Lovely condition near complete German Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher tube used during the German counter offensive at Carentan,recovered at La Mare des Pierres the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch,Carentan,13th June 1944,Normandy

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This is a lovely condition relic German Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher tube pretty much complete with its trigger and range site still attached to the top one is cable tied the other sits on nicely but is not attached but were found together. The tube is in relic but solid condition with very little original paintwork remains it is rusty but solid and it has been very well cleaned but does still have some dirt attached inside it is empty and inert it is perfect to display or and a rare one for any collection.The tube was recovered in the area of La Mare des Pierres defended by American paratroopers on the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch south of Carentan on the 13th June 1944 in Normandy.The tube comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with a map of the battle.

At dawn on June 13, the 101st Airborne was about to attack the German line until it was suddenly attacked itself by tanks and heavy artillery. Two battalions of the 37th Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by the 17th Panzer Battalion and Fallschirmjager Regiment 6. The 501st Regiment, on the American left flank, took heavy losses and had to withdraw completely. Company’s Dog and Fox of the 506th, on the left flank, eventually withdrew as well, and by noon the spearheads of the German attack had come within 500 yards of Carentan. Only Company E (Easy) of the 506th Regiment, commanded by First Lieutenant Richard D. Winters, anchored its right flank against a railway and held its position. Fortified by the 2nd/502nd Regiment, Easy Company was able to hold off the German attacks until American tanks came to reinforce them. In response to the German counterattack, General Bradley moved the U.S. 2nd Armored Division into Carentan at 10:30 a.m. At 2 pm the 2nd Division attacked, supported by the self-propelled 105-mm howitzers of the 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. A unit of tanks and mechanised infantry moved towards Baupte in the area of the 2nd/506th’s where they crushed the German main lines. A second unit pushed back German troops along the Périers motorway, inflicting heavy losses in men and equipment. The 2nd Division then moved one kilometre west behind the original lines.