We all know Stone Cold Steve Austin from his years as the face of World Wrestling Entertainment. “The Texas Rattlesnake” was one of the most popular WWE Superstars and left an indelible mark in the ring and on television. Recently, we had the opportunity to see Stone Cold sit down with some gentlemen who exhibited an entirely different type of toughness and heroism.
By partnering up with Wargaming, the company that brought us the hit game “World of Tanks,” Austin sat down to interview three real-world World War II tankers about their experiences. Their stories are powerful, harrowing, and heartbreaking.
The first veteran interviewed is Walter Stitt.
Stitt served in World War II as a tank gunner. He was assigned to E Company of the 33rd Armored Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division. After answering the call to duty and enlisting, Stitt’s father gave him a piece of advice. He told young Walter not to tell the Army that he was a truck driver, but to say he was a student.
“Maybe they’ll send you to school,” he mused.
So, Stitt listened to his father and told the Army he didn’t want to have anything to do with a steering wheel. And so, the young man was promptly assigned to be a tanker, which had levers and not a wheel (you gotta love Army humor, right?).
Stitt participated in the Normandy campaign and was initially anchored offshore due to the severe weather conditions. After three days, the tanks were finally allowed to move onto the beach and into the infamous hedgerow country of the Normandy peninsula.
A mile up the road, he had to dig his first foxhole, and he quickly found out why. That night, a German bomber rained fiery mayhem on troops just a few yards from his position. From that day on, he understood the necessity.
“Whenever they said ‘dig a foxhole,’ I was one of the ones who grabbed a shovel and started,” Stitt said.
When Austin asks the World War II tanker, “What was it like the first time being shot at?” Stitt tells us a harrowing story of a sniper taking a shot at him and missing by a “matter of a couple of inches.” Unfortunately, not all of his fellow troops were so lucky.
“If a tank got hit, usually someone got killed,” Stitt said. “That was the sad part.”
So, how dangerous was it to be a tanker during World War II? The 3rd Armored Division had more killed in action than the 101st Airborne. In that Division alone, over 22,000 men were killed and over 600 tanks were lost in the campaign to liberate Europe.
Stone Cold Steve Austin’s questions help Stitt take us on an amazing journey into one of the most far-reaching conflicts in history. To learn more, straight from the mouths of allied heroes, check out the interview.
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