Abandoned Panther Tanks 2022
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Incredibly, there are several German Panther tanks still in the Belgian Ardennes, abandoned in 1944 and today used as memorials. These very valuable beasts are in various states of preservation or vandalism.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.o...
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Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Alf van Breem
Music: 'March of Midnight' by Scott Buckley
I remember that when i was 7 we went on a holiday in the Ardennes. At one point we visited some kind of museum about ww2. It might have been the Battle of the Bulge museum you briefly mentioned. Apparently by that point my knowledge of the Second World War was very limmited. I was astonished to read that in 1944 there had been such fierce fighting so close to home (Live in the Netherlands). I think it shows the importance of history teaching. No matter how much i have thought "not again WW2 we already know it all" in the past. It will always stay important to remember and teach new generations about past events, so we might never take or freedom for granted.
And your chsnnel stands as proof that in fact we do never know it all, but it is nessesarry to keep trying to get closer to that point we are destined to never reach.
I was stationed at Spangdahlem Germany in 1974. Being only 30 years after WW2, I was fortunate to see the Ardennes towns where the battle of the Bulge happened as well as the Hurtgen Forest and Siegfried line bunkers. There were still battle damaged buildings in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany and many German and American tanks abandoned in and around the villages at the time.
No Ukrainian tractors to tow them off for scrap? ;)
That's cool, my grandpa was also stationed in Germany in 1965 and there a picture of him standing next to a king tiger and he said they were firing at old tanks from world war 2, he also mentioned that they were box liked shaped so I assumed a tiger 1...
I like that café owner that bought the tank. They knew how to run a business and they appreciated the historic value of that panther and had a great story to tell about it.
Maybe she thought the sight of a Panther would deter thieves
She stopped a Panzer division by herself. They make them tough in Belgium !
I saw all these and more. I rented a car in Brussels and drove the entire Battle of the Bulge seeing all the sights. I then drove the entire length of the Western Front from WW1 all the way to Switzerland. I then swung back and ended my trip in Paris. It was the greatest vacation ever.
Sounds incredible!
Can you imagine being the guy who had to pull the wet decaying human soup out of that panther?
It would not have been, most likely, the first time they did that. The recovery of bodies from tanks and other armoured vehicles was a grizzly experience from what I have read.
Mark Felton: "These too were towed away and scrapped after the war."
Me: *cries*
Thank you 4your video very interesting.
0.44 till 0.54 such strong images and warriors
Thank you.
Love stories about the Ardennes offensive, and the Panther is my favourite tank.
Now, that's history! Is that a tank of the Azov battalion? 0:04
Hope they are recovered and preserved before they are destroyed, too much has been lost
I feel so ashamed for being so fascinated by one of the most horrible events in human history.
The idea is too learn from it.
One day we might quit repeating it.
@@shawnr771 it will end only when we go extinct or are completely enslaved
I would like to have driven that abandoned, intact Panther into my barn and left it there for 70 years and then exchanged it for Bitcoin when Bitcoin was worthless. Then I would buy have bought it back in six years and all of Belgium.
Thanks great vid. Are you going to cover the abandoned Tiger II at La Gleize?
WOW! First. Not that it matters. Another great video by Dr Felton is what matters!
Interesting, but what a shame - Surely they are now so rare and valuable that they should all be brought indoors into a local museum, or covered properly from the elements.
I need to own that café
Missing the V the germans used when invading belgium, luxemburg and Netherlands.
Grandmenil Panther 407 has the wrong colours and number. Back in the day this tank didnt have a proper outside anymore and was showing pink. In the regio, they called the tank: The Pink Panther. So this tank was repainted back in the day without historical accuracy, just to hide the pink and make it more acceptable. In the nearby future the tank wil be re-painted to his original state with the correct number! Fun fact: the tank was bought in '44 by an older woman from Grandmenil when the US Army wanted to take the Panter. The woman "bought" the tank with a bottle of cognac from the US Army. The tank was saved from being scrapped!
Scores of videos & 4 years later, guess I should subscribe. Sorry Mark I really made ya work for this one. I found a couple of these on Google Earth. Great video, keep up the good work.
For someone who does sandblasting and restoration, I drool looking at three relics. I'd love to restore one....
I’m in the building to hear whassup from Dr Mark Felton who always keeps it straight no chaser!
My memory is not what it was.. we stayed in a B+B in France in the mid eighties, arriving after dark.
In the morning, we saw a Panther tank?
Have I remembered this correctly?
We landed at Cherbourg
Hope you can help me, I want to go to France in September
Thanks
at this point in the war the Madmoiselle could easily have lost her pub, and her life, if she was caught giving false information to the Germans and they had the chance to follow up. During this time my Polish friends mom (I lived near her in Canada) lost her uncle, brother , grandfather as the retreating Germans on the Eastern front SHOT every able bodied man they could find as they retreated. A week later the Russians came through the same village (they had largely escaped the war until then) and stole all the food, raped, and continued on.
please lower the music a bit, maybe do a poll on it what people prefer.
the Panther is one awesome tank
Awesome looking yeah
111 and 407 look to be restorable to at least mobile status. Though they have been picked over.
Not sure if any running examples still exist.
Hey Mark!
It's so infuriating to see these insanely valuable pieces of history being destroyed or vandalized by idiots who want a wall decoration, or whatever they use random chunks of a tank for.
i agree
I agree as well, but people being who they are and human nature being what it is if you leave something laying around unsecured, even something historic, and it looks like nobody cares, there are those who are going to help themselves to whatever they can. And that will always be the case.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 as is how so many things in history have fallen to ruin
@@monkeydoespride Quite true. One of the reasons the Colloseum in Rome looks the way it does is because after the Roman Empire fell the locals left in the area stole pieces of it for building materials. It's said many of the churches in Rome have stone blocks from the Colloseum in their foundations.
I just want to know who pulled up and stole the muzzle break off a Panther, and how they managed to do it🤦♂️😂people have no respect for history though its sad
For me Panthers are the most impressive looking tank of WW2.
Tiger 2 rules.
Yeah but later got outpower by pershing and IS2 in face to face battle
Likewise! My favorite in Panzer General 2 !!!
@@FRFFW Of course the Americans had the ability to out-produce the Germans, also with a heavy type tank, but Perchings never made any difference as they hardly came over to fight before the war had ended.
@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 …. The M36 Jackson tank destroyer with a 90mm gun was already in theater. Seven battalions of M36’s by the end of 1944. The 90mm gun was there long before the Pershing made it
It's a shame that people would vandalize war monuments. I can understand during and immediately after the war vandalizing the vehicles, but once they've been setup as a war memorial that's a tad wrong, even if they were the enemy's...
When I was growing up in the fifties us little kids would try to remove bits off tanks that were left in a field near Foulness Island in UK...I guess they got used for target practice by the MOD on the Island...
Antifa just destroyed a Statue in Dresden a few months ago, it's not even a soldier or something like that, just a little Girl.
Some People just don't care...
i absolutely agree
@@brianperry uhhh what happened to them?
It only takes one person without respect to the community
Seriously original content. After the Battle magazine has featured a few missing vehicles down the years too. Its amazing how much knowledge is still retained by locals in some areas.
After the battle magazine is the best. One if the few sources of Information on our subject before the internet. Everyone should subscribe to the magazine
Also Wheels and Tracks by ATB publishers, had great coverage of the MV collectors ,mainly in UK and EU then.Great museum coverage and the various Battle field area town square vehicles. Unfortunately, publication stopped after the editor passed away in April 2001. The MV collectors community still conduct yealy get togethers at various WW2 battle sites. Its a testament to the 'labor of love-and elbow grease '- that history is commemorated by them.
I'm pleased that Mark is avoiding contemporary conflicts....I'm Russophile...others are Russophobic and pro NATO/CNN.....
Air-power. Once the skies cleared, the German offensive never stood a chance.
Excellent video! I've seen the one in Houffalize in person while touring Ardennes battle sites with some German veterans back in 2002.
That's Incredible!
My good friend Paul, does battlefield tours. He sent me a photo of him sitting on the Houffalize tank. He was sitting on the turret in a Michael Whittmann pose.
2:20 The remains of the crew were removed in September 1947. Jesus that took a while.
Never Never Never trust a Belgian Cafe Owner while driving your tank through their village.
You dont get travel tips like these on Rick Steves
So much for Germans being smarter than everyone else, or better trained. Trusting the word of someone whose country you are invading?
Brilliant! 🤣
After a couple of decades sitting in a Belgian cafe, I suspect most of us would be “in remarkably good condition, though a little legless”.
Consider the effect that woman cafe owner had on the war. Her small lie likely saved thousands of lives as had they not gone off road, they'd have taken the bridge and perhaps been able to push on to the port beyond.
This would have resulted in the russians taking even more of Germany before the end, and their tactics for dealing with civilians, were for lack of a better word, brutal.
@@cgi2002 Russia didn't liberate any territory. Russia occupied it. Same now as it ever was.
@@Ozymandias1 WRONG.
They AND WE liberated the german people from their nazi overlords.
@@cgi2002 No, the borders of east and west Germany were already drawn at that time. You now that the allies captured Leipzig and the Soviets Vienna? Well, what happened to those places.
On top of that, the mission was doomed to fail from the start. There was no hope for them to reach Antwerpen. The women sure was brave and possibly saved some lives with her action.
@@jeroen2218 after the war ended they returned to their lines I know. Problem would have been before the war ended, the Russians would have pushed further and their front lines troops were quite a bit rapey and murderey with the locals. Just because they would have returned the land after the war was won, wouldn't have stopped them doing that before then.
Mr. Felton, you never disappoint.
Thank you sir.
There is also a beautiful Panther tank sitting on display as memorial in Breda, the Netherlands. However this was gifted by the Polish and did not get knocked out of action like the others.
Shame that I never saw it in when I was in Breda.
I believe it's the only Panther D left in the world.
My frriends from a military history club are building a fully functionable Panther copy in a cold war air defense bunker, the chassis and engine are completed, the turret is finished, and the rollout should be this year. It will even be capable to fire the gun, for reenactment use. Still a fully functionable original would be even nicer.
If I had money I'd create a full ww2 reenactment division, tanks and vehicles included
@@algiz21 that'd be a lot of money!!
@@btipton6899 yep. I've been thinking about it. Imagine those big airsoft milsims but ww2. Only problem would be creating soft shelled non damaging paint spewing shells for every caliber bigger than 12.3mm like for tanks, planes, artillery. But imagine 20.000 men vs 20.000 on a huge playing field with artillery flying and tanks fighting each other like ww2 but non lethal. Setting up your HQ, doing patrols ambushes etc.
Hey, if you have a UA-cam channel or know someone who does get some video of your finished Panther project out there as soon as you're done! I'm sure everyone would love to see it and express congratulations!
would love to see pictures? are you doing it from scratch or do you have access to parts/a wreck/etc???
Excellent video as usual.
At 4:48 we can see the "Das Reich division" logo used by Azov Regiment in Ukrainian forces, on the Panther.
Wish I could have one of these in my yard. Best lawn ornament ever.
It wouldn't be a panther But I hear Ukraine has a lot of Russian tanks they would probably be willing to sell you
@@markschattner2278 I'd be so down for a T-90 in my front yard. Maybe I'd use it to get groceries once in awhile. It would look nice along side my Ural.
That 7.5 gun was a nightmare for sherman and similar tanks 🥺🥺🥺🥺
when you get a notification for a new video from Mark Felton, you stop what your doing and you watch it!
Scrappers are History poachers...
While living in Jakarta,Indonesia for 2 years as a kid,at the huge zoo there,I used to play in downed Japanese Zero. Also had to be careful at the zoo,stay on the paths or might find quicksand. Talked to guy ,he saw lots of WW2 rusting war machines in Asia.
Ironically, during interview of a elderly person in Bucha, Kyiv, Ukrainian; there was a Russian T-34 tank, on a monument, just over her shoulder.
So many wonderful stories from Mark and never failing to teach us some new episodes from WWII. These tanks dwarf the casual visitor who is bound to marvel at the engineering and the bravery of the crews.
They were certainly brave to drive such a "Marvel of Engineering"
Sorry, I cannot recognize any nazi for bravery, it’s totally irrelevant because they were all brutal invaders just like putin and his russians in Ukraine today.
Brave? These were driven by literal Nazis. Also, they weren't really "marvels" of engineering
@@sondreus24 gotem lol
Isn't that the Azov Battalion emblem on the front of the first tank shown in video?
No its not
It is not , but they use the same Wolfsangel symbol , and in the case of Azov battalion the Black Sun too.
Dr. Felton, thanks for the trip down memory lane. When I lived in The Netherlands, I was able to visit all three of these relics.
Imagine drowning inside a tank! Ghastly.
No thanks. :)
In 1980 I was with my Parents on a Ardennes road trip where we visited many of the battle of the Bulge sights. One of them being the Panter tank in Houffalize which, according to my memory, was not placed on the concrete stander seen in the video, and hadn´t been repainted yet. As the commanders hatch was left open I got inside of the Panther which had been exposed to years of rain and therefore quite rusty as well as stripped of everything inside that could be unscrewed - probably by souvenir hunters. I remember that I managed to snap a photo or two inside of the turret, but have to relocate them.
Even though they are made into memorials, considering the sheer value of Panther tanks, would think they'd atleast fund a simple canopy over them to partly shelter them.
A powerful mine indeed to flip a 45 tonne tank. There will be tank's still undiscovered lying buried stuck in bomb crater's etc... to hard to recover. Just filled in with earth and forgotten.
Almost a quarter of a million men and women died for nothing in that battle
No point in semi restoring a tank to then put it back outside without a roof.
Panther tank played an interesting part of land military model scale worldwide. The current most popular internationally accepted scale of land military model is 1/35, and it was first set by Tamiya the Japanese plastic model kit manufacturer in the 60s, and the first model was the Panther.
I bet the number of Panther models produced worthwide by various toy manufacturers outnumber real ones more than 100 thousand times.
As always one of the best documentary channels
The area around Bastogne is worth visiting, it's one of Belgium's most forested regions, great for hiking and kayaking etc, and almost every little town and village has WW2 armor on display and its own little museum, with regular re-enactments involving dozens of tanks and other vehicles, both allied & axis.
It’s a shame someone absconded with that Muzzle Brake of that beautiful tank. 🤷♂️
The german advance was stop by allied aircraft after the weather became VFR .
The story of these tanks and what happened to them, their crews and the rest of the Germans and the failed offensive has a modern ring to it.
Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦! Save civilians in Mariupol!
It’s crazy how it took over two years to flip the tank back over and recover the soldiers remains,
Makes you really think how slow the process of reconstruction after the war was
How the heck do people manage to take a muzzle break off a tank without being heard or seen? Or anything else for that matter? These are in the middle of villages!
the villagers will know when the quietest times are to steal a few bits off a tank.
Armoured thrusts thwarted by unexpectedly stiff resistance from small units and from running out of fuel…..some people never learn!
Also locals giving them bad directions.
These relics are reminders of the destructive forces at work during wars; an implication of the havoc it can bring
cant believe that we as civilized Europeans would go and steal parts from ww2 tank memorials in Europe
The Panther in Grand Menil in the 1970s called the pink panther because it was painted pink.
Dr Felton it's Sad that Vandals have destroyed, looted, stolen, item's from the Panzer.
You should do a video on Petit Spay or Kinderheim in German. It's one of the creepiest places in the Ardennes and one of the creepiest stories you will find of WW2. I've been there personally and many bullet holes and mortar damage is clearly visible. It's a Chateau near Trois ponts situated in the hills and forest. Absolutely crazy place, you should definately look up some stories about it on google and it could make a great video i think.
I've also been to the Grandmenile Panther tank and did metal detecting in the forests around Grandmenile ;)
Awesome video's dude !
I have to say the woman who owns the cafe was brave in lying to the Germans and smart for using the tank as a war monument. Bet she has some unpleasant memories but nevertheless a eyewitness to the horrors of war that she share with us. Great video
that Cafe owner was a hero of The Bulge. Took guts to lie to the Germans. Made them detour and head into an actual minefield.
Thank you Mark,your historical information is far more detailed than what we learned in school, please don't stop.
Thanks, Belgium, my home country, is littered with WW1 and WW2 history. Have you been at the German war cemetery in Lommel? Impressive place. Worth a video!
Saw one through the fog along a road near Bastogne. Startling.
As an Armchair Historian I would argue that the Panther tank was one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower, protection and mobility although its reliability in early times were less impressive. The Panther was a compromise for that. Excellent video as always Dr. Felton.
I would argue the Tiger Tank.
@@sethkoch4449 As much as I love the Tiger Tank, it doesn’t compare to the Panther tank.
The problem with the panther was they didn't make enough spare parts meaning they had to cannibalize other panther when one broke down
panzer 4 was the workhorse who almost won the war. the panther is the PR miricle. a tank that doesnt work is the best in your view.. heck it wasnt even top best german let alone of the entire war.
@@expandedhistory for it's intended role the tiger performed perfect.
They should be saved especially the ones that are more complete. A mockup can be place in stead of the original ones.
I've added them on google maps, to check out. Thanks.
4:09 Doesn't the Azov Battalion use that insignia??? 🇺🇦
Great stuff as always Mark, thanks!
Now where have I seen the Wolfsangel, recently?
Absolutely unique, the bees knees! Thank you Mark for yet another amazing video.
There is a Köningstiger very close to the panther without muzzle brake. It's in splendid condition and truly a sight to behold. It's absolutely massive. I visited them both when motorcycling in the area. The panther without muzzle brake is in rather poor condition for being as close to a museum as it is.
I have really enjoyed your channel. My Grandfather flew in 390th Bomb Group (H) of 8th Army Air Corp and told me story’s of his missions and of him and his crew evading the Germans when they crashed landed in Belgium in early 1944. Due to his stories I always enjoyed learning more about World War II. In earlier episodes your intro showed a picture with you and Star Wars Storm Troopers. Maybe sometime you could do a spoof of a Star Wars battle or some other Star Wars topic, but present it just like you do in your normal history videos. Great stuff you have been doing. Thanks for the awesome videos.
But the Azov insignia are completely different, right?
Mark. Thanks for providing my Monday night entertainment!
Love the Panther and had no idea that there were so many still lying around in the Ardennes. Another beautifully presented and meticulously researched bonbon... Thanks, Doc!
The insignia on the Grandmenil Panther reminds me of AZOV battalion... Hopefully the brave Russian men will show them the right way
Thanks for this. As usual a brilliant video. I have tried in the past using clues from the photograph to pinpoint the exact location where the Panther lay in the river. the church in the background is still standing. However given that so much has been rebuilt it is not an easy task. @Mark - do you by any chance know? Does anybody else know?
My Dad was there. Patton 3d army 317th division.
It wasn't just vandalism that caused the state of these panthers . Back in the day you were allowed to climb all over it. I'm in my mid 30s now and I climbed on it as a little boy. My dad still refers to the Houffalize panther as "the panther you fell off"
I know it was a differt battle,but what about the Panther in the city of Breda in the Netherlands,gifted by a Polish general
Hey Mark! Have you ever visited King Tiger 213 in La Gleize? I was there with some US World War Two veterans in 2018. It’s staggering to stand next to these machines.
I've seen that insignia on soldiers in recent events in Europe...
Mark I have always wondered who the man is at .43 seconds. He has been featured in just about every single war documentary ever made, this scene. He is the prototypical german soldier. He does not look like he liked being filmed, glares at the camerman etc. I often wondered who he is? did he survive the war, etc? any way to identify this guy?
Another interesting and informative post, thank you for that both my sons and l can enjoy , we have started building models based on your posts and painting them as per the pictures you provide , thank you.
I have visited the Panther in Grandmenil several times with different family members who had visited (a perk when you live in Belgium). I have visited also the one in Celles but must admit that I prefer the one in Grandmenil. The whole setting in Grandmenil just feels more natural and it's a more quiet place. I even climbed the Panther in Grandmenil 😁
Restore those beauties!
Good that some Germans didn't destroy their tanks. Now people still can watch them😊