The US troops advance on the Cologne center and the cathedral, it's about 14 o'clock |
The troops see a german tank near the cathedral, but they think it's knocked out |
Suddenly a shell from the german tank hits the leading US tank. A member of the crew wants to flee from the tank
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The tank smokes from the inside. The hit had cut off
one of the soldiers legs |
Behind the first out-creeping soldier a second soldier falls down from the tank
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|  The second soldier is 19 years old Corporal 'Gunner' John J Gialluca of the 3rd armored division 'Spearhead'. His son Doug found my site on the web and sent me the following mail where he describes the situation as he heard it from his father:
The last tank battle in Cologne Germany on March 6 1945 happened as Corporal Gunner John J Gialluca approached the square of town between two buildings where suddenly by surprise a Panther Mark V hit there Sherman tank. John remembers the tank burning and they were trapped. The shrapnel went through his legs and he said he was pinned to his seat when a second blast under the turret forced him free from his position. There were no other survivors except Corporal John J Gialluca. There was another tank disabled next to his tank that tried to help the injured. They found John lying on the ground with his 45 caliber hand gun in his hand. Then John said as they were helping him he could hear the blast and gunfire from what is known now the battle of the last tank. The Sherman tank that Corporal John J Gialluca was in was facing the cannon of the 75mm high velocity Panther Mark V. The 76 mm is questionable as for penetrating the heavy armored Panther head to head. This was Johns second tank hit in his journey from Normandy Beach and very fortunate to survive. Corporal Gunner John J Gialluca was sent to an England hospital where he had a lengthily recovery and was able to walk again. After a long fight with kidney cancer John went to be with the Lord on July 5th 1998.
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The crew of another US tank tries to help the other soldiers |
Another US tank fires from another direction toward the German Panther. The first shot hit the German tank in the bottom and cut off the commander's legs
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A crew member of the german tank flees.
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The german crew member is running away. In all three of the crew bailed out but the shrapnel had got them
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Another shell is on the way to the german tank
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The shell a short time before the hit
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The shell hits the tank
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And a third shell appears |
Again a hit
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The german Panther tank is on fire, the tank commander is burning up with the tank
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4 crew members die in or outside of the tank
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The tank burns inside, so one can see the impact holes, one under the gun shield and two on the side
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The burning German tank. The US tank which was hit by the german tank is located in the road going to the right side. The german driver got to the back of the building where he fell, the bow gunner fell over a bicycle and lay there, the gunner went down nearby
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The next days US soldiers examine the destroyed german tank
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The German tank in front of the cathedral
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View from the cathedral onto the combat place:
1 - the destroyed german tank in front of the cathedral
2 - the destroyed US tank was located here
3 - in this road there was the US tank, which destroyed the german tank |
The crew of the US tank which fired at the German tank
- Top Left Cmdr Robert Early, Gunner Clarence Smoyer, Asst. Gunner John Deriggi, Asst Driver Homer Davis, Driver William McVey. |
| The German tank was the only german tank in the city center at this time. The other german units had already left this city side and withdrawed to the other Rhine riverside. During the senseless tank duel 4 crew members of the German tank and 3 crew members of the US tank die
Photos courtesy of:
The U.S. Army 3rd Armored Division History website
Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society
The Third Armored Spearhead Division website
Movie "Allies Drive Across Rhine To Victory" by Universal Studios
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More links:
3ad Cologne Panther Sequence
Google Video, entire movie sequence
Google Video, 3ad during capture of Cologne
Photomontage where you can see the the exact location
Second photo displaying the location (explication: 1 Cathedral, 2 Panther, 3 tank destroying Panther, 4 outside picture Sherman position, 5 church St. Andreas, 6 street today "An den Dominikanern".
Combat Mission scenario "Duel in Cologne"
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