A Tiger in Fontenay-le-Pesnel !

The building and trees to right is St Nicholas Farm where Start Hills was with C Squadron. Hill puts A Squadron to his right but Render puts his troop in with C Squadron. It is said the Tiger drove along the road down the middle and into Fontenay, To further confuse things the known Panther at the X Roads is on thn opposite side of the Rauray road from where Hill places it. The road is slightly sunken and banked from Fontenay to St Nicholas Farm
Google Maps

 

Pardon my ignorance, but has the Tiger described by the Liaison Letter as shot by Sgr Dring in the driver's periscope been identified with certainty? I'm asking because the further statement that "this tank is believed to have been recovered for shipment to the UK" also matches 114.

Michel

 

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The Shermans in the film are heading north-away from Rauray and their guns are pointing at Tessel.

 

114 was shipped to the UK. That is certain. But everything else is all jumbled up. It is very much work backwards from your prefered answer but none of the scenarios is any more referenced than the others. The only certain fact is nothing is certain.

 

Thanks Michael. I thought that it was just my being stupid, not being able to make heads or tails of it all. Now I have my excuse!

 

Dring was in A Squadron and one of his crew at least is on Tiger 114 on the 27th. It looks like Dring is on the Panther on the same day.
Note the Fern describes knocking out the Panther and then the very next mention is a Tiger. Just like the Panther has a Tiger directly behind it. Are we to take this as Fern saying one Panther was knocked out on the 26th and no other German tanks hit until the Tiger on the 27th?

 

No one from 'A' Squadron SRY is on this Tiger "114" on that day. 'A' Sqn is resting on June 27th not on the front. They are all back to Point 102 near Parc de Boislonde.

Yes because Dring and his crew destroyed Tiger 223 on June 26th.
Then "114" and "334" arrived the next day fighting 'B' Squadron Sherman north of Rauray and were abandoned for one (114) and destroyed for the other (334).
This matches with the 8th Armoured Brigade WD and appendices.

 

334 was not destroyed. It appears to have no damage at all. Trooper Hodkin from Dring's crew is in the film of Tiger 114 on June 27th

 

Hum... and what are the evidences?
Where is Tir Hodkin?
334 is in drivable condition though? Same thing, what are your evidences and sources?

 

Just found this, not sure whether it has been posted posted nor if it's any use (probably muddles the waters further!):

8 Armd Brigade, 30 Corps
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
W/Sgt. 552969
BIRCH, Edward Henry

On 27 June 44 during the attack on RAURAY, Sgt. Birch was the leading tk of the centre troop of B Sqn. The enemy was encountered at 1000 hrs. A sharp tk battle took place during which three tks of the right hand tp were destroyed and set on fire by a 'TIGER'. This TIGER was known to be forward of Sgt. Birch's tk, but its exact posn could not be pin-pointed. Sgt. Birch, although on similar ground to the other troop and just as exposed, edged his way forward and engaged with fire this TIGER, only the top of whose turret could be seen. After his second shot the TIGER moved from its posn allowing the Sqn to proceed and occupy the vital ground. Later in the day, the TIGER was found abandoned some 500 yds behind its original position, the German crew having deserted. Later in the day, Sgt. Birch successfully attacked yet another TIGER. His courage, example and success have been an inspiration to all.

Michel

 

In Agte:

In another part of the front was SS-Untersturmfuhrer Amselgruber of the 3rd Company. The following is taken from a combat report: "28 June 1944. Amselgruber remained in his old location during the night and the entire day, repelled probing English infantry, and was attacked by a superior number of English tanks. Amselgruber was able to knock out two Shermans before his tank was disabled by several hits.
Amselgruber's left leg was badly injured as he abandoned the tank; however this failed to prevent him from pulling his gunner, who had been seriously wounded in the belly by shell fragments, from the tank and taking him with him. Under very heavy machine-gun and cannon fire, Amselgruber headed back with the gunner in the direction of our lines, which he came upon after dark. This determined stand by Amselgruber undoubtedly helped give our infantry sufficient time to settle into a new, although only makeshift,position. Amselgruber returned to the battalion, said nothing about his injured leg, and returned to action the following day." Amselgruber had been attacked from Colleville by tanks of the 9th Camerons; he knocked out two of three tanks and thus stopped the attack. After his tank had been knocked out and Amselgruber was forced to leave his position, the enemy, with strong artillery support, succeeded in taking the town of Grainville-sur-Odon. 28 June 1944 was the last day of Operation "Epsom."

 

Sorry to say that but, his is absolutely not the same trooper...It's not even the same Battledress blouse pattern.

 

And now Maj Semken's Recommendation for Award:

8 Armd Brigade, 30 Corps
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry.
WS/Lieut T/Capt, A/Major, 124666
SEMKEN, John Douglas

On 26 Jun44, The Regt was ordered to attack RAURAY. Major Semken was leading his Sqn through FONTENAY in order reach the start line, and when passing through a narrow street, he came face to face with a 'TIGER' Tank. Without a moment's hesitation, he ordered his gunner to fire and without the TIGER being able to fire a shot in return, he fired four shots which brewed up the TIGER. During the second phase of the attack, Major Semken's Sqn passed through B Sqn which had gained the Regimental first objective. The Sqns advance was immediately held up by enemy tanks which appeared from the woods in front and at a flank. However, by keeping his Sqn well behind the barrage, by manoeuvring his tps with the maximum use of ground and cover and by applying the principles of Fire and Movement, he overcame all opposition and reached the village of RAURAY, having knocked out eight enemy tanks without a single loss to his own Sqn. Major Semken himself directed the adv from a posn behind the leading tps.

 

There are no strikes on 334

 

And yet the Tiger said to have brewed up was destroyed by its own internal charges.

 

Here is the original version :

SS-Hauptsturmführer Rolf Möbius (1./s.SS-Pz.Abt.101) : « Es war kein Klotzen mit Tigern möglich, die Anforderungen von allen Seiten waren zu groß. Die Einsätze waren pausenlos, ich war ewig unterwegs von der Division Hitlerjugend zur Panzer-Lehr- oder später zur 2.Panzerdivision. Zwischen dem 25. und 30. Juni war ich mit allen Wagen der Abteilung, ich hatte achtzehn einsatzbereite Panzer, auf dem Gefechtsstand der Division Hitlerjugend zur Einweisung. Der Divisionsstab wurde gerade verlegt, und ich fuhr nach eigenem Ermessen los. Ich hatte keine großen Einsatzbefehle, die Sache war für mich klar: Der Gegner durfte nicht auf die Hauptstraße. (Straße Caen-Villers-Bocage, der Verfaser.) Ich war mit meinen Panzern drei Tage zwischen den Fronten im Einsatz. Durch Feindeinwirkung verlor ich einen Panzer nach dem anderen, wir waren dann noch drei; einem wurde das Rohr weggeschossen. Einen Vorstoß der

Engländer durch einen Hohlweg verhinderte ich selbst durch Abschuß von sechs Panzern, griff mit noch einem Panzer (Ustuf. Amselgruber) eine Panzerkolonne an, schoß drei Panzer ab, hatte Ladehemmung und wurde von zehn Panzern zusammengeschossen. Ich stieg aus, Amselgruber schon vorher. »


SS-Untersturmführer Thomas Amselgruber (3./s.SS-Pz.Abt.101). In einem Gefechtsbericht heißt es: « 28. Juni 1944. Amselgruber verbleibt auch während der Nacht und den ganzen Tag an seinem alten Platz, wehrt vorfühlende englische Infanterie ab und nimmt den Angriff eines überlegenen englischen Panzerverbandes an. Ehe Amselgrubers Panzer durch mehrere Treffer außer Gefecht gesetzt wird, kann er noch zwei Sherman herausschießen. Beim Ausbooten zieht Amselgruber sich eine schwere Verletzung am linken Bein zu, was ihn nicht daran hindert, seinen durch Bauchsplitter schwer verwundeten Richtschützen aus dem Panzer zu bergen und mitzunehmen. Im schwersten MG-

und Kanonenfeuer arbeitet sich Amselgruber mit dem Richtschützen auf die eigenen Linien zurück, auf die er am Abend stößt. Zweifels-ohne hat das entschlossene Aushalten Amselgrubers mit dazu beigetragen, der eigenen Infanterie ausreichend Gelegenheit zu geben, sich in neuen, wenn auch nur provisorischen Stellungen festzusetzen. Amselgruber kehrt zur Abteilung zurück, verschweigt seine Beinverletzung und ist am nächsten Tage schon wieder im Einsatz. »


So yes, Amselgruber stated on June 28 what he did the day before, not on the 28th !
And Mobius, after his 114 was stopped on 27th June pulled back WITH Amselgruber who was wounded.
And the Sherman he talks about are the one in Rauray, i.e. the 'B' Squadron Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry.

 

And yet, you have no evidence of that.

According to you, the Fontenay Tiger wasn't destroyed by Semken? So who is responsible for that?
-The SRY WD is cristal clear.
-Semken in his IWM oral account mentioned he destroyed a Tiger in FONTENAY not 2 kilometers away (south) on a crossroad in the middle of nowhere.
-This Fontenay Tiger shows evidence, shots came right on its frontal armour.
-756th Fd Coy RE mentioned "ONE Tiger destroyed in Fontenay". Demo charges or NOT, they "finished" it by precaution. It's their role as well. They could have used a D7 to take it out from the "narrow street" mentioned in the SRY WD.
-2/Lieutenant Hill's account ain't completely accurate as well. Plus 'C' Squadron never reached the Ferme Saint-Nicolas. They tried twice and 'A' Squadron had to finish the job by late afternoon while 'C' was pulling back to Point 102 to rest.

 

There is no location given in the German version. Is it not mentioned or did you decide not to post it? Are Colleville and Grainville named?
Grainville is over 2 km away for Rauray and Colleville 3.5km