The Sherman’s saving grace was the fact that it was more mechanically reliable than its German counterparts, thus requiring less down-time for maintenance. Such technological disadvantages had unfortunate consequences in battle. The US Army developed a 76.2-mm gun, but it proved inadequate. A match for the powerful German tank guns was found with the conversion of British and Canadian Shermans to mount the 17-pounder, but it could not fire high explosive (HE) rounds and only about 25% of tanks were thus equipped during the Battle of Normandy. To compound the problem, the Sherman’s high profile silhouette made it a more visible target. The range of the 88-mm gun mounted in the latter, for example, was on average four times greater than the Sherman’s 75-mm. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-131366.Īs the Battle of Normandy developed, it became obvious that the Sherman was seriously outgunned and inadequately armoured compared to the German Panther and Tiger tanks. Mines are exploded as chains attached to a rotating drum hit the ground. Sherman flail tank near Thaon, France, 6 August 1944. Other “Funnies” had also been developed for the invasion, including the Sherman “Crab”, a mine-clearing tank equipped with a large flail. The four squadrons of 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade assigned to support the 3rd Division’s landings on Juno Beach-“B” and “C” Squadrons of The Fort Garry Horse and “A” and “B” Squadrons of The First Hussars-“swam” ashore in DD tanks on June 6th, 1944. Two propellers were fitted at the rear of the tank for use in water once on land, it used its tracks for propulsion. This model featured a collapsible canvas screen which inflated around the hull of the tank, displacing enough water to allow it to float. Special “duplex-drive” (DD) tanks had been developed for the assault landing. The 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, training in Britain for Operation Overlord, had their Canadian-built Ram tanks replaced with Shermans in the months leading up to D-Day. These tanks were armed with the standard 75-mm gun, although some also mounted a 105 mm howitzer. The 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade was equipped with Shermans in time for the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In Canadian armoured formations, it replaced the Canadian-built Ram tank. Selected as the Western Allies’ standard battle tank in the summer of 1943, the Sherman had been designed in the United States and was produced from February 1942 in several variations. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-136670.
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