It was a brave crew that faced a Panzer in a Sherman. I wonder how many GI’s from Georgia felt good about driving a Sherman.
The Sherman was a mediocre tank. From what I understood the US learned the wrong lessons from the early stages of WW II and devised the Sherman more as an infantry support vehicle while lightly armored fast tank destroyers would do the tank-on-tank battles. There were two things going for the Sherman: cheap to produce and very reliable the exact opposite of the German zoo tanks (Panther and Tigers). As the saying goes there is a quality in quantity.
I wonder how many GI’s from Georgia felt good about driving a Sherman.
Why do you say GI’s from Georgia?
Funny you should mention this; it is almost the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Arracourt, where the outnumbered American 4th Armored Division, equipped with Sherman tanks, faced two German Panzer Brigades and parts of two Panzer Divisions, equipped with the latest Panther tanks. The American crews were experienced and well trained, and had excellent leadership from General John Wood and Col. Bruce Clarke.
The Germans were poorly trained, had not fought together in large units, and lacked organic recon elements.
The result was a spectacular American victory, virtually destroying the tank strength of the attacking German units.
Properly handled, the Sherman was a good seviceable tank. They were used in some quantity by the Soviets on a lend-lease basis, and the Soviet crews liked them as much as the T-34s, mostly for the Sherman’s better range, reliability and better crew accomodations.
Panzer is a German word that is an abbreviation for ‘’panzerkampfwagen’(’’armored fighting wagon or vehicle). The T-34 tank is probably the best tank of WW2 as far as it’s speed, ease of production, the fact that it was the first tank to employ sloped frontal armor to increase deflection and it had a wide track base for better traction.(Ironically it was designed by an America Walter Christie but the US Army wasn’t interested in it.) The Sherman was a piece of junk. Read Captain Belton Coopers book ‘’Death Traps’’ in which he excoriates the Sherman and it’s poor design. It was a gasoline powered tank the Germans called ‘’The Ronson Tank’’ after the Ronson cigarette lighters slogan ‘’Lights up on the first stroke!’One well placed German tank round and the Sherman was toast. With out a doubt the German Mark V Panther tank was a superb tank with a high velocity 75mm gun with a muzzle velocity of 1,120 fps. And of course the dreaded Mark VI Tiger Tank with it’s 88mm. that could destroy any Allied tank on the battlefield and was protected by up to four inches of armor plate was the M1 Abrahms of it’s day. And given to the Prussian tendency to over-build there was the Tiger 2 “Konigstiger’’ or King Tiger. A massive 70 ton brute with up to six inches of armor plate and a long barreled 88mm main gun tapered to increase it’s muzzle velocity to 1,130 fps. There is simply no doubt the German Army of WW2 had the most superb tanks and armored vehicles of any army at the time.