Pride of place to picture 8. The well tried and battle tested Centurion. So said, the most tried and battle tested tank in the world including the T34 (or the upgunned version). Is this a fact or just urban myth?
Peter,
It had the desired effect on the Russians and exuded confidence in the battle field and looked the business. Not sure we would have come off best against overwhelming odds of 6 to 1 though!!!!!
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
Like they said in WWII send 4 Shermans to get a Tiger odds are 3 will be nailed before the last one can ram one up the pipe of the Tiger. It may have been an over engineered piece of kit but when General Bernard Montgomery forbade the use of the words Tiger Tank in any reports lest it cause Tiger Phobia that says something. I for one would not want had to have faced one in a Sherman, Von Rosen of the 503rd Battalion said the Firefly did not worry the Tiger crews unduly. The latter Soviet SU series was a threat to them with their 120mm+ guns. You cannot take away from the GA that early on their kit was pretty damn good.
The Israelis apparently did well with their Centurions back in the day when they went up against the Egyptians and their Soviet kit. What was that, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War or both?
The Israelis have had a rolling programme of "updating" armoured vehicles since day one.
Sherman with a 105mm gun? yep.
The M-51 variant sported a diesel engine, E8 type suspension, even wider tracks and a serious gun. They saw service in the '67 caper and again in '73 in the Yom Kippur war.
Many were either sold / traded to sundry south American countries, converted to SP artillery chassis or re-purposed to other auxiliary uses.
A lot of "ex-Egyptian / Syrian" etc armour (no warranty expressed or implied), was recycled using the power-packs and track systems for the US M-60 tank as well as L7 main guns (where they could be fitted), "Blazer" reactive armour etc.
PM
