Panzer Killers - 3rd Armor in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge)

Panzer Killers - 3rd Armor in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge)
Part of Armoured Actions Week on WW2TV
• Armoured Actions Week
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Daniel P. Bolger, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, was a combat commander in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A top graduate at The Citadel and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Bolger earned a PhD in history from the University of Chicago. His military awards include five Bronze Star medals (one for valor) and the Combat Action Badge. He teaches history at North Carolina State University.
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The Panzer Killers: The Untold Story of a Fighting General and His Spearhead Tank Division's Charge into the Third Reich by Daniel P. Bolger
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[@WW2TV]

Hi, Paul Woodadge, WW2TV host here - General Bolger sure was an outstanding guest. If you have enjoyed this show, please don't forget to click like, leave a comment for other viewers and if you have not done so already please SUSBSCRIBE so you don't miss our next streams. You can also become a member of this channel and support me financially here kzbin.info/door/UC1nmJGHmiKtlkpA6SJMeA. Links to any books discussed, WW2TV merchandise, our social media pages and other WW2TV shows to watch can all be found in the full KZbin description. Lastly, my own book Angels of Mercy is always available online - more info here www.ddayhistorian.com/angels-of-mercy.html

[@josephboriff9497]

I recommend Blogger's book Death Ground very. Good too 😅

[@andrewflindall9048]

Gen Bolger's first book Dragons at War is well worth a read. It's an account of his battalion's experience at the National Training Centre in the early 80s. As a series of observed and recorded 'force on force' exercises, it's a battle history from both sides and the 'dead'. One event is straight out if Duffer's Drift...

[@markhimmer2856]

My Grandfather (Joseph "Joe" W. Ellis) was a half-track driver with the 36th AIR, 3rd Armored Division in WWII. He told many stories. He lost all of the original Infantry Squad mates...all the rest were replacements. He also recalls that the Battle of the Bulge was the coldest he'd ever been! He was born and raised in Chatfield, Minnesota!

[@flparkermdpc]

Outstanding. "Minnesota cold" puts the Ardennes weather in perspective. My uncle was a USCG XO on the Eastwind, a new combat capable icebreaker in 1944, captured an icebound German weather ship off Iceland which was keeping the German's intelligence people informed of those important weather fronts which aided the staff planners in timing the initial assaults in unflyable weather. Losing that weather ship had its effect on German planners. There's a really nice side to that action. The captain of the weather ship chose to surrender to save his crew, but he told my uncle that he needed some time to "put things in order" before he COULD surrender. Somehow he was able to communicate that what he meant, that he needed to disarm the SS contingent whose orders were to blow up the ship, fight to the death. The crew was successful at that necessary detail. Nobody killed. Navy Cross to him and his Chief Petty Officer who was a German American and was fluent. That ship was sailed into New London and recommissioned as a U.S. weather ship in 2 weeks. Lotta moving parts in "combined arms."😅

[@daveruzicka4388]

I have a picture of Victor in front of a 1/2 track with a Thompson,,I believe he was on a quad 50 vehicle,command b Task Force Richardson

[@inyobill]

I'll have to check to see which unit my father was with. He was a half-track (sergeant so vehicle commander?). He may well have known your grand dad. I'm living in Germany 20-30 miles from the 3rd Armored assault path to Cologne. Everyone talks about Patton's 3rd Army, 1stg Army, 3rd Amored Div. stands out as the equal or better. Got it: 36th Armored Infantry Reg., 3rd Btn, I Co. I'm pretty sure Combat Command B

[@ashleymeggan]

My great uncle Joe Bowie was 36th AIR. He died on July 11 in Saint Lô.

[@markhimmer2856]

@@ashleymeggan I appreciate his service! So many amazing young men died fighting to free Europe and the world from evil! Much respect! 🙏✝️🇺🇸🕊️

[@johnmaxwell1750]

Maurice Rose is a forgotten hero who deserves more attention. I would like to see a movie made about his life but I do not trust Hollywood to do a decent job of it. Perhaps he ought to be memorialized with a US postage stamp.

[@43nyvi]

Good to see Dan on here. I went to the Infantry Officers Advanced Course with him.. He is and always has been a great combat leader!

[@dave3156]

Paul I am struggling to find the superlatives to describe today's program. This was one of my favorites that I have seen since finding your channel. Today's broadcast was simply outstanding, with LTG Bolger's knowledge and enthusiasm . You do an credible job of lining up authors, historians, and subject matter experts. Thanks for sharing your passion about WWII and it's smaller details!

[@WW2TV]

You're very welcome. It's shows like today's that I hope will lead to more people becoming Patrons and members

[@fredmauren5301]

Brilliant presentation. Great to see Third Armored get recognition. My dad, a WWII vet, told me about General Rose. My dad’s cousin Tommy Keusch served in Third Armored. He was a mechanic and after the war, owned a successful gas station in Portland, Michigan for many decades.

[@josephclarke9279]

This is an excellent presentation from someone who knows his subject. It is great to hear from a senior commander that has a very real grasp of tactics at the lowest levels

[@scottgrimwood8868]

General Bolger gives an absolutely amazing and engaging presentation, I could listen to him lecture for hours! I really appreciated his frank assessment of the Allied commanders.

[@WW2TV]

Wonderful!

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Indeed. And he's clearly no biased American. Excellent to see an American historian rightly praise Montgomery and rightly criticise Hodges etc.

[@WW2TV]

@@bigwoody4704 Can we keep the exchanges polite please. In terms of the Ardennes General Bolger did indeed praise Monty and criticise Hodges

[@lyndoncmp5751]

WW2 TV, General Hasbrouk of US 7th Armored Division openly stated that Montgomerys decision to pull back from St Vith saved his division from annihilation. German general Hasso von Manteuffel praised Montgomery for coming down with a clearly defined plan, immediately taking a grip of the situation and also for refusing to be suckered into premature and piecemeal counter attacks but instead gather his reserves and frustrate the German breakthrough first and foremost. Then worry about counter attacks later. Montgomery deserves huge credit for his role in the Ardennes. Let's not forget the all important factor. It was not even his sector. He went down to assist the Americans in their hour of need. He was there for them. Its great to hear high praise from an American for a change, instead of ill conceived and ignorant sniping which seems to be more the norm.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

And I stand by my factual assertion that Montgomery was the most successful Western Allied ground commander of WW2 by some way. He won more battles and took more ground through more countries while facing more quality German opposition than any other Western Allied ground commander of WW2. This is not opinion. It is fact. There is no counter argument. People can argue who they think was the "best". That is subjective opinion. But there is no getting away from the fact that Montgomery was the most successful and most battle winning.

[@johns8771]

My brother was assigned to the CGSC at the same time as Gen. Bolger. I was gifted with several of his books. Great reads, all of them.

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

While I was in the Army at Ft. Bliss from 1977-81, General Bradley had retired there and was being housed by William Beaumont Army Medical Center. But he did make occasional trips down to the main base, and on one of those occasions he came for lunch at our Battalion HQ mess hall. He was in a wheelchair, but still looked alert. He went along to the front of the mess line (RHIP), shaking hands with a few soldiers, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. That was in 1979 or 1980. Sadly, in 1981 I also marched in his funeral parade. But I've never forgotten shaking hands with a legendary soldier.

[@FilipDePreter]

So, after top-notch writers and historians, WW2TV brings us know the same quality field players. Top work. LTG (Ret) Bolger brings us most passionately the story of 3AD and MG Rose.

[@GeorgeKelbley]

Just catching up on these, wonderful presentation!

[@michaelmichael4132]

Knowledgeable guest with a gift for speaking in complete sentences on a subject he clearly understands fully. You could publish the transcript by itself.

[@steveinthemountains8264]

I was blown away by Daniel's presentation! So detailed, so information-packed, so gritty! This man explains both the big picture and the action from the grunt's perspective in such an entertaining manner! Paul - Please think of a way to get him back!

[@jumpmastermp21]

My father who served in combat at Salerno and Anzio didn’t hold Mark Clark in such high esteem.

[@ellisbelfer1340]

Most GIs of Italian Campaign disliked Clark. He should have cutoff the German 10th Army instead marching into a undefended Rome.

[@jafr99999]

Great presentation Paul! Top Shelf Speaker, very articulate and knowledgeable. Gen. Bolger Thank you for your Service to our Nation. Panzer Killers is my next read. All the Best...

[@marcusnichols5595]

The insight regarding the effectiveness of Thunderbolt & Typhoon ground attack rockets against armour is interesting. Elsewhere, ground attack rocketry is widely reported as ineffective except for breaking morale. The fact that they seldom killed tanks, but stripped them of their infantry, SPGs, half tracks, bowsers, damaged tank radio antenna etc. is an aspect I have not seen mentioned before.

[@buonafortuna8928]

Great presentation. Refreshing to hear an American speak positively of Montgomery

[@WW2TV]

My thoughts exactly

[@KevinJones-yh2jb]

Just watching LTG Bolger stream tonight catching up, I must say Paul this is one of the best guests you have had. No disrespect to anybody else. This is enthralling, such brilliant tactics and facts. Bring Dan back if you can, thanks Paul and Dan, a master class tonight.

[@WW2TV]

I will have Daniel Bolger back, definitely

[@loreleikomm5802]

well said. I completely agree.

[@markmorgan6179]

Paul you've had some brilliant speakers but General Bolger must rank as one of the best! Absolutely brilliant! I wear my WW2TV T shirt with pride!

[@WW2TV]

Thank you Mark. Yes General Bolger was brilliant

[@NathanOkun]

The original 66mm BAZOOKA (named after a musical instrument) had a hemispherical forward penetrator cup that was squeezed by the HE behind and to the edges of the cup into a long, narrow slug of high-speed metal moving forward into the target armor to punch a rather small hole. It needed to have "overkill" (remaining blast and jet material after passing through the hole) to be able to knock out a tank unless it could set a fire or explosion inside, which was iffy. (In hits by Iraqi RPGs, which use a souped-up version of this weapon as their nose, very few ever penetrated a US M1 tank and even those that somehow did, most did very little damage inside due to the jet being soaked up almost completely by the armor.) The penetration of the 66mm Bazooka was only about 3.5" (+/-0.2") at right-angles and the slope of the later tank frontal armor, as in a PANTHER, meant that the armor, though less than that on the front hull, was increased by the angle that the jet had to penetrate at to over this maximum. Also, if the angle was over 45 degrees or so, the slight delay between the impact that the base fuze of these original weapons going off would sometimes allow the nose of the rocket to glance upward somewhat and the jet only make a long gouge in the armor. (Later RPG weapons had the arming signal sent by a piezo-electric crystal on the tip of the conical windscreen by electrical wires to the base fuze so that the HE went off essentially instantly so that glancing effect did not happen.) The rather poor performance of the 66mm Bazooka in WWII, led to a major upgrade based partially on the German enlarged and more powerful copy called the PANZERSHREK. It had a 90mm rocket and a long conical metal layer instead of a rounded cup, as well as a long conical windscreen on the nose to help with range and to allow the jet, formed by turning the metal cone inside out under the HE blast more time to get focused onto the needle-like jet ("stand-off"), These were greatly improved and could penetrate, on the average, 11.25" of armor steel at right-angles (I do not know if they had the windscreen-tip fuze initiator to stop glancing like the later RPG warheads did). It was used successfully in the Korean War against Russian-built tanks.

[@EvilMagnitude]

The volume and quality of this channel's content, when taken together, is nothing short of remarkable. Keep it up!

[@WW2TV]

Thanks, will do!

[@stevendepuy4377]

I served in the 3AD in the Cold War. Met a lot of WWII veterans later. Thinking of your remarks around 1:08, I remember some of the tankers telling me they were told their short barreled 75's could handle German tanks, and how shocked they were at the results.

[@rinathecat6199]

The 75 was an excellent HE, but poor AT gun. US doctrine then didn’t promote tank vs tank, emphasizing dedicated AT guns for the job. That’s why the British armored platoons used only one Firefly for AT eventualities, retaining the 75 for the journeyman work. Also, US doctrine was, in mobile combat, “hold ‘em by the nose and kick ‘em in the pants”, according also to my dad, an Army vet of that time.

[@gotanon9659]

​@@rinathecat6199 That assumption is incorrect lad

[@rinathecat6199]

Oh? Can you explain yourself?@@gotanon9659

[@treyriver5676]

Mark Clark was a cuss word in many Texas vets vocabulary as I was growing up. But the german army that got away while he glory hounded to Rome probably thought better of him.

[@allangibson2408]

Clark has strong competition in that regard, look up General Bragg who Fort Bragg is named after (both of them California and North Carolina)).

[@jumpmastermp21]

@@johnburns4017 82nd ABN? My father was with the 36th Engineer Regiment. He told me they moved into Napoli at night. He said they bivouacked in a park. He was unaware that he had set his tent up near the front of a AAA gun. There was an air raid that night. When that AAA opened fire it blow the tent away and scared the shit out of my Dad.

[@talltexan6432]

Yes, the 36th took horrible casualties under Clark's command.

[@talltexan6432]

General Bolger is an outstanding orator. Extremely informative.

[@NathanOkun]

"Time-On-Target" (TOT) not only tries to get all guns aimed at the same area for high concentration of fire, but attempts to synchronize the time that all of the shells fired by different guns hit that spot. This is somewhat complex because you have to know the exact time of flight of your shell from your gun and get the entire group of guns being fired from various spots to calculate when each had to fire so that the longer range guns fired first then the shorter range guns in a precise sequence so that all of the shells hit at very close to the same instant in time. This will act as a surprise gigantic blast that does not give the enemy being targeted time to react and duck for cover. After this first volley, it could be repeated or the guns told to fire as fast as they could until told to cease fire. The lack of any warning meant that more enemy got hit before they could do anything to protect themselves and thus TOT magnified the effects on the enemy. Not a simple thing, though...

[@chriscunnane1512]

Thank You, I've never seen anything but Great content here. This really is exceptional

[@WW2TV]

Wow, thanks!

[@xxjj4082]

I've already read the book, EXCELLENT READING. If you have ANY inkling of interest in WW2, US Armor or who the leaders where, You need to read this book, LOTS of information bout what the HELL was going on during that time. I thought I knew what was happening/going on at that time. Very detailed and indebt with information. Glad I got to "meet" the author while he was still alive -PRICELESS.

[@Wilderness_Recon]

Best presentation by a guest ever on this channel to date. 👍

[@WW2TV]

That's some high praise there. General Bolger was certainly very very good

[@militarymarch3006]

You need to bring LTG Bolger to discuss the "zero-defects" mentality of the U.S. Army during WWII.

[@edwardloomis887]

Back in the day, the U.S. infantry brigade inside the Berlin Wall in Cold War-era West Berlin had a small arms range named for MG Rose near the Wannsee. We would shoot pistols and shotguns and occasionally zero rifles there. Very short range training, which coincidently was the range at which MG Rose was killed.

[@louisburke8927]

Shermans were better in other factors as far as I understand. Also by the fact of their superior supply chain. Also probably better trained tankers at the time.

[@louisburke8927]

Hodges was 58 apparently so not elderly.

[@richardschaffer5588]

No wonder Bolger made General very clear, succinct and direct presentation!

[@philbosworth3789]

Another great show. All the more remarkable to hear an American General saying anything good about Montgomery and the British and Commonwealth efforts during the Battle of the Bulge.

[@AD24873]

I know a lot went into this lecture about combined arms and other details, but it was disappointing to the guest repeat the same myth about numbers being the only way to win if we did not have combined arms supremacy. The combined arms statements is true because combined arms wasn't a magical invention or solution to a "5 to 1" problem - it was our basic doctrine by default. It was never a problem because no battlefield is a flat plane where tanks line up neatly and honorably duel. There are plenty of other lectures that go into detail dispelling these myths. I don't even think US Armor experienced less than a 1:1 parity in armored vehicle trades. Especially in the Ardennes where harsh terrain usually constituted ambushes and sharp engagements that were in favor of whoever fired the first shot. Even in the absurd reality where this would exist, there were more Tanks and TD's build with 76mm or greater guns that could handle Panthers than there were Panthers built. It was more likely that a Panther would get hit by a shell that can penetrate than any allied tank encountering a Panther. The Pershing was only a solution if you ignore the logistical problems of not being able to transport as many from detroit to the docks via rail, ignore that you are stuffing less of them into every ship than Shermans, and that your average soldier would have less armor attached to them because of this. More soldiers would have died if we brought along fewer Pershings for every non-tank engagement. I hope the lecturer looks less at firsthand accounts for accuracy of specific vehicles and weapon systems. While they are great reads, they are at best impressions of life and how they felt; not reality. Even his mentioned Pershing duel was a single account in a "whoever shot first got lucky" situation. I hope the Lecturer moves away from some of the history-channel esque accounts and pop history moments. Nearly every item of evidence he brings up is some account or memoir or impression. Not as good or clear as some of the other researchers who have been on here who combine these with primary sources and data. Again, there are plenty of other lectures here on youtube that go over all of this stuff. I don't know how this contributes to the discussion by repeating tired old items. If you disagree, please read this thread...it goes over many items this lecture did not consider. www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3zd1f9/what_was_the_actual_kd_ratio_of_german_ww2_armor/ Note it is not "-1 to 10" but "+3.6 to 1". Eisenhower wasn't shaking in his boots wondering how to defeat the magical Panther.

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for the comment, but just checking. You do realise Dan was a Lieutenant General and this was literally his job right? You are absolutely right when you say there are lots of people saying all sorts of things on KZbin, but as i say, Dan has qualifications to talk about doctrine we can only dream of

[@AD24873]

​@@WW2TV Of course he does, hence the slight disappointment. Most of the evidence mentioned is firsthand accounts. Firsthand is great for impressions, which works well for his discussion on the personalities of the generals, but that is not the main topic of this lecture. Primary sources can't be the only thing behind your thesis. Compare this to your guest on the D-Day obstacles. Plenty of actual reports and official documents cited and corroborated with the firsthand accounts and "myths" to see what was real and not. Practically, the guest's thesis/discussion is reversed. "Unkillable tanks" didn't suddenly appear, and the Allies had to create "combined arms" to counter it. The Allies had the doctrines down pretty well by landing in Normandy. When some of these heavy tanks appeared (not that often), our well balanced doctrine and emphasis on mobility was more than enough to handle them. For example, he mentioned not having many 76mm guns. But what was the actual number in the ETO? What was the estimated number of Panthers in the ETO? How many estimated KO via tank, or bazooka or artillery? I though it interesting he mentioned Fury, as the perseverance of tropes led to the inaccuracies portrayed in the film. But this lecture has those tropes! No, I am not an expert on this. I am nobody. I only note there is a lot of content out there, and the conclusions are different and are thought out more convincingly. That's all I can personally do really, listen to it all and see what stand out.

[@daveruzicka4388]

My Fathers cousin Victor was attached to 3rd armored division 36th AIR,...he was KIA Apr10,1945,,I never really knew much about where he was and what he did but this program really shed some light on it..thank you ,,I gotta remember to pick up the Makos book I do know he was briefly captured,eascaped and at one point took 5 Germans prisoners although I have no idea when it happened

[@billenright2788]

Awesome. Knowledge and a direct no-bullshit delivery. Bet he was good in the field. Another great guest speaker.

[@peterhanlon8324]

I remember reading that General Rose was fully involved in Court Marshalling an officer of the armoured division. However, following his death, the proceedings petered out.

[@tomstarcevich1147]

My father in law was with the 36 th armored infantry regiment attached to the 3rd armored division he survived the war with a bronze star 5 puple hearts and distinguished service accommodation his name was Norbert krusikovski of Chicago

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for sharing

[@daveruzicka4388]

Deeds not Words..the 36thAIR motto

[@lenpawlak5103]

Thats very interesting. My father was in the second battalion HQ company of the 36th armored infantry regiment. I have the personnel directory of the 3rd Armored. I see A Norbert E. Kruczkowski, PFC. His home address was on Cambell Ave., Chicago. This person was in the same exact unit as my Dad, Charles Pawlak Corporal. Could this have been your father in law?

[@kirbyculp3449]

o7

[@TheHistoryWonderer]

Great show Paul. Sweet having a General present. He sure gets into it. Great show, great knowledge shared.

[@irvingkurlinski]

My father was in 5th Corp Artillery in the Ardennes. They fought-off 5 Tiger tanks at 250 yards with 155 mm howitzers. They had to look down the barrel to aim. Thought they were going to be killed or captured, but survived with only poopy diapers. Elsen-born Ridge Battle. He was in the 186th F.A.B. and part of the Assault Force in Normandy (Omaha Beach, 2nd wave).

[@kirbyculp3449]

o7

[@darrellgoodman9585]

From the movie Patton There goes old blood and guts ,Our blood his guts.

[@rickjohnson4956]

Rose Barracks, Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Named for the beloved commander of the Third ID. I served with the 8th ID at Baumholder in the '60's. At that time, Bad Kreuznach was the HQ of the 8th ID.

[@davidrueth5894]

Speaking of Bastogne you always hear about the 101st Airborne Division. What about Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division. There before the 101 and after the 101. Even their commanding general said this and that the 101 could not have held Bastogne without those 10th Armored Tankers. The old infantry vs cavalry (armored) rivalry. That is one of the reasons we still do not have a combat tankers badge. Sad!

[@edmundcowan9131]

1st Bde 3rd Armored Division in the mid 1970s in the 1980s I was with 4/37 previously of the fourth Armored commanded by Gen Abrams retired as chairman 🇺🇸 I led the famous C company for a time.

[@armoredinf]

23:30 one minor correction. The 7th Armored Division was committed to the Battle of the Bulge by Bradley from the beginning(key in the defense of St Vith). long before First Army was put under Montgomery's command.

[@georgecooksey8216]

Gen. Bolger was fantastic. Thank you gentlemen for an excellent presentation and discussion.

[@waynes.3380]

Woody, I learned something about Field Marshall Montgomery that as an American I normally don't hear that he knew his craft. Thanks again.

[@williamkolina3988]

Paul you keep getting better and better.just outstanding

[@logangilliam]

Best guest so far

[@edmundcowan9131]

I was in the 2/32 armor 3AD Germany but 33 years later as tank platoon leader in A C and CSC companies. It was an honor to serve in on the. Shoulders of Giants.

[@garyarmitage9359]

Excellent Presentation! Wow! My Dad served under Genral Rose for a time.

[@gotanon9659]

Great interview as always! Although he does make the typical historian mistake (mainly the tactical and technical aspects of it).

[@provjaro]

Great video, briliant guest!!! Really interesting watch.

[@WW2TV]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ethanmckinney203]

The photo on the right is not HVARs. You can see that the warheads have a larger diameter than the motors. The HVAR had a constant diameter.

[@keithrosenberg5486]

I had a great Uncle who was in the 3rd Armored. I got to talk to him for a whole day about his experiences. I wrote a short history about his time in the 3rd armored.

[@tonyaughney8945]

I've read a number of Bolgers books. Dragons at War was excellent.

[@morganhale3434]

US Army combat doctrine born from the Civil War and the creation of the Artillery Reserve was always firepower first, second, third, and then finally the butcher's bill. The South's combat doctrine in that war was different, but who won?

[@ellisbelfer1340]

Just tour any Civil War battle site and compare the Union and Confederate cannons. The South valued cavalry and infantry.; the North artillery.

[@inyobill]

A good leader doesn't/shouldn't do it all, a good commander knows who on staff CAN do it.

[@alandean3472]

Excellent episode and another terrific guest !

[@model-man7802]

That's what my uncle said too.Being ambushed by a tank or an unseen gun was a big fear for them.

[@colinellis5243]

Another excellent presentation, thanks Woody!

[@CutGlassMan-CTI]

Yes, we learn more from mistakes because our victories are a given and thus forgotten

[@tomhoefling]

General Rose was perhaps our best fighting general. He was Jewish, by the way. Sad that he fell so near to the end of the war.

[@MegaBloggs1]

This debunks the myth that monty didnt know how to handle armor andact fast enough

[@claudethibaudeau2714]

Aren't you the guy I saw on The History Underground? If so I'll sub. 👍🇨🇦

[@WW2TV]

Yes, that's me. I appear on The History Underground, but this is my own content - 400+ shows and counting

[@claudethibaudeau2714]

@@WW2TV very awesome...I really love you guys and the way you tell history in ways we never hear in documentaries. You guys are amazing. 👍🇨🇦👍

[@WW2TV]

@@claudethibaudeau2714 Thanks Claude, I hope you will stick around and maybe consider becoming a KZbin channel member or Patron

[@TheVigilant109]

Fascinating presentation. Great detail and explanations. Thank you

[@WW2TV]

Glad you liked it!

[@davidrueth5894]

Gut Gemacht! Real TC C-33 3rd BN 63rd Armored Bde 1stID

[@vinkobosnyak4463]

Yeah....and the 'Tommy Cooker' nickname given to the standard Sherman never existed and had no reasoning.....🙄 Fact, the Sherman was a good medium tank, good for supporting infantry, similar in some ways and superior to the German Stug. However, it was not designed as a tank killer, but with the odd Firefly and several standard Shermans, you could successfully take out any German tank. If it was coordinated well, and not on a flat plain, then no problem. If the Pershings were there soon after D day it would have definitely solved a few issues, despite its teething problems. If you asked most Sherman tankers, they would have chosen another improved tank over the standard one, hands down. The biggest problem for US tankers was actually General McNair, who held up most tank development and believed that artillery could do any job. He was such an idiot that he let himself be killed by his own bombers.😮

[@WW2TV]

Disagree about McNair, he was one of the few who fully understood combined arms

[@StephenBaird-cp1fc]

507th heavy tank battalion was not ss it was a army unit

[@LinSharp-w8r]

What a wonderful presentation! My father, Col. W. B. Lovelady led Task Force Lovelady during the Battle of the Bulge and I grew up with annual trips to the 3rd Armored Division annual reunion. I continue to research the 3rd Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge and am in awe of these very brave men!

[@johnhiatt6318]

He was very important!

[@billimplom6610]

My uncle Bill 2nd LT 3rd Armor infantry was KIA Oct 6, 1944. buried at Arlington, RIP

[@WW2TV]

RIP Bill

[@morganhale3434]

Q: Why did British Commonwealth troops in WWII love American equipment? A: they were always on a long supply chain and having robust and easily serviceable equipment is a dream. Look at the Panzer commanders on the Russian Front and you realize just how much the Wehrmacht suffered from temperamental equipment that you couldn't easily service on the front. American material superiority during WWII was as much predicated on robustness and serviceability as from sheer output. Our supply lines to both the European and Pacific theaters of war was obscene. Only Great Britain projecting power into the western Pacific in 1945 came close to the difficulty that the United States faced from December 7th, 1941 onwards.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

To be fair, the overwhelming vast majority of German equipment was not finicky and unreliable. Even with armour, over 80% of what the Germans built were not the big cats. 80% were lighter than the Sherman, and quite reliable. Even the Tiger did not have a terrible operational average overall, for a heavy tank (65%-70% according to Tom Jentz in Germanys Tiger Tank) and could be repaired and overhauled by the front line battalion workshops. The reliability dwindled very low in 1945 but that also applied to the more simplistic Stugs and Panzer IVs. All German armour types suffered a low operational rate in 1945 when Germany ran out of spare parts and recovery and repair personnel and vehicles etc.

[@morganhale3434]

@@johnburns4017 My basic point was that one of the great advantages the US had over the Wehrmacht and Imperial Japan was the fact that field serviceability for US equipment dictated by the contracts the US War Department made before WWII paid dividends. In the Pacific campaign the only fully fit dry dock on the Pacific Ocean was Bremerton, Washington. The rest we had were stretched between Norfolk, Virginia to Long Island Sound. The topic of this video was US Armored in WWII. When the Stuart came into service with the 8th Army they called it the Honey. The P-51 Mustang first came into service with the RAF and by D-Day it had very many squadrons equipped with them. Do you not think they loved that aircraft? Not that American equipment was the best and the most technologically advanced always, but robustness and serviceability is always a huge plus. That was my point.

[@morganhale3434]

What I meant by fully fit dry dock was warship construction dry docks. Many times in the Pacific War the only dry dock able to repair a capital ship, heavy cruiser and up, that was heavily damaged below the water line was either in Bremerton, WA or on the US east coast. A significant fact considering how effective the Japanese long lance torpedoes were.

[@colinellis5243]

Woody as a PTO man I am ashamed to say I'd never heard about Gen Rose prior to this excellent session, what a brilliant leader!. Now having gone through this excellent program on Gen Rose I would have said Gen Pollard is an excellent and diligent historian and a great presenter but having now separately looked at Gen Pollard's career I must also say he is clearly a brilliant military leader and an amazing human being. So loved this session! Get him back again as and when you can........thanks once again Woody!

[@WW2TV]

You're welcom

[@Idahoguy10157]

German panzers were a logistical nightmare. Unreliable, difficult to repair, lack of parts commonality

[@WW2TV]

Partly true

[@jameswebb4593]

Where the German tanks the wrong machines for the job , by being too big. I read that Montgomery said after the battle , if the Germans had had British tanks they would have reached Antwerp.

[@billimplom6610]

Where was the 3rd Armor in early October 1944 ? my uncle was KIA Oct. 6th 1944

[@WW2TV]

The Stolberg area probably

[@stewartorr1939]

really educational and fun

[@johnharris9450]

History nerd here. This is one of the best micro analysis about bulge formations and tecnical data. Enjoyed. Thanks for the great work.

[@WW2TV]

Wow, thanks!

[@hankpfeffer]

the Germans ran out of fuel

[@danielgoulding4623]

So glad I found your channel thru the gettyburg museum channel

[@WW2TV]

Welcome aboard Daniel

[@williamfankboner4206]

The Hellcat M18 had a kill ratio of over 2 to 1. Tank killers like the M-18 played a significant role in the defeat of German armor especially in and around Noville, just north of Bastogne. "The attack of 1st Battalion and the M18 Hellcat tank destroyers of the 705th TD Battalion near Noville together destroyed at least 30 German tanks and inflicted 500 to 1,000 casualties on the attacking forces, in what amounted to a spoiling attack." --Wikipedia

[@WW2TV]

Hi William, check out Tank Destroyer week kzbin.info/aero/PLDG3XyxGI5lBrtQ9o0kTkpBHE35dna9oT And while you are there, don't forget to subscribe please

[@MrRugbylane]

Thus is just brilliant

[@user-zf7hm1jm9r]

It was the P51 Mustang that was the best plane to use for any attack from the air.

[@WW2TV]

One of the best yes

[@MsLLWatts]

Please rebuilt me to the 3rd Armored who was my father. Retreat that so much!

[@MsLLWatts]

I am the daughter to my fathger Lee Garrett in a tanker as a tanker who was tanker tor the whole 3rd.

[@MegaBloggs1]

great talk-accurate

[@fitycalibre7555]

Great talk. I however vehemently disagree with his classification of Hodges, and the Sherman as well. Other than that, great talk

[@WW2TV]

Well, it would be boring if we all had the same views

[@fitycalibre7555]

@@WW2TV most definitely. Thanks again for all the amazing talks you host. Easily the best WWII channel for good researched content out there 🤝🏻. Thinking of trying to write my own book over the next years about US combat engineers formations. Gotta put my degrees to good use.

[@paulgagne6319]

As MacArthur was fond of saying, “Wars are won on the training fields.” This is reinforced greatly in the case of 3rd AD. Training made them very capable at maneuver and maneuver is the key element in successful armies.

[@blainedunlap4242]

Seriously Excellent. Detailed, Doctrine, Factual.

[@blainedunlap4242]

You two were phenomenal. A lot of times you try to draw your guests out, they don't respond. You two should do a weekly show.

[@flyiny_sqiurrel]

just two guys talking the holde video.

[@WW2TV]

Yep, that's exactly what we do here. There are other 900 videos of the same format on the channel. What else were you expecting?

[@rinathecat6199]

My father introduced me to Maj Gen Ernie Harmon, cmdr 2nd AD in WWII. Yup, “Old Gravel Voice”.

[@edmundcowan9131]

2/32 3 Armored.

[@Chiller01]

Superb episode. Gen Bolger’s presentation was excellent but the knowledge and diversity he displayed fielding questions set him apart.

[@black__bread]

Definite warrior-monk vibe and a fantastic grasp of and ability to intelligently (and relevantly) move easily between the woods and the trees. One caveat is the detailed explanations of what weapons were designed to do (e.g. the 'holy moses' rockets) vs say the more straightforward and broader benefits of in this instance air superiority and not actually needing to hit anything, but still influence enemy behaviour. But that's pedantry, this was great stuff and a pleasure to watch.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

"Panzer Killers" is a fantastic book. It is riveting and the details about the soldiers' action in battle was incredible.

[@nigelmortimer4884]

exceptional presentation...I've got a feeling I'm going to buy another book

[@fergusfitzgerald977]

Excellent content ! Did the American Tank Destroyers make a big contribution to their victory ?

[@MegaBloggs1]

no m10 or m18 tank destroyers???

[@WW2TV]

Mostly in TD battalions

[@rickysmith2248]

Best video IV watched. I was in the 3rd armored division I'm very proud of that.