Скачать или смотреть M18 Hellcats vs Panthers: How U.S. Tank Destroyers Crushed Germany's Best Tanks at Arracourt

In September 1944, as Allied forces pushed eastward through France, the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton was advancing rapidly. In response, the German High Command launched a series of armored counterattacks in the Lorraine region—hoping to exploit overstretched American lines and blunt the momentum of the offensive.

One of the largest and most significant of these engagements occurred near the town of Arracourt.

Here, elements of the German 5th Panzer Army—including numerous Panzer IVs and Panthers—clashed with units of the U.S. 4th Armored Division. Among the American defenders were tank destroyer battalions equipped with the M18 Hellcat: a lightly armored but highly mobile vehicle armed with a potent 76mm gun.

Though never intended for prolonged armored engagements, the M18s would prove unexpectedly effective in a series of running battles—where speed, coordination, and tactical positioning often overcame superior German firepower and armor.

This video explores one of the lesser-known but pivotal armor engagements of the Western Front: the clash between M18 Hellcats and Germany's mighty Panthers at the Battle of Arracourt.

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