Joe Ekins

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Joe Ekins
1924 -
‎
Photo of Joe Ekins taken sometime during the war
Place of birth Rushden, Northamptonshire, England[1]
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Rank Trooper
Unit A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry[2][3][4][5][6]
Battles/wars Second World War
Battle of Normandy
Operation Totalise

Joe Ekins (born 1924 in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England), is a retired World War II British Army veteran. He gained recognition for killing the infamous German tank commander, Michael Wittmann, the 4th top scoring tank ace in history, on August 8th 1944 near St. Aignan de Cramesnil, France. [2][4][5][6] Although in recent years Fireflys from the Canadian Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment have been put forth to be the actual killers of Michael Wittmann.[7][3]

Contents

[edit] Operation Totalise

During Operation Totalise the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and elements of the 51st (Highland) Division reached the French village of St. Aignan de Cramesnil during the early morning of August 8, 1944.[8][4][3] While B Squadron stayed around the village, A and C Squadrons moved further south into a wood called Delle de la Roque.[6]

C Squadron positioned themselves on the east side of the woods and the understrength A Squadron positioned themselves in the southern portion with No.3 Troop on the western edge of the wood.[6][9][4]

From this position they overlooked a large open section of ground and was able to watch as German tanks advanced up Route nationale 158 from the town of Cintheaux. Under strict orders from the troop commander they held there fire until the German tanks were well within range before opening fire.

Ekins, the gunner of Sergeant Gordon's Sherman Firefly (called Velikye Luki, A Squadrons tanks were named after towns in the Soviet Union), had yet to fire his gun in action.[6]

With the Tiger tanks in range the order was given to fire, what followed was an almost twelve minute battle that saw Ekins destroying all three Tigers that No.3 Troop could see (there was actually 7 Tiger tanks in the area heading north along with some other tanks and self propelled guns).[10][4]

A short time later, the main German counterattack was made in the direction of C Squadron. A Squadron (minus Sgt Gordon who had been wounded and had already bailed out of the Firefly) moved over to support them and in the resulting combat Ekins destroyed a Panzer IV before his tank was hit and the crew were forced to bail out.[6]

Following the battle and tankless, Ekins was reassigned to another tank within the squadron as a radio operator and remained in this position for the rest of the war.

[edit] Controversy surrounding Wittmann’s death

Further information: Michael Wittmann

In 1985 issue 48 of the After the Battle Magazine was published, it contained an article on the last battle of Michael Wittmann. In this issue, Les Taylor, another member of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry during the war, stated that Joe Ekins was the man who was responsible for the death of Wittmann.[2] Although at the time of his death, Wittmann was practically unknown to the allied forces[11], following Les Taylor’s account of what happened that day nearly every allied formation in the area and some who were not, claimed to be the ones responsible for his death.

The 1st Polish Armoured Division, the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, the 144 Royal Armoured Corps and the R.A.F. Second Tactical Air Force were the main claimants. In No Holding Back, a book by Brian Reid on Operation Totalise and contains an entire appendix devoted to the death of Michael Wittmann, these claims are completely discredited.

Examination of the armoured divisions war diaries revealed that they were too far north from St.Aignan de Cramesnil to have taken any part in the defeat of the German armoured counterattack. Investigation also ruled out the 144 Royal Armoured Corps, although they did in fact take part in defeating the counterattack they were positioned around Cramesnil and therefore out of effective range of the position of Wittmann’s tank.[12]

The main source of controversy surrounding Wittmanns death as came from the claim made by the 2nd Tactical Air Force, partially supported by Mr Serge Varin who took the only known photo to survive of the destroyed tank and stated in his opinion the tank was destroyed from an air attack. However Brian Reid has also discredited this and examining the 2nd Tactical Air Force Logs notes that they make no claim of engaging or destroying any tanks in the area where Wittmann died during the time frame of the battle. [13] With the 2nd Tactical Air Force ruled out, some on the internet have claimed the tank therefore must have fell victim to the United States 8th Air Force which was conducting bombing runs in support of Operation Totalise around the time of the German counterattack, however there is currently no evidence to support this theory.

The only photograph taken of the wrecked Tiger 007, taken by the French civilian Mr Serge Varin in 1945, still in the field near Gaumesnil where it had been stopped a year before.
The only photograph taken of the wrecked Tiger 007, taken by the French civilian Mr Serge Varin in 1945, still in the field near Gaumesnil where it had been stopped a year before.

Brian Reid then goes on to discuss the possibility that Joe Ekins was not in fact Michael Wittmann’s killer as there was another armoured regiment in the area and much closer to Wittmann’s tank.

A Squadron of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade commanded by Major Sidney Radley-Walters was positioned in the chateau grounds at Gaumesnil. This area is parallel with the Delle de la Roque woods and the location of the Joe Ekin’s Firefly. From this position, based on verbal testimony from the tankers, they engaged several tanks and self propelled guns driving up the main road and across the open ground towards Hill 112 including several Tiger tanks. [14]

Reid puts forth the opinion that with the range Joe Ekins would have to fire over to hit Wittmann’s tank[15] and the proximity of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment to the tank, that the latter are most likely the killers.[16] Although there is no official Canadian records to back this position up due the Regimental Headquarters halftrack being destroyed by a stray USAAF bomb.[17]

Ken Tout, who at the time of Operation Totalise was a member of C Squadron of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, after the war published an account of the battle and of Wittmann’s demise claimed Joe Ekins as his killer. However when research his new book on the subject he interviewed former members of A Squadron, Sherbrooke Fusiliers. In the book for the first time he does not claim Wittmann for the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and acknowledges that other regiments were in the area at the time and engaged the attacking Tigers.[18][3]

With the Tigers caught in a crossfire between the Northamptonshire Yeomanry and The Sherbrooke Fusiliers it is understandable that both regiments claimed to have destroyed his tank, however currently there is more evidence to suggest that it was in fact the Canadians.

[edit] Later life

After the war, Ekins returned to Rushden, Northamptonshire and went back to work in the shoe factories near his home town. He retired 34 years later after becoming a manager of one of the factories. He married his childhood sweetheart and together had two children, he now also has two grandchildren.

[edit] Sources and further reading

  • After the Battle Magazine, Issue 48.
  • Agte, Patrick. Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in WWII: Volume 2, Stackpole Military History (Oct 2006), ISBN 0-811733-35-1
  • Ellis, L.F. United Kingdom Military Series, History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military, Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy: Volume I, Naval & Military Press Ltd; New Ed edition (Sep 2004), ISBN 1-84574-058-0
  • Hart, Stephen A. Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944, Osprey Publishing (2007), ISBN 9781846031502
  • Lefevre, Eric (Author), Cooke, R (translator). Panzers in Normandy: Then and Now, After the Battle (Oct 1983), ISBN 0-900913-29-0
  • Reid, Brian. No Holding Back: Operation Totalize, Normandy, August 1944 Robin Brass Studio (April 2005), ISBN 1-896941-40-0
  • Schneider, Wolfgang. Tigers in Combat: Volume 2, Stackpole Military History (15 April 2005), ISBN 0-811732-03-7
  • Tout, Ken. By Tank - D to VE Days, Robert Hale Ltd (reprint 29 April 2007, ISBN 0-70908-148-0
  • Tout, Ken. A Fine Night for Tanks: The Road to Falaise, Sutton Publishing Ltd; New Ed edition (16 Dec 2002), ISBN 0-75093-189-2

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "[1]
  2. ^ a b c After the battle, Issue 48, Pg 50
  3. ^ a b c d Tout, Fine Night For Tanks
  4. ^ a b c d e Tout, Fine By Tank D to VE Day
  5. ^ a b Reid, Pg 424
    Lord Boardman letter to Radley-Walters, 13 June, 1999
  6. ^ a b c d e f Hart, Pg 52-69
  7. ^ Reid, Brian. No Holding Back (Robin Brass Studios, 2005) p. 410-430
  8. ^ Reid, Brian. No Holding Back (Robin Brass Studios, 2005)
  9. ^ Reid, Brian. No Holding Back (Robin Brass Studios, 2005)
  10. ^ Reid, Brian. No Holding Back (Robin Brass Studios, 2005)
  11. ^ Reid, Pg 411-412
  12. ^ Reid, Pg 418-20
  13. ^ Reid, Pg 426-429
    PRO, Air 25/709, 84 Group RAF Operations Record Book August 1944, pg 8 Serial 18, 8 August 1944
    PRO, Air 25/698, 83 Group RAF Operations Record Book August 1944
    PRO, 2 TAF Operations Record Book, Sheet 28, 8 Aug 44
    PRO, 83 group Operations Record Book, 8 Aug 1944
  14. ^ Reid, Pg 410-430
  15. ^ Reid, 2005. Pg 416
  16. ^ Reid, Pg 410-430
  17. ^ Reid, Pg 414
  18. ^ Reid, 2005 p. 423