When Jagdpanther Fought Churchill

Jagdpanther vs Churchill. Tank destroyer vs tank. New technology vs proven veteran. Who will emerge victorious?

It's 6pm on 30th July 1944. Outnumbered 6 to 1, a platoon of 3 German Jagdpanthers is about to go into action for the first time. Facing them will be a squadron of 18 British Churchill tanks. Within 5 minutes, 11 tanks will be knocked out.

The Jagdpanther is the latest German armoured vehicle to arrive in Normandy. With a devastating gun, and a heavily armoured superstructure, this tank hunter is quick, reliable and deadly.

The Churchill has been fighting with Allied armies in North Africa, Italy and on the Eastern Front. The early marks struggled with a range of issues, but by 1944 it is an essential part of the British and Canadian tank force.

It’s during Operation Bluecoat where these two machines would come face-to-face for the very first time. The Churchills of S Squadron, 3rd Battalion, Scots Guards, have captured Hill 226 – a strategically important area to the south of Caumont. They are preparing for a German counterattack, but their infantry is yet to arrive – leaving their left flank dangerously exposed. And a platoon of Jagdpanthers is ready to take full advantage of their vulnerable state…

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00:00 | Introduction
00:35 | The Jagdpanther
02:38 | The Churchill
05:43 | Operation Bluecoat
07:46 | A Turkey Shoot?
12:25 | Aftermath
17:40 | Roll of Honour

This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.


In this film, Paul Famojuro breaks down the first Allied engagement against the formidable Jagdpanther. Whilst the Churchill has proven itself in a range of theatres around the world, their armour and guns are no match for the German Jagdpanther – and 11 Churchills are lost in a single engagement at Hill 226. An exceptional combat debut for the new German armour… but was this truly a triumph over the Churchill? With proportional losses high on both sides, and new modifications for the Churchill just around the corner, perhaps this wasn’t the great victory that it seems at first glance.


Want to learn more about Churchills, Jagdpanthers and the firefight at Caumont? Here are some of the sources we used to make this film:
'The Scots Guards 1919-1955' David Erskine 1956
'6th Guards Tank Brigade' Patrick Forbes Undated, but c.1950
'Combat History of Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 654' Karlheinz Münch 2002


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