What kind of tanks were used in the battle of the bulge. Germans drive their tanks to the port city of antwerp and split the allied. Squadrons of king tigers would be impossible to put together now. Battle of the bulge dvd, 2005 for sale online ebay. British prime minister winston churchill said the battle of the bulge was undoubtedly the greatest american battle of the war, and will, i believe, be regarded as an ever famous american.
Nov 18, 2014 m47 patton tanks standing in for tiger iis in the 1965 film battle of the bulge adding some opinion here since this has gotten a lot of attention. Certainly not a documentary, this film travels pretty far from the actual historical recountings of the famed battle. Even ordinary infantry advancing with tanks would have used trucks to do otherwise would have slowed the tanks down to a. Battle of the bulge movie posted in game suggestions. Sep 29, 2017 during the battle of the bulge in december 1944, one of the german vehicles that american soldiers feared most was the tiger ii tank, or king tiger. It was hitlers last desperate attempt to turn the tide of the war in favor of germany and the axis powers. What type of tanks were used in the movie, battle of the. I thought some of the elements in the movie could be used in wot. The graphics on credits are woodblock print or scratch board style which could suit wot. The film was made to be viewed on a curved cinerama screen using three projectors. From memory i think that the german ones were painted grey and the american ones painted green.
New sherman tanks are flooding into europe at this stage of the war. Jun 07, 2011 the movie itself portrays the fight between the us and germans in 1944. It became a struggle of attrition, characterised by poor weather and boggy underfoot conditions. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in army history. I wasnt expecting pure accuracy but wouldve thought somebody in. This was to cut the allied forces in two and hitler hoped this would force the americans and british to negotiate. Ya, the movie shows real german tanks, tigers and all. Near the end an officer states that a german unit was within five miles of the meuse river. Battle of the bulge is a 1965 american widescreen epic war film produced in spain, directed by. If i remember correctly they used panzer 3s and 4s, as well as actual tiger tanks from the war. They went into combat with crosses painted on them. The bazookas used in the films are 1950s spanish rocket launchers the. Errors in movie battle of the bulge henry fonda version.
The germans had a family of three main battle tanks. The battle of the bulge was primarily a tank battle, and historians find the tanks in the movie laughably inaccurate. The graphics on credits are woodblock print or scratch board style which could suit. Battle of the bulge, a 2012 ios historical wargame this disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title battle of the bulge. At the end of the movie the americans send barrels of oil down on the german panzers setting them all on fire killing the the german panzer commander. That is the end of its historical accuracy, even the name is utterly wrong because the battle of the bulge was really the pattonmonty offensive that took place after the german offensive had created the bulge, which is not really covered in the movie. While the m24 was introduced into the war at around this time, the more prevalent tank used by the us during this battle was the m4 sherman. Later in the movie, just when the attack starts, this dormant clocks hand immediately springs forward and ticks through 2 increments, thus representing 2 hours passing in 2 seconds. A friend recommended i see the old movie, the battle of the bulge since he knows im into tanks and armored warfare. The information you are looking for is on tigers in combat ii by wolfgang schneider, and specifically for the battle of the bulge the ardennes, 19441945 by christer bergstrom was a very useful book at least in my opinion. Jul 16, 2017 battle of the bulge movie posted in game suggestions. Battle of the bulge internet movie firearms database. Actually, the german offensive was stopped by three factors. How authentic were the tanks in the movie the battle of the.
Battle of the bulge 1965 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. It was not an open tank battle in clear weather that changed the fate of the ardennes battle. The battle extended across sections of germany, belgium, and luxembourg. Battle of the bulge had its world premiere on december 16, 1965, the 21st anniversary of the titular battle. During the early stages of the battle of the bulge, hitler ordered austrian ss commando otto skorzeny to. Army europe public affairs office february 25, 2009. Even ordinary infantry advancing with tanks would have used trucks to do otherwise would have slowed the tanks down to a crawl and rendered them ineffective. What weapons were used in the battle of the bulge answers. The last major german offensive campaign on the western front has become known as the battle of the bulge for the thrust into the allied lines. Germanys king tiger tank the tiger 2 is mostly remembered for its activity at the battle. At the beginning of the battle, the allied high command did not believe the offensive was actually a major attack. Its a long time since i watched this film but i worked out back then that all the tanks were actually american. The battle of the bulge was so historically inaccurate.
This 65 war movie was so bad that eisenhower came out of. The name battle of the bulge came from the shape of the german salient in allied territory. In how many ways was the the 1960s movie, the battle of. It was launched through the densely forested ardennes region of wallonia in eastern belgium, northeast france, and luxembourg, towards the end of the war in europe. Tiger tanks and panther tanks were used in the battle of the bulge by the germans. The premiere, on december 16, 1965, was the 21st anniversary of the battle of the bulge. During the battle of the bulge in december 1944, one of the german vehicles that american soldiers feared most was the tiger ii tank, or king tiger. In addition in the movie there was a complex underground german bunker somewhere along the lines. Just watched the battle of the bulge with henry fonda.
The german army threw in its last armored units, include new tiger and panther tanks. Army europe public affairs office february 25, 2009 share on twitter. The following vehicles are used by the americans in the ardennes offensive. If you are looking for a historical movie to learn more about operation autumn mist battle of the bulge then skip this movie but if you like wwii movies and tank battles then this is a good watch. As anyone who has seen it knows, this movie has some truly impressive tank scenes. There is no trace of snow at all in the films major tank battle scene, and some battle scenes were fought in flat and bare territory, unlike the mountainous, forested and grassy nature of the ardennes. This is a common problem in depicting german tanks. M47 patton tanks standing in for tiger iis in the 1965 film battle of the. Both sides sustained high casualties, with the americans taking more during this encounter than in any other during the war. In world war ii, the battle of the bulge was a decisive encounter occurring in. Most of the new ones mount the higher velocity 76mm gun and are being supplied to the tank battalions as they arrive but most shermans in the bulge are still the old ones with the 75mm gun.
The m24 chaffee is the tank widely seen in the film as the primary tank of american forces. The battle of the bulge was the largest single battle on the western front. All of the american vehicles in the movie use a german redgreenbrown camouflage color scheme. The 1965 movie the battle of the bulge is generally considered by war. The bulge refers to the wedge that the germans drove into the allied lines during their ultimately unsuccessful attempt to push the allies back from german home territory. Tiger iis during the battle of the bulge axis history forum. Battle of the bulge december 16, 1944january 16, 1945, the last major german offensive on the western front during world war ii.
The tanks used are all american mounts from the 50s and 60s even the german ones. Michael anderson was slated to direct from a screenplay written by byron morgan and tony lazzarino, and the project was to be coproduced by lazzorino and kenneth t. The battle of the bulge was so historically inaccurate, that. The working title of columbias movie was 16th of december. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in army history by dave melancon, u. Kiley henry fonda used for his reconnaissance missions is a cessna. Although they were world war ii era tanks, they were not in use in the numbers that were seen in the movie. The dialogue in the movie is laughable and so is the acting. The movie itself portrays the fight between the us and germans in 1944. What kind of tanks were used in the battle of the bulge answers. The few museum examples wouldnt be released for movie work, and certainly where, some 20 years after the war, would one find a brigades worth of running tiger ii tanks. Anyway, if anyone has info about all, orsome, tiger iis during the battle of the bulge, please tell it me. Battle of the bulge is the 1965 world war ii film that focuses on the events of the famous battle that occurred during the german winter offensive of 1944.
Tigers in the ardennes tells the story of the 501st heavy ss tank battalion, a king tiger tank unit in the battle of the bulge or ardennes offensive, as the germans called it. Battle of the bulge 10 historically inaccurate movies. In how many ways was the the 1960s movie, the battle of the. Improving weather which allowed the american planes to attack german tanks, overstretched supply lines, and a failure to take crucial roads badly needed to supply troops. Oddballs shermans were yugoslav army m4a3e4 shermans postwar us upgraded to 76mm in original 75mm turret. In winter whitewash was used on some armored vehicles to blend in with the snow. Battle of the bulge internet movie firearms database guns. The three tiger i tanks used were actually exsoviet army t34 tanks, converted in great detail by specialists of the yugoslav army for the 1969 movie the battle on the river neretva 1969. Not a single tiger tank in this film battle of the bulge. Battle of the bulge is a 1965 american widescreen epic war film produced in spain, directed by ken annakin, and starring henry fonda, robert shaw, telly savalas, robert ryan, dana andrews, and charles bronson. The epic depicts the final major german offensive, which took place from december 1944 to january 1945 in the ardennes forest of belgium and luxembourg. The american m47 patton in the film that represented the german tiger tanks, however, expressed the superior size and firepower which the m4 sherman tanks had to contend with, depicted by the aforementioned m24 chaffees. The movie is based on the ardennes offensive or the battle of the bulge.
Some of the landmarks that were used for the film did not even resemble locations where the actual battle took place. Peiper was a ruthless but extremely effective officer who had learnt his trade in death on the russian front. Filmed in nice warm sunny spain on farmland actual battle fought in deep winter in the heavy forested ardennes mountains in deep snow. The tank used in most of the scenes was the m24 chaffee light tank. Its probably the ultimate tank movie and they went to great lengths to be authentic. It took place in the ardennes forest in france, luxembourg and belgium and lasted from december 16, 1944 to january 25, 1945. The units involved were purly fictious and there are. Henry fonda utters one of the most commonly misused pieces of movie. From patton to fury, tank films that roll data desk. The battle of the bulge, also known as the ardennes offensive, was germanys last great tank offensive in world war ii and the largest combat action in us military history. Robert shaws character is based on kampfgruppe jochim peiper of 1st ss leibstandart adolph hitler, panzer division. The german tiger tanks and american sherman tanks were actually. Some of them were paper background models but alot of the movie shows rebuilt panzers of various models.
In addition to being unlike the real tiger and sherman tanks used in battle, the newer korean warera tanks employed arent even the appropriate color. As was customary for world war ii films of the time, this film features an allstar cast including henry fonda, telly savalas, charles bronson, and robert shaw the production was filmed in spain, which provided a large amount of armor and. Dec 08, 2009 if i remember correctly they used panzer 3s and 4s, as well as actual tiger tanks from the war. Battle of the bulge 1965 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. Indeed, in the bulge the german panzers tank were sometimes lead by shermans. The battle of the bulge in december 1944january 1945 was the last major armor clash in the west for world war ii. The feature was filmed in ultra panavision 70 and exhibited in 70 mm cinerama. The battle of the bulge was fought in the thickly forested and hilly ardennes forest. Mar 10, 2012 just watched the battle of the bulge with henry fonda. How authentic were the tanks in the movie the battle of.
The tanks that were used in the battle of the bulge in luxembourg and germany by the americans were the m5 stuart tanks. German king tiger in the 1965 film battle of the bulge. Wwii battle of the bulge 1 of 3 rare color film duration. Battle of the bulge is an american classic war movie, it was made in. The producers tried to condense a month long battle into three hours. The battle of the bulge, also known as the ardennes counteroffensive, was the last major german offensive campaign on the western front during world war ii, and took place from 16 december 1944 to 25 january 1945. It stars henry fonda leading a large cast of fictional characters though fondas lt. As was customary for world war ii films of the time, this film features an allstar cast including henry fonda, telly savalas, charles bronson, and robert shaw. Even the tanks used in the film are not historically accurate despite the. Henry fonda, robert shaw, robert ryan, dana andrews and telly savalas star in the film directed by ken annakin. M47 patton tanks standing in for tiger iis in the 1965 film battle of the bulge adding some opinion here since this has gotten a lot of attention. American soldiers of the 117th infantry regiment, tennessee national guard, part of the 30th infantry division, move past a destroyed american m5a1 stuart tank on their march to recapture the town of st.
In addition to being unlike the real tiger and sherman tanks used in battle, the. During the battle of the bulge, german soldiers used a powerful new weapon the sturmgewehr 44 stg 44. Although the m24 chaffee light tanks used in the scene were world war iiera vehicles. The 150th armoured brigade, commanded by otto skorzeny, used many at the battle of the bulge. The mark iv, which received its first real combat test in may 1940, weighed twentyseven tons, had somewhat less armor than the sherman, about the same maximum road speed, and a tank gun comparable in weight of projectile and muzzle velocity to the 76mm. Battle of the bulge 1965 film sonicwb wikia fandom. This was an attempt by the germans to seize the ardennes region in belgium and then to capture the port of antwerp. Evolution of a legend 02 of 12 on campaign duration. The 1965 movie the battle of the bulge is generally considered by war movie buffs to be the most inaccurate war movie ever made. More importantly, king tigers used up fuel very quickly, and the. German king tiger tanks in this movie are actually american m47 patton tanks, and.
Fortunately, for the allies, the sturmgewehr 44 was in short supply. Not a single tiger tank in this film battle of the. Like the allied sherman tanks, tiger tanks and other german armored units were a benefit and an impediment during the battle of the bulge. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in army. This film was a joke and not historically accurate. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in. There was a shortage of fuel in the ardennes campaign, but the panzergrenadiers did use vehicles during the advance except for a couple of battalions which used bicycles. Germans captured american sherman tanks in the battle of normandy and the battle of the bulge. They used m24 light chaffee tanks to represent our m4 medium sherman tanks and m47 patton tanks to represent the tiger ii tanks. Peiper survived the battle and the war and although he was initially sentenced to death for his part in the malmedy massacre his sentence was commuted.
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