The mouse ate the Cat !

I found this fascinating story at http://www.afvnews.ca/cgi-bin/web-bbs/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/62887
King Tiger ramed by Sherman *PIC*

Posted By: J.McGillivray <Send E-Mail>
Date: Wed-Apr-27-05 at 22:22 hr

Hi all,

It really did happen. Below is one of three photos of the King Tiger and Lt. Gorman’s Sherman, from Jean-Claude’s Perrigault’s book “21 Panzer-Division”. The description of what happened as contained in Georges Bernage’s book “the Panzers and the Battles of Normandy” (p143)is as followers:

“But the Irish Guards resumed their advance and at around 2100 hrs saw in the distance a King Tiger, a Tiger I and two old model Panzer IV's, the crews of which were sitting under the apple trees around their commander. Lieutenant Gorman was at the head of the 2nd Squadron of the Irish Guards and viewed the scene - the Germans were taken completely by surprise and raced for their tanks which were facing in the opposite direction. "Gun jammed, sir" came the sad voice of Guardsman Schole, German's gun-layer. The Tiger II turned its heavy turret slowly towards Gorman and the two M4's which were accompanying him. "Driver, go right. Ram it. Shouted Gorman, and his tank burst through the hedge, raced over the field, slipped in under the barrel of the 88 mm gun and crashed to a stop against the rear right sprocket wheel of the Tiger II. Revolvers in hand and armed with grenades, the Irish crew leaped out and took the German crew prisoner. At that moment the other Tiger got sergeant Harbison's Sherman in its sights and up it went in flames, the crew baling out with some losses. Profiting from the diversion, Gorman's crew decided to make themselves scarce, but then he took over a Firefly and began to chase the Tiger I, hitting the turret with his sixth round. His second target was the Tiger II together with his own Sherman which he had abandoned, and the latter caught fire rapidly, spreading the fire to the Tiger. Gorman was decorated with the Military Cross and his Tiger II, the first to be destroyed in Normandy was one of five tanks knocked out by the Guards, for the loss of 32 of their own.”



Look at this picture - The Sherman looks incredible small compared to it's
victim :

 

The perspective makes the Tiger II look larger than it is - if you put themside by side, they are much more equal.

Christian

 

HA, HA, Two winners of WW2. :lol:

Christian, for pokker. Vor gamel du er till at beskeftie dig med denne slags?

 

What do you mean?

Christian

 

i head this sotry before .
32 allieds, that's very costly

 

You're right BUT the King Tinger looks heavier and more impressive, just compare the size of the long 88 mm to the short Pea shooter og the Sherman !

I have seen a Sherman recently at the Imperial War museum and would love to see a King Tiger in real life.

But I'm also quite impressed by the figting spirit of the brits.
First ramming this huge tank, and then picking up a Firefly to go hunting.
Good sports !

 

Jeg bragger me min Dansk, Christian. Ver ike bange.... :lol:

 

I understand what you're trying to say, I'm just not sure what your point is.

Christian

 

lol, thats the only way they can kill a king tiger

 

Don´t worry, Christian. I don´t bite. I just thik looking at pictures with tanks is very boyish and I asked if you maybe are much younger than me.... Jeg haaber du tilgiver mej, vaer saagod, Tak.

 

Hey - what is that dark patch on the glacis of the Tiger II?

 

This picture was obviously made to make both King Tiger and 88mm gun look bigger than they are compared to the Sherman. Note that the barrel of the German tank is a lot closer to the camera's viewpoint than the Sherman, and pointed towards the viewer.

Go to La Gleize, a tiny village in the Ardennes where they have a restored specimen. I also believe Saumur or the Patton museum have one in operating condition (can't remember which).

 

Hello.
A picture of the KT 332 with a Sherman ( in this case armed with a 76mm gun) at Spa (January 1945).
And two photos of Sherman M4A3 and KT in the scale1/35 (model not ended)
Patrice.

 

IIRC, there was a King Tiger at Bovington.

 

Are you an idiot? They could kill em by shootin em just took more then one

 

THe picturesa are cool, the tiger 2 was massive

 

yeah he was uber, he could win any battle.

 

If that were strictly true the Germans would not have lost...

 

And that's an important little fact to realize when you're reading your sources: if the German tanks were really as good as they are protrayed to be, then how did the Germans ever lose major tank battles?

When numbers were very near equal?

 

In the battle of Kursk, Russian T-34's closed with the german panzers and at times it became a close-range shoot-out.
The russian tactic turned the range advantage of german guns to nil, and confused commanders... probably on both sides.
American and British tankers realized the same, and manuevered to get in behind a Tiger for a killing shot... at the cost of more than a few Shermans in the process.

"Sometimes it is wise to look the Tiger in the eye."
--Old Proverb

Tim