Adam Makos wrote the book “Spearhead” about this action and following the paths of the American gunner in the Pershing and some of the Germans involved in the action; an excellent read. Many of the pictures used here appear in his book as well.

Watching him climb out of the tank with his leg missing was just absolutely insane to see in real life and not a movie. RIP to all the heroes lost

The two tank commanders meeting eachother decades later was amazing.

Footage like this is so rare and the storytelling perfectly matches it. The way the fire bursts out of the hatch after the second shell hits the panzer is terrifying to think about if you are part of a tank crew. The two tank commanders becoming friends years later just shows how pointless war is.

I'm a tank ace from tank battles in Angola. Took out 5 Russian T54/55's in 1987-1988 with South African 105 mm Olifant tank. I've met an Angolan soldier in 2018 who fought against us. We told each other that we were glad the other wasn't killed.

This is one of the best pieces of WW2 content I’ve ever seen. Well done

September 30, 2022, at 10:08 p.m. World War II tank gunner *Clarence Smoyer,* renowned for his courage and deadly aim during the battle for Germany's “Fortress City” of Cologne, died Friday at his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was 99. To the greatest generation, thank you! 🕊♥

It's a pity that no director had the idea to screen this emotional story of life from the WW2. The meeting, years late,r of the two former enemies is truly epic, and the visit to the grave of the young woman, killed by mistake, has a strong meaning... And all this would have been lost in the mists of time if those brave cameramen had not managed to immortalize these dramatic scenes. Congratulations to the makers of this accurate report!!

Can you imagine how many other WW II moments like this happened off camera and are lost to history

I lived in Köln (Cologne) and I have been on this same street almost daily. When I saw this footage for the first time I could not stop crying. I could literally recognize the street by watching the footage. I can not imagine the suffering and horrors people had to go through.

Every time I visit Cologne, I feel glad that the magnificent cathedral survived this horrific war. When people of cologne returened to the rubble of their city the standing cathedral gave them hope that their city was not dead and inspired them during the rebuilding of the new city.

My father served in the PzBrig 106 FHH at the end of the war. He and his surviving comrades met regularly until they were too old or died. May they rest in peace!

The fact that this footage exists is absolutely insane. Priceless piece of history

Rare that I'm shaken emotionally. Photo of the two former combatants grasping hands, gave me a shutter of chills for their warm embrace. Evil men create these wars. Good men fight and die.

The final scene with the two captains meeting each other and becoming friends some 60 years later really got me choked up. A stark reminder of how horrible wartime is and how many millions of would-be friends instead killed one another because of war.

A lot of history nerds have seen this very short original footage of this tank shootout, but only at face value. This was an amazing undertaking to give the CONTEXT and events and actions leading up to the famous footage. This must've been a big undertaking to go through the records and documents to put this together, and it absolutely paid off. Wow, what an awesome video, thank you so much for this!

The level of detail in this video was amazing. The way you broke down the action it was like you put everyone who watches the video right there. To the guys who filmed you are as brave as they come. To all the tankers, thank you for your bravery and sacrifice. God speed.

Jim Bates was my grandfather and it’s great to see him and his work featured and honored here. This graphic treatment of the battle is definitely the best I’ve seen yet. Thank you. I understand the events that day so much better now. Following the publication of Adam Makos’ book Spearhead I had the opportunity to speak with Clarence Smoyer on the phone. An amazingly humble man and a privilege to speak with him. I’m hoping, like Devotion, they make a movie out of Spearhead. It’s an incredible story.

Quality!! Started watching this thinking it would be another rehash of the classic footage but it far exceeded expectations. Incredible story telling and details, thank you.

0:23 this guy has balls of steels, casually walking over in a active fighting zone... you gotta admit his balls

My wife and I visited Cologne in 2019 and entered the Cathedral. We then walked around town within a couple block of the huge buildings. Watching the video of this tank duel on streets where we walked and stood, caused the hairs to rise on my arms and neck! Incredible footage!

Astonishing content! Brilliant presentation and detail. Subscribed. One thing to add is that 27 year old Katharina Esser’s death was even more tragic and gruesome than related here. She was trying to escape to the right bank of the Rhine with her boss, Hans Delling, in order to be with her fiancé. Delling was killed at the wheel. However, Esser was seriously wounded but alive at the side of the road. Then when, unexpectedly, the Americans came under fire again their tanks had to hurriedly move and Katharina was driven over by a tank which is what actually killed her. 68 years later, In 2013, Clarence Smoyer and Gustav Schäfer, the two former enemies, met and laid roses at the graves of Katharina Esser and Hans Delling.

One of the best historical sequences I have ever seen. Well done.

The fact that those two guys live to be old men and met at the same place and became friends is really unbelievable

This has to be one of the best WW2 mini-docs I've ever seen. Remarkable job in cohesively putting all of that together. Incredible content.

What would've been a few handwritten/typed sheets of an After Action Report, back in '45, can now become a fully immersive AAR thanks to the wonders of technology AND the efforts of the historians. From a former British Army grunt and avid historian, well done and a superb piece of work!❤

I have watched 100s of WW2 Documentary videos. I was born in 62', Canada. My dad fought in France and Belgium. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. It brought tears to my eyes and I still have the chills. Your work is incredible! Thank you so much.

I’m speechless. It brings the humanity of war to the surface. The shear nerves of both crews to know it’s over in a second you or them is incomprehensible. Truly the greatest generation

This is WWII history at its absolute best. Visual, objective, and respectful. Well done.

Superb work - utterly engaging, with the detail and care over the images, positioning and timeline. A very valuable sense of what conflict was really like.

I once worked on this street in Cologne for a year and always wondered exactly where the panzerduell was. Now I know. For someone who knows the city well at this point, the combination of old and current street images is a great experience. You've done a great job, congratulations. it's also amazing to see how many buildings that were destroyed back then are still standing there today. That speaks for the good construction quality before the war. For those interested in culture here: the church at the bottom right in minute 9:12 is St. Gereon. The first sections were built by the Romans in 350 and are still preserved today. The church in minute 10:14 to the left of the cathedral is St. Andreas. It was built in 950 and has a very beautiful interior in the typical style of the Dominicans.

One of the best produced historical films I’ve seen on UKposts. Well done. Thank you to all veterans - those who made it back and those who didn’t - who fought and died to free the world from fascism and tyranny.

I am living in Cologne and passed through the mentioned roads many times. Thanks for your impressive documentation.

This was a very emotional video, as I am from Cologne. I visited these spots so often. This video gives a very new perspective to this events. For me, the incident with the two civilians in the Opel was a lot more prominent in the history of wartime Cologne. I knew about thew duel, but I thought is was located far more to the west in the vicinity of Komoedienstrasse / Burgmauer. Thanks for the video.

Excellent! As a former US tanker, I went to that location many years ago. I have since created a few WWII "boots on the ground" videos myself...442nd RCT at Castellina Marittima (5 congressional MoHs won in 5 miles of combat) and very recently...1LT Baker's MoH win at Hill X and the deep draw near Castello Aghinolfi. Thanks again for this near perfect account of the then and now blend of WWII History!

This reminds me of Battlefield V campaign were you fight as the Last Tiger, was kinda heartbreaking at the end, and just crazy how their hopes were lost when the bridge went down. we played as some mane named Kellner indeed i believe.

A lot of people may not know this but one of the first people to reach Lt. Kellner after he rolled off the back deck was Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame. For you younger folks, he was the grumpy guy at the end of every episode complaining about the price of hotdogs or whatever else got on his nerves that week. He also flew many missions with the 8th Air Force as a reporter for Stars and Stripes. He earned the right to bitch from time to time I'd say.

That's incredible that those 2 met and became friends. Truly, the greatest generation.

Excellent presentation! Loved the use of battle footage blended with modern aerial shots of Cologne and the locations where the action took place. And we are still blowing each other to pieces...

Absolutely historic, iconic and breathtaking. This footage has been burned in my mind ever since i first saw it when i was a kid. Can’t describe it in any other word than powerfull. History shall never be forgotten and the sacrifices of these men, on both sides, should not be in vain.

I quite like the humanizing way that this story was told, and I really liked learning about how men from each side were able to meet each other many years later. A lot of WW2 tanks were really quite difficult to get out of in a hurry. The M4 was possibly the easiest tank to bail out of (especially anything which wasn't an early version), and this is proof of that. Even a mortally wounded crewman with a missing leg was able to get himself out quite quickly. The Panther crew takes longer to get out when their tank is hit, though that is still a lot faster than what would have been possible with many other tanks of this period. The panther's gunner probably died because he had had to wait for his commander to get out before he could get out of the same hatch. Aside from some early variants, the M4 had a large and relatively well designed hatch directly above each crew member which each man could get out of very easily and quickly, giving M4 crews a remarkably high level of survivability even when the ammo was set on fire. Russian tanks tended to be a lot more difficult to get out of quickly, and older designs in general tended to be more difficult to get out of as well. In many cases, even if a crew position had its own hatch, most hatches were not spring loaded, and many of them required a much longer process to open them. The hatches were also often not directly above each crew position, and often presented a very difficult challenge to get out of even under ideal conditions.

I have been studying WWII since I was a kid 40 years ago. I have never seen such an absolutely perfect, real time, historical account matched to original on scene film as I have witnessed in your report. Absolutely incredible! Thank you so much!

imagine being able to talk to the opposing tank personnel so many years later and discuss in detail everything. Thats awesome, to be a fly on the wall during those conversations would have been amazing.

As someone who isnt fully head deep into WW2 history but enjoys learning about it this video does so well at explaining so much in so little time while also not skipping details. A great watch

I've seen the video footage of this battle a few times, but your diagrams, extra video, and explanation put it all into proper perspective, you gave it the respect it deserves.

It's really touching that after all these years, two tank gunners from opposing sides who literally tried to kill each other 70 years prior, can come together as friends and bond over their shared experiences. Time really can heal all wounds.

14:01 that moment gave me chills. Imagine how they felt when they looked down that window and saw that beast silently waiting for them to turn around the corner.

A lesson in “shoot first, ask questions later”. The sad reality of war in those days sometimes; you just don’t know who is who and sometimes, when it’s a matter of life or death, you have to make a difficult call.

I’ve seen this incident described in several places and I do believe you managed to detail it with a combination of maps, still photos and video footage more clearly than anyone else. Thanks for the upload.

Excellent documentary plus seeing old enemies becoming friends.

Phenomenal work! The mixture of modern and historic footage was seamless! Thank you for your distribution of credit to the camera men as well as the soldiers involved. I am a covert to this channel as a result of this piece!

Footage and backstories like these are so fascinating. I also love how you blend modern day footage of the places with the old footage.

Potential History had a good video about this (which unfortunately has been deleted). Apparently in the film, you can see a 4th person run away from the burning tank a few seconds after the second shot. It's speculated this is the loader who got out of the hatch on the back of the turret, which is not visible in this film. PH said due to the loader's position within the tank, and how long it takes him to get out, he was probably heavily wounded by the first shot and was most likely the crew member reported having died in a hospital later. That being said, this was an amazing video to watch. Keep up the good work.

It is truly inspiring how sometimes foes can later become the best of friends. Another example could be Douglas Bader, the famous legless RAF fighter pilot, and Adolf Galland, one of the Luftwaffe's top scoring fighter aces in WW2. After the war, Douglas Bader became a senior executive with an oil company, and often flew himself to meetings etc. After he retired, he continued flying privately, with Adolf Galland often joining him. They became firm friends after the war.

it’s crazy to me that people nowadays basically start throwing their cameras around the moment people get in a fist fight but these guys keep steady and gave us a semi clear view of what was happening whilst under fire from enemy forces

What a excellent analysis and description of the confusion and chaos of the battle; along with the camera coverage. Thanks so much for any of the living relatives of either side.

My grandfather was a forward observer and alone being hunted in the right steeple before Koln was taken. I got to go back with him 53 yrs later and the clergy ppl let him up into the steeple with my father which they dont do as far as I understand. He earned a silver star with valor shortly b4 and a purple 💜 shortly after and had the craziest stories. Was one of the most amazing and meaningful experiences of my life. Thank You for your interest, time and video. Much appreciated you did an amazing job!!

Although i was aware of the cologne tank duel this is by far the best documentary on it, the attention to detail is incredible , also the pershing was lucky enough to get a shot at the panthers weaker side armour , god bless all involved.

My father was a forward scout for the 3rd Armored Division, landed at Normandy and pushed through France and into Germany. Basically my father would drive forward ahead of the Sherman tank column in a Jeep with his captain in the passenger seat and radio back enemy positions as they came under fire narrowly escaping through dark forest roads. They only had a 50 caliber mounted machine gun and carried 45 caliber Thomson machine guns. The jeeps headlights where blacked out with only little blue slits to light the way through dark forest roads and towns. My father told me many heart breaking stories about his wartime experiences. Won numerous citations too long to list along with the silver star, bronze star and two Purple Hearts. He literally had the wooden stock on his Thomson sub machine gun cut in half from a German artillery shell while it was slung across his shoulder saving his life. He told me while pushing into Germany he would sleep in German homes on clean white sheets in his muddy combat boots to get a break from the cold weather and stated that the German homes where more advanced with built in appliances to his amazement. In the end, he told me he had no hard feelings towards the common German soldier, it was the SS that was singled out when captured and that was a different matter. Eventually, my father would meet for the 3rd armor division spearhead division reunions years after the war to meet with men in his company including the captain he served with and became close friends after the war. As a note: my father knew in great detail about how General Rose was killed. He was very much loved by all the soldiers who served under him including my father. Ironically, General rose was killed doing the same mission as my father driving in a Jeep scouting enemy positions with his driver, was captured along driver in the forest, General Rose reached into his jacket to show the German tank crew his papers, that’s when a German soldier shot him in the head not knowing he was a American General. The Generals driver then put down his hands and ran through the woods escaping the Germans and making it back to American lines. I have photos of my father in these German combat zones muddy and tired.

I have watched a lot of videos about this particular tank engagement but this one puts it in clearer perspective than the others I have seen.

Having decades of experience with a variety of digital disciplines, I know EXACTLY how you accomplished all of these incredible video effects and can easily say this is as expertly done as any WWII documentary I have seen. Bravo!

This is an outstanding video! The integration of modern technology with archival footage really pulls you into the events. Those men lived during terrible times and were doing their duty. They deserve to be remembered. Thanks to all involved in this production.

Brilliantly put together. I was practically part of the battle …without the risk of dying. Thank you

Hands down, one of the best WW2 shorts I’ve ever seen. Narration, footage, research, graphics - all best in class. Chapo!

My dad drove tank in the 273rd Field Artillery Battalion at D-Day,, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe, and the Ardennes. I’m wearing his dogtag as I write this. Thank you so much for sharing this footage with us. It’s entirely possible that my dad’s in this film, just can’t see him, being inside the tank 🎉

I love hearing about/seeing moments when former enemies were finally able to meet one another outside of battle, meet each other as the fellow humans they are, and get the chance for forgiveness and friendship. In the end, both sides were simply doing their duty to their military and their country.

We need a whole series like this. From d-day all the way through. There is nothing else like it and I've seen them all trust me. This is the only way to truly experience what they really went through.. You got talent Sir.. Thank you

Most comments are from 1mo prior to mine. It's Memorial Day weekend of 2023 in the United States. This video reminds me that, sadly too many are celebrating their holiday forgetting what it's about anymore. This encouraged me to remember the fallen heroes that have kept us free. Amazing footage, thank you for making this!

Incredible documentary on this fierce battle. The maps and street views really pinpoint where this happened. After seeing where the shells hit the Panzer with your pointer, then seeing the fire inside the tank thru these same holes was astounding. Well done on this piece of history.

An outstanding synopsis. I've seen this fascinating story updated numerous times and find myself thinking of how many thousands of such stories were never recorded or filmed and which we'll never know about. The things those millions of men and women went through. It staggers the mind.

I am astounded at how well this was done. An absolutely amazing historical account. Thank you so much.

Stumbled across this video @ 4:30 am and I must say what a treasure it is! Just incredible footage and graphics the way it makes you feel like you really getting the full true story of the battle and walking in the footsteps of these men. The ending is truly remarkable, with the two once enemies meeting and leaving as friends almost 80 years later. Love it!

The story is told with an amazing amount of detail and humanity. I congratulate you on your writing as well as the visual presentation.

A moment of history at the tipping point of 'media' coverage which I'm confident in saying has never been illustrated as clinically, clearly and respectfully as this. Thank you, I was so surprised by seeing the encounter which has affected me for a long time since I first saw raw footage now presented in a such a way that I felt respect has been paid to all involved. I'm very sure non of these lads wanted to be there and sadly am convinced that those who take the decision to throw their like in to battle will never see it.

The two tank commanders meeting eachother decades later was amazing.. The two tank commanders meeting eachother decades later was amazing..

Great work! You really bring us into the battle, and I love how you use modern maps to help us see the strategy play out.

It is always sobering to see former enemies of WWII meet as friends in the modern age.

This is amazing. Well done. Finally some context with the actual video and current day footage to show ground conditions and terrain elevation changes instead of a top down map view in 2 dimensional format.

This is so well put together! Great story, thank you

this was amazing, great production value, thought i was gonna see the same clips over and over, suprislingly not, some powerful footage, i thank you for doing it justice , the end was a nice touch , great job

I'm awestruck how this was action was deconstructed. Also glad that at least 2 men from the opposite sides got to meet years after the war.

Excellent Video, Thanks!

The amount of editing and research must have been extremely laborious in completing this video! Thank you so much for your content! 👏

This was extremely well done mini documentary. I really enjoyed how went back and forth between pictures/video of the past and the present. The near the end showing the American and the German in modern times meeting for first time since WWII and not only reflecting on their duel but moving past that moment in history.

Amazing research and footage. I always wondered where the Tanks were situated when i went to visit Koln and the Cathedral, i must have walked right past the destroyed Panther.

Wow. What an amazing job of putting this all together. Powerful stuff. Smoyer and Schaffer meeting on the same spot nearly 70 years later and leaving as friends brought a tear to my eye. I can't imagine the emotions they felt in that moment

One of the best videos I’ve watched . Incredible mixing of old footage and new scenery. And incredibly detailed.

What an excellent detailed video of what exactly happened and where. SO well done. Thanks for sharing this. Much appreciated. And lets never forget the men who fought and died in this and so many other battles.

All the years of seeing the footage and photos wondering how it all happened, thinking the Panther crew all died then watching a documentary pointing out some of the crew escaping but not knowing any more details, this has been a real ( I don't know a word to put here so will put) delight to finally get the full story of this incredible piece of history caught on film, thank you so much for putting this together. It leaves one with a strange feeling knowing who these people were and seeing their actual final moments, its sad we humans are the way we are.

I’m not going to lie…the ending with them two battle hardened men brought me to tears 🙏

Excellent! Very well explained. I love the then and now pictures, maps and footage.

This is the sort of video that blows me away. So much thought and care went into this you truly deserve more subscribers and recognition. Thank you!

Wow, that was the most elaborate WW2 tank snipe story. Thanks.

I couldn’t have asked for a more detailed and in depth video on this topic, great job!

Exemplary narration and amazing footage, almost felt I was there myself. G-d bless all the soldiers on both sides of this pointless,tragic, bloody conflict for their sacrifices and call to duty, we shall never forget 🙏

Impossible to imagine how terrifying the battle must've been. What a testament of character that one of the GIs was relieved some of his opponents survived after their tank was destroyed.

Wow, seriously incredible video. Thank you for your attention to detail and the current map views. That was a great find this morning. I'll be subscribing.

That was about as powerful a story that could be told. Our world leaders should study this...deeply.

Phenomenal documentary of this historic battle. The editing, aerial views and narration are top notch quality! Thank you! 💯👏👏👏

That's one of the best video I've seen about the subject. Very well narrated, and the comparison with then and now , almost in 3D are a very good addition.