David Willey | Top 5 Veteran Stories | The Tank Museum

Comments · 918

• AL

  @Alex-cw3rz · 5 years ago

  That story for the light tank was so emotional and a brilliant message at the end

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• RD

  @rdfox76 · 5 years ago

  The story I'll always remember, a rather famous quote, from Ken Giles:  "The '75' is firing.  The '37' is firing, but it's traversed round the wrong way.  The Browning is jammed.  I am saying, 'Driver, advance!' on the A set, and the driver, who can't hear me, is reversing.  And as I look over the top of the turret and see twelve enemy tanks fifty yards away, someone hands me a cheese sandwich."

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• TA

  @Tactician666 · 5 years ago

  As 'Top 5 Tanks' go, this one is a mic-drop.  Imagine being the poor sod who has to follow this one up.  Brilliant story-telling as always.

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• GO

  @godweenausten · 5 years ago

  God, that French girl saying to the British tankist "Thank you for coming" really moved me.

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• FO

  @foowashere · 5 years ago

  Wonderfully touching stories about what really matters—humans. Merry Christmas, and thank you for making and sharing.

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• KH

  @khaccanhle1930 · 5 years ago (edited)

  Am I the only one who nearly cried hearing every one of these stories?<br>I knew so many WW2 vets, &nbsp;I miss them and their stories so much.

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• ST

  @stevenflebbe · 5 years ago

  Thank you so much David. We&apos;ve all been waiting for your top five, and it has been worth the wait. The stories of the veterans associated with each tank gave your choices a human touch that is often lacking when we talk simply about the characteristics and statistics of the vehicles. Thank you again, and Happy Holidays.

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• ER

  @ericgrace9995 · 5 years ago

  The tragic story of the young RTR crewman of the Mk VI tank loosing his life crossing the Somme was moving. The stoic courage of his family was quintessentially British. We see the tanks and sometimes forget the courage of the men who went to war in them.<br>Thankyou for making these machines come to life.

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• MA

  @markchisholm2657 · 5 years ago

  One of the best Top 5 so far. Genuinely moving.

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• LI

  @Lintary · 5 years ago

  This has been a really touching series of stories and connections.

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• PA

  @Paladin1873 · 5 years ago (edited)

  In 1976 one of my mother&apos;s best friends was entertaining her uncle from Germany, who was a veteran of the Eastern Front. &nbsp;My Dad spoke German and asked &quot;Uncle Carl&quot; what he did there. &nbsp;He replied, &quot;Ich war ein Tiger Panzer Chauffeur&quot; (I was a Tiger tank driver). &nbsp;He went on to say he was issued a rifle that he never shot, but allowed instead to rust inside his tank. &nbsp;He was captured later on and remained a guest of the Soviets for a year or two after the war. &nbsp;When he finally made it back home, he went to the town square where residents often left messages for missing loved ones. &nbsp;His family had moved away, but he managed to eventually locate them. &nbsp;They were thoroughly shocked when they saw him, having believed he was long since dead. &nbsp; During my brief association with him he introduced me to German menthol snuff. &nbsp;I swear that one sniff felt like it shot through my right nostril, right eye, skull, and out my right ear. &nbsp;I never tried it again, but he obviously got a kick out of watching my reaction. &nbsp;He was a very jovial and engaging character, and I regret I never got to learn much more about him.

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• MI

  @michaelmiller7928 · 5 years ago

  And a Merry Christmas to you Tank Museum!

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