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A Picture from History: The Tank Killer

We take a look at Medal of Honor recipient Dirk Vlug, who took on several tanks by himself...armed only with a bazooka and a Colt 1911.
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    Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese turned their attention to the Philippines.

    Japanese Light Tanks Moving Towards Manila
    Japanese Light Tanks Moving Towards Manila

    American soldier Dirk Vlug, a Private First Class with the 126th Infantry Regiment, was ordered to man a roadblock on the Ormoc Road in what was thought to be a relatively safe front of the war.  

    That all changed when a duo of Japanese tanks rolled down the street.

    Type Chi-Nu Tanks as part of the Japanese 4th Tank Division
    Type Chi-Nu Tanks as part of the Japanese 4th Tank Division (Photo: Andrzej M. Tomczyk)

    Vlug grabbed his bazooka and six rounds of ammo. He sprinted towards the incoming tanks.

    They immediately opened fire on him with machine guns and 37mm cannons. 

    Vlug kept running, though, and got in position before firing a single shot at the lead tank. He landed a direct hit that immediately destroyed it.

    Soldier with M1 Bazooka
    Soldier with M1 Bazooka

    With the first tank down, crew from the second, hopped out to eliminate Vlug.

    But Vlug whipped out a Colt 1911 and fired. After killing one soldier, the rest scrambled back into the tank.

    Colt M1911
    Colt M1911

    Vlug followed that with another bazooka round, resulting in another destroyed tank.

    But that wasn’t the end…

    Three more Japanese tanks were headed his way.

    Vlug grabbed his gear and once more sprinted in the direction of the incoming tanks, this time in an attempt to flank them.

    Machine gun fire and 37mm rounds flew all around him, but somehow, Vlug emerged unscathed. 

    37mm ammunition
    A round of 37mm ammunition, to give you an idea of how big they are. (Photo: Gerradtgrant)

    He fired his bazooka and the lead tank went up in flames. 

    Then he reloaded and fired again at the next tank in line…it too exploded into a fireball. 

    Vlug with destroyed Japanese tanks
    Vlug with destroyed Japanese tanks (Photo: Wuffer84)

    The final tank veered off to the side, but not fast enough. 

    Vlug fired once more as the tank turned. Though it only grazed the tank, the blast caused the hunk of metal to careen off of a nearby steep embankment — where it remained trapped.

    Burning Japanese tanks
    Not those specific tanks, but burning Japanese tanks to help you imagine the scene

    A pistol, a bazooka, and a butt load of courage earned Vlug a Medal of Honor.

    This is a new style of article for Pew Pew Tactical; if you liked it — let us know in the comments! If you didn’t enjoy it…well phooey. To catch up on previous Pictures from History, click on over to our History Category.

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    13 Leave a Reply

    • JRB

      More please, especially stories of courage.

      August 18, 2023 9:30 pm
    • PG

      Please continue this series!

      December 17, 2021 5:50 pm
    • CW M.

      Give us more of this type of history! We all need to relearn what American courage is all about!

      November 16, 2021 8:38 am
    • Luke Hattingh

      very brave, we need more men like him today.

      November 16, 2021 1:26 am
    • Len C

      Got to love these "Pictures from History" articles.

      November 15, 2021 3:56 pm
    • Bill

      I really enjoyed the “tank killer” article and would like to see more like this.

      November 15, 2021 1:17 pm
    • Nathan Davis

      I enjoyed this very much,please keep it up.

      November 15, 2021 3:23 am
    • Dennis

      love the WW2 stories

      November 14, 2021 8:52 pm
    • Ross Clemons

      Loved the weapons from history article!

      November 14, 2021 6:57 pm
    • Stephen Cord

      Love the history of the WWII generation.

      November 14, 2021 4:12 pm
    • David Tooze

      Great read!
      dat

      November 14, 2021 3:30 pm
    • Kevin Andrew Norris

      Great story!

      November 14, 2021 3:28 pm
    • Steve

      Awesome article! So thankful for people like PFC Dirk Vlug... Stories like his need to be told!

      November 12, 2021 3:10 pm
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