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When American forces set out to cross the Rhine River in March of 1945 to continue advancing into the heart of Germany, the heavily-bombed city of Cologne stood in their way.

Entire city blocks had been reduced to rubble during the war, but German forces still lurked beneath the ashes of their homes and churches. More impressively, the striking Cologne Cathedral remained standing after having resisted dozens of bombs.

Spearheading the assault into the country where the American T26 Pershing tank crews. These brand new war vehicles were the American response to the ferocious Panther and Tiger tanks.

In one of the main streets leading up to the Cathedral, a Pershing heavy tank would come face to face with a lone Panther waiting to fight a last stand. In a matter of seconds, both tanks aligned their shots and aimed at each other.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.