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Killing Tigers, Shermans vs. the Tigers

Tiger Killers.

Looking for a specific tank…about twice their size…..with a special Firefly technology.

Two weeks after Omaha Beach….the British “Firefly” technology was on the battle front in France. The Brits had finally convinced themselves that  the 17 pound gun must be retrofitted to the Sherman M4A4   

For all tank commanders on both sides of the war the news spread fast. Firefly Tanks were reported active in France under General Montgomery. The give-away was the barrel was much longer with a rounded muzzle. The barrel would emit sparks and fire as the projectile exited.   

It was testy times for the US Army at Normandy in June of 1944. Basically one Tiger Tank could take out 12 Sherman tanks in a battlefield, face to face head on confrontation  

“Surprise, Surprise and by the way Happy Birthday, Rommel.“ 

The British commanders of the Firefly Sherman tanks actually tried to hide the barrel length with camouflage so that the commanders of Tiger 1 (120,000 lbs.) and the King Tiger (140,000 lbs.) would not recognize the potency of the Sherman.  The Brits kept the Firefly Sherman looking just like any other Sherman. The Firefly technology was decisive up against the Tiger Tanks.   

The 50,000 Sherman tanks (66,000 lbs.) were superior in many ways. The British were key in winning battle after battle in France using 2,900 Sherman Tanks with Firefly Technology. The Sherman tanks with Firefly technology basically stopped the Tigers dead in their tracks.   

There is a lesson inside this document for any strategic planning meeting.  

Several major factors developed by the Allies in the WW2 were changing the outcome of the war and thus the end of 1,347 Tiger 1 and 492 King Tigers. The tanks were rendered useless due to weight and horsepower. The Tiger Tanks were not mobile as compared to highly mobile Sherman Tanks. The Sherman tanks were also easy to repair and support a long way from the hundreds of factories of the USA.   

As reported it took 300,000 Man Hours or slave labor to build a King Tiger Tank. They were difficult to repair. The Tiger tanks carried two sets of tracks, narrow tracks for rail transport and high floatation tracks at 10.5 psi. Tigers were underpowered at 690 hp. They were fuel hogs burning petrol in V-12 engines.  

About this time as shown in July of 1944 the USA was closing in with a run of 50,000 Sherman Tanks with variants in large runs….The M4A4 tank shown has a 30 cylinder Chrysler engine in 5 banks of 6 at 370 hp at 2,400 rpm.  There were 7,900 built under lend lease that went to  the UK.  

The US Army and Marines preferred M4A3 with a Ford V-8 dual overhead cam engines. At 500 hp and 1100 cu. in they also operated at 2,600 rpm with much better fuel economy. The horsepower to weight ratio was superior and the weight match the tracks floatation. The US Army Sherman tanks had higher roading speeds and a great track suspensions with the “Duck Bill” extension to the track outside margin as shown in the picture included.  

“There is a very big lesson that must be remembered.  Bigger is not always better, Adolph. “  

The Henschel and Sons tank plant at Kassel, Germany was bombed to oblivion from September 22, 1944 to October 7, 1944 in five Allied air raids over the Rhur District of Germany. About 95% of the total capacity was lost.

Thus 657 King Tiger Tanks were not produced due to this attack by the Allies. The resistance fighters in Austria are credited with the critical information to bomb this specific factory.


SHAEF Commander, General Eisenhower reviewing a destroyed King Tiger Tank.  It must have been a proud day.


A King Tiger Tank in Budapest 1944. Notice the second set of transport tracks are mounted to the turret for additional protection.

Improving your bets. Making better bets.  

This is a major strategic advantage of the Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.  

Small local optimized Green Play Ammonia plants that are efficient without a grid, independent as we can make them and yet linked to other plants with DOT transports and electric drive trucks using green ammonia/DC power.  

Optimized plants using location as a strategic plan. Plants that are not high value targets in times of war or bad weather.  

Small local plants that always have Anhydrous Ammonia in the neighborhood. These optimized scale plants have no connection to the electrical grid or pipelines.  

The Green Play Ammonia, Yielder NFuel Energy plants are built in large volumes. We note that there will be variants. The Green Play Ammonia plants get better and better really fast.  

Large Mega plants do not get better and better near as fast and are high risk at the shorelines of America. They are high value targets in times of war and bad weather.  

Our Green Play Ammonia, Yielder NFuel Energy design is similar to the Sherman tank. 

An intense project with on time deliveries is illustrated below.

M4 Sherman Production[32][3][33]

Designation

Manufacturers

Total

Date

M4

Pressed Steel Car Company
Baldwin Locomotive Works
American Locomotive Co.
Pullman-Standard Car Company
Detroit Tank Arsenal

6,748

July 1942 – January 1944

M4(105)

Detroit Tank Arsenal

800

February 1944 – September 1944

M4(105) HVSS

Detroit Tank Arsenal

841

September 1944 – March 1945

M4A1

Lima Locomotive Works
Pressed Steel Car Company
Pacific Car and Foundry Company

6,281

February 1942 – December 1943

M4A1(76)W

Pressed Steel Car Company

2,171

January 1944 – December 1944

M4A1(76)W HVSS

Pressed Steel Car Company

1,255

January 1945 – July 1945

M4A2

Fisher Tank Arsenal (Grand Blanc)[34]


Pullman-Standard Car Company
American Locomotive Co.
Baldwin Locomotive Works
Federal Machine and Welder Co.

8,053

April 1942 – May 1944

M4A2(76)W

Fisher Tank Arsenal

1,594

May 1944 – December 1944

M4A2(76)W HVSS

Fisher Tank Arsenal
Pressed Steel Car Company

1,321

January 1945 – May 1945

M4A3

Ford Motor Company

1,690

June 1942 – September 1943

M4A3

Ford Motor Company

1,690

June 1942 – September 1943

M4A3(75)W

Fisher Tank Arsenal

2,420

February 1944 – December 1944

M4A3(75)W HVSS

Fisher Tank Arsenal

651

January 1945 – March 1945

M4A3E2

Fisher Tank Arsenal

254

May 1944 – July 1944

M4A3(76)W

Detroit Tank Arsenal
Fisher Tank Arsenal

1,400
500
total 1,925
[35][b]

February-July 1944
September 1944 – December 1944

M4A3(76)W HVSS

Detroit Tank Arsenal

2,617

July 1944 – April 1945

M4A3(105)

Detroit Tank Arsenal

500

May 1944 – September 1944

M4A3(105) HVSS

Detroit Tank Arsenal

2,539

September 1944 – June 1945

M4A4

Detroit Tank Arsenal

7,499

July 1942 – November 1943

M4A6

Detroit Tank Arsenal

75

October 1943 – February 1944

Total

 

49,234

 

Roots of the Sherman tank,

An amazing story of 3.3 years,

50,000 tanks with 11 companies coast to coast.   

13 variants with the British Firefly included.

The US Army and the Marines, and the Allied forces in Europe and the British Commonwealth as all-consuming customers under Lend Lease.

This diversity of the Sherman Tank manufacturing alone tells the story of why a single Mega plants in the Ruhr District of Germany are not near as effective as multiple plants of optimized scale.

The United States Army Air Force targeted the German Henschel tank factory and stopped the production of 657 King Tiger tanks in April of 1944.

·         In the United States the belief in multiple optimized plants providing product improvement was able to overpower the enemy.  

·         Thus the plants in the USA were optimized for their specific location and resource availability .

·         A strategic move based on the strength of the country to rapidly adapt.

·         The “War Effort” required change and sacrifice.

M4 Sherman: comparison of key production features of selected models

Designation

Main Armament

Hull

Engine

M4

75 mm

welded

gasoline Continental R975 radial

M4(105)

105 mm howitzer

welded

gasoline Continental R975 radial

M4 Composite

75 mm

cast front, welded sides

gasoline Continental R975 radial

M4A1

75 mm

cast

gasoline Continental R975 radial

M4A1(76)W

76 mm

cast

gasoline Continental R975 radial

M4A2

75 mm

welded

GM 6046 diesel (conjoined 6-71s)

M4A2(76)W

76 mm

welded

GM 6046 diesel (conjoined 6-71s)

M4A3(75)W

75 mm

welded

gasoline Ford GAA V8

M4A3E2 "Jumbo"

75 mm (some 76 mm)

welded

gasoline Ford GAA V8

M4A3(76)W

76 mm

welded

gasoline Ford GAA V8

M4A4

75 mm

welded; lengthened

gasoline Chrysler A57 multibank

M4A6

75 mm

cast front, welded sides; lengthened

diesel Caterpillar D200A radial

W = ammunition stowage system

  
Guy J Swanson

Meeting your formulation needs. www.exactrix.com/TF.htm  

Picking your metering systems. www.exactrix.com/EPM.htm  

Need more information on advanced crop production.   www.exactrix.com/EWAC.htm

 

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