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The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 650: Mark Drexler: Inside a Sherman Tank (Part 1) | HMTC
Three Sherman tanks were destroyed beneath Leon Drexler during 11 months of combat. Each time, the young Jewish soldier from Borough Park escaped and returned to battle as Allied forces advanced across Europe during World War II.
In Part 1 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli speaks with Leon’s son, educator and military historian Mark Drexler. Mark describes growing up among veterans, restoring his father’s wartime photograph album, and researching the 745th Tank Battalion, which served alongside the 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One.
The conversation explores Leon’s decision to volunteer after Pearl Harbor, the antisemitic harassment that contributed to his transfer into the armored forces, and his transformation into an expert marksman and Sherman tank gunner. Mark explains the tank’s five-man crew, Leon’s responsibility for selecting ammunition and engaging targets within seconds, and the advantages and vulnerabilities of the M4 Sherman against German Panther and Tiger tanks.
Mark also shares how research and archival footage confirmed stories he once found difficult to believe, including soldiers wearing tuxedos and top hats in a liberated European town. His father’s experiences reveal both the terror of armored combat and the humor that helped young soldiers preserve their humanity during war.
The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Mark Drexler
Executive Producer and Director: Bernie Furshpan
A production of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
🌐 hmtcli.org
🎙 buzzsprout.com/2449781
▶️ youtube.com/@hmTv-hmtc
─── CHAPTERS ───
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Welcome and guest introduction
1:05 Mark Drexler’s career in education and love of history
2:15 Leon Drexler volunteers after Pearl Harbor
3:22 Growing up among World War II veterans
4:56 Reconstructing Leon’s military service
5:35 The tuxedos and top hats story confirmed
7:52 Humor and humanity during war
8:37 Antisemitic harassment and joining a tank crew
9:41 Surviving three destroyed Sherman tanks
13:19 Operation Cobra and the Allied advance
13:40 The 745th Tank Battalion and the Big Red One
15:10 Tank training and expert marksmanship
15:59 Inside a five-man Sherman tank crew
18:30 The split-second decisions of a tank gunner
20:53 From Brooklyn civilian to combat soldier
21:38 Planning Operation Overlord
23:00 Allied deception and the Atlantic Wall
24:36 Preparing for D-Day and Part 2 preview
25:49 hmTv outro
──────────────────
#FogOfWarAndHumanity #MarkDrexler #LeonDrexler #ShermanTank #WorldWarII #Normandy #DDay #OperationOverlord #745thTankBattalion #BigRedOne #JewishVeterans #HMTC
Support the show
View all episodes
By HMTCSend us Fan Mail
The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 650: Mark Drexler: Inside a Sherman Tank (Part 1) | HMTC
Three Sherman tanks were destroyed beneath Leon Drexler during 11 months of combat. Each time, the young Jewish soldier from Borough Park escaped and returned to battle as Allied forces advanced across Europe during World War II.
In Part 1 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli speaks with Leon’s son, educator and military historian Mark Drexler. Mark describes growing up among veterans, restoring his father’s wartime photograph album, and researching the 745th Tank Battalion, which served alongside the 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One.
The conversation explores Leon’s decision to volunteer after Pearl Harbor, the antisemitic harassment that contributed to his transfer into the armored forces, and his transformation into an expert marksman and Sherman tank gunner. Mark explains the tank’s five-man crew, Leon’s responsibility for selecting ammunition and engaging targets within seconds, and the advantages and vulnerabilities of the M4 Sherman against German Panther and Tiger tanks.
Mark also shares how research and archival footage confirmed stories he once found difficult to believe, including soldiers wearing tuxedos and top hats in a liberated European town. His father’s experiences reveal both the terror of armored combat and the humor that helped young soldiers preserve their humanity during war.
The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Mark Drexler
Executive Producer and Director: Bernie Furshpan
A production of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
🌐 hmtcli.org
🎙 buzzsprout.com/2449781
▶️ youtube.com/@hmTv-hmtc
─── CHAPTERS ───
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Welcome and guest introduction
1:05 Mark Drexler’s career in education and love of history
2:15 Leon Drexler volunteers after Pearl Harbor
3:22 Growing up among World War II veterans
4:56 Reconstructing Leon’s military service
5:35 The tuxedos and top hats story confirmed
7:52 Humor and humanity during war
8:37 Antisemitic harassment and joining a tank crew
9:41 Surviving three destroyed Sherman tanks
13:19 Operation Cobra and the Allied advance
13:40 The 745th Tank Battalion and the Big Red One
15:10 Tank training and expert marksmanship
15:59 Inside a five-man Sherman tank crew
18:30 The split-second decisions of a tank gunner
20:53 From Brooklyn civilian to combat soldier
21:38 Planning Operation Overlord
23:00 Allied deception and the Atlantic Wall
24:36 Preparing for D-Day and Part 2 preview
25:49 hmTv outro
──────────────────
#FogOfWarAndHumanity #MarkDrexler #LeonDrexler #ShermanTank #WorldWarII #Normandy #DDay #OperationOverlord #745thTankBattalion #BigRedOne #JewishVeterans #HMTC
Support the show