Sherman (1 Viewer)
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Louis Badolato
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I agree on both counts.
Rob
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It never fails to amaze me how the allies suffered,learnt and finally triumphed in a war where they were outclassed in many fields.The Sherman is both a famous and sad symbol of the struggle to match the Germans.
I wonder if Ana might be able to give us a hint of how far down the line the next Shermans maybe?.I am definetly going to buy the Normandy Green version and the Winter camo version.To complete my trio i would love a Desert version.
Rob
Louis Badolato
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Rob,
They can already be pre-ordered on the Treefrog site, so their release must be relatively soon.
They can already be pre-ordered on the Treefrog site, so their release must be relatively soon.
Louis Badolato
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Rob
Four Star General
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Yes i'm split as to which one i want first.Am looking forward to checking them out on the 30th.Don't you think some half body K&C figures would be so cool with these Louis?.
Rob
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Combat
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According some "experts" on the history channel, the Sherman was actually a very effective weapon for its role. It was certainly outgunned by the German tanks, but it was durable, easy to produce in large numbers, and standardized to make repairs efficient. None of which applied to the German tanks - particularly the Panther and Tiger.
Louis Badolato
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binder001
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Yes, think of the Sherman lasting in Israeli use through the 1970's as a combat tank, and after as the basis of SP guns and engineer vehicles. No German tank can make that claim!
Look at the B17 - about 50% were lost in combat or as a result of enemy action, however it is beloved. The Sherman needed a better press agent.
Gary
OzDigger
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Undergunned, underarmoured and to high in profile, and hardly durable in a combat situation. I understand it had several engine types so I'm not sure about the standardized comment........but it was reliable
Rob
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Whilst we are talking about Shermans i came across this in a Bi Monthly magazine i get called WW2.;
When German tank ace Michael Wittman was killed near St Aignan de Cramesnil on 8th August 1944,there was much dispute as to who had fired the fatal shot and a number of allies,including Poles and Canadians claimed they were responsible for his death.Sixty two years on however it was revealed by The Daily Mail on 24th June 2006 that the man who fired the shot that killed the Waffen SS tank ace was non other than 21 year old Joe Ekins of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry.
Perhaps surprisingly,he had only ever fired five practice rounds before this Historic encounter with one of Germanys war heroes.After the D-day landings,Joe and his comrades had been stuck in their tanks at the bridge head for six weeks until finally going into action.He later explained how he came to meet Wittman in his feared Tiger;
" Eventually we went on a night march in a column-about four miles into German territory.We settled in an orchard near St Aignan de Cramesnil and in the morning the Germans counter attacked.I could see at least three Tigers coming and we had three Shermans and one Firefly.We pulled out of the orchard and i fired twice at the third tank at the rear and it blew up.We reversed into the orchard so we could come out in a different place.But the second Tiger fired two or three rounds and hit our turret lid.We pulled out again and fired at the second Tiger and it exploded.We pulled back again and by this time the third Tiger knew it had lost its two mates.I finished it off with two shells and had taken out all three in twelve minutes.We later hit one more tank and then we were knocked out.There was a loud bang and sparks flew,we got out and ran like hell".
It was only eight years after the war ended that he discovered that one of the people in the tank he had shot was German ace Wittman.Joe has nothing but praise for the Fireflies and commented that " It usually took five Shermans to beat one Tiger,but the Fireflies were better".
Today Joe has no regrets about his actions."When i heard about the concentration camps,i knew it was all worth it.I'm quite proud.Wittman was a Nazi from the start-he must have known about the camps .It didn't matter who killed him,just that he was killed".
I hope you don't mind me posting this,i just thought it was fascinating to read his account.
Rob
When German tank ace Michael Wittman was killed near St Aignan de Cramesnil on 8th August 1944,there was much dispute as to who had fired the fatal shot and a number of allies,including Poles and Canadians claimed they were responsible for his death.Sixty two years on however it was revealed by The Daily Mail on 24th June 2006 that the man who fired the shot that killed the Waffen SS tank ace was non other than 21 year old Joe Ekins of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry.
Perhaps surprisingly,he had only ever fired five practice rounds before this Historic encounter with one of Germanys war heroes.After the D-day landings,Joe and his comrades had been stuck in their tanks at the bridge head for six weeks until finally going into action.He later explained how he came to meet Wittman in his feared Tiger;
" Eventually we went on a night march in a column-about four miles into German territory.We settled in an orchard near St Aignan de Cramesnil and in the morning the Germans counter attacked.I could see at least three Tigers coming and we had three Shermans and one Firefly.We pulled out of the orchard and i fired twice at the third tank at the rear and it blew up.We reversed into the orchard so we could come out in a different place.But the second Tiger fired two or three rounds and hit our turret lid.We pulled out again and fired at the second Tiger and it exploded.We pulled back again and by this time the third Tiger knew it had lost its two mates.I finished it off with two shells and had taken out all three in twelve minutes.We later hit one more tank and then we were knocked out.There was a loud bang and sparks flew,we got out and ran like hell".
It was only eight years after the war ended that he discovered that one of the people in the tank he had shot was German ace Wittman.Joe has nothing but praise for the Fireflies and commented that " It usually took five Shermans to beat one Tiger,but the Fireflies were better".
Today Joe has no regrets about his actions."When i heard about the concentration camps,i knew it was all worth it.I'm quite proud.Wittman was a Nazi from the start-he must have known about the camps .It didn't matter who killed him,just that he was killed".
I hope you don't mind me posting this,i just thought it was fascinating to read his account.
Rob
Louis Badolato
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Rob,
It certainly is a dramatic account, but one firefly taking out three tigers? It just doesn't ring true. Maybe hitting one in the rear would have knocked out the first, but once they had taken it out, the other two would have been pretty darn near impossible to challenge once they turned head on and the Shermans were facing the frontal armor of the Tigers. Plus, don't you think an engagement where three tigers were knocked out by one Firefly would have been a major event for propoganda purposes at a time when Tigers were so universally feared? I have never once heard of a Sherman taking on more than one Tiger and surviving, much less destroying multiple tigers. I hope it is true, but it kind of smells like an old soldier exagerating to me.
It certainly is a dramatic account, but one firefly taking out three tigers? It just doesn't ring true. Maybe hitting one in the rear would have knocked out the first, but once they had taken it out, the other two would have been pretty darn near impossible to challenge once they turned head on and the Shermans were facing the frontal armor of the Tigers. Plus, don't you think an engagement where three tigers were knocked out by one Firefly would have been a major event for propoganda purposes at a time when Tigers were so universally feared? I have never once heard of a Sherman taking on more than one Tiger and surviving, much less destroying multiple tigers. I hope it is true, but it kind of smells like an old soldier exagerating to me.
Rob
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The story in the Daily mail of last year has been accepted and verified by the Bovington tank museum.The Curator David Willey states that many myths have built up about the Tiger and how Allied tanks could not destroy them.And this is simply just not the case.He states that the 17pounder mounted on the Firefly was capable of destroying the Tiger.I also think that Joe Ekins was obviously not alone when he met Wittman,there were as Brad says without doubt several other 'ordinary' Shermans at the scene who probably also opened fire.Now of course i wasn't there,but i can imagine three Tigers surrounded by allied tanks being easily distracted.And if you add the fact this Firefly by its own account was in and out of the orchard i belive this is quite possible.Ekin does state that that he withdrew at one point when hit,and then came back into the fray.I think we have to keep an open mind here because i too have often thought that the Tiger (wonderful tank as it was)was not invincible.
Rob
Rob
Rob
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Would you believe this pt 2!!! I just went onto the Osprey website and looked at this new book (from the new Osprey Duel series)and it has a set of colour plates Depicting Joe Ekins destruction of the Tigers,i kid you not i promise!.
Rob
Rob
Louis Badolato
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Rob,
Well then, I stand corrected (not for the first time). More power to Joe Ekins and his Firefly Sherman! Now there is a nice idea for a Sherman variation. You should post a link to the photos from the Osprey website for the Honour Bound folks to review.
Well then, I stand corrected (not for the first time). More power to Joe Ekins and his Firefly Sherman! Now there is a nice idea for a Sherman variation. You should post a link to the photos from the Osprey website for the Honour Bound folks to review.