Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 05:16 AM 1/15/2007, Douglas Sharp wrote: >The Germans had plenty of time to develop their tanks before WWII >started - if you look at what the allies had when it started, there were >only light tanks such as the US M2 and medium tanks such as the British >Valentine, and the Poles met the first German tank incursions with >cavalry and tin-pot Vickers light tanks. The French had machines like >the Renault FT-17 and the Char B1 bis that were still straight out of WWI. > >The Sherman was indeed an excellent development, even better when >up-armoured and with HVVS suspension, although the US turret guns left >quite a bit to be desired, hence the Australian Firefly version and the >British development of the M7 HMC (Priest) as the Sexton using the >superb 25-pounder. The later US 105mm gun was a definite improvement >over the 75mm. The French had the best medium tank in the world when the Germans attacked in May, 1940, but their doctrine kept these scattered about with the infantry and not used in massed armor formations as the Germans were doing. Almost all of the German tanks were PZKW II and III tanks, underpowered, underarmored, and undergunned, but the lack of Allied air cover and anti-tank ordnance allowed them to succeed. The Anglo-French effort to cut off the German spearhead, cobbled together as it was, showed that the Allies had come to learn the virtues of German doctrine but too late for that battle. The US forces moved from the 75mm low-velocity to the 76mm high-velocity to the 90mm. The 105 did not come on board until the M60 entered the fray in 1962. It was replaced in the second and later versions of the M1 with the 120 fin-stabilized gun. The Shermans were preferred for service in Korea over later tanks as they had better field mobility and as they could outfight the North Korean and Chicom T-34's due to superior fire control and weapon stability. The lack of Communist air parity and ground anti-tank weapons helped, too. Marc msmall@aya.yale.edu Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!