Название: Sherman Mediun Tank: Canadian, New Zealand and South African Armies Italy, 1943-1945 (TankCraft 39)Автор: Dennis Oliver
Издательство: Pen and Sword Military
Год: 2023
Страниц: 64
Язык: английский
Формат: epub
Размер: 15.3 MB
The Sherman tank served with most Allied armies during the Second World War and it is justly famous for the role it played in the Normandy landings and the subsequent drive into Germany. But the part played by the British commonwealth armored units in the Italian campaign is less well known and in his latest volume in the TankCraft series Dennis Oliver uses wartime photos, extensively researched text and highly-detailed color illustrations to cover the Sherman tanks of the Canadian, New Zealand and South African armies that battled their way up the Italian peninsula. Although it was often out-gunned by its opponents the Sherman’s ability to handle the worst terrain and its mechanical reliability ensured that it was at the forefront of every battle and contributed greatly to the final Allied victory. Examined in this book are both the 75mm armed version and the potent tank killer referred to toady as the Firefly, as well as a number of little-known field modifications. A large part of this work showcases available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the modeler needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic vehicles.
Although the nations of the British Commonwealth had pledged their manpower resources to the war effort from the very first day of the conflict it was not until the latter half of 1942 that serious attempts were made to raise armoured formations, other than light reconnaissance units, to supplement the infantry and artillery formations which had by that stage seen considerable action. The prospect of large numbers of mechanically reliable American-built medium and light tanks becoming available due to the Lend-Lease programme was almost certainly a crucial factor in the decision to raise, equip and train Canadian, New Zealand and South African tank units in preparation for the coming battles on the European mainland. Below are brief histories of the formations involved and the armoured vehicles they were assigned. I should mention that only major battles and offensives are described here as it would be quite impossible to detail the thousands of skirmishes and firefights which these units were involved. I have used the term Firefly, almost certainly a post-war invention, purely as a matter of convenience to describe the 17pdr conversions based on the Sherman I and Sherman V tanks.
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