 One of his opponents on that day, 8 August 1944 near St. Aignan de Cramesnil, France was the German tank commander Michael Wittmann, however whether Ekins fired the round that destroyed Wittmann's Tiger is disputed.Ekins died on 1 February 2012.During Operation Totalize the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and elements of the 51st (Highland) Division reached the French village of St. Aignan de Cramesnil during the early morning of 8 August 1944.