"For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

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AUSTanker
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"For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#1

Post by AUSTanker » 19 Apr 2016, 00:31

Extensive new upcoming book featuring Tigers, Panthers, and Shermans (Oh, My!)

Book sneak preview video on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99UaCetvfXw

Here's the book listing on AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Want-Gun-Sherman- ... t+of+a+gun

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pintere
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#2

Post by pintere » 19 Apr 2016, 14:53

There will be some explosive comment wars here...


pugsville
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#3

Post by pugsville » 19 Apr 2016, 15:41

untold until now.........

really?


the Sherman tank shortfalls have been much discussed since during the war (as the clip on youtube clearly shows it was a mater for discussion at the time)

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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#4

Post by Hoist40 » 19 Apr 2016, 18:22

I don't see how this quote from Amazon supports the title. Even the 75mm gun on the Sherman is capable of knocking out a 88mm anti-tank gun. In fact it was the general purpose use of the 75mm against troops, artillery, anti-tank guns that kept it in service so long

"""""As a German officer noted, "I was on this hill with six 88mm antitank guns...Every time they sent a tank, we knocked it out. Finally we ran out of ammunition, and the Americans didn't run out of tanks.""""""

Michael Kenny
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#5

Post by Michael Kenny » 19 Apr 2016, 18:47

AUSTanker is the author and this is just the latest forum (at least 3 others I know about)he has visited in a blitz of pre-publication advertising. The object is to provoke a 'heated debate' and boost sales. GIGO.

Richard Anderson
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#6

Post by Richard Anderson » 19 Apr 2016, 18:59

Hoist40 wrote:I don't see how this quote from Amazon supports the title. Even the 75mm gun on the Sherman is capable of knocking out a 88mm anti-tank gun. In fact it was the general purpose use of the 75mm against troops, artillery, anti-tank guns that kept it in service so long

"""""As a German officer noted, "I was on this hill with six 88mm antitank guns...Every time they sent a tank, we knocked it out. Finally we ran out of ammunition, and the Americans didn't run out of tanks.""""""
The bona fides of the author are somewhat suspect. The comments of his thesis advisors and others who encountered him pretty much tell it all...as does the bio he wrote himself.

"Christian M. DeJohn is a military historian, former U.S. Cavalry Sergeant, and United States Army veteran of overseas service in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, Korea, and Germany. Called to active duty after September 11 attacks, while a member of the famous First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, his Army duties included gunning and driving an M1 Abrams tank, and serving as a dismounted Cavalry scout in Bosnia. His professional writing experience has taken him on adventures as diverse as flying in a World War Two B-17 bomber, climbing through the coal bunkers of the USS Olympia, recreating Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg, reminiscing with the greatest American fighter ace of all time, and enjoying champagne with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew.

DeJohn's articles on military and American history have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and books including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Times, Main Line Magazine, Philadelphia Style, METRO, and The Dictionary of American History. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington, D.C., completed all required credits towards a Master of Arts degree in Military and American History from Temple University, and has worked for the US Army Military History Institute and US Department of Veterans Affairs. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the US Cavalry Association."

The reason he only has completed credits towrads his MA is because Temple never conferred it, resulting in DeJohn's suing Temple. Ken Estes at Tank-Net covered the reason pretty thoroughly.

"Now I remember, this guy was disruptive in class and antagonistic toward the prof, resisting any advice on his master's thesis. Greg Urwin told me a little about him and I was amazed, because Greg is a very patient and effective prof, was recently President of the Society for Military History and has great student reviews from Temple. He does know his American Military History, we can be assured."

Urwin himself commented "that the thesis was "agonizing" and that DeJohn must suffer from "Alzheimer’s disease." Urwin also wrote notes in the margins of DeJohn’s thesis. He wrote that DeJohn sounds like a "crackpot," that his arguments are "absurd," that the thesis read like "a comic book for 5-year olds," that it was "amateurish," that it was "exaggerated melodrama," "juvenile melodrama," and "juvenile rhetoric," "monotonous agony," "juvenile argumentation," a "hissy fit in print." https://www.thefire.org/as-lawsuit-come ... -stranded/ ,which oddly enough is in an article "defending" DeJohn's lawsuit, which eventually resulted in an award of $1 in damages to him.
Richard C. Anderson Jr.

American Thunder: U.S. Army Tank Design, Development, and Doctrine in World War II
Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall
Hitler's Last Gamble
Artillery Hell

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Pz III
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#7

Post by Pz III » 19 Apr 2016, 20:14

It figures that Schiffer would be the ones publishing it - they have pulled some with real bonehead moves with their publishing choices in the past.
Any one remember Simpsons book on Wittman - what a piece of $#%&.

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Christian Ankerstjerne
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#8

Post by Christian Ankerstjerne » 19 Apr 2016, 21:33

Moved to the book section.

Please keep the discussion civil and on the subject of the book.


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Urmel
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#10

Post by Urmel » 21 Apr 2016, 14:17

The enemy had superiority in numbers, his tanks were more heavily armoured, they had larger calibre guns with nearly twice the effective range of ours, and their telescopes were superior. 5 RTR 19/11/41

The CRUSADER Project - The Winter Battle 1941/42

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Christian Ankerstjerne
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#11

Post by Christian Ankerstjerne » 22 Apr 2016, 01:52

I really don't think there's any ambiguity to this message, but I'll repeat it just the same:
Christian Ankerstjerne wrote:[...]

Please keep the discussion civil and on the subject of the book.

Chepicoro
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#12

Post by Chepicoro » 27 Apr 2016, 02:01

Ohh as usual both trolls Rich and Kenny moving immediately to personal attacks and the moderation allowing this behavior.

How you can have an opinion of an unreleased book? I know, just bullying others.

Have you read the press between 1942 and 1946? (yes one year after the war). In Britain and the US the scandal existed that is a fact.

Image

The opinion went form overwhelmingly positive in 1942, to unquestionable negative by 1944, you can argue if the journalist, soldiers, and officers were right or not, but the issue was debated openly in both countries not only in the press but also in the US senate and british parliament.

Richard Anderson
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Re: "For Want of A Gun: The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII"

#13

Post by Richard Anderson » 27 Apr 2016, 05:57

Chepicoro wrote:Ohh as usual both trolls Rich and Kenny moving immediately to personal attacks and the moderation allowing this behavior.
I suggest you point out exactly where I made a "personal attack" on either the book or the author?
How you can have an opinion of an unreleased book? I know, just bullying others.
Given I made no comment on the book, why do you think you know my opinion of it?

BTW, you might want to look up ad hominem.
Have you read the press between 1942 and 1946? (yes one year after the war). In Britain and the US the scandal existed that is a fact.
You might want to do some research. The "scandal" such as it was in the U.S. occurred during the war. Hanson W. Baldwin's three articles lambasting American military leadership, which culminated in his call for an investigation of the Medium Tank M4, began running on 3 January 1945, during the war.
The opinion went form overwhelmingly positive in 1942, to unquestionable negative by 1944, you can argue if the journalist, soldiers, and officers were right or not, but the issue was debated openly in both countries not only in the press but also in the US senate and british parliament.
You really like to create strawmen, don't you?
Richard C. Anderson Jr.

American Thunder: U.S. Army Tank Design, Development, and Doctrine in World War II
Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall
Hitler's Last Gamble
Artillery Hell

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