Fury - Panzerfaust Ambush

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Here’s an intense clip from the 2014 film “Fury”. ⁣
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At first glance this seems to be one of the more “realistic” scenes in the movie (we all know about how deadly Panzerfäuste were against armor), but the more I analyze and think about how quickly the tank ignited and the entire crew burned alive, it seems to be more of a shock value scene than anything else. Though it definitely highlights Germany’s fanatical defense in the closing months of the war. ⁣
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It’s pretty common knowledge that Shermans were notorious for bursting into flames when their armor was penetrated by high velocity rounds, but this was primarily an issue with earlier variants - 65% of Shermans burnt out after being critically hit. US Army research found that the major reason for this was the widespread use of the sponsons above the tracks to store ammunition. Therefore, most fires were a result of the ammunition propellant burning and igniting the warheads rather than fuel. ⁣
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There were a couple of factors that greatly increased survivability, the most significant was ammunition placement. Shells were moved away from the sponsons and into wet storage bins that were surrounded by a water/glycerine mixture under the turret floor. This functioned to smother fires before they could spread, and dramatically reduced the burn rates down to 10-15%. Later variants also had wider escape hatches including a hatch for the loader. ⁣
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The lead tank looks like a M4A3 with a 76mm cannon. (Panther Killer) It definitely has these safety features, yet it goes up like a roman candle. The crew also just sit there stunned, with hatches already open. Statistically for each knocked out Sherman one man would be killed and one would be wounded, maybe this was just a very lucky shot..

This video is strictly being used for educational purposes, viewer discretion is advised.

YouTube url:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkb0lsLopCY
Created:	9. 7. 2020 19:35:16

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Fury - Panzerfaust Ambush