American tankace

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 22 Sep 2003 16:23

I found this article on net and i would like to know that is it true? 258 enemy vehicles is pretty much.

http://www.3ad.org/wwii_heroes/pool_laf ... nance1.htm

Kasper

Lawrence Tandy · Post by **Lawrence Tandy** » 22 Sep 2003 18:05

That's a pretty a amazing score to achieve in a year. The article doesn't detail which kinds of vehicles were destroyed, I guess it is possible he destroyed a huge number of trucks and what not in the Falaise gap. Sorry for being sceptical, but I've never heard of this guy before, and it is unusual because Americans like to be sure that their heroes exploits are well known. I would like to know more about this guy if anyone has more info, because if it's even half true it is a very interesting story.

Thanks KalaVelka

Lawrence Tandy · Post by **Lawrence Tandy** » 22 Sep 2003 18:18

I can't find much about this guy, but what I have found seems to back this story, destroyed everything from kubelwagens to panthers, and 3 panthers in a single engagement with Sherman/76. I can't believe there isn't more info on this guy to be found on the net, I'd really like to read more. Surely there must be a book about his exploits somewhere.

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 22 Sep 2003 18:26

Yep it is really interesting that we havent heard about this guy before that. Could it be possible that this all is nothing more than propaganda? If this is true then he would have better stats than Wittman himself who had destroyed 141 tanks, and 132 antitank guns. Ofcorse article talks only about "vechiles", which is pretty wide thing, you can call bicycle a vechile.

Kasper

Lawrence Tandy · Post by **Lawrence Tandy** » 22 Sep 2003 18:36

KalaVelka wrote:Yep it is really interesting that we havent heard about this guy before that. Could it be possible that this all is nothing more than propaganda? If this is true then he would have better stats than Wittman himself who had destroyed 141 tanks, and 132 antitank guns. Ofcorse article talks only about "vechiles", which is pretty wide thing, you can call bicycle a vechile.

Kasper

Yeah, while he seems to have done well against armour, most of his tank kills were in 1945 it seems, and there were not many panthers facing the US army in Normandy, most being Concentrated against Brits and Canadians. They are very careful not to go into numbers until the one engagement with the Panthers in 1945. where he bagged 3, still impressive. Impossible that the majority of kills was vs. tanks. Wittmann got his tally over a few years in tank heavy environments, whereas in the West the Allies never faced armour on a level comparable to the Germans in the S.U. , or even Germans Vs. Allies.
I would have to guess the majority of kills came against transport vehicles, but I would like to know more instead of assuming. For all I know he could have been blasting German vehicles at the falaise gap that were out of fuel or rolling over horses and carts. The article is too vague.

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 22 Sep 2003 18:54

It might be so. I would love to hear the truth. Those numbers can also be much exaggared.

kasper

Darrin · Post by **Darrin** » 23 Sep 2003 15:49

One other poroblem might be the allies generally over claimed ger tanks des much more than the ger did. The ger towards the end of the war might have over claimed losses by double but ALL the allies rus included tended to over claim by up to 5 times. Also if you include all auto vehicles even the number in the front at any one time was enourmous. Even inf divs needed trucks to operate in WWII and that doesn´t include half tracks which were still somewhat common in 44 and arm cars which weren´t.

ChristopherPerrien · Post by **ChristopherPerrien** » 23 Sep 2003 16:16

I heard him mentioned somewhere else I will try to find.

That article is cheesy but I will say this guy POOLE has my respect already:

Before sailing to England in September, 1943, Pool was promoted to Staff Sergeant in Company I. He was also given the opportunity to go to OCS, but he turned it down as he was later to turn down a battlefield commission stating "I just want to have one of the best tank crews in the division."

Good enough for me I will try to find his tank-kill records.

One other thing I hope he did not machine gun surrendering soldiers in that one incident , Another war-crime hero might be a little much.

hauptmannn · Post by **hauptmannn** » 23 Sep 2003 16:30

This is made up that may be about a third of the tank strength on the western front.

Juha Hujanen · Post by **Juha Hujanen** » 23 Sep 2003 18:26

I think it should be noted that most info to that article came from Yank magazine and that Yank article was written during war.So some amouth of wartime propaganda could be espected.

Basicly the same info of Pool can be found in George Forty book-Tank Action.From The Great War To The Gulf.But in that book Pool's tally gets even more impressive.It says that Pool was credited with 258 armoured vehicles destroyed.And he was lethal to German infantry too.He captured 250 prisoners and killed over 1000 German soldiers.

Sounds a bit high for one tank crew don't you think?

Cheers/Juha

Korbius · Post by **Korbius** » 24 Sep 2003 00:05

Juha Hujanen wrote: Sounds a bit high for one tank crew don't you think?

Cheers/Juha

1000 kills, 250 POWs, 260 armored vehicles, dang, he sounds like the Hans Ulrich Rudel version of the allies