WWII veteran Bert Cade describes German anti-tank weapons

Herbert Walter Cade (25th March 1920 - 12th May 2020) was conscripted into the British Army and served in Royal Artillery during the Second World War. He saw action in the 52nd Heavy Regiment of the Royal Artillery from 1944 to 1945. Here he describes German anti-tank weapons and an occasion when he looked inside a destroyed Cromwell tank.
I recorded this interview on 18th June 2016.

[@martinh5402]

Great work Thomas I agree with others here that this should be known, and so great to see men like Bert live to 100! My father James joined up in 1939 and served firstly in the Royal Fusiliers and then volunteered for the Paratroops when they formed those Divisions. He told me many things he experienced during the war, really incredible that they could ever lead normal lives on Civie Street after that. He much respected Bomber & Tank Crews & always thought he had a much better lot than those and especially soldiers in the trenches in WWI as his Father-in-law (my maternal grandfather Walter) was a stretcher bearer on the Somme.

[@gregl6002]

People need to know what war is. Thank you

[@user-io6pj8bz8h]

It's awesome and drives us forward!

[@ewencameron4269]

War can seem awesome and drive us forward but its reality is ugly and evil and despairing. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God”

[@joebuglass8426]

Great to see you continuing with this Thomas! Your videos are really important! Keep doing them!

[@thomasozel4889]

Thank you very much!

[@dermotrooney9584]

Good on you, Sir!

[@MikeG-xy7yt]

German armour piercing rounds had an explosive charge which was set to detonate after passing through the armour.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

The mystery of the hollow charge monroe effect i think the stream of pressure was some 50k ft second (10miles ) in fact the same speed that TNT explosion is but thats uncontained where hollow charge is focused into thin jet ??Not heat pure pressure wunderbar

[@neilwilson5785]

It's terribly sad that these young men died in this way. They defeated the Nazis, and will be remembered.

[@happylife4734]

Sherman tanks were death traps for allied soldiers, it had zero protection against German tanks shell and anti tank guns, they kept producing these tanks, even though they knew it had a very thin amour, and these young men would get cooked inside them once they were hit. Why didn't US army make better tanks? I think the high command just didn't care, they knew it was a lousy tank. Sherman tank gun couldn't pierce a German tank armor.

[@thodan467]

show me the Panzer IV immune to Sherman rounds

[@happylife4734]

@@thodan467 Listen to what the veteran is saying, "their tanks were superior to us"

[@thodan467]

@@happylife4734 i thought the Sherman was at least equal to the IV

[@ronhall9039]

@@thodan467 Shermans, Cromwells and Churchills were equivalent to the Mk IV, they could also take out Panthers, Tigers and even the Tiger II (first encountered by the Brits in Normandy). The records prove that. However, if you are actually there, it's your life on the line, you might have a different perspective. If the records show that 15th Panzer (as an example) was totally destroyed as a unit in Normandy, you - as a survivor of seeing your troop of tanks wiped out - might see that period in a different perspective. Normandy was a meatgrinder, at some points it had the highest concentrations of armour vs armour in the war - higher than the Eastern Front by many measures, mainly because the Allies were trying to claw their way out from the beacheads and the Germans were trying to bottleneck them. God Bless Them All.

[@thodan467]

@@ronhall9039 and the IVs were th standard german MBTs , but if you see the victims of the Tigers, Königstiger und Panthers which not all had been front ready and every armored vehicle is a Tiger you may come to this wrong conclusion