I was in cologne briefly on my holiday in 2019 hard to believe the city endured such destruction, Cologne cathedral is amazing and also the fact it remained untouched
I read about this in a book about the 3d Armor Division. After the war Smoyer and the German gunner met and became friends. I think it was a comfort to both of them that they may not have been the one who shot her. It's great story; it epitomizes the tragedy, irony and humanity of war. I'm glad the two gunners met and had a chance to help in each others healing and that journalists had the humanity themselves to tell this story as well as they did. It moves me deeply.
I noticed that both the German and American tankers, both felt they may have shot at that car hitting her. But neither knew for sure. But you could also tell both felt very bad over what happened to her. She was simply in wrong place at wrong time. AS they said in the film. If you had a German Panzer firing at you, you would have run over Eisenhower himself to escape. So in all, no one knows for sure exactly what happened. Cant imagine the guilt those two men felt, thinking they may have been the ones to have pulled the trigger.
Multiply this single, unbelievably dreadful incident by more than 50,000,000 to begin to understand just one part of the human cost of the second world war.
Even if she refused to stay in her basement, the decision to cross through a battle in progress is mind boggling. The noise would have been deafening, so it can't be argued that they didn't know.
The woman was bandaged up and put on a stretcher for pick up later. She was left on the side of the road for retrieval.This was a hot zone. They did not know if there were snipers. Unfortunately she was run over by a Sherman Tank that did not see her. R.I.P
Jim Bates was my grandfather. It's an amazing story. I also had the privilege of speaking with Clarence Smoyer on the phone not long before he passed. I recommend Adam Makos book Spearhead to learn more.
Sehr sehr traurig. Respekt für die Recherche und die Mühe die investiert wurde um das Schicksal der jungen Frau aufzuklären, so bedrückend es auch sein mag.
She died either way. Tragic, but war is evil. I saw an interview ages ago with a German tanker who was in tears because he remembered riding his tank over German women and other non combatants; children too. They were in the middle of a retreat to regroup and were ordered to keep going. The guys face said it all. True PTSD even 50 years on. This is why as Churchill said " jaw jaw is better than war war".
My uncle Colonel AJ Touart. 414th In Regiment Commander, was killed by a German mortar round 1 March 1945 in Sindorf just before the final Cologne push.
War is never the true answer to disagreement. Both sides, especially the Germans, lost more than they could recover and rebuild. A beautiful woman killed needlessly, remaining in the hearts of those involved and a hurting sister.
Real stories such as this make it more clear that war equals death on all sides until both sides stop. The only being that laughs until the fighting stops is the devil. We need to stop demonizing the ones fighting for their lives on all sides.
This happens in war all the time, the only reason we're commenting about it 77 years later is the fact it was captured on video. You could probably fill up TH-cam if everytime this happened it was on video.
It is interesting to see the cooperation from former enemies. An interesting but tragic story. Where, in an instant ,the hope of a young woman and her boss are extinguished. "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee!" (John Donne)
Such are the perilous journeys of civilians who venture into fighting zones. Such a pity, but history well reconstructed from interviews with ex servicemen from both sides and her sister. Thanks for this moving story.
It's sad that a lot of attention is focused on a pretty woman. If she had been a man, no one would have cared. No one would have started researching the incident if a man was hit.
I always knew that there was indeed two civilians who were caught in the crossfire, but never in such detail did I know about the victims. Rest in peace all those who did not deserve to die in someone else's war.
That's not what I read. The car was in the way of the U.S. soldiers firing on the German soldiers crossing the street. The girl in the car was left to die in the street. A US soldier was carrying a Browning 1919 machine gun that he rigged up to carry and used rope as a sling. A Pershing tank was chasing a German tank and shot first and the German tank was disabled. Smoyer went along and filmed the action. When he arrived at Cologna the commander announced, "Gentlemen, welcome to Cologne. Now go and knock the hell out of it." Things are not always pretty when all is war.
What enthusiastic citizen of the Reich could have guessed in 1939 as their Fuhrer led them on their initial glorious conquests into Poland that their entire country and many hundreds of thousands of citizens would suffer such ignominy.
So eine traurige Geschichte 😞 Am falschen Ort zur falschen Zeitpunkt, das ist zum heulen. Und dass sie an ihren Verlobten wollte, dass sie aus Liebe losgefahren ist, macht es um so schlimmer.
Edda Torrey no I'm sure you didn't have a childhood neither did many Jewish and gypsie children I hope you went one of them cause they had it very very bad too
This so fascinating but there is so much I don't understand. How did the person who witnessed their deaths know they were boss and employee and not say daughter and father? How come no one checks if the lady's sister is actually the same person we're seeing on film? The young woman was clearly being treated by medics and someone even gave her a coat, and she is shown on her way to the field hospital. Doesn't add up at all to the witness report that she was shot trying to help her boss, and then run over by a tank. Seems fairly obvious to me that either the witness report is inaccurate, or these are two different young women who sadly died that day.
A tragic accident partly of her own making, but ultimately that mistake claimed that young lady's life. I don't lay any blame on either of the tank crews, wrongly, they feel responsible for her death.
Wow. On my mother's side of the family we have a german family bible with names dates and locations. The last place my mother's family lived before immigrating to America was Cologne
The Totenkopf was also used by the German Werhmacht tankers. It wasn't associated exclusively with the SS. This sorry story of the young woman killed brings up the point that the innocent die just as readily as the soldiery during wartime. Every single person that urges and revels when their country declares war or any other military action against another country shares blame for every innocent killed. You can claim, "that happens in war" and you can claim, "they shouldn't have done whatever the enemy supposedly did," but when the military starts shooting and dropping bombs, innocents die. War is the most horrible aberration of human nature. Sometimes all you can do is fight to protect yourself and your own people, but wars are unspeakable. War is just another name for Mass Murder.
Its hard to believe that the lady was initially treated for her wounds by the US army medics, then left on the street to be crushed to death by a tank. I feel its more likely she was medivac'd to a field hospital where she either died or fled Germany.. Many families lost loved one who survived the war and never returned to their home towns for many reasons. I hope she survived.
Is likely she was left there for support units to take care of when they came on being as it was an active battlefield. A lull in fighting doesn't mean the area is secure. Subsequent fighting erupted before support troops made it to the area. As noble as it would be, unlikely the front line units would have detailed needed troops to carry a civilian out of the area. The locals account is most likely accurate, and that the sister never returned to seek out her family means she probably did indeed die.
It likely doesn't matter who shot the poor girl, but the clues are there. I've seen enough bullet wounds to know that the bullet hole in her back was an entry point. The car was being filmed from the rear by the Americans. Therefore, we can presume that the bullet that struck her was fired from behind - the direction of the Americans.
This story is so incredibly sad...So very very close to escaping alive...But no..I also have to say this..And I'm sorry in advance if it seems coarse..But..I have never, ever seen worse timing for a very smart decision ever. I mean, getting out of town was probably a very good and wise decision...But why on earth would they not have done so in the hours/days/weeks/months BEFORE opposing forces were literally shooting it out in town? Why would you wait until battle is raging to decide "Hey let's pack up the car and get out of here"? And then...Drive DIRECTLY THROUGH the battle (how about a detour maybe?). I honestly do feel terrible for the folks in the car, and also for the young man that was only briefly mentioned who may have been waiting on the other side of the bridge for a love that will never come (but then again if you really love her what on earth are you doing sitting there safely and making HER find her way across a battlefield to YOU on her own?). But I also feel bad for the soldiers speaking in this video who while experiencing the worst thing that happens to humans on earth, that experience was made just that much worse for them by a couple of crazy civilians suddenly driving directly in front of their guns during a firefight. As if either of them needed anything else to regret or have nightmares over after all these years.
If you look around in the vid description there is a link to a dvd documentary on the more global situation in Cologne at the time. Not pleasant at all.
Max Speedster hello max, evacuation of a town was then not in line of the national-socialist ideologie. Everybody fleeying (fahnenflucht) for the enemy was to be shot (soldiers) or hanged ( civilians). Victims ran in 10.0000's
Interesting that both the German and American soldiers felt bad because they thought they were ones that shot her. Just proving that no matter if you’re the winner or loser, war is a devastating thing that no one wants.
Some people find it strange that civilians put themselves into danger by entering a combat zone. Well, first it's quite difficult to assume that people act always in a logical way when put under stress, especially civilians and secondly the situation in cologne was very chaotic and confusing and people certainly didn't want to get trapped in a pile of ruins when they had a safer place to stay just on the other side of the Rhine. The fear being cut off was not unfounded as was proven later, when the last bridge over the Rhine was blown trapping civilians and military on the same day (6th March). So the Panzerbrigade unit who made it from Köln-Wahn to fight in Cologne found themselves trapped on the very same day. How confusing and chaotic the situation in Cologne was, can easily found: Without much search you'll find a video here on yt picking a fight between a Panther knocking out a Sherman before in turn being knocked by a Pershing (which is not mentioned in this vid).
When you think of maschinen gewehr (guns) firing hundreds of rounds, you become desensitized to war. But you have to be aware that every single bullet can have deadly consequences. Every bullet has a story, and the story of this young woman is one, all that her life could have been, all snuffed out in an instant! Individual lives, lovers, families, all devastated!
I wished I’d cared more about Ww2 more, not that I didn’t already have a fascination. But I was in cologne a few times. Too drunk to notice. Thankfully I cared more in Munich
I know that this is way off-topic, but could you tell me what font you use for your titling? It's just the style I'm looking for to use in an upcoming project. Hope you can help...and thanks for putting this view together. Very nice work on the intro as well.
After studying this incident it seems the woman was first rescued and treated by Medics, set down for the ambulance to arrive - then the Panzers showed up. The American tanks skeedaddled for cover. They ran over the woman as they withdrew from that scene. They didn't do it on purpose of course - but she is laying in the roadway near a wrecked car. They didn't see her.
No country nor government is better or worse than another ..EVERYONE of them has committed atrocities. which of you has the sinlessness to cast the first stone?!! you should all be ashamed of your hate..70 years ago ..let it rest! civilians in a war zone are collateral damage..they have every opportunity to flee before a battle like this one.. dead is dead...regardless who shot her..it's a war..
Today their deaths would be classified as collateral damage. The soldiers would probably have said, "Sorry bout that, but you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
50 million cilvilians died during WWII, as sad as it is that this woman was killed, she's not far from the most tragic death. Why she and her boss thought they could drive through a active war zone is unknown, and will never be known. The U.S troops had every right to fire on the car, it could have been Nazi's using a procured vehicle to escape, obviously they weren't expecting cilvilians to be driving around on the frontline.
+360deeman Actually 50 million are the overall deaths of both military and civilian casualties during WW2 although some say the real number may be as high as 60 million.
+360deeman "obviously they weren't expecting civilians to be driving around on the frontline." 1. You have no way of knowing what they were expecting. 2. To not expect to see civilians attempting to escape flying bullets in an urban battle zone is nonsensical. 3. There are multiple documented cases of US servicemen targeting German civilians 4. A person's political affiliation does not merit them an instant death sentence, Nazi or not.
The letter says she was run over by a tank and only a few body parts were left. Then why are there video recordings where she is being helped? 7:25 Or was she dead and left behind? Or is it another woman from another recording? because Gustav Schäfer sayed "She" drives, but the Driver was a "man" sayed the other. But her Sister Anna Lettau recognized her sister Katharina Esser while viewing the video recordings.
And that sums up the war pritty well. Thats war for ya. She was a pretty girl. If that happend in war to a beautiful girl I knew I would cry like a little kid
did they say she was run over by a US tank and only body parts were found . Yet in the footage you see her being treated by US medic's , & laying face on a litter .??????. or are they talking about someone else . Either way a very tragic story for all involved ..
Amazing research and real sounds or not doesnt matter, these war documentaries are so much better watching and listening with well timed sound effects.
Köln war kein Einzelfall. Häuserkampf ist immer für alle Beteiligten Fraktionen mit massiven Verlusten verbunden. Rein strategisch ist der Häuserkampf das letzte Mittel und sollte falls möglich vermieden werden.
Try playing tanks online for two minutes and I am sure everybody will recognize,that such a tank battle is dependant on time and its exact coordination. The shot that blocked the turret of the panther decided the battle.This was a matter of seconds because as we heard also german soldiers with bazookas were involved.The pershing fought the rest and I am nearly sure he did not drive to fast towards the panther which was hit but still intact.Isn´t this just logical.Please remark that the car was later shown heavily damaged.Cruel is that none of the participants had a chance to act different, because as far as I know the bridge was destroyed immedeatly after the german tanks had crossed the bridge left alone on enemy territory with their orders to fight till the end.The woman and the other man in the opel couldn´t take a different way and in panic their driver crossed the lines of fire between the tanks maybe thinking they could escape with the faster car.The americans however used the best tactic to attack the german tank with two vehicles from different, rectangulus ways putting the heavier armored pershing tank in the more dangerous position towards the panther tank.I don´t really know, but I think the sherman fired the shot that blocked the turret. Just a few seconds later the pershing fired and the german tank started burning.I am 50 years now and I lived three houses from the lady who lost her sister in this tragic incident.We live in the south of cologne near the biggest war cementry of cologne and when I visit my mother there I often think:" This is the most peaceful place on earth."Please let us be kind towards each other.These times when mankind had to learn that it´s talent to make use of science, modern weapons and the modern information technology taught us the lesson that with more steely weapons,violent ideas and loud politics we will just put more of our fellow citizens to death.People we normally would have known, respected and loved, no matter what race, nation or religion they belong to.
I was in cologne briefly on my holiday in 2019 hard to believe the city endured such destruction, Cologne cathedral is amazing and also the fact it remained untouched
I read about this in a book about the 3d Armor Division. After the war Smoyer and the German gunner met and became friends. I think it was a comfort to both of them that they may not have been the one who shot her. It's great story; it epitomizes the tragedy, irony and humanity of war. I'm glad the two gunners met and had a chance to help in each others healing and that journalists had the humanity themselves to tell this story as well as they did. It moves me deeply.
millions died in that damn war but knowing this single sad story in all these details makes us feel closer to the tragedy it was.
What a shame. War is waste. such waste.
A really sad story - and it becomes clear that for the veterans of both sides the war-memories are part of them for the rest of their lives...
True. That's why NEVER ANOTHER ONE!!
I noticed that both the German and American tankers, both felt they may have shot at that car hitting her. But neither knew for sure. But you could also tell both felt very bad over what happened to her. She was simply in wrong place at wrong time. AS they said in the film. If you had a German Panzer firing at you, you would have run over Eisenhower himself to escape. So in all, no one knows for sure exactly what happened. Cant imagine the guilt those two men felt, thinking they may have been the ones to have pulled the trigger.
Multiply this single, unbelievably dreadful incident by more than 50,000,000 to begin to understand just one part of the human cost of the second world war.
Cologne is my hometown. Its scary to see how it looked like in the time when my grandfaher was as old as me today.
The west feeds them well today..gave them land...
Even if she refused to stay in her basement, the decision to cross through a battle in progress is mind boggling. The noise would have been deafening, so it can't be argued that they didn't know.
My parents lived through this. They are educated, normal & loving parents. Very strong.
The woman was bandaged up and put on a stretcher for pick up later. She was left on the side of the road for retrieval.This was a hot zone. They did not know if there were snipers.
Unfortunately she was run over by a Sherman Tank that did not see her. R.I.P
And has humanity learned from it ?
No !
Jim Bates was my grandfather. It's an amazing story. I also had the privilege of speaking with Clarence Smoyer on the phone not long before he passed. I recommend Adam Makos book Spearhead to learn more.
Sehr sehr traurig. Respekt für die Recherche und die Mühe die investiert wurde um das Schicksal der jungen Frau aufzuklären, so bedrückend es auch sein mag.
How very sad. And I pity the old soldiers too who still grieve for the young woman.
She died either way. Tragic, but war is evil. I saw an interview ages ago with a German tanker who was in tears because he remembered riding his tank over German women and other non combatants; children too. They were in the middle of a retreat to regroup and were ordered to keep going. The guys face said it all. True PTSD even 50 years on. This is why as Churchill said " jaw jaw is better than war war".
michael nixson
Hallo und guten Abend, wie heißt denn die Dokumentation über diesen Panzerfahrer !?
Gruß aus Deutschland
A very sad history of 2 civilians who made a wrong decission ata very moment of a street combat. RIP
My uncle Colonel AJ Touart. 414th In Regiment Commander, was killed by a German mortar round 1 March 1945 in Sindorf just before the final Cologne push.
War is never the true answer to disagreement. Both sides, especially the Germans, lost more than they could recover and rebuild. A beautiful woman killed needlessly, remaining in the hearts of those involved and a hurting sister.
There's not much has me in tears on TH-cam, but this did.
Me too
Real stories such as this make it more clear that war equals death on all sides until both sides stop. The only being that laughs until the fighting stops is the devil. We need to stop demonizing the ones fighting for their lives on all sides.
so sad history.
Poor woman.
Well, damn, that was depressing. I'm going to have to watch some Bullwinkle or Married with Children.
Raymond Bourcicault Her death is no worse or better than anyone else that died in WW2. Everyone is equal. Therefore, every death is equally tragic.
A very important video and interviews, thanks for uploading
there's a lot of sadness but this really got me I mean actual tears and I don't let much shake me
Echt professionell gemacht und mit erstaunlichen Ergebnissen, Danke!
Poor beautiful lady . cought in the middle of madness and zero humanity
This happens in war all the time, the only reason we're commenting about it 77 years later is the fact it was captured on video. You could probably fill up TH-cam if everytime this happened it was on video.
It is interesting to see the cooperation from former enemies. An interesting but tragic story. Where, in an instant ,the hope of a young woman and her boss are extinguished. "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee!" (John Donne)
so if i understood correctly the lady got run over by a tank while laying on medical stretch by the road ?
Incredible work. Thank you for sharing this story.
Such are the perilous journeys of civilians who venture into fighting zones. Such a pity, but history well reconstructed from interviews with ex servicemen from both sides and her sister. Thanks for this moving story.
It's sad that a lot of attention is focused on a pretty woman. If she had been a man, no one would have cared. No one would have started researching the incident if a man was hit.
A little piece of real bistory. Danke.
Wow, what a sad story.
Excellent research, heartbreaking...such is war! Prayers now......
I always knew that there was indeed two civilians who were caught in the crossfire, but never in such detail did I know about the victims.
Rest in peace all those who did not deserve to die in someone else's war.
my god ! and the world is still fighting will mankind ever learn
Blame the politicians,bankers,elites,etc. They are the real wicked people...they make tons of money from Wars!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's not what I read. The car was in the way of the U.S. soldiers firing on the German soldiers crossing the street. The girl in the car was left to die in the street. A US soldier was carrying a Browning 1919 machine gun that he rigged up to carry and used rope as a sling. A Pershing tank was chasing a German tank and shot first and the German tank was disabled. Smoyer went along and filmed the action. When he arrived at Cologna the commander announced, "Gentlemen, welcome to Cologne. Now go and knock the hell out of it." Things are not always pretty when all is war.
I was totally unprepared for the ending. I was expecting to find out she was treated in hospital and survived 😢
There was no functioning hospital in cologne at that time. All hospitals had been ruined by 262 air raids on cologne.
Danke für die Aufklärung!
Hatte diese Szene in einigen Videos gesehen.
My mother was bombed out of Cologne she was 2 years old - they have lost everything and were REAL refugees
The pain from that war never ends.
1000 casualties is a statistic but one young woman killed presents the whole melee to one on a more visceral level.
bloody war, people who didn't know each other had to kill each other.
What enthusiastic citizen of the Reich could have guessed in 1939 as their Fuhrer led them on their initial glorious conquests into Poland that their entire country and many hundreds of thousands of citizens would suffer such ignominy.
So eine traurige Geschichte 😞
Am falschen Ort zur falschen Zeitpunkt, das ist zum heulen. Und dass sie an ihren Verlobten wollte, dass sie aus Liebe losgefahren ist, macht es um so schlimmer.
Jannik
Ja sehr traurig. Auch traurig das sie die Deutschen haben 6 millioned Juden gemordet und auch geraubt.
@@semsemeini7905 Ebenfalls traurig ist, das Stalin ca. 20 Mio Menschen auf dem Gewissen hat.
So many innocent paid the ultimate unfair price
Gustav they need you outside the cathedral every New Year these days......
A really sad story.a big human loss both sides...
I was born 1938 in Berlin, my brother and myself did not have a childhood!!!
Edda Torrey no I'm sure you didn't have a childhood neither did many Jewish and gypsie children I hope you went one of them cause they had it very very bad too
This so fascinating but there is so much I don't understand. How did the person who witnessed their deaths know they were boss and employee and not say daughter and father? How come no one checks if the lady's sister is actually the same person we're seeing on film? The young woman was clearly being treated by medics and someone even gave her a coat, and she is shown on her way to the field hospital. Doesn't add up at all to the witness report that she was shot trying to help her boss, and then run over by a tank.
Seems fairly obvious to me that either the witness report is inaccurate, or these are two different young women who sadly died that day.
War is disgusting and we never learn.. may she and her boss Rest In Peace.
A tragic accident partly of her own making, but ultimately that mistake claimed that young lady's life. I don't lay any blame on either of the tank crews, wrongly, they feel responsible for her death.
so much tragedy, maybe she lost someone close to her and didnt care anymore..
Wow. On my mother's side of the family we have a german family bible with names dates and locations. The last place my mother's family lived before immigrating to America was Cologne
how tragic. old mens wars end young peoples lives.
The Totenkopf was also used by the German Werhmacht tankers. It wasn't associated exclusively with the SS.
This sorry story of the young woman killed brings up the point that the innocent die just as readily as the soldiery during wartime. Every single person that urges and revels when their country declares war or any other military action against another country shares blame for every innocent killed. You can claim, "that happens in war" and you can claim, "they shouldn't have done whatever the enemy supposedly did," but when the military starts shooting and dropping bombs, innocents die. War is the most horrible aberration of human nature. Sometimes all you can do is fight to protect yourself and your own people, but wars are unspeakable. War is just another name for Mass Murder.
Min: 2:02, Das Gebäude aus der Bauhausära fällt sofort auf, trotz des Chaos wirkt dieses Gebäude wie aus einer anderen Zeit.
Its hard to believe that the lady was initially treated for her wounds by the US army medics, then left on the street to be crushed to death by a tank. I feel its more likely she was medivac'd to a field hospital where she either died or fled Germany.. Many families lost loved one who survived the war and never returned to their home towns for many reasons. I hope she survived.
Is likely she was left there for support units to take care of when they came on being as it was an active battlefield. A lull in fighting doesn't mean the area is secure. Subsequent fighting erupted before support troops made it to the area. As noble as it would be, unlikely the front line units would have detailed needed troops to carry a civilian out of the area. The locals account is most likely accurate, and that the sister never returned to seek out her family means she probably did indeed die.
Today is March 4, 2021. 😔😔🪖❤️✌️🙏. All these men just trying to kill each other. Why? Will wars ever stop?
Just one of hundreds of thousands of incidents like this...ain't war grand.
Nein, alle aber- milliarden Kriegsvorfälle in der Menschheitsgeschichte sind und waren immer KRIEG, der IMMER SCHLECHT ist !
So sad she was young
It likely doesn't matter who shot the poor girl, but the clues are there. I've seen enough bullet wounds to know that the bullet hole in her back was an entry point. The car was being filmed from the rear by the Americans. Therefore, we can presume that the bullet that struck her was fired from behind - the direction of the Americans.
What tells us this? No more War!
Nie wieder Krieg!
7:10 a few random human legs laying in the street
Human being are so fucking mean to each other.
I'm in köln right now and it is amazing how they repaired all this mess and look it now the most Beautiful city in the world the germans are nice
This story is so incredibly sad...So very very close to escaping alive...But no..I also have to say this..And I'm sorry in advance if it seems coarse..But..I have never, ever seen worse timing for a very smart decision ever. I mean, getting out of town was probably a very good and wise decision...But why on earth would they not have done so in the hours/days/weeks/months BEFORE opposing forces were literally shooting it out in town? Why would you wait until battle is raging to decide "Hey let's pack up the car and get out of here"? And then...Drive DIRECTLY THROUGH the battle (how about a detour maybe?). I honestly do feel terrible for the folks in the car, and also for the young man that was only briefly mentioned who may have been waiting on the other side of the bridge for a love that will never come (but then again if you really love her what on earth are you doing sitting there safely and making HER find her way across a battlefield to YOU on her own?). But I also feel bad for the soldiers speaking in this video who while experiencing the worst thing that happens to humans on earth, that experience was made just that much worse for them by a couple of crazy civilians suddenly driving directly in front of their guns during a firefight. As if either of them needed anything else to regret or have nightmares over after all these years.
If you look around in the vid description there is a link to a dvd documentary on the more global situation in Cologne at the time. Not pleasant at all.
Max Speedster hello max, evacuation of a town was then not in line of the national-socialist ideologie. Everybody fleeying (fahnenflucht) for the enemy was to be shot (soldiers) or hanged ( civilians). Victims ran in 10.0000's
Interesting that both the German and American soldiers felt bad because they thought they were ones that shot her. Just proving that no matter if you’re the winner or loser, war is a devastating thing that no one wants.
Some people find it strange that civilians put themselves into danger by entering a combat zone. Well, first it's quite difficult to assume that people act always in a logical way when put under stress, especially civilians and secondly the situation in cologne was very chaotic and confusing and people certainly didn't want to get trapped in a pile of ruins when they had a safer place to stay just on the other side of the Rhine.
The fear being cut off was not unfounded as was proven later, when the last bridge over the Rhine was blown trapping civilians and military on the same day (6th March). So the Panzerbrigade unit who made it from Köln-Wahn to fight in Cologne found themselves trapped on the very same day.
How confusing and chaotic the situation in Cologne was, can easily found: Without much search you'll find a video here on yt picking a fight between a Panther knocking out a Sherman before in turn being knocked by a Pershing (which is not mentioned in this vid).
th-cam.com/video/7dOiJS_XAco/w-d-xo.html
I am disturbed by some of the comments to this video.
When you think of maschinen gewehr (guns) firing hundreds of rounds, you become desensitized to war. But you have to be aware that every single bullet can have deadly consequences. Every bullet has a story, and the story of this young woman is one, all that her life could have been, all snuffed out in an instant! Individual lives, lovers, families, all devastated!
Really cool! As an American living in Cologne it's fascinating to see the history here.
I wished I’d cared more about Ww2 more, not that I didn’t already have a fascination. But I was in cologne a few times. Too drunk to notice. Thankfully I cared more in Munich
I know that this is way off-topic, but could you tell me what font you use for your titling? It's just the style I'm looking for to use in an upcoming project. Hope you can help...and thanks for putting this view together. Very nice work on the intro as well.
everywhere on fire ... why did she drive out on danger street?
Sie wollten zu ihrem Verlobten auf der anderen Seite des Flußes am Rhein, bevor die Brücke gesprengt wird.
After studying this incident it seems the woman was first rescued and treated by Medics, set down for the ambulance to arrive - then the Panzers showed up. The American tanks skeedaddled for cover. They ran over the woman as they withdrew from that scene. They didn't do it on purpose of course - but she is laying in the roadway near a wrecked car. They didn't see her.
No country nor government is better or worse than another ..EVERYONE of them has committed atrocities. which of you has the sinlessness to cast the first stone?!! you should all be ashamed of your hate..70 years ago ..let it rest! civilians in a war zone are collateral damage..they have every opportunity to flee before a battle like this one.. dead is dead...regardless who shot her..it's a war..
Imagine.. this just one of maybe 100 million peoples (or likely more) fates and lives. So sad... every one of them :(
No one wins a war. One side loses less than the other.
Today their deaths would be classified as collateral damage. The soldiers would probably have said, "Sorry bout that, but you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
50 million cilvilians died during WWII, as sad as it is that this woman was killed, she's not far from the most tragic death. Why she and her boss thought they could drive through a active war zone is unknown, and will never be known. The U.S troops had every right to fire on the car, it could have been Nazi's using a procured vehicle to escape, obviously they weren't expecting cilvilians to be driving around on the frontline.
+360deeman
Actually 50 million are the overall deaths of both military and civilian casualties during WW2 although some say the real number may be as high as 60 million.
+360deeman "obviously they weren't expecting civilians to be driving around on the frontline." 1. You have no way of knowing what they were expecting. 2. To not expect to see civilians attempting to escape flying bullets in an urban battle zone is nonsensical. 3. There are multiple documented cases of US servicemen targeting German civilians 4. A person's political affiliation does not merit them an instant death sentence, Nazi or not.
360deeman All due respect, but people panic.
Wrong.
"A fleeing Nazi car". God, what idiocy.
God Bless her soul. So so sad. Such a beautiful person.
The letter says she was run over by a tank and only a few body parts were left. Then why are there video recordings where she is being helped? 7:25
Or was she dead and left behind?
Or is it another woman from another recording?
because Gustav Schäfer sayed "She" drives, but the Driver was a "man" sayed the other.
But her Sister Anna Lettau recognized her sister Katharina Esser while viewing the video recordings.
Wahrscheinlich hatten die Kameramänner große Angst und sind geflüchtet, um nicht auch noch getroffen zu werden.
Schrecklich einfach nur Schrecklich das zu sehen.
"We defeat wrong enemy" G.Patton
Amazing story.
So she survived by the American gun fired, but got killed by tank ram over 😱
"One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
Traurige Geschichte. Ich danke Gott das ich erst in 1955 auf die Welt kam. Danke fuers Hochladen.
전쟁은 무조건 슬픈 일이 벌어진다 어서 모든 전쟁이 멈추길. 평화를 바란다
And that sums up the war pritty well. Thats war for ya. She was a pretty girl. If that happend in war to a beautiful girl I knew I would cry like a little kid
war is so horrible.
Another example, how stupid is war.
did they say she was run over by a US tank and only body parts were found . Yet in the footage you see her being treated by US medic's , & laying face on a litter .??????. or are they talking about someone else . Either way a very tragic story for all involved ..
Khatarina ❤😓😓 R.I.P
Amazing research and real sounds or not doesnt matter, these war documentaries are so much better watching and listening with well timed sound effects.
Köln war kein Einzelfall. Häuserkampf ist immer für alle Beteiligten Fraktionen mit massiven Verlusten verbunden.
Rein strategisch ist der Häuserkampf das letzte Mittel und sollte falls möglich vermieden werden.
Try playing tanks online for two minutes and I am sure everybody will recognize,that such a tank battle is dependant on time and its exact coordination. The shot that blocked the turret of the panther decided the battle.This was a matter of seconds because as we heard also german soldiers with bazookas were involved.The pershing fought the rest and I am nearly sure he did not drive to fast towards the panther which was hit but still intact.Isn´t this just logical.Please remark that the car was later shown heavily damaged.Cruel is that none of the participants had a chance to act different, because as far as I know the bridge was destroyed immedeatly after the german tanks had crossed the bridge left alone on enemy territory with their orders to fight till the end.The woman and the other man in the opel couldn´t take a different way and in panic their driver crossed the lines of fire between the tanks maybe thinking they could escape with the faster car.The americans however used the best tactic to attack the german tank with two vehicles from different, rectangulus ways putting the heavier armored pershing tank in the more dangerous position towards the panther tank.I don´t really know, but I think the sherman fired the shot that blocked the turret. Just a few seconds later the pershing fired and the german tank started burning.I am 50 years now and I lived three houses from the lady who lost her sister in this tragic incident.We live in the south of cologne near the biggest war cementry of cologne and when I visit my mother there I often think:" This is the most peaceful place on earth."Please let us be kind towards each other.These times when mankind had to learn that it´s talent to make use of science, modern weapons and the modern information technology taught us the lesson that with more steely weapons,violent ideas and loud politics we will just put more of our fellow citizens to death.People we normally would have known, respected and loved, no matter what race, nation or religion they belong to.