Free Republic

American tanks in World War II were generally inferior to their German counterparts. German tanks boasted better armor protection and more firepower. But armor and lethality don’t tell the whole story. The same American tanks were superior to their rivals in other important ways. The M-4 Sherman, in particular, helped the U.S. Army win the war—even though, in battle, German tanks destroyed them en masse.

The M-4 Sherman was the workhorse medium tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps during World War II. It fought in every theater of operation—North Africa, the Pacific and Europe. The Sherman was renown for its mechanical reliability, owing to its standardized parts and quality construction on the assembly line. It was roomy, easily repaired, easy to drive. It should have been the ideal tank. But the Sherman was also a death trap.

His march through Georgia has been gravely misunderstood ― as has Israel’s strategy in Gaza. William Tecumseh Sherman 150 years ago took Atlanta before heading out on his infamous March to the Sea to make Georgia “howl.” He remains one of the most controversial and misunderstood figures in American military history. Sherman was an attritionist, not an annihilationist — a strategist who believed in attacking the sources that fuel and field an army rather than butting heads against the army itself. To review his career is to shed light on why the Israeli Defense Forces were both effective in Gaza...

A former member of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl‘s platoon interrupted a Democrat on Capital Hill Wednesday as he asked an academic expert about conditions the soldier might have endured in Afghanistan to tell him “nobody else deserted.” Much to the consternation of U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., former Army Specialist Cody Full asked for permission to speak as the lawmaker was in the process of building a case that Bergdahl may have had reason to act in “an inexplicable manner.”

“It’s hard to be humble,” Muhammad Ali rationalized, “when you’re as great as I am.” In Sunday’s contest between No. 1s, the Super Bowl’s two most visible faces — Bronco Peyton Manning and Seahawk Richard Sherman — are case studies of Ali’s theory. Manning is football’s undisputed heavyweight champion, whose aww-shucks humility belies — and explains — his unrivaled ownership of five NFL MVP awards. Quick to credit his teammates, even after a seven-touchdown performance, the 13-time Pro Bowler and comeback king leaves it to others to laud his game. With his legacy on the line in his third Super...

RUSH: Have you seen, folks, the New York Times magazine cover this Sunday? Here, let me turn the Dittocam off. I've gotta zoom in on something. This is the ugliest damn thing I have ever seen, and I do not know what they are thinking. Okay, I want to show you here on the Dittocam, and we'll put it up at RushLimbaugh.com. "Planet Hillary." That is the cover of this Sunday's New York Times. Yes. And you see planet Hillary. What you can't read, the neighboring little star shooting there, people like her daughter and Huma that are in her...

So what did Richard Sherman say to Michael Crabtree? Now we know thanks to ‘Sound FX’

David Shaw knows the other side of Richard Sherman Posted by Darin Gantt on January 21, 2014, 8:40 AM EST Richard Sherman AP Stanford coach David Shaw has seen both sides of Richard Sherman. And when something has two sides, there has to be an edge that separates them. That edge, Shaw said, it what makes the Seahawks cornerback so special on the field. “Bill Walsh said you want guys with high character who are great players and great people,” Shaw said, via Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News. “But every once in a while, you have to...

‘To Those Who Would Call Me a Thug or Worse …’ I show passion on the football field—but that’s only a small part of who I am. If you want to judge me, I can handle it. By Richard Sherman · More from Richard· 0 What a night, and what a finish. Near midnight I still had about 70 unread text messages from friends and family, most of which read, “Best interview ever!” Many of my Twitter mentions were less supportive. My body ached. I was thrilled and proud and upset, all at once. Here’s what happened …

A FRENCH ASSESSMENT OF THE PANTHER TANK Professional historians and military history buffs alike often describe the German Panther tank as the best German tank, and perhaps the best tank overall, of the second world war.  It had a powerful and accurate high-velocity 75mm gun, its frontal armor was almost invulnerable to most allied anti-tank weapons, and it had a powerful engine, broad tracks and a suspension system that gave it high speed, excellent cross-country capability and a smooth ride.  What more could a tanker want? In truth a tanker could ask for much more.  The Panther’s story is...

BERKELEY, CA -- A truck driver was beaten within an inch of his life by California Highway Patrol for not signing a traffic ticket that he could not read. The driver, who broke no laws, was beaten so badly that he woke up in a trauma hospital. Olegs Kozacenko, a local resident originally from Russia, was pulled over and cited by police for allegedly driving too many hours in one day. Kozacenko refused to sign the ticket because he had not or could not read it. CHP Officers didn't take kindly to the driver's refusal to sign. Two officers, one...

NEW Episode: Victor Davis Hanson.... ``The Savior Generals: How Five Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost -- From Ancient Greece to Iraq.''...10:00 - 11:00 PM EST on CSPAN2 ...The author discusses his new book. (-VDH is as good a speaker as an author)

We've all heard the story of the "40 acres and a mule" promise to former slaves. It's a staple of black history lessons, and it's the name of Spike Lee's film company. The promise was the first systematic attempt to provide a form of reparations to newly freed slaves, and it was astonishingly radical for its time, proto-socialist in its implications. In fact, such a policy would be radical in any country today: the federal government's massive confiscation of private property -- some 400,000 acres -- formerly owned by Confederate land owners, and its methodical redistribution to former black slaves....

Who is Gabriel Sherman? Who is he, and what forces does he represent? Those are questions worth answering, because they speak to the tactics and methods of the left wing in America today. In his too-brief life, Andrew Breitbart always emphasized the importance of understanding how the left operates--the better to combat it. So we at Breitbart News, who seek to carry on Andrew’s work, feel a continuing obligation to expose the left and its ever-evolving methods. And so we return to Gabriel Sherman, because his career provides a window into the mechanisms of the contemporary left. In particular, we...

I just got a call from a pollster trying to push me toward supporting Brad Sherman in the Berman/Sherman Celebrity Death Match. I had to suppress my laughter as Sherman was described as a "fiscal conservative" at one point. Most of the questions were of the form: "Do you like Sherman more now that you know that he interfered in the free market on this issue?" I really don't think that they wanted my answers.

EL PASO, Texas, -- Police say Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the character George Jefferson famous in "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 74. Hemsley first became famous during his appearances on the hit show "All in the Family" in the early 1970's. Two years later, Hemsley got his own spin-off series, "The Jeffersons." The Jeffersons was hugely successful, enjoying a run of 11 seasons through 1985. After its cancellation, Helmsley joined the cast of the TV show, "Amen."

[...]Take AT&T, for example. The telecommunications giant is pushing for the supercommittee to increase wireless spectrum, reform corporate tax and minimize government regulation. The company, which is also in the midst of fighting for its merger with T-Mobile, bundled $71,000 for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee through the first six months of this year and $20,750 last year for Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who co-chairs the supercommittee and runs the campaign arm that is charged with maintaining a Senate majority next November. In fact, Murray received the most bundled contributions of any individual supercommittee lawmaker since last year, also taking...

A cadre of state, local and federal officials — both Republicans and Democrats represented — got an up-close look at the Sherman Minton Bridge Saturday, agreeing on at least one thing: There’s still no telling how long it’s going to be closed. Indiana Rep. Todd Young was joined by Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer for the tour. The bridge, which connects New Albany to Louisville over the Ohio River, has been shut down for more than a week after inspectors discovered a critical crack in a tension tie that previously could not be...

Not certain if Warner would dare release something like this nowadays in our PC world for fear of being dealt the race card. Indeed, since Allan Sherman was Jewish it would almost certainly be tagged as a Zionist plot.

As Governor Sarah Palin prepares to launch her campaign for the Presidency, and the waves of disinformation about her intentions begin to subside, the next predictable narrative, as night follows day, is: “She’s a quitter.” How will she handle this charge? In a sense, she already has, with the statement at the time of her resignation, which provided cogent reasons for anyone fair minded enough to consider them. But in our popular culture of sound bite journalism, a pithier response is no doubt appropriate, a reply that can be employed within the context of a thirty second answer in a...