Author Archives: Lee Archer

Panzerwrecks X P92-95: A Tiger ‘Then & Now’

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Regular contributor to Panzerwrecks, Matthias Radu kindly sent us some information and comparison shots of the Tiger I knocked out at Berlebeck. Over to Matthias:
“The abandoned Tiger sat on the shoulder of Paderborner Straße between Berlebeck and Heiligenkirchen. The Tiger facing uphill, coming from Detmold.

The area has changed considerably since, but the prominent building in the background at the bend of the road is the clincher. It serves today as a restaurant called “Cherusker Grillstube”

The Tiger must have been part of “Panzer-Gruppe Paderborn”, abandoned on 2nd April 1945.”

I took the liberty of Photoshopping the period and contemporary photo.

Berlebeck Tiger

Panzerwrecks 15: Panzers in Paris ‘Then & Now’

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While researching the Paris feature in Panzerwrecks 15, I took some screengrabs from Google Earth. With a few minutes to spare, I took the opportunity to Photoshop one of my photos into one of them. The results are not perfect because the photos were taken at ground level, whereas the Google Car’s camera is significantly higher, throwing the perspective out.

Rue de Courcelles

Rue de Courcelles

More on the location of Panther in Panzerwrecks 2 from Ronny August

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Following on from his previous submission, reader Ronny August kindly took the time to visit Werbig to photograph what remains of the railway station. Here is what he had to say:

Earlier than expected, I’m back again from a short visit to my old home. I tried to take some pictures at the location at railway station Werbig. Now, the most leaves of trees and bushes are fallen down and now you can recognize more details. Unfortunately, the weather was quite bad, like autumn normally is. So the pictures are not of the best quality.

Picture one (above) shows, how I think, nearly the position were the old Panther-picture was taken.

Picture two (above) shows a detail of the remains of the old, wider railway platform with its iron construction, also recognisable in the b/w picture. At wartime there were two tracks at this railway and therefore the platform had to be much wider then today with one track.

Picture three (above) shows the location nearly photographed from the position, like the old picture (1914), I sent to you.

Thanks Ronny

Real Life Panzerwrecks – Sd.Kfz.251/9. Falaise Gap survivor

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Nicolas Leloup contacted me back in December 2011 regarding the Sd.Kfz.251/9 seen behind the Panther in the boneyard at Saint-Lambert sur Dives, and shown in all its glory in the rear gatefold of Panzerwrecks 11: Normandy 2. Here is what he had to say:

… I also own a collection of WWII collectibles and especially german Sd Kfz; all of them coming from Normandy. My father started to collect in the seventies and during the last 15 years I spent all my time and money in this passionating collection.

I have watch with many attention the last page of Panzerwrecks/ Normandy 2 : dump at Saint Lambert sur Dives.

As you can see in the middle, just behind Panther #234, there is a Sd Kfz 251/9 which catch my attention because the cab has a big hole on the driver side. And in my collection, I have such a cab with big hole at the same place and please have a look on attached photos :

  • The hole has the same shape
  • It is at the same place/location on the vehicle
  • The bottom right corner of the hole has the same shape on my cab and on your photo.
  • This cab was purchased by my father in the Trun dump close to Saint Lambert. The Saint Lambert dump with all the vehicles were the property after the war of Mr Maurat who was a scrapyard man who purchased all the Falaise/Chambois battle wrecks from the french state by auction. His main depot was the Trun dump and he used to gathered all the vehicles in some place like Saint Lambert before to scrap them and store them in Trun dump; just nearby Saint Lambert.

My 3 questions are the followings :

  • Do you have a better quality view of this Sd Kfz 251/9 ? Do you have any close-up of this vehicle?
  • Is it possible to have a copy of this Saint Lambert dump panoramic view?
  • Following you, what is the tactical number on the armour side ?

Note that this Sd Kfz 251/9 is one of my restoration project as I have the complete 7,5cm gun and the complete chassis. It means it is a survivor of the Falaise/Chambois gap!

If anyone has any more information or images of this particular vehicle would they please drop me a line using my contact form and I will pass it on to Mr Leloup. Below are the two photos he sent to me, along with a crop of the vehicle in question.

Panzerwrecks 13: StuG IV hinged visor

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Martin Cavell contacted me recently to share a snippet of information that might be of interest to readers of the series. Over to you Martin:

The Stug IV on p.12, I noticed for the first time that the driver’s visor’s sunshade/rainguard is hinge-connected to the visor’s armoured guard, and in this photo you can see one sunshade is folded back over its armoured guard. I guess this hinge allows access for cleaning etc. I never knew they were hinged.

Neither did I. Here is an enlargement of the offending visor. Thanks Martin!

Panzerwrecks 13: General corrections & updates from Daniele Guglielmi

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I received an email from my friend Daniele Guglielmi, author of many Italian theatre books, with a few corrections and observations. Over to you Daniele:

Page 1, you can see at lest three types of tyres on the AB41s: two of Celerflex models (taken from trucks), and Artiglio di sicurezza (run-flat, very rare). It’s possible that the other wheels had the other two models used: Artiglio and Libia.

Page 4, did not both the Marder III Ausf. H and M have the same crew of four?

Page 11, Pignataro (not Pignatora).

Page 18 etc., the StuG and StuH III belonged surely to the StuG Brigade 242; this unit had a particular way to bring the side spare track links.

Page 28, in October 1944 the Tiger number 334 was used as a target on the beaches of Riccione, at the presence of the new 8th Army commander, Gneral McCreery. The German tank was totally destroyed by the shots of 6pdr, 17pdr and 75mm guns.

Page 50, StuG Brigade 242, as above see the reversed side spare tracks.

Page 51, Artena, not Ortona (which lies 200 km east)

Page 52, did not the Sd.Kfz. 7/2 belong to the Hermann Goering Division?

Pages 58, 59, I think that the Sd.Kfz. 10 was found near the Tiger of the s.Pz.Abt. 504 destroyed in Cecina on 1st July, 1944; the pictures came form a roll of the same series. Apart for the Tiger unit, in the area there was the 16. SS Panzergrenadier-Division RFSS, which employed some StuG III Ausf. F8 and G.

Page 74 etc., many photos were taken by British and New Zealand reporters on 28 June 1944 near Ficulle (Terni), a town with an important railway station. The Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) received in 1941 two Canon de 194 GPF sur chenilles Saint Chamond (named Cannone da 194/32 su affusto a cingoli Saint Chamond). After the Italian armistice of 9 September, 1943, the two vehicles were captured by the Germans, who used them (as 19,4cm Kanone 485(f) GPF) for the coastal defence of the town and the port of Civitavecchia (west of Rome). One of these two SPG is now exposed in the museum of Aberdeen, Maryland, USA.

Page 78, I believe that the first dug-in Panther showed was in the Gothic line north of Pesaro, on the eastern side of the line, in August 1944 and the second one on the Gustav line in May 1944.

Page 92, I believe that the circular unit insignia was for the Panzer-Regiment 26, not for the whole 26. Panzer-Division, which used the old marking (see on the two Panzer IVs at the pages 90 and 91, on the turret skirt and on the front of the hull) until the end of war.

Page 96, probably the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G destroyed in Villa Grande in December 1943 belonged to the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division.

Panzerwrecks 13 P42-45: Location of Elefant on Google Earth

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Google Earth or Google Maps can prove useful tools for finding the locations of wrecks, assuming that you have some information to start with. A case in point is the Elefant destroyed in Soriano nel Cimino, pictured on pages 42-45 of Panzerwrecks 13: Italy 2. A good match was found on Via Santa Maria. Click the thumbnails below to go to the full images

 

 

Duel in the Mist 2: The missing caption

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A reader asked for a caption for the cover shot. Roddy MacDougall obliges:

The front cover shows Panther 101 which was originally the mount of Ostuf. Kremser the officer commanding 1./SS-Pz.Rgt.1 beside the Maison Communale in La Gleize looking South East. The vehicle behind Panther 101 is the Befehlspanther 002 that can also be seen on page 56. Panther 101 was originally commanded by Ostuf. Karl Kremser who was wounded on December 18th at Stavelot,  Ustuf. Hans Hennecke then assumed command of the company and as his own vehicle had been disabled during this action he also took over Ostuf. Kremser’s Panther. There are two further photographs of Panther 101 on pages 58 and 59.

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