Simple question: do you think, you could charge a tank?.That’s right, a tank. As an act of war. In anger. Life and death..Well, according to history, two men did. A Canadian and an American..And both of them, had one thing in common — they had hearts of lions..So dedicated to their nation that life or death did not matter. They had a job to be done and they did it, come what may.. General Montgomery visiting forward positions of most advanced troops and meeting officers holding these positions, 23 July 1943.General Montgomery visiting forward positions of most advanced troops and meeting officers holding these positions, 23 July 1943. .On this Remembrance Day, 2022, let’s remember them and their incredible heroics..Let’s start with the Canadian, a hellraiser by the name of Ernest “Smokey” Smith..Smith had a knack for annoying his superiors — he was promoted to corporal and then demoted back to private nine times, Listverse.com reported in a feature honouring Canadian war heroes..Your basic failure to communicate..But when the bullets started flying, Smokey Smith more than held his own, earning a reputation as one of Canada’s greatest soldiers..In October 1944, as the Allies were pushing through northern Italy against fierce German resistance, Smith and his small platoon were sent across the flooded Savio river to secure an important beachhead..After capturing the position, they came under an intense German counter-attack..The Germans dispatched three Panther tanks, self-propelled artillery guns, and a horde of infantry to retake the position, pinning the Canadians down near the river.. German Panther tank.German Panther tank. .Things did not look good. The Germans were very capable fighters, especially the Panther tanks..Often believed to be the best German tank of the Second World War, the Panther, which first saw action at Kursk in 1943, featured a complicated suspension system involving torsion bars and 18 overlapping road wheels on each side..Wide tracks spread the Panther’s weight when travelling over soft ground..Propelled by a V-12 Maybach gasoline-powered engine with about 690 hp, its Rheinmetall-Borsig AG 75mm gun a vast improvement over previous German iterations.. Three men of the Canadian Infantry Brigade preparing to send a hand grenade into a sniper's hideout in Campochiaro, Italy.Three men of the Canadian Infantry Brigade preparing to send a hand grenade into a sniper's hideout in Campochiaro, Italy. .Smith didn’t waste any time — he grabbed his PIAT anti-tank bazooka and sprang into action. Under intense enemy fire, he walked to within 10 metres of the first Panther tank and took it out with a single shot. Whammo!.Once the Germans overcame their surprise at Smith’s audacity, they sent 10 infantrymen to get rid of him..“Kommandant, dieser Mann muss gehen ...” was the cry to battle..Unfazed, Smith grabbed his Tommy gun and stood his ground, killing four of the enemy and forcing the remainder to retreat.. A patrol in Sicily, 1943.A patrol in Sicily, 1943. Library and Archives Canada Photo. .He continued to hold his position while defending a wounded comrade, forcing additional German forces to “withdraw in disorder,” before carrying his friend to safety..His platoon was so inspired by his example they were able to hold the Germans back, securing the beachhead.. 48th Highlanders of Canada advancing towards the Gothic Line near the Foglio River, Italy, 1944.48th Highlanders of Canada advancing towards the Gothic Line near the Foglio River, Italy, 1944. .Hilariously, the army later had to lock Smokey in an Italian post office overnight, just to make sure the “wild man” wouldn’t vanish before being flown to London to meet the King and receive the Victoria Cross..Years later, he cheerfully confirmed his crazy reputation: “Oh, yeah. I didn’t take orders. I didn’t believe in them.”.On the other side of the world, the Americans were fighting the Japanese, a foe that fought to the last man, no matter what..While the nose of his amphibious tank entered the ocean and bobbed through the waves en route toward the reef of Saipan, the largest archipelago among the Northern Mariana Islands, Wayne “Twig” Terwilliger, a radioman assigned to the 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division, could only look on, helplessly.. Wayne Terwilliger, third from the left, on the beach at Saipan during a shelling attack, June 1944.Wayne Terwilliger, third from the left, on the beach at Saipan during a shelling attack, June 1944. .Slowly, the tank crept over the reef toward the beach, right into the range of Japanese defensive positions..It was a killing ground, and Terwilliger and his pals, had to step right into it..“I started seeing these puffs of water all around us, and it took a second to realize what was causing them,” Terwilliger wrote in his autobiography, as reported by CoffeeOrDie.com..“Then we heard small arms fire hitting our tank, and the reality sank in: there were people on that island who wanted us dead.”. Wayne “Twig” Terwilliger, front left, with Company D, 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion, which was created to lead the assault on key islands in the South Pacific. They fought at Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, and were preparing for new battles when the war ended.Wayne “Twig” Terwilliger, front left, with Company D, 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion, which was created to lead the assault on key islands in the South Pacific. They fought at Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, and were preparing for new battles when the war ended. Photo courtesy of wayneterwilliger.com .Prior to the invasion of Saipan, US Navy frogmen conducted a daring reconnaissance mission..Intelligence collected provided the amphibious tanks with adjustments to successfully land on the beach — but they didn’t anticipate how their tracked vehicles would navigate earth displaced by battlefield weaponry in combat..It would be a disaster..While the amphibious tanks attempted to land on the beach, some were destroyed and others became trapped in craters left from mortar shells in the sand..“Japanese mortars kept whistling over our heads,” Terwilliger said..“Most of them were headed toward the beach area, but we never knew when one would come our way. We also had no idea how long we’d be stuck there. We were there at least a couple of hours, though it seemed like forever.”.Terwilliger’s crew left the disabled tank and scattered, diving into foxholes. Gunfire snapped overhead, while explosions from mortars and grenades flung a wall of shrapnel through the air..Before they could catch their breath the rumbling sound of an unfamiliar tank grew nearer. To their horror, they realized it was Japanese armor — looming large with the big red “Rising Sun” emblem on the tank’s side, blasting its 37mm turret gun at anything that moved.. The Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank, or PIAT, was an anti-tank weapon used by Allied Forces in the Second World War.The Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank, or PIAT, was an anti-tank weapon used by Allied Forces in the Second World War. .With nothing more than a few hand grenades, his crew couldn’t defend themselves..They pulled the pins and hurled them at the tank before fleeing for cover, but there wasn’t any within crawling distance..Terwilliger ran under heavy fire across open ground until he reached an old Japanese artillery piece. His stomach dropped when he realized he had run the wrong way..He found a little path and sprinted toward the beach as bullets zipped passed. He looked over his shoulder to find the Japanese tank trailing him!.He zigzagged through the soft sand to give the tank a harder target to hit. Marines waved and yelled to get his attention, and he dashed over a small sand dune for cover..“I looked back just in time to see one of our tanks made a direct hit, which knocked the Japanese tank on its side,” Terwilliger reflected. “That was my first six or seven hours of combat.”.Terwilliger would serve honorably in the US Marine Corps, participating in the invasion of Tinian, as well as being among the first during the invasion of Iwo Jima..Let’s just say, he saw his share of war in the Pacific..He would survive the war and went on to have a successful career as a player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball.. Baseball cardBaseball card .His nine-year career would see Terwilliger made stops with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, New York Giants and Kansas City Athletics..A teammate of Jackie Robinson — the first black player to break the colour barrier — he is best remembered from his coaching days as the first-base coach for the Minnesota Twins during their two World Series titles in 1987 and 1991..However, Terwilliger’s most prized experience was his service as a US Marine.
