A View through the eyes of GI's - Knocked out German Armor

[Tom B]

I agree, GREAT thread ! Tom

[W Petz]

I acquired a small grouping belonging to 1SG Walter Rotkowsky who served in Italy with an Heavy Maintenance (Tank) Ordnance unit. This unit also recovered Allied and Enemy Tanks off the battlefields

May14 - Knocked out Panther Italy 1944

[W Petz]

May14 - Captured Elephant Italy 1944 being transported. I believe a M-10 Tank Destroyer is in the foreground

[W Petz]

Here is an interesting photo out of this small grouping. King George speaking to a WAC Commander (per photo decription) during a visit and parade inspection. I believe I also see the Fifth Army Commander, General Mark Clark in this photo and a unknown one star General. Possibly taken in Naples Italy 1944.

[W Petz]

Here is a photo out of the Imperial War Museum archives pertaining to HM King George VI visit and inspection on the 28th of July 1944 near Florence Italy.

[Tom B]

I acquired a small grouping belonging to 1SG Walter Rotkowsky who served in Italy with an Heavy Maintenance (Tank) Ordnance unit. This unit also recovered Allied and Enemy Tanks off the battlefields

May14 - Knocked out Panther Italy 1944

I love this pic !!!!!!!!!!!!! Tom

[Simon H]

Mar13 - British Ordnance Recovery Team - 7 - The same team with a T-10 Tank Destroyer on a transporter.

This and the next are of a British Achilles rather than the US M10 TD. Great series of photos.

Regards,
Simon

[Simon H]

Another tank.

Strictly speaking an assault gun, Italian semovente.

[W Petz]

Simon,

Thanks for pointing out that this was the British variant of the US M10 that had a 17 pounder AT weapon installed and designated as the M10 Achilles

Cheers!

Bill

This and the next are of a British Achilles rather than the US M10 TD. Great series of photos.

Regards,
Simon

[R MICHAEL]

Defintely Mark Clark Bill and I think I may be able to possibly ID the one star. Will look thru a grouping of an artillery Capt. I have.

Mike

Here is an interesting photo out of this small grouping. King George speaking to a WAC Commander (per photo decription) during a visit and parade inspection. I believe I also see the Fifth Army Commander, General Mark Clark in this photo and a unknown one star General. Possibly taken in Naples Italy 1944.

[W Petz]

Mike,

That would be great if you can ID the other General. I tried to read what was on the Unit Colors but could only make out Battalion. I'm not sure if the Battalion Colors belonged to the MP's. There seems to be many WAC's in the formation...Office Staff & Nurses?

May14 - Photo of 1SG Rotkousky (or Rotkouski - Dog Tag) with the 30th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance (Tank) Ft. Meade, Maryland in 1942 and a picture of him in Italy 1944. I also show his Dog Tags (Rotkouski) and Religious Cross. Rotkousky hailed from Scranton, PA. There were some other photos, WWII Victory & American Defense Service Medals in the original QM Depot cases

[R MICHAEL]

Bill, I looked and thought he may have been Gen Pritchard. Same height and almost the same look but Gen P is a two star.

Mike

[W Petz]

Mike,

Hard to say who that one star General is since he wasn't ID'd and I cannot read the Battalion Colors. I will have to search further in some of the web archives to see if they have any other photos of the visit which may ID that General. Thanks for trying.

Bill

Bill, I looked and thought he may have been Gen Pritchard. Same height and almost the same look but Gen P is a two star.

Mike

[Panzer Rob]

May14 - Captured Elephant Italy 1944 being transported. I believe a M-10 Tank Destroyer is in the foreground

Bill-

That's actually Elefant #102 (Fahrgestellnummer 150040) of s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 which was captured in Italy (at Anzio I believe) and until about five years ago was part of the armor collection on display at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen proving grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland. It was "restored" (it was just a cosmetic restoration) in 2007 or 2008 and in 2009 - along with a number of other tanks and AFVs on display at Aberdeen - was transferred to Fort Lee in Virginia as a result of the Ordnance museum's relocation to the same location.


I had taken a number of photos of this Elefant at Aberdeen after its restoration and shortly before it was transferred to Fort Lee but unfortunately I lost those photos to a hard drive crash a few years back The shots below (which are not mine - I found these on the internet via google) show this very Elefant in its "restored" state. If you compare these to period photos you can see that the camo pattern is not correct and for some reason the decision was made to not replicate the zimmerit it had when it was captured back in 1944.

Best,
Rob

[W Petz]

Rob,

Thank you for providing the background history of Elephant #102. Very much appreciated! I will now have to search through the book of my friend Karl-Heinz Muench on S.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653.

Bill

Bill-

That's actually Elefant #102 (Fahrgestellnummer 150040) of s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 which was captured in Italy (at Anzio I believe) and until about five years ago was part of the armor collection on display at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen proving grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland. It was "restored" (it was just a cosmetic restoration) in 2007 or 2008 and in 2009 - along with a number of other tanks and AFVs on display at Aberdeen - was transferred to Fort Lee in Virginia as a result of the Ordnance museum's relocation to the same location.


I had taken a number of photos of this Elefant at Aberdeen after its restoration and shortly before it was transferred to Fort Lee but unfortunately I lost those photos to a hard drive crash a few years back The shots below (which are not mine - I found these on the internet via google) show this very Elefant in its "restored" state. If you compare these to period photos you can see that the camo pattern is not correct and for some reason the decision was made to not replicate the zimmerit it had when it was captured back in 1944.

Best,
Rob