Sherman DD

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F.N.
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Sherman DD

#1

Post by F.N. » 07 Mar 2004, 01:26

Look at this amphibious sherman tank:
Image

Image

How much was this tank used during ww2 and when was it put into use?

Both pictures taken from http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/Grea ... Tanks.html

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PanzerVI
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#2

Post by PanzerVI » 07 Mar 2004, 02:07

So let me tell you a few things about this Duplex Drive Sherman of your's :)
First of all these kind of tanks were started at the end of WW1 but there were few that worked properly.
In WW2 they began to be produced more and were also divided in 2 categories :
1.The tanks that had integral buoyancy , which were designed to float with preparation. (L1E3 and AT1)
2.Ordinary tanks with added bits to float (for example the Covenanter tank with added floating deviced mounted on both sides which made it impossible to carry on any landing craft.Another disadvantage was they operated only in inland waters.
Nicholas Straussler who provided such early , bulky floats later solved this problem and the folding screen that appears in your pic , that gave buoyancy to a ordinary tank without adding much to it's bulk.
They worked , not perfect...but still worked.
This was used for the first time to a LIGHT TANK MARK VII (Tetrarch) which was to be tested in the Portsmouth Harbour.
So in 1944 it was in service for all allied armies.
Two propellers were fitted to the rear of the tank to propel the tank in the water.
You asked how much they were used.They were intended just for the landings on D-Day.Such is the example of Omaha beach were just few DD's made it to the shore because most were were launched out of the landing craft too far offshore as the Coxswains of the landing craft feared that if they got too close to the beach, they would hit a mine or be attacked by German Artillery or machine gun fire.

Some good info on these
http://www.d-daytanks.org.uk/articles/d ... -tank.html
http://www.d-daytanks.org.uk/exhibits/sherman-dd.html
Attachments
Sherman-dd-tank-on-beach.jpg
The Sherman 'Donald Duck' , see the proppelors :)
Sherman-dd-tank-on-beach.jpg (13.84 KiB) Viewed 828 times


Paul Hanson
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DD Sherman

#3

Post by Paul Hanson » 07 Mar 2004, 03:09

They were not only used on D-Day but later on by the British for the Rhine crossings. The following units used DD Shermans to cross the Rhine on March 23rd/24th, 1945:

Staffordshire Yeomanry at Rees
44th Royal Tank Regiment at Wesel

PH

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PanzerVI
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#4

Post by PanzerVI » 07 Mar 2004, 05:14

Thank you for the correction , I made that statement believing that they were used only in sea shore landings and couldn't have been useful in river crossings.
Were they used just on that occasion on the Rhine ?

Bogdan

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#5

Post by cbo » 07 Mar 2004, 14:42

PanzerVI wrote:Thank you for the correction , I made that statement believing that they were used only in sea shore landings and couldn't have been useful in river crossings.
Were they used just on that occasion on the Rhine ?

Bogdan
DD Shermans were used in the crossing of the Scheldt in October 1944 in the battle to clear the approaches to the harbour of Antwerp. Two squadrons of the 7th Hussars with 9th Armoured Brigade in Italy were also equipped with DD-Shermans and apparently participated in the battles in northern Italy, including the taking of Venice and Trieste. I dont know if they actually used their DDs to cross water, but there is a picture of a row of 7th Hussars DDs with Indian infantry riding on them, allegedly from the very last days of the war. The DDs still have their canvas screens attached.

Not so long ago, a Sherman DD was found off the coast of Italy at Salerno where it was lost during training excercises in July 1944 in preparation for the invasion of Southern France. Dunno if they were ever used though.


Image

http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/htmlinks/ ... 0628-1.htm

http://www.military.com/Content/MoreCon ... nk,00.html

Claus B

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PanzerVI
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#6

Post by PanzerVI » 07 Mar 2004, 17:55

Thank you for the links and also about the sunck wreck of that DD tank I came upon it while I was doing a search but that site wouldnt't let the pics to be enlarged.
You doubt they were used both on D-Day or on other river crossing occasions ?
I believe they were used on the beaches of Normandy as that incident claims.Any more info on such statements of use in first line ?

Bogdan

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Aufklarung
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#7

Post by Aufklarung » 07 Mar 2004, 23:03

PanzerVI
Here you can find some previously posted info and links of DD Sherman and Valentine use:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=26184

regards
A :)

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PanzerVI
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#8

Post by PanzerVI » 09 Mar 2004, 18:11

Aufklarung , there some links exist no more on that thread.Here they are :

http://www.kithobbyist.com/AFVInteriors/dd/dd1.html
http://www.hobartmull.bravepages.com/hobart.html

Also thanks for the thread , it surely completes these one and closes the subject on Hobart's tanks.
I should have searched myself for it , my mistake.
Cheers

Bogdan

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