Not to mention the point that a critical design feature of the Sherman was based on how many would fit on a ship that would transport it across the ocean. That has BFA to do with good tank warfare, except that if you can't get to the fight you can't be in it. ;)

re Firefly. It didn't go into production until early 1944. By D-Day there simply just weren't enough going around.

Lonewolf, again going from distant memory, but I think the width of the Sherman was dictated by the standard width of the US rail system - i.e. that it would fit on the standard rail car and fit through the normal rail tunnels and bridges. Hence the relatively tall and narrow profile.

IIRC, the US produced ~50,000 Shermans during WWII, while total German production of Panther, Tiger, and Tiger II tanks was a few thousand.

Why did Truman order hostilities to be resumed?
Why did the USAAF want a 3rd bomb dropped as a wake up call on Tokyo? Because the Japanese were stalling on negotiations. It would seem a 3rd bomb was being prepared, but not for Tokyo, more likely Sapporo.
Why did the USAAF launch a 'thousand plane raid' on Aug14/15th?
Not me but several historians have pointed out the swift Russian victories impacted more on the Japanese leadership and brought about the surrender.

Well if that's the case it's a pity the US wasted all that money on the Manhatten Project then. All they needed to do was wait for the Soviets to invade Manchuria :rolleyes:

One of Rommel's most successful tactics in the Western Desert was to use his own tanks to lure a British counter attack onto his very effective anti-tank guns. Early British Tanks did not have guns capable of firing HE shells (only 2x close support (CS) tanks with "howitzers" were available to each regiment) and therefore the British Armour did not have an effective anti-anti-tank gun capability. The M4 Sherman gave the British armour that HE capability...however the 17 pdr, although it could shoot an HE shell, was not very effective in this role - the shell casing had to be very thick and heavy to withstand the high velocity of the gun, and weight of explosive in the HE shell was much reduced.


However, several methods were tried to fit the 17 pdr into other tanks...the main problem being the diameter of the turret ring and the ability to fit the tank onto railway running stock. In the Firefly, the 17 pdr had to be mounted sideways to get the gun to fit inside the turret and was therefore awkward to load. It was not until the Comet, arrived in spring 1945 that the British armour finally got an effective mount for the 17 pdr.

the germans were so wary of the 17pdr that some enterprising tankies would slip a long piece of mild steel over the standard Sherman barrel to create the illusion of a firefly.


seems strange that he cannot own a panther or decommed 88....maybe he should save up for a newbuild ME262!!!

While some Firefly crews would attempt to camoflage the 17pdr as they were the priority target for the Germans in any engagement.

Canadian 5th armoured division Sherman Firefly in Holland, 1945:

http://www.scaleplasticandrail.com/k...dApril1945.jpg

Pretoria Regiment in Italy:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...T_IN_ITALY.jpg

Interesting that the photograph above claims to show the Pretoria Regiment which was the senior Armoured Regiment of the SA 6th Armoured Division in Italy. As the senior regiment, the circular squadron marking on the turret should be red (the Circle is for C Sqn). It seems a little light in colour to be red and is more likely Yellow which would make this tank from the junior regiment which for 6th AD would be the SA Special Service Brigade. For those interested, the middle regiment had blue markings and HQ units had a white diamond; A Sqn had a tri-Angle, and B sqn had a square (Box). (Armoured car units which had an extra "D" Sqn had a vertical solid wide bar).


The other way of checking is to look for the standard vehicle formation markings and number, but these are not on these particular vehicles. (The censor might have got to them which was not unusual for wartime photographs).


Oh the sadness of building tank dioramas for many years.

I'm building. 1/16 Pz p38t ef at the moment Wensleydale, I then want the trumpeter 1/16 Panzer 4

The problem with 1/16th scale is ...where to keep it once it's built. Most of my dioramas (1/35th) have gone by the wayside, and I have not been allowed to build another one for many years. I discovered that enamel paints, carpets, and a 3 year old did not mix well....and it was all my fault of course. :ugh: