet that UNtenable objective, as it was hundreds of yards of 100% flat farmland, with ZERO cover, nor concealment, aside from recent harvested hay stacks.. -Which offer ZERO in terms of hard cover, Concealment? -Sure.. Those fields were well covered by multiple murderous Soviet MG emplacements that mightve been set up on the reverse slope of a small railway embankment running beside the fields. Not wanting to sell his mens lives so cheaply for an obvious suicide mission, being the Soviet MG positions were largely unflankable due to terrain features w/o taking heavy losses, soooo Leon thought outside the box. Luckily for them it was recently hay/straw harvest time... -Huge heaps of straw interspersed the fields, left out to sun dry. So @ night, or early morning hrs, he & his men, crawled INTO those hay stacks, 5 or 6 men to a single stack. Then VERY s-l-o-w-l-y over the course of that day, inch by inch, yard by yard, then wiggled themselves across that field, into close in, dead-to-rights firing positions on those Soviet MG emplacements!!!?....HA! -The Soviet soldiers failed to even NOTICE the ever so slight/gradual movements of those hay-stacks, as theyd been sitting there BORED STIFF for days, overlooking those very same fields absent of anything dangerous, aside from the "Monty-Python-esq'" mobile, yet still very DEADLY HAY-STACKS!...Leons men took those positions with ZERO casualties & those vets who'd survived the war, got a VERY FUNNY tale to share with the grandkids!...;) ~Take Care Bill!....~CLR

[@fredhart3984]

excellent and well done - pics I have never seen before!

[@TheYeti308]

Always appreciate fresh photos . TY @ MC .

[@ccmogs5757]

Quality prevailed this day .........

[@davidtorre7370]

Great pictures and narrative. The driver was considered the most important member of the crew.

[@vladimirboskovic]

Wtf these soviet tank crews did at battlefield ? Even until end of war they suffered huge tank losses

[@warpspeednow]

That's why Starlin said "quantity has a quality all of its own" It just became a numbers game. The Sherman and British tanks were in the same boat for that matter.

[@vladimirboskovic]

@@warpspeednow well that makes sense

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

Yea sure but that proves they don't care about the crews at all@@warpspeednow

[@warpspeednow]

@JaHail-oy6vq it's a fact of war, unfortunately.

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

Ever heard of "You lose Land, Land can be re-capture, You lose Men both Men and land lost" @eednow

[@thomater089]

Da deutsche Panzer das Lenkgetriebe vorne und den Motor hinten hatten, waren sie bei einem Treffer immer funktionell beschädigter als die Russenpanzer. Noch dazu waren dt. Panzer mit Benzinmotoren schneller ein Brandopfer als die dieselbetriebenen Russenpanzer.

[@salvadorvillegas3569]

@tomate089 : Los tanques alemanes en un 70% fueron BOYCOTEADOS POR SUS PROPIAS TRIPULACIONES y los que se consideran incendiados lo fue en su gran mayoría por los rociados con bombas de Napalm y anfo de la US Air Force ...

[@stevehartz4615]

Out standing!!

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

The germans couldn`t keep 40 percent of the panthers operational. Great design poor build. Some of this was due to the quality of the trans gears - lack of Nickle - the other was Sabatoge pure and simple. They were built the last two and a half years with slave labor! I completed two long tours in the late 60`s and early 70's and talked to many many german vets. Great video !

[@joegreene7746]

Do you mind explaining the sabotage done to the tanks a bit?

[@Atlas-hu9wk]

​@@joegreene7746They(who?) Said Germans used slave labor for parts of the panther. I don't know the details but it was known the Allie bomb raids to the factories caused a shortage of components needed for the tanks.

[@salvadorvillegas3569]

​@@Atlas-hu9wk : Los alemanes sufrieron sabotajes para sus armas DESDE EL INICIO DE LA GUERRA, existen informes de torpedos defectuosos, minas magnéticas que se desmagnetizaban, balas explosivas que no explosionaban y cajas de cambios de tanques que se rompían ....en este caso les cabe un honor aparte a los mecánicos del detall alemán que realizaban prodigios de su arte mecánico para poner esas moles en funcionamiento ....capítulo infeliz es el de los fusilamientos de las cuadrillas completas en el KZL cuando se detectaba un saboteador entre ellos ....

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

Allies faced more problems than Germans due to Germans destroying the water supply, causing the terrain to turn into mud, which significantly slowed down the Allies' advance speed and incurred heavy costs in fuel and resources. It required several reliable halftracks just to repair a single tank, which often broke down due to constantly moving through rough terrain. The maximum tank speed was 4-15 kmph, resulting in many of them being wiped out by artillery sieges due to their vulnerability. This also hindered their production rate. Additionally, Germans were outnumbered by 11 to 1 (11 countries vs. a single country). Hence, after 1943, Germans had time to repair and fix the tanks before the Allies advanced. As for the information regarding slave labor, it's important to note that only the USSR and the Allies employed such practices; Germany didn't, as they adhered to an Aryan order. It's a miracle that German was stronger than them even with 11 countries supporting, They somehow manage to make them bankrupt for 80 years....

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

It's propaganda. The closest air-hangars were British, due to their proximity as sea neighbors, and they usually sent bombers from British soil because it took less fuel and time to reach Germany. However, the problem was that Germany's western side was heavily defended with anti-aircraft defenses, so they couldn't do much; most of their raids failed. Additionally, they barely damaged Germany's industry. The exception was the fact that the "wunderwaffe" did London damage by not risking anyone's life and sending rockets at high speed, confusing the anti-air crews and making them vulnerable to the rockets. Overall, German production was fine, but resources were running out, while the Allies backed each other up.@@Atlas-hu9wk

[@GaryBonnell-tl1jp]

We built the Sherman tank like we built the Chevy Vega or Ford pinto junk one year or forty thousand miles and they were done sounds like the Sherman was built as a after thought

[@andrewthompson5728]

There was a term for the Sherman that the Pinto also earned, "Lights on the first strike."

[@marceletiennou5182]

Première photo c’est la panzerler en Normandie 😊

[@ChristopheA-dd5we]

The first pictures belongs to the Panzer lehr division in 1944 in Normandy and some others too. We also see a lot of Panther Aus A which was not in the Wking at this time.( production started in august 1943)

[@geoffreycarson2311]

The GERMAN Panther4G HAD a Tungsten Tipped 75 mm VERY HIGH Velocity !!!Long Range GUN !!!and SQUEEZE Barrel Technology ?g

[@ДушманКакдела]

You can play this exact battle in the game Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front. The DLC is "Predators in the Midst". Which has the exact order of battle on these two days.

[@MGB-learning]

Great video

[@raypalltv9450]

So far unseen photos from WK 2 and panthers. Where are these from?

[@joshuafairbanks5643]

AI generated

[@johnhagemeyer8578]

It does seem tank,truck, submarines, ship dirvers the actual person pulling the mechanics directing the craft doesn't get any respect.

[@mikeypeinado383]

The whole crew is a part of the success just like a spartan phalanx , if one weakness the whole group is compromised

[@APOLON-bm7ym]

Ohhh, that was so short... I find these tankmen diaries best of them all. Especially if written by german Panzer commanders. Now, I have to enter my PanzerA (but probably rather PanzerF) and try to incarnate it on Flanders map or Iberische Burg in WT. I did grind Germany upto 9.0, but I dont enjoy in playing anything higher than 7.0. I play 6.0 and 6.3 in most cases, swearing gaijin when put me against Tiger2H and american T34, than my 6.0 Tiger1s and Panthers cant penetrate. However, I play it from recently (november 2023, level 26) and would like to hear an opinion from somebody that plays it for years - 1. is this normal? 2. I am hooked on german ww2 gear? 3. Its not because I suck on higher BR, I just cant have that much fun. PS playing on even lower BR (3.0 and 4.0) is also very fun, but I think its not fair to blast away others that started to play few weeks ago. I went through hell when starting to play and I dont wanna be part of other peoples suffering and cursing.

[@russbrown6453]

The sound of those T34 diesels must have been horrifying...

[@vladimirboskovic]

Saw them during yugoslav wars and yea they are very loud

[@billcallahan9303]

I'd add "chilling" (cold fear chilling you to your bones). Horrifying is good too of course!

[@Webedunn]

I’m actually embarrassed by the U.S. armor in WWII. The Sherman tank look like it was built in middle school metal shops.

[@thomasmyers9128]

Sherman was a great tank… for its size and design…. Check out the Chieftain…. Lots of great tank Videos

[@-donkey_696_]

It was about numbers

[@RingworldTyrant]

The Sherman was comparatively advanced in some of the tech it used, the stabilizer for the main gun in-particular. It was spacious inside for the crew (relatively), and the cannon was easy to load. It had sloping armor at its front, too. Of course others had sloping armor. The problem with the Sherman was that it was tall relative to its competitors and the storage of the ammo was such that if it had its armor penetrated, often times the ammo would cook off and the tank would go up in flames. It also had a challenge being used effectively, the only seriously great American armored commander from World War II was Patton. America's strength in the war was broadly in its Navy and its Army Air Corps, and its strategy was focused around domination of the seas and strategic long-range bombing. You see this starts to change as the Cold War sets in and the US realizes it can't just use nuclear weapons on the battlefield to stop the Soviets. It would have to fight a running battle over Europe, which would be all about armor and to a lesser extent, infantry.

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

A US Sherman veteran crew member said himself that the Sherman was vulnerable on every side in the later stages of the war because even the Pak40 could easily penetrate it from 1000 meters or more. The US Sherman was primarily an infantry support gun, so I'd expect less from it.@@RingworldTyrant

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

That proves allies doesn't care about crews only money.@@-donkey_696_

[@ChristopheA-dd5we]

Also, in september 1943 The vikings division didn't have any Panther.

[@oldwaysbonsai376]

❤

[@chris99103]

This sounds terribly like ripped and translated from an issue from the german "Der Landser" pulp magazine running from 1957 to 2013 with 2798 issues

[@gunhojput]

I wonder how many of the audience say 'thank god the bastards lost the war'

[@tanksouth]

An exciting, funny and tragic story.

[@juanmarelli7450]

KV2 in october 43'??

[@gregorheckelmann1530]

👍🏼

[@antonreyneke6191]

We all know the germans lost the war,but geewiz imagine they fought against whoever,and there were the same number of troops,tanks,aircraft,ect in the battles,nobody would have touched them

[@kurt9352]

Deutsche Geschichte, bitte auch in Deutsch!

[@mrlodwick]

FTW !

[@outlet6989]

The Russian in charge of the T-34s was Vladimir Putin's father. Like father, like son.

[@samchurch6850]

Idiot 😊

[@mrlodwick]

YER A TOTAL TOSSER

[@grdnzrnic]

Documentation?

[@salvadorvillegas3569]

​@@grdnzrnic : "Memorias de Horst Letzner" entrada del 12 al 13 de septiembre de 1943 ....lo menciona al inicio del video ....por allí un blogero soltó esta joya de libro : "Das Reich Tigers Of The 8th SS Panzer Reg 2" (Original 8th Co/102/502) de Wolfgang Schneider ....

[@ricardosoto5770]

PUTIN and his father were professional snitches working for the NKVD/KGB hardly hero tankers.

[@AmericanWanderers]

I like these eastern frunt episodes but a war was fought in France starting in 1940. Some material from that period would be welcome

[@JaHail-oy6vq]

The Allies had a disadvantage because Germany already possessed the Flak36/18 since the 1940s, and the Pak40 was built in the same period. In short, the Flak36/18 had an 88mm caliber, capable of penetrating 165mm of armor from 1000 meters away, with a fire rate of 8 rounds per minute. It was essentially anti-everything, and they even employed it in naval operations because of its ease of operation, requiring only a crew to load it up with devastating effect. By the way, the Flak36 was attached to the Tiger H1, and they somehow managed to destroy a plane using a heavy tank. It goes to show that the Germans were just built differently. And Pak40 is basically best Anti-Tank during ww2. It can penetrate any tank even the heaviest one within 1000 meters or more.

[@LEGOBubuS]

😊🎉❤

[@RonSilver-l8e]

Great News ! Just imagine what a Victory over Moscow would have been like ? Would there have remained any type of polish & or slavic races upon the earth today ? ! Who would shed a least meager tear & or miss any such race as these types of human beings of such a classification ? ! And also those human venues & or exercises especially of believers in any god & or gods etc… ? ! After all isn’t a belief just an exorbitant excuse for one’s family bloodline origin as an heritable guilt from their ancestral heritage ? !

[@RetiKingKnight]

Wow. Another channel consisting of nothing but AI written copy read by a robotic AI voice while vaguely related images are shown. Why does KZbin promote this garbage? If you want to build a following, use your own voice.

[@grasess2923]

Propaganda bullshit

[@RonSilver-l8e]

Is Propaganda ever a version of the honest Holy Truth, if you will excuse my expression ? Probably how you have been indoctrinated to Think person ? !

[@stargazer1744]

Are you nuts ? Propaganda after 80 years of war's end ? Truth hurts, doesn't it ?

[@ДушманКакдела]

Totally true, this engagement is well documented.

[@arndhauk7365]

The Panzers - Unmatched in success on the battlefield. Only vast material superiority managed to defeat 'The Wehrmacht'. Today the Anglo-American bastards have to fight 'The Iwan' 😂

[@janmale7767]

Yeah today the Russians are the enemy what a strange twist of fate, but surely the average American must start realising that the enemy of the world oligarchy (money masters) automatically becomes the enemy of the Anglo American bastards! Youv'e been doing the bidding of the super wealthy elite for a long time!