Quotulatiousness

June 14, 2023

Michael Wittmann: The Fascination with the Panzer Ace of Villers-Bocage

Filed under: Britain, France, Germany, History, Military, Weapons, WW2 — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

OTD Military History
Published 13 Jun 2023

American historian, Carlo D’Este seemed to have an intense admiration for Michael Wittmann, the SS Panzer ace best known for his actions at Villers-Bocage in Normandy on June 13 1944. This video shows why this problematic and even misplaced.

Affiliate Links for books mentioned in the video
Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day Kindle Edition by Marc Milner
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Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy by Terry Copp
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From Blitzkrieg to Airland Battle: The United States Army, the Wehrmacht, and the German origins of modern American military doctrine by James Curry
https://api.research-repository.uwa.e…

D’Este Quotes
– “achieved fame as a panzer ace” Page 178
– “One of the most amazing engagement in the history of armoured warfare” Page 179
– “Almost single-handedly, this one audacious and brilliant German tank commander” Page 183
– “Among the German dead near Falaise” Page 459
– “With the Third Reich now being slowly but inevitably strangled by the advancing Allied and Russian armies” Page 459

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Sources

[Full list of sources in the YouTube video description.]

Related posts:

  1. The Battle of Ortona with Jayson Geroux
  2. Development of the Panzer Arm to 1939
  3. “Blitzkrieg”: Stuka & Panzer – DEBUNKED

2 Comments

  1. On YouTube, I posted this comment:

    Open admiration for the German military (and the SS in particular) was surprisingly common in the 60s and 70s, seemed to be waning in the 80s onward until about ten or fifteen years ago as the rise of social media allowed open hero worship of war criminals to blossom almost unchecked. In one sense, the ability of people to openly identify themselves as Wehraboos does make it easier to avoid them.

    Which in turn drew this somewhat offended response from another viewer with the user name “Whiplash”:

    @Nicholas Russon – I must take issue with your characterization that admirers of the WWII German military are guilty of “hero worship” in the sense you portray it. As an historian, I find the WWII German military to be fascinating. Their tactics and employment of such were often astounding in boldness as well as execution. To admire their military’s abilities and accomplishments is not hero worship, nor is it any form of NAZI sympathizing. I hate the political aspect of NAZI Germany. I hate what they did to Jews, and the others they considered the “undesirables” of Europe.

    That’s not to say there are not neo-Nazi types who do glorify and celebrate Hitler’s desires, but please do not lump historians and military history types into the same basket.

    “Whiplash” seems not to recognize that the way he lovingly describes the German military in Normandy sounds much more like hero worship than mere academic or military interest.

    Comment by Nicholas — June 14, 2023 @ 08:45

  2. This work reminds me of my encounter with another pathetic writer. That being Alex Kershaw:
    When I questioned his belittling of Lord Lovat and his,and his units D-Day exploits,he answers me: F you. I’m glad I bought the book used,and haven’t looked at it again.

    We expect factual,none biased writing,but don’t always get it.
    Another example of bias: Don Fox in his Fourth AD book,Patton relieved Wood,as CG,he had the right to do whatever he wished with his subordinates.

    Comment by James EISENHART Jr — June 14, 2023 @ 15:06

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