Context is what is often left out.
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Aside from the already mentioned Lafayette Poole, Creighton Abrams was also reputed to be a top scoring scoring tank commander, in addition to his command of first a battalion and later a combat command during his WWII service in Europe. There are also several Soviet WWII “tank aces” who were lionized by the Soviet press for their battlefield exploits, although I do not recall their names. One commanded a KV during the 1941 fighting, and another was a T-34 commander.
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well stated but temporally i think your thesis falls flat given your “after the war” cabal of Wehrmacht generals blaming the SS and Einstazgruppen for all of the horrors. whitman was canonized well before the war ended. If you look at the tops four German tank aces, two of whom had more kills than MW, what is the one missing ingredient the other three aces lacked.? Could it be their missing SS chevrons? Methinks so. Hitler would glorify the SS long before he’d adorn anyone else., except Rudel but he was an avowed Nazi long after the war.
So, as to the original resolution to which many have failed to touch upon , the answer to why Whitman is because of his Nazi SS , through Goebbels becoming a nigh demigod. But Knispel, Carius and Bolter all left in the dust because no SS.
I don’t think this is even closely a controversial proposition. And it carry’s on to today.
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Uncle Heavy
That’s the most important question at hand.
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Well said Top. Although I wonder when they’ll come out with a David McCampbell Hellcat. I think he was second only to P-38 ace Dick Bong. Interesting you mentioned Sakai. He became a minister later in life
That’s not exactly true.
IIRC,
In 1977, at age 13, I learned who Wittman & Carius were…via an Avalon Hill Wargame named Cross of Iron. Both were incredible tank aces, the game had counters for both.
Otto Carius was a 10-2
(incredibly good, master of masters)
Michael Wittman was a 9-2
(incredibly good, a master)
Barkman was a 9-1
(Very good and very dangerous, an expert)
I wondered who they were as the game didn’t provide a lot of context other than they were Germans.
Enter, Tamiya in 1978 when I acquired a 1/25 Tiger and Wittman was mentioned. His unit markings showed he was in 1st SS Panzer Division etc. There was a little summary about Wittman. That was when I learned he was in the SS.
However, given Otto Carius was better in Cross of Iron, the real mystery was around him and how incredible he must have been as a Tiger commander since the well researched Cross of Iron depicted Otto Carius as the Best Named Ace.
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ab,
I still think this kind of makes the point: I see and hear way too much about MW than anyone else. Sorry he didn’t live long enough to write his own “Tigers in the Mud” or “Tank in the Attack”. Good points though
One might also want to reflect on what was going on between ~1947 to ~1991, the good old Cold War.
There were “decisions” made to reform the image of many Nazi’s in the interest of encouraging West Germany etc to help oppose the Red Menace of Communism and the USSR.
I mean, if one was in a Leopard 2 (or whatever) in the late 1970’s starting down 35 T-72’s & 15 T-64’s in the Fulda Gap, if the Cold War goes Hot…guys like Wittman & Carius start looking like patron saints…just like Gottfried “Götz” von Berlichingen did to generations that followed.
Putting starch in the britches of skilled tank crew can pay big dividends…that’s been proved several times during the various Arab-Israeli where a few Israeli Centurion’s would wreck havoc on a massive armored advance.
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Many US aces mounts are well represented in kits. Don Gentile’s P-51B, Francis Gabreski’s & Robert Johnson’s P-47s, David McCambell’s F6F, Richard Bong’s & Tommy McGuire’s P-38s, Ira Kepford’s & Pappy Boyington’s F4Us, Jimmy Thach’s F4F… and those are all in older kits, either 1/32 or 1/48.
McCambell was 3rd behind Bong, having 36 kills. He was and still is the top USN ace. Tommy McGuire was 2nd with 38 kills. Hasegawa’s 1/32 F6F has McCambell’s -5 Minsi III markings in the box.
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"Wreak means “to inflict or cause.” It derives from wrecan, an Old English word meaning “to avenge.” Havoc comes from Anglo-French, and was originally the order shouted to soldiers when it was time to pillage or plunder a town or battlefield. These days, we use havoc to refer to a violent destruction or disturbance. "
Fixed it for you 
Edit: The past tense is wreaked havoc. Not wrought, wrought belongs with iron as in wrought iron (shaped or manufactured iron pieces)
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Thanks! Cell phone, fat fingers & auto correction yeild some goof ball combinations when I’m distracted 
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That’s why I always disable the auto-correction stuff.
It’s fine if it shows me whatever it reacts too but lets ME make the decisions.
Edit: Dang! Now you’re making me hungry at bed time. I hope I can fall asleep thinking about that dish 
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Actually Robin, in English one can use wrought as in “fashioned”, or “made”, or even “caused something to happen” which is itself an acknowledgement of the metal smith’s art.
Therefore, one could say, as an example, “Wittman wrought havoc at Villers Bocage”, which of course, is really where this wretched thread started(!)
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'Twas I! I’ve watched the video but haven’t yet had time to go through the comments. I didn’t find much to disagree with in the video, although he was born on the wrong side of the Solway Firth he learned his trade in Whitehaven which was probably why he chose it as the subject of his raid as he would be familiar with the harbour (his first landing was in Scotland near his birthplace, where again he would be familiar with the lay of the land).
Regards,
M
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Well, I have his book and the audiotape as well. Maybe you’re right!
Dan
So few photographic references for Knispel that almost makes it impossible to accurately recreate his tanks.
You said t. I don’t think the paucity of Knispel photos is a boating accident either. If the story of him confronting an SS officer over beating a Russian prisoner are true, then we can understand why he wasn’t adorned with Iron Cross First class with swords, oak leaves and diamonds. Usually only good Nazi’s like Wittman and Rudel got those.
It would at least be nice if we a had a decal sheet for Knipsel’s various tanks or a couple of kits.
FWIW - On the Axis History Forum, when Knipsel was discussed, IIRC one of his units former officers implied Knipsel had a habit of borrowing other people’s property and wasn’t cut out for the military life. He didn’t mention any confrontation with the SS or protecting a Russian prisoner(s) although he did say Franz_Kurowski made up quotes and fabrications. Read that many years ago and don’t have the link available.
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It could also have a great deal to do with the fact that he had an exceptional combat record against all platforms, land sea and air (confirmed air ace)
Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions on the Eastern Front of World War II. The majority of these were undertaken while flying the Junkers Ju 87, although 430 were flown in ground-attack variants of the Fw 190. He was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, severely damaging the battleship Marat , as well as sinking a cruiser (incomplete and heavily damaged Petropavlovsk, a destroyer (the Leningrad class destroyer Minsk) and 70 landing craft. Rudel also claimed to have destroyed more than 800 vehicles of all types, over 150 artillery, anti-tank or anti-aircraft positions, 4 armoured trains, as well as numerous bridges and supply lines. Rudel was also credited with 9 aerial victories, 7 of which were fighter aircraft and 2 Ilyushin Il-2s. He was shot down or forced to land 30 times due to anti-aircraft artillery, was wounded five times and rescued six stranded aircrew from enemy-held territory.
Yes he was a Nazi, but also a very adept and accomplished combat pilot.
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I did see in many sources that his unkempt appearance was looked down upon by senior commanders. But they couldn’t argue with his results. I’m pretty sure most of his comrades liked him. He purportedly would give kills to others who played a role in a kill. Thus, some speculate he had many more kills than he was credited for