Curiosity question. I know we had DD Shermans, but the second wave for 6 CAR and 10 CAR. The Shermans that were to land on the beach, did they have the deep wading kit or not? I've seen photos of the British units that did. I've seen the photo of the 27 CAR landing later in the day with no deep wading kit. If anyone has a photo of FGH or 1H with such kit on D Day much appreciated.
Can't help with photos of Canadian tanks, but the Staffordshire Yeomanry fitted wading kit, and came ashore "feet dry"
Thanks Phil. As fortune or luck or the blessings of the heavens happen. I had the most pleasurable opportunity to talk to one of our vets from D Day and he intricately detailed the deep water wading kit aka waterproofing of the Shermans, "even though we landed right on the beach". The mystery is solved!
Here are two pictures of the Fort Garry Horse and the 1st Hussars' tanks on D-Day from their regimental histories. The FGH picture is labeled as FGH while the 1st Hussars picture is from the 1st Hussars' history but is not labeled as 1st Hussars. I assume the picture would be of the 1st Hussars.
Also, you might want to examine the war diaries for each unit: The war diary for the 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) for June 1944 starts here: War diaries : T-12657 - Héritage The war diary for the 10th Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) for June 1944 starts here: War diaries : T-12697 - Héritage You probably should also view the months leading up to June for information on equipment since there is quite a bit of detail.
I've not seen the one photo of the DD tank in any history (probably the one that I don't own) and I have just finished scanning all of the photos in our museum. That one may be in Ottawa or not. I've also been scanning the triplicate copies of our war diaries. These contain the Part 1 and 2 orders which contain some fascinating information on the daily/monthly workings. It is one of those rabbit holes that once you go down into it, difficult to find your way out so much uncovered information. Thanks for the assist.
Here are the sources for the pictures: Marteinson, John and McNorgan, Michael. The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps: An Illustrated History. Kitchener, Ontario: The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Association, 2000. McNorgan, Michael R. The Gallant Hussars: A History of the 1st Hussars Regiment, 1856-2004. London, Ont: 1st Hussars Cavalry Fund, 2004. McNorgan, Michael and Crossley, Gordon, Facta Non Verba: A History of the Fort Garry Horse. Winnipeg: The Fort Garry Horse Foundation, 2012.
