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The popular youtube of the last investigation into Wittmann's demise, forgets/omits several facts.

The farmhouse where the contact took place, had previously been occuppied by Wehrmacht troops, and was defensively occupied by British/Canadian forces. What's standard practice, when defending a site against expected armoured attack. ?

An eye whitness, who first found the hulk remains of Wittmann's tank , in 1945, stated that there were no holes through the sides, only a large hole inside engine bay. A point blank encounter could NOT have produced this shot.

If it was a lobbed shot, it would have had to have come from a distance, via a Firefly, or even, as happened in Normandy, a 3.7 " anti aircraft gun, from some distance, vectored onto the grid reference.

The other glaring possibilty, is that, as viewed in the programme, parts of the floor where shattered from a huge explosion, not a brew-up. A mine, German or British.

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"Don't quote me on that !" Sumerian military expert, Sumeria 3,000 B.C

My grandfather was in the 1st Northamptonshire yeomanry (radio operator) and was at villers bocage during this time , there was and still is , debate wether the sherwood foresters (canadian) or my grandfathers regt were responsible for the shot that killed Michael Wittmann and his crew . Gunner Joe ekins (1st Northamptonshire yeomanry ) always claimed the kill and its not impossible from his sherman firefly at that range , as he already took out a few other tigers that day in that area. From the battle damage to the tiger 007 its unlikely it was a typhoon strike , often suggested , as the damage would have been far worse , a shot through the engine compartment however , igniting the fuel would have been more likely. Grandfather has now passed on and I didnt get to ask more details before.

Wittmann wasn’t killed at Villers Bocage.

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http://www.afra.org.uk
better by design

"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."

Quite so old chap, he died on 8 August 1944 closing in on high ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. He was crossing open terrain towards the high ground and was ambushed by tanks from A Squadron 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, A Squadron Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, and B Squadron 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. During the ambush, anti-tank shells, fired from either the British or Canadian tanks, penetrated the upper hull of Wittmann's tank, igniting the ammunition. The resulting fire engulfed the tank and blew off the turret. KitKat and I passed the spot on the way to Argentan back in June, the turret ring is apparently still at the nearby farm!

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Andy Scorgie
solo and proud of it

Always keep the boot of destiny firmly pointed at the arse of anticipation!
Eye of an eagle, ear of a dog, brain of a newt

I know my grandfather was nearby ,at this very time, he may have even been in that encounter, i dont know , he can be seen in a still taken from pathe news if you google any pics of 1st Northamptonshire yeomanry in google images , he is the nearest left foreground holding a tin of rations , i have a 1st Northamptonshire yeomanry regimental book, showing maps , pics and the whole routes taken by all squadrons before , during 1944, and til the end of the war . During the ardenne offensive December 1944 , my grandfathers tank took a direct hit from 88mm ap shell , passing through both sides of the turret , taking off one crewmans legs and blinding another , my grandfather managed (under machine gun fire) to carry one crew member back to our lines and fainted from wounds he also sustained climbing out , wrist to elbow wide open , and leg badly slashed , wish i had asked more but i didnt have the interest of these things until later in life. At my grandfathers funeral an officer from his regt was there and spoke of my grandfathers heroism , being an inspiration to many of that regt during "the dark days of France" .

Andy, isn’t the site right by the Caen-Falaise highway, roughly where the farm machinery dealers is now?

_________________
http://www.afra.org.uk
better by design

"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."