Kurt Knispel – an individual who fought in every type of German tank as a loader, a gunner and a commander – received a fatal wound just ten days before the end of the war. His rise in ranks was slow which is attributed to a few conflicts he encountered with Nazi authorities and his lack of typical military uniformity – sporting longer hair than most and a goatee.
He is even said to have credited others with kills he could have easily disputed as his own. The purpose of his mission was not for decoration. Knispel, however, did not mind that he was consistently passed over. Kurt Knispel was recommended four different times to receive the Knight’s Cross – a coveted award received by many of the other German tank aces. I know its a bit cheating since it only spent the last 2 days of WWII in combat, and in Manchuria no less. Knispel is said to have accomplished an incredible 24 hits in one action with the Tiger II tank. Anyway as far as best tank of WWII goes, that is the T-44. His squadron – 1 st Company of the 503 rd Heavy Panzer Battalion – participated in various battles throughout World War II, eventually upgrading to the Tiger II tank. At that time, he was already credited with 12 kills. The M36 combined the hull of the M10 tank destroyer, which used the M4 Sherman's reliable chassis and drivetrain combined with sloped armor, and a new turret mounting the 90 mm gun M3. In January of 1943, Knispel returned for training on the newer Tiger I tanks. The M36 tank destroyer, formally 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage, M36, was an American tank destroyer used during World War II. Hellman and he began his World War II service.
When training was completed in June of 1941, Knispel was assigned as gunner of a Panzer IV under the leadership of Lt. Knispel was also instructed on the Panzer IV as a loader and gunner. He later received tank training on the Panzer I, Panzer II and Panzer IV tanks. Kurt Knispel began his basic training at Panzer Replacement Training Battalion. Take a moment, put yourself in the turret – feel the power, feel the fear, feel the pride. that operated with fearsome effect throughout the Second World War as a tank-buster was another. Get a sense of the combat they endured throughout their service. The Intelligence Failure that led to WW2 Norman Ridley. Step close and get a sense of the strength of the cold metal on AFHMs authentic, fully restored, fully operational battle tanks, which are prominently displayed throughout the museum. His awards included the Iron Cross, Panzer Badge and German Cross in Gold. Knispel is considered by some as the greatest tank ace in history. Knispel total tank kills were confirmed at 168, with some unconfirmed estimates stating that total could actually be closer to 195 kills. No trainer had been considered necessary in the early days of the Ju 87 series, but by 1943 the art of surviving in the type had become so specialized and important on the Eastern Front that even experienced bomber and fighter pilots had to go out with a Ju 87 instructor before taking their places in the decimated ranks of the ‘Stukagruppen’.The highest scoring tank ace of WWII was Germany’s Kurt Knispel.
#Tank buster ww2 series
The removal of dive-bombing equipment made the G-1 most unrepresentative among Stuka variants.Īnother variant produced by converting aircraft of the Ju 87D series was the Ju 87H dual-control trainer. The Ju 87G-1 could carry bombs instead of guns, but had no dive-breakes. It was he who, despite being shot down 30 times, flew 2,530 combat missions and continued to lead Stuka formations in daylight long after other Stuka groups had replaced their vulnerable aircraft with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F. Fed by clips of six rounds, the BK 3.7 had a muzzle velocity with armor-piercing ammunition exceeding 850 m (2,790 ft) per second, and the greatest exponent of the Ju 87G-1, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, was ultimately credited with the personal destruction of 519 Russian armored vehicles.
#Tank buster ww2 trial
In June 1942 a trial installation was tested in a converted Ju 87D-5 and found more effective than the many other Luftwaffe anti-tank aircraft such as the Henschel Hs 129 and Junkers Ju 88P. Interestingly, the current 30x173 API loading for the GAU-8/A used in the A-10 tankbuster develops 207,000 joules, and also uses a Hartkernmunition shot. This 37-mm-gun was a formidable weapon weighting over 363 kg (800 lb) and in wide service as ground-based Flak (anti-aircraft artillery) equipment. The Ju 87G was a specialized anti-tank version, fitted with two BK 3.7 ( Flak 18) guns hung under the wings just outboard of the landing gears.