Kampf um Anzio - Italien 1944

yes, hello people, welcome to my channel, welcome to barcast, so the month of January is over, which means that the focus in January was the diary of fighter pilot Rüdiger von Kirchmeier, so now we're back to old. target which means we are getting different videos in front of the normal Distances or of course we want to start today and I'm already hearing something about it wait a minute yeah I think that was pretty clear so for everyone who is on the chain, of course, I would say armored vehicles, of course, now you have to listen to what it was by the sound and, of course, it was a tiger tank and the engine of the tiger tank and whoever says which One of them, of course, is at the forefront.

I also solve it, of course, it was the 131 and the specialists among you also know what the 131 tank is, since making such a long speech does not make sense to me going back to the first video out of. the history of the fighter pilot is, of course, a video of tanks and, of course, it is about the Tiger and I already ordered a book in December or received a book on the departmental history, that is, of the heavy tank division ​​58 and those of you who know this, of course. Many of you know that the 508th was deployed to Italy, which means that we are going to the year 43 and we will accompany the tiger tanks in Italy in the fight against the Americans.

The book is quite complete, I have already obtained several interesting reports and stories. , the first one is coming today and then you will hear it from time to time from the heavy tank department and there are really interesting stories, we want to start now and I want to start. I hope this resonates with you as much as it did with me because tigers have a very special place in my heart and I hope this story is not about the Russian theater of war or the Russian theater of war on the Eastern Front or the theater of war West after Normandy, but we are Actually, not all of Africa is marching south now, but I think Italy is an exciting story, so let's start now.

Heavy Panzerabteilung 58 Italy and from various directions I arrived in France in September 1943. My first stop was Angelkorn, a. In this city located 170 kilometers west of Paris and 45 kilometers from Le Mans, the French population barely noticed us when we left work, but we had to carry a side pistol as a weapon. After a few days we headed to Presené Susard, about 15 kilometers south of Paris. Alecón and again after 14 days to Palacio. A French barracks was our barracks and our department was set up here. We lined up in a large square where we could see our future superiors and the officers.

One thing that caught my attention immediately. a black tank uniform, a green officer's cap and the uniform full of medals, frozen meat ask for Africa stripes on the sleeves EK1 German cross in gold This had to be a veteran, almost 30 years old, I already had my baptism of fire before This nice first lieutenant Junghans became the commander of my company, you can see that his throat hurts, it just hurts. My gut knew that this meant fighting for the Knight's Cross, bravado, greater commitment, more victims like them. It soon turned out that. my neighbor was wrong, we were deployed here very carefully, there was no useless expulsion to the fine fire, he sensed the approaching catastrophe in the next few days in the dungeon, we do theoretical training, we practice service to get to know each other so we can To grow together, we were given initial instructions for a new type of tank that could resist the Russian T34.

The T34 is a nifty vehicle with only slanted surfaces all around that are nearly impossible to break with the Tiger's 8.8cm cannon. I have a bad feeling in my stomach when I imagine a mission on the Eastern Front, when in October we leave for Germany, we arrive in Paderborn Westphalia, what do we southern Germans from the 7th Panzer Regiment from Böblingen suddenly in Paderborn, but there they are already ? The powerful 60-ton colossi cost a million Reichsmarks. Such a vehicle, the fighter plane, for example, plus 109. Rated at 750,000 Reichsmarks, the courses for this tiger tank are already starting, 10 cm of armor in the front, 8 cm on the sides and rear. , the roof was 26 mm, a Maybach HL 230 engine with ZF Media transmission with 8 in front, four in the back, the 88 l56 cannon moved for the tank grenade, a V0 of 1000 meters per second, but no one could tell me how.

He could measure us everything or almost everything in the Senne field, even how to get onto the wagon with the help of an artificial ramp. Now we were in shape, now they gave us three more weeks of vacation. start At the end of November they were waiting for us back in the Calvados department of Paris. Shortly after, on December 7, 43, we went to Miley Cam, a military training area 60 km south of Rheins, between Schalon Omar and Holz, in which muddy area were our first tiger tanks. December 11, 43 In the first 44, there were parades and the seizure of the Tiger Division by Major Hudel, a military event that determined the future fate of the entire division.

The English had landed at Nettuno, south of Rome, and the German paratroopers. They were degrading the enemy in the far south, at Monte Cassino. There was a danger that important German formations would be isolated for the 508th Panzer Division. The order reached Italy. In several trains we headed on February 7 and 8 towards Germany via Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Munich. Kufstein, Innsbruck, Brenner, Bolzano, Italy and, until very cold, this was extraordinary for rail transport. Our heavy tanks required special 6-axle wagons. Furthermore, at least three normal freight cars had to be hung between each of these specials. wagons to distribute support forces on the track, especially on bridges.

Climbing into the tank during transport would have been life-threatening, as there was only a small space between them. It remained until the electric railway bicycle became very cold. After installing the off-road tracks, it was a two to three hour job for each tank. After all, for each tank, 16 rollers, eight floors, 144 18 mm screws with a wheel cross had to be professionally assembled. They traveled 160 km before Rome, the objective was uphill, downhill and serpentines, the drivers know their engines, they had to be treated with great care. 720 hp for a 60 ton tracked vehicle was not much because the oil pressure and cooling temperature had to be always in the commander's ear via radio, it helped to significantly improve the limited perspective from the driver's seat while the radio operator switched his device to reception, to the right and to the charger so as not to We let ourselves be carried away by the Italian landscape.

The curves were curves, serpentines. Cities crowded into the hills, house after house, walls 10 to 12 m high, then small barred windows in the cellars, narrow entrances to the city. entire cities had a medieval character, they defended themselves from the newcomers, we were able to pass in front of these cities on the side of Vito Monte fiskalone Viterbo in 14,244 the company arrives in Roman, a park with pine trees provides our tanks with natural cover, a The casemate fortress next door, Fort Tiburtina, makes our accommodation relatively safe. The Italians are no longer our allies since Mussolini was overthrown by his friends in 43 and thrown into the mountains of Bolzano.

His Foreign Minister, his own son. His brother-in-law, Count Keanu, followed him to proclaim the new government with Marshal Bardolino. There was no hostile action against the Italians in the German-occupied areas, but the vehicles were still maintained and prepared for use. constantly On 18,244, the leader of the third platoon passes through Kolb on reconnaissance tasks. His destination is the HKL near Aprilia, 35 km south of Rome, a small town on the edge of the Pontine, where his colleagues from the other field station were able to. Pike was heard Tiger Tanks Tiger Tanks so we checked in, the next night more tanks approached the portcullis, our tank was there too, we stopped at a German artillery position that was currently in action.

For me it was a spectacle. At that moment I had the feeling that for the first time I was on the front line to defend our supposedly just cause. Fear, no, I wasn't, or such an idea didn't even occur to me. According to the war experience of my superiors, my commander, Sergeant Hans Raith, was already in Poland, France, Russia and Africa, in addition to the Tiger heavy tank. At that time he wanted to win the war at any cost. The moment the gunners dismantled their cannons due to a change in position and the enemy artillery fired, I was tuning in to the conclusion of the drawing room ointments then there was a rest then a noise and a howl in the air now the impacts were behind us I became eager to learn the type of howl to locate the impact in front of us one that faded was harmless the symptom increased The grenade flew towards me and was called full cover Meanwhile our platoon leader found locations for our Oliven tank Heine and.

These trees had to serve as camouflage for us. The next and following days we were discovered. An enemy reconnaissance plane was constantly flying over this area. He was probably in charge of it. Enemy arterial fire was constant, this disruptive fire was in the area. , the air had a pungent, penetrating smell of burning gunpowder and sulfur. The explosion trajectory had to be of a higher caliber, whether they fired from their ships. Spectacular to see: German planes try to bring their bombs to the target. The searches begin with the searchlights. Heaven. Four flags fire their tracer munitions into the night sky from left to right.

There must be decades of protected people in action. Now a searchlight catches the silver plane on the runway, that is, the poor comrade of the German Air Force. Enemy arterial activity during the day increases on February 25 the department has to retreat about 3 km due to heavy fire from artifacts there were some dead and about 20 wounded in the department make the second 44 6 pm Let's advance from the north wing of the bridgehead towards the east wing on Via Abia via Letri a Cisterne. Today we move on to the new deployment for the next day, February 29, the order is to throw the Tommy back into the sea if possible.

Our own artillery starts at. At 5:00 and 7:00 we leave the deployment passing through Zisterna in the direction of Isola Bella in German the name is beautiful island in a row on a gentle road we are on the edge of the Pontine marshes drained by Mussolini but I find it strong in the first tank to run in a mine the tank track is this Although it can withstand the blow, the torsion bar of the front roller breaks, the tank has to be towed, the entire column of the tank stops and the Other vehicles in this area swampy they cannot pass over the side.

To do? Pioneers are called to collect the mines. It's happening, the enemy's breath begins to shoot at us, the grenade impacts are approaching, diagonally upwards, an enemy. The arterial reconnaissance plane is circling at a respectful distance in front of the machine guns of our planes, but he directs fire and a smoke grenade hits him. Immediately afterwards, an ointment of three pomegranates is thrown at him. Placed position I sit on the side of the charger. a box of ammunition mg I feel relatively safe, so the next day I discovered that an artillery shell went through the roof of one of our tanks on Friday.

Fritz Holzwart was seriously injured and died that same night. I realize that my security is actually that. The rider on Lake Constance also smelled bad when we were over Kolb and his loader was injured, in addition to the report of our companion Erich Arman, the battery fire intensifies every minute of July, the impacts are very close to us, the splinters they hit it, our car, an impact destroys us on the right side two rollers a splinter was in the supply box behind the door meanwhile it was noon at about 1,500 meters a suspicious house was bombed by the American enemy infantry who returned to the 2:00 p.m. the enemy was firing continuously. because suddenly we received two hits in the back of the Tower four five more episodes from the right two embarrassing tanks fired at us, everything took ten minutes at most, Tommy is now firing phosphorus grenades, one of them hits in front of the car, A gasoline leak starts to burn, we have to get out.

When I jump, I fall to my knees and can barely walk anymore, at the same moment a grenade hits next to us, a splinter hits me in the thigh. on our backs then we take an MTW to cisterna then a car to jensano more and more hospitals in Rome treat me and I arrive again around 22:00 to my company in Fort Tina that was the day of my baptism of fire 29,244 until the moment how Erich Ammann makes the other tanks change to oursTank because their vehicle is immobile we shoot at suspicious enemies with MG the AMG turret has an exhaust it can only fire a single shot I change the lock the cannon gives it asulfur flower in the lock without success the MG is left with a single shot in which the radio operator fires a few bursts of fire with his MG.

Said direction of the enemy artillery does not leave us alone, the impacts are increasingly closer by the arterial reconnaissance planes, so the commander decides to change the position of our vehicle, so since I passed the rear vehicle Peng On the ground, another mine explodes and knocks a torsion bar off the Blocked vehicle. A very horrible feeling to be sitting in a minefield like that. Obviously our goal for the day could no longer be achieved. We have to wait. at night so the alloy vehicles could be towed and repaired under the cover of darkness. The vehicles that are still ready to drive head back to the outskirts of the city cistern, from where they were lying on the vehicles that were still able to protect themselves.

Fortunately, enemy arterial fire also subsided. At some point during a fire break on my first day of operation, I was a little to the side of the tank and saw a foreign body lying on the edge. From you As a dead Italian soldier, he had to remain that way for several days according to the vermin. The shock after this vision bothered me for days. Our enemy, the English, were generous that day instead of advancing in this vacuum. If they had gotten up, they remained in their previous positions. A breakthrough at this point probably would not have fit into their strategic concept.

As night fell, the men of I Squadron dragged our tanks back and between zisterna and veletri on the Via to repair our vehicles. On this historic Roman road more than 2000 years old, where and if I slept that night, I don't know, the impressions were already too strong, I probably also prayed in the middle in the company in forte. Tiburtina The vehicles had already been repaired again, so the next day or so we were allowed to tour the city around the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus Engelsburg, the Pantheon and St. Peter's Basilica, great moments of the past that they made us forget.

Reality for a moment. Back in Tiburtina we experienced a strong air attack against the city of Rome on the 3rd of 44. The next day we were sent for evacuation and rescue work with the failure of our counterattack on February 29, 44, our army. The leaders decided to secure only the landing head of one tumo so that it could not extend further. We established deployments with our tanks on the northern outskirts of Belettri, on the western slope of the Alban Mountains, near southern Italy. a heroic defensive battle against them With the advance of the Anglo-American units, we will never forget the heroic months-long fight of our paratroopers around Monte Cassino and we will never forget, even in our current and benevolent friendship with the Americans, that the German paratroopers only included in his defense of the world famous Benedictine monastery after it was bombed by the Americans.

We were at the disembarkation point in Veletri. A tunnuh should lead a relatively quiet life for the next two and a half months, although ahead of time and a year. tank to the forward bases, but without any significant contact with the enemy, a subdistrict course, a mine hunting course, a trip to the Alban mountains to Lake Nemi was carried out. At Castell Gernolfo, at night, German flying units could Intense anti-aircraft fire can be seen over the port of Attraction, but fires were also observed afterwards, but not a day began without enemy shells hitting the nearby area or more wide around Monte Cassino on May 20, 44 the south can no longer be defended. the front had broken out the Anglo-Americans were advancing towards Rome now the landing head was also an active tumor the Anglo-American fire roller started rolling here too during a night infantry exercise the operational order came for our second tank company but the people of Junghans was then Germany's deputy lieutenant von Werder for the company on a wide front, the enemy had moved from his position, our task was to stop him and throw him back, he could no longer protect himself through his treacherous minefields, in a In a very short time I reached the embankment of the Rome-Naples line at 23.544 and had to go through an underpass.

All the tanks pass and then appear in a wide formation. Infantry are attacked with explosive grenades and enemy tanks are attacked. We're still too far away to be able to shoot them effectively. After three or four kilometers in enemy territory, the attack becomes very dangerous, the enemy artillery is already on the march, this seems familiar to us and Werder gives the order. to fog up and get off, so we go back to the lever wall for protection, the barrel is turned at 6 o'clock our driver overlooks a deep drainage ditch, we are sitting inside the engine Standing without servo support, the judge outside The office worker has to release the clutch with superhuman strength to change the gear to neutral because he crashes into the tower wall and the MP flies off its support - a deal blow that did not come to fruition - thank God the Tiger has a 8 cm at this strong point but misfortune struck a few minutes later and we were through the railway underpass and beyond the embankment, out of the enemy's field of vision.

After a short 15 minute break in combat, we were even able to get our pack out. , stretching his legs a little as he did with the studio, the firing began again, the enemy reconnaissance planes had discovered us in the immediate vicinity behind the underpass so that the enemy artillery could easily aim their maps at these prominent points to so we could start the engines. As we drove away, our engine did not start and the officers judged that Lars am's thermometer showed an engine temperature of 120 degrees and that was the result after the impact of this package. The bullet was completely wide in the turret and was directed downwards through the strong horizontal radiator.

It could no longer be started, passing through a sloping protective plate over the gas tank and up to the engine radiator. My commander reported the damage by radio to the company chief, who gave the order to be towed by another tank. The enemy fire had increased until it became a veritable barrier. Hits left, right and front, the rest of the company was gone, Sergeant Kurt Ilmen is with his tank directly under the bridge, ideally protected from Adrien and can still keep an eye on everything. front section. Then we can give me the order to go out and place the two steel chokes now to release these steel chokes from their retaining straps and attach them to the front of the tank while.

For a single man, ten to 15 minutes. Past, standing in the middle of Adri's heavy fire, I waited a moment until there was the slightest break in the fire and suddenly saw three or four men from Sergeant Hans Bär's crew working with the ropes through the slit from sea. That wouldn't have worked. I'd prefer. but meanwhile Werder was occupying the space between the two tanks because at that moment the sound of a grenade was heard. Werder was lying on the ground, the other men picked him up, put him on the tank. then through the loader hatch into the tank, then at full throttle About 30 shrapnel hit him a few more hours on the afternoon of May 30,

1944

, he died in the hospital in Rome, we were in the last remaining vehicle and now we were the only artillery target.

Finally, after half an hour, the A3 was weakened by the fire. An hour later we were able to open the trailer throttles. Always engaging the sergeant's tanks, we could not advance any further after about a kilometer in this smooth. On a muddy ground, the 40 mm thick steel cables broke. Only the workshop company's two 18-ton tractors were able to get us out of this difficult terrain, but when would they reach the front? Meanwhile, everything was silent, the night had returned. It fell and we decided to let the towed tank continue on its way. The driver and I, the loader, stayed with our tank to read the week.

At around two in the afternoon, the driver noticed that the engine thermometer was still showing. 40°C on the engine It would probably start now, could we drive a little under our own power? I sat in the commander's seat, put on the headphones, and the engine actually started. , the thermometer read 120 degrees, it was not a success, we are very happy. Now it's four hours of waiting and then another 500 meters. Meanwhile, the new day dawned, the vehicle immediately camouflaged itself at each stop. I stay awake in the tower. At the stop In the afternoon a figure approaches, who is Otto Jahnle from the I.

He has been looking for us for a long time and asks what the vehicle with a lot of water in cans brings. After an hour bring the desired wet water in six a. Eight canisters up to the cold water filler neck with your Kettenkrad. If I put it on, it comes out, but it also cools the engine and between us judges we can drive on the road, we go faster while I cool down, Odeiane constantly assures. that the water drums are full After a stop in feletrie with the company, we headed to Rome, to the fort tivotina, the i-staffel mechanic, Private Janeke.

As an expert, I know that he also has to change the radiator. , the head gasket and the engine oil. After a day and a half the vehicle was ready for use, but for my tank team there was not much rest. Meanwhile, we travel with another tank to Aprilia. that pushed well and far We deployed to cover the retreat of the infantry while we stood guard in an olive grove near Aprilia. Three soldiers leaned on them and dragged the middle one, who was completely naked. The entire body was burned. If we request it by radio, we can go to the first aid station and we can transport you back.

Third degree burns. The city of Rome entered the front line at the beginning of June. 44. Rome is being defended. The tanks have dug in. is the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the South, General Field Marshal Kesselring, on June 11, 44, the general order to withdraw from Rome was abandoned. We couldn't take all the material, very little transport space, valuable fuel had to be transported. The JK l was withdrawn a lot during the day, the vehicles were camouflaged due to constant Japanese attacks, we could only move at night because the streets were crowded, there were traffic jams, the enemy was wrong.

During the day the entire area was more illuminated, the columns of vehicles were a good target for enemy planes. One afternoon the company Grademelder arrived and took me a little towards the writing room train. our Steine ​​vehicle for half the night searched for me, asked me in vain, towards morning I was tired, I was alone in the area, where should I go to sleep without waking up with the knife of an Italian partisan, a ditch? On the road and a small bridge under a cement pipe with a diameter of about 40 to 50 cm I got in there and hid here for about an hour and a half, of course, safe from surprises.

More questions and I ended up back with my tank crew. The meeting and gloating was great and it was a consolation for the lost vacation. On June 14,

1944

we received new tanks just arrived from Germany in Empoli, near Florence, with replacement people and almost there. we complete again with 13 tanks and we deploy again near Siena from there national road 73 leads southwest in frosini we enter on June 22, we are ready on June 24, we continue until shoes Dino is on road number four for one Before of the enemy's supply movements at night, by order of the department, the winding and narrow roads make it difficult for our tanks to pass.

We also pulled bridges from Roman times out of a tank that appear to have a load capacity of 30 tons. had difficulties when reversing and at the same time the chain did not deviate, that is, the chain slipped on the teeth of the drive wheel, the transmission immediately blocked, the chain could no longer relax, a driver or sprocket was in a loss, maybe someone could help With a blowtorch, cutting a link in the chain where he had to carry the squad was far away, the enemy was advancing, Corporal Zapp's tank approached, his driver Albert Schmidt sat in our tank with all the force.

Accelerating in the lowest gear, the vehicle was enough and the parts began to fly, namely the guide tips. Pieces of steel with a cross section of 120 x 80 x 30 mm are simply cut from each chain link and the teeth of the drive wheel are cut. Find your way back to the corresponding gaps in your teeth. The chain is largely destroyed. The ability to turn is very limited but, thank God, the tank can be towed to the next pickup point with the brake lever, as in Panzer 3. and 4, Albert Schmidt can barely maneuver the vehicle and gets out of it .Black brake pads covered with dust at the mounting location, like a chimney sweep.

Meanwhile, they appointed me artilleryman, but with theconstant technical problems with vehicles it became clear how necessary trained and experienced specialists, such as auto mechanics or locksmiths, were. as well as experienced truck drivers needed as tank drivers. As a trained entrepreneur at the age of 20, he had no idea what could be achieved with an oxyfuel torch. We needed a new chain, there was no such replacement part in the country. the entire department and yet there were four links with chain bolts attached to each side of the tank turret, that is, each one. The tank crew delivers the chain was armed after almost an hour a new chain was placed in the enemy's tactics was where our heavy The tanks had to contain their own numerically superior but technically weaker tanks to use arterial and combat bombs, but one or two tank commanders managed to do it.

To detect a good hidden tank and kill it with one or two tank grenades, we were grateful in In these tough battles we were accompanied by the brave men of the fourth parachute, no enemy tank destroyers are seen in our vehicles at 27,644, the company with five cars participating in hard fighting loses two pieces due to its end on July 6 we are three kilometers from po-bonsi on July 8 we move to the Tawanelle area there the company manages to shoot down 6 lovely tanks during the enemy's big attack on July 29 the second company shoots down another 7 tanks but two of ours too We received heavy hits on 31 Jul 44, our company handed over the remaining tanks to the third company, we returned to Bologna in a small town of Krewalkorde, we had a few weeks of rest.