Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/15

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Subject: [Leica] There's something about German design ...
From: marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Mon Jan 15 12:03:49 2007
References: <200701150418.l0F4IlM8086419@server1.waverley.reid.org> <315738.85149.qm@web90412.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <200701150654.l0F6svXV004648@server1.waverley.reid.org> <45AB5497.2010403@gmx.de>

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!



Replies: Reply from douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)
Reply from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)
In reply to: Message from marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)
Message from wrs111445 at yahoo.com (Bill Smith) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)
Message from marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)
Message from douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp) ([Leica] There's something about German design ...)