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Originally posted by Bill Miller
I had seen those photos before, but it never occurred to me that they were knocked out!? They look very recoverable.
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Yes, it could very well be they were put back in action the next day. Relatively few tanks being knocked-out were actually write-offs. Damage such as a track and/or a road wheel being shot off is repairable. Even when the armour is pierced by a Panzerfaust, it was a matter of patching the hole, cleaning up the interior (...) and re-issue the tank.
Death Traps by Belton Cooper gives a good real-world insight on recovering and repairing knocked-out tanks.
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According to the 1945 book "The Story of the 79th Armoured Division", these are tanks of "F" Squadron, 49APCR. Also, the 79 AD book mentions a total of 8 kangaroos being knocked out.
"F" Squadron is interesting as it was a newly formed increment to the 49APCR just for the Rhine crossings. It was created from the 52nd Tank Squadron and fitted with Rams in the first week of March 1945.
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According to the
49th APCR Honour Role, Sergeant Kenneth Frederick Webber of "F" Sqn was killed on 30 March 1945. He must have been killed at 't Woold, he is buried at the nearby
Winterswijk Cemetery.
Possibly Trooper Edwin Barryll Burbidge, who died on 1 April 1945, was mortally wounded during this battle too?
H.