The Sherman Tank what an amazing vehicle!!

[sapper]

The Sherman? Mass produced in their thousands. Fine! if you look at in that light. What you have to take into consideration is "How long does it take to produce a man? And then to train him? It was the terrible cost in tank crews lives that made it just about the most disasterous weapon of war ever.

The Goodwood operation cost us 400 tanks......Some were recovered and some crews. There was this attitude of "We shall go and get another 400" Ok, but it takes at least Eighteen years to make a crew member.

This Country had given so much and had lost so many killed around the world that we were running out of men. To such an extent that some divisions vanished, and the men used as reinforcements for other units.

The Sherman was a death trap, and the enemy knew it. damn great tall thing. inviting solid shot......And got it.
Sapper

[BulgarianSoldier]

Originally Posted by sapper

The Sherman? Mass produced in their thousands. Fine! if you look at in that light. What you have to take into consideration is "How long does it take to produce a man? And then to train him? It was the terrible cost in tank crews lives that made it just about the most disasterous weapon of war ever.

The Goodwood operation cost us 400 tanks......Some were recovered and some crews. There was this attitude of "We shall go and get another 400" Ok, but it takes at least Eighteen years to make a crew member.

This Country had given so much and had lost so many killed around the world that we were running out of men. To such an extent that some divisions vanished, and the men used as reinforcements for other units.

The Sherman was a death trap, and the enemy knew it. damn great tall thing. inviting solid shot......And got it.
Sapper

And thats why the tankers made the tactics.Who is so stuped to go face to face with the tank that overcome his tank.Sherman is enough good with the support of granediers and anti tank crew.

[MikB]

Originally Posted by sapper

get it right ! The Sherman tank was probably the worst disaster of WW2. Up against the Panther the loss for a Panther was reckoned to be 5 to6 Shermans for one Panther, and ahellof a lot more for a Tiger.
Sapper

I think that's an exaggeration for Panther, at least in the general picture. Its side armour was scarcely thicker than Sherman's own, and vulnerable to the 75mm. at 1000 yards and beyond, whereas Tiger's was twice as thick, and a tough proposition except at point blank range. With the volumes of armour the Allies could deploy, Panther could only hope to maintain face-front to the enemy in special conditions like those of Market Garden.

Yes, we could've done with something better, and attempts - some successful within limits - to improve or replace Sherman were continuous.

But should we've lengthened the war and allowed Ivan to take most of Western Europe? Or switched resources out of the equally vital aircraft industry? These are the sort of choices that would've had to be made.

Sherman did the work in front of it, and it and its crews deserve all the more respect for the fact that it was difficult.

Regards,
MikB

[mollusc]

Oh yeah, we wanted to take pictures and were laughing so much they wouldn't let us!!

[mollusc]

Yeah excellent, massed produced rubbish. Ask any WW2 tanker if he was happy going into battle in one. Not a chance! And that's what matters; not the tanks, but the PEOPLE inside them.

Ok, the Firefly was a big improvement thanks to the 17pdr, but let's face it you still had to get the 1st shot in AND make it count. Your armour wasn't going to keep anything decent out.

Not nice to see Mr Dyas talking about it, but here goes YouTube - Tiger tank - MWittman

[Shörner]

Omar bradley even believed that the Sherman's quality was only found in numbers.

[BulgarianSoldier]

To compere Tiger and Sherman is like to comper Elephant and fly ,its just funny.Sherman isn't build to fight agaist such a strong tank.
The sherman is made to comper agaist Srug and outher older german tanks.When the Shermans faced the Panthers the US known that one Sherman cant face Panther ,thats why they made Pershing and with a little bit destraction from the Sherman Pershing can destroy a Panther.

And about the tiger.Nothing can face tiger nothing is better ,thats where the tricks enter in use.A little bit hiding and waiting and you could catch the tiger in the ass.But on a clear field ,you can just pray to miss you.

[kfz]

I wish a Tiger would destroy this thread.....

[von Poop]

Originally Posted by kfz

I wish a Tiger would destroy this thread.....

And so the creator is afeared of his monster!
It was ever thus....

[Owen]

Remember my comment about loss rates .
Well in my recently arrived copy of Tauras Pursuant, History of 11th Armd Div it says.

Tanks

A total of 280 new tanks of all types were issued to replace battle casualties. This together with an initial issue of 208 Comets before the Rhine Crossing, means that on an average each armoured regiment had its tanks replaced two-and-a-half times during the campaign.