Cobra King and the Hammelburg Raid
Recent observations of Cobra King's condition, namely the damaged bogie station and the apparent fire and ammunition cook-off coupled with research done by Patton Museum volunteers and Patton Museum curator Charles Lemons has led to a compelling theory that Cobra King was in "Operation Hammelburg" the controversial mission which was personally ordered by Third Army commander General George S. Patton. The operation took place on March 26-28, 1945 with the official purpose of liberating a prisoner of war camp, OFLAG XIII-B, near Hammelburg, Germany. But unofficially, its purpose was to free Patton's son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John Waters, who was taken prisoner at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, in 1943.


Infantry of the 14th Armored Division pass a knocked out M4A3E8, a casualty of Task Force Baum, in Gemuenden, Germany on April 5, 1945. (U.S. Army Photo)
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A small task force comprised of men and vehicles from the 37th Tank Battalion and 10th Armored Infantry Battalion commanded by Captain Abraham J. Baum, was formed. Task Force Baum consisted of M4A3 Shermans, M5A1 Stuarts, M4/105 Shermans, jeeps and halftracks. The total strength was 314 men and 57 vehicles. (More information can be found at http://www.taskforcebaum.de/)

The task force fought through German lines with serious losses and reached Hammelburg and liberated the camp, but Patton's son-in-law was wounded and had to be left behind. Ultimately the entire operation was a total failure when German forces in the area eventually overwhelmed the small task force, destroying or capturing all vehicles and capturing Baum and almost all of his men and the liberated POWs.

A comparison view of a normal bow gunner's position in an M4A3 Sherman on the left and the present condition of the same position in Cobra King on the right. Note the extensive scorching and fire damage resulting from a .30 caliber ammo cook-off. The question still remains on what started the fire. (Patton Museum Photos)
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Through observations of Cobra King and research, Patton Museum curator Charles Lemons proposes the following:

"Cobra King is slowly revealing its secrets. The Patton Museum staff and volunteers have been brain-storming over the implications of what we have been finding. We all agree that this is "Cobra King" - no doubts what-so-ever. What the big question has been - what happened to the tank after December 26, 1944.

We can safely state that the vehicle remained in the 4th Armored Division - and remained as the command tank for Company C until its demise in combat. Yes, in combat - in fact the information we have indicates that the vehicle met its end in March of 1945. We firmly believe that Cobra King was lost with the rest of Company C, 37th Tank Battalion, and Task Force Baum, on the raid on Hammelburg. Reminiscences from then Captain Baum, as written in the book "RAID!", place Cobra King at the assault on Lager Hammelburg, where it was hit and put out of action. Unfortunately, Abe Baum does not note the damage.

However, what we have for Cobra King is a busted #3 roadwheel assembly on the left side and evidence of a fire and subsequent small arms ammunition cook-off inside the BOG (bow gunner) position. We have a vehicle that was recovered and taken to, of all places, Lager Hammelburg, where it was left in the yard until the mid-1950s.


The reversed bogie on the left side of Cobra King. Several Hetzer tank destroyers of Panzerjägerabteilung 251 fired on Task Force Baum as it climbed the hill to Hammelburg. Could one of them have hit the bogie on Cobra King disabling it and a spare been installed to aid in its' recovery later? (Garry Redmon Photo)

Further, C Company was only informed less than a day before the action, having been selected because it had the most tanks of the battalion. No commander would have abandoned one of his strongest vehicles - a Jumbo with a 76mm main gun and .50 caliber coax - nor could he abandon his own command vehicle. Interviews with Brigadier General Jimmie Leach, B Company Commander, 37th Tank Battalion, show that even when in a hurry the tanks rarely traveled faster than 15mph to avoid losing the infantry support, so a marginally slower vehicle wouldn't have mattered.

Hammelburg was in the Seventh Army zone of control and 4th Armored Division, under Third Army, never came within 40 miles, with the exception of Task Force Baum. So how would a 4th Armored Division vehicle (Cobra King) end up in a Seventh Army repair facility?

Our restoration plan for Cobra King is being reconsidered because now we have two periods to preserve the vehicle to. We are considering restoring the exterior to the December 1944 look, and preserve the interior fire damage, ammo storage, and other changes to the March 1945 look."

Since Company C of the 37th Tank Battalion was in this raid, it leads to the question - did Cobra King participate in the ill-fated Hammelburg mission? In the book RAID!: The Untold Story of Patton's Secret Mission by Richard Baron, Major Abe Baum and Richard Goldhurst, Baum stated that a tank named "Cobra King" commanded by Lt. Nutto was knocked out and abandoned on March 27, 1944 as it approached Hammelburg. But some historians have discounted this entry citing that the need for speed was essential on this mission and that a heavy, slow-moving Jumbo would be a hindrance.

 


In the lower right hand corner, presumably Cobra King is seen in a photo of an inspection tour of the EUCOM Transportation Training Center located at Lager Hammelburg on April 19, 1948. Before becoming a training center, it had once been a repair facility for the Seventh Army. (U.S. Army Photo)



An enlargement and enhancement of that area of the photograph reveal two interesting clues that help verify Cobra King's presence in the Hammelburg area. The top arrow points to the foundry casting mark and serial number. Different manufacturers had different patterns, but this pattern matches Cobra King's bow gunner's hatch. Also, at the bottom arrow, there is a small indentation on the front hull which Cobra King also exhibits today. (U.S. Army Photo)




One of several photos taken of Cobra King and its crew after breaking through German lines during the Battle of the Bulge. As the arrow indicates, the foundry markings resemble the ones in the previous photo. (U.S. Army Photo)

 


A present-day photo of Cobra King showing the small indentation in the front hull which matches the mark in the 1948 Lager Hammelburg photo above. (Patton Museum Photo)

Although there is no official record of Cobra King, or any Jumbo, having taken part in the Hammelburg Raid, the circumstantial evidence is more than compelling. The logical conclusion can be reached that Cobra King has the distinct honor of having participated in two historically significant actions.

Information for this article from the book RAID!: The Untold Story of Patton's Secret Mission by Richard Baron, Major Abe Baum and Richard Goldhurst, Patton Museum curator Charles Lemons and Patton Museum volunteer Don Moriarty.