Monday, March 11, 2019

The Panther tank depicted here belonged to 1./SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 of the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend.

Contrary to incorrect captions of the time stating it was 'blown up by allied bombers' the Panther was actually knocked out by an anti-tank gun located in the Almir Garden near the Church on the South side of Bretteville-l'Orgueilleuse on 8 June 1944. This was during Kurt Meyer's poorly planned and failed night attack on Bretteville Norrey where he committed Max Wunsche's Panthers to a engagement without proper infantry support. Ironically Kurt Meyer would mock the British for this in his post-war memoir 'Grenadiers' published in 1957. The results of his folly spoke for themselves.

Other captions indicated the tank was flipped over after being knocked out by an Allied fighter bomber which is also not factual. The fact was that the knocked out Panther was encumbering vehicle passage along the N13 road and was bulldozed off into the field where it came to rest upside down on it's turret. The Panther was then expeditiously used for explosives testing on the underside hull which was now exposed. The banner hanging from the side of the Panther hull was placed there to warn others there was unexploded ordinance and ammunition still loaded inside.

The Lemanissier Shed, seen to the right in the first image, is still there to this day




A modern view of the same location


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