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For the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Director Richard Smith gives an insight into how the Allies defeated Germany during the Second World War, using the attack at Villers-Bocage and the defeat of Michael Wittmann by Joe Ekins.  

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VE Day: Ekins, Wittmann and the defeat of Germany | The Tank Museum

For the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Director Richard Smith gives an insight into how the Allies defeated Germany during the Second World War, using the attack at Villers-Bocage and the defeat of Michael Wittmann by Joe Ekins. https://tankmuseumshop.org/ SUBSCRIBE to The Tank Museum YouTube channel: ► http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChl-XKVVBAzoEVsnbOfpcqw? Support the work of The Tank Museum on Patreon: ► https://www.patreon.com/tankmuseum Visit The Tank Museum SHOP & become a Friend: ►https://tankmuseumshop.org/ Press the little bell above to enable NOTIFICATIONS so you don’t miss the latest Tank Museum videos. Follow The Tank Museum on FACEBOOK: ► https://www.facebook.com/tankmuseum/ Twitter: ► https://twitter.com/TankMuseum Instagram: ► https://www.instagram.com/tankmuseum/ Tiger Tank Blog: ► http://blog.tiger-tank.com/ Tank 100 First World War Centenary Blog: ► http://tank100.com/ The Tank Museum E-Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/e6fae2ac8bee/newslettersignup? #tankmuseum #tanks Credits: Wikimedia Commons Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1987-074-33 CC-BY-SA 3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0 DE (httpscreativecommons.orglicensesby-sa3.0dedeed.en) Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2004-0131 CC-BY-SA 3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0 DE (httpscreativecommons.orglicensesby-sa3.0dedeed.en) Laws (Sgt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain Mapham J (Sgt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit / Public domain

Comments

Grant Janzen

Given that no-one on the Allied side even knew about Michael Wittmann or that he was part of that particular counter-attack, the question of who killed Wittmann is really irrelevant. He was just one more German tank commander in a counter-attack that made the deadly mistake of assuming that there were no Allied forces along the flanks of their line of advance. There were two such groups: one squadron each from the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and the 144 Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (northeast of the German line of advance), and one squadron of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment (west of the advance). Accounts vary, but one account has these forces knocking out a total of five Tiger tanks, two Panzer IV's and two self-propelled guns, causing the German counter-attack to collapse. There is no question that Joe Ekins was the gunner who took out three of those Tiger tanks, and for that I salute him! (But I'm also Canadian, so it was the Sherbrooke Fusiliers who knocked out Wittman's Tiger, killing all the crew.)

Kevin McCaffrey

Thank you so much for this recounting of the story of Mr. Ekins. The more I reflect on it, the more I see its meaning and truth. If you know the British film "49th Parallel," recall the scene where the refined writer played by Leslie Howard confronts the armed vicious Nazi in a cave. Another case where you'd think someone is not up to the task, but in the end performs it brilliantly.