WW2 GeneralDiscuss Ready for El Alamein: ideal British tanks in the World War II - General forums; The Battle of France was a battle of contrasts. Generally contrast between German excellence and Allied myopathy.
Arras was the ...
The Battle of France was a battle of contrasts. Generally contrast between German excellence and Allied myopathy.
Arras was the exception to the rule. The Germans were there in considerable strength, and resisted strongly, but were caught off guard by the British, which on this one occasion (up to that point), got their act together and were able to deliver a (relatively) co-ordinated attack, albeit on a woefully inadequate scale. Britsh troops had shown themselves fairly equal to the task defensively, but were inneffective in an offensive role, as were the French.
Hitler , after the completion of the French campaign, in a conversation with Ciano described the British as good soldiers, very stubborn, but miserably led. I would accept that as a reasonable assessment.
Heree and there though there were glimmers of superior leadership in the British Army. It would take another three years of bitter experiences for those dim sparks of leadership to ignite into a full fires of initiative and effective combat performance.
Fr President Clemenceau’s speech to the AIF 7th July 1918: “ we expected a great deal of (Australians)… We knew that you would fight a real fight, but we did not know that from the beginning you would astonish the whole continent. I shall go back and say to my countrymen “I have seen the Australians, I have looked in their faces …I know that they will fight alongside of us again until the cause for which we are all fighting is safe for us and for our children”.
From The Rommel Papers
Rommel was about to be removed from his command. On the 28th January he wrote to his wife:
Dearest Lu
In a few days I shall be giving up command of the army to an Italian, for the sole reason that “ my present state of health does not permit me to carry on.” Of course it’s really for quite other reasons, principally that of prestige. I have done all I can to maintain the theatre of war, in spite of the indescribable difficulties in all fields. I am deeply sorry for my men. They were very dear to me.
Physically, I am not too well. Severe headaches and overstrained nerves, on top of the circulation trouble, allow me no rest. Professor Horster is giving me sleeping draughts and helping as far as he can. Perhaps I’ll have a few weeks to recover, though with the situation as it is in the East, what one would like is to be in the front line.
A piper of the Gordon Highlanders plays from a Valentine tank as it drives into Tripoli past crowds of cheering locals, 26 January 1943
Sherman tanks during the advance along the coast road towards Tripoli, 27 January 1943.
The crew of a 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun watch the sky after a Stuka raid during the 8th Army’s advance on Tripoli, 29 January 1943
An American soldier advances cautiously at left with a sub-machine gun to cover any attempt of the German tank crew from escaping their fiery prison inside their tank following a duel with U.S. and British anti-tank units in Medjez al Bab area, Tunisia, on January 12, 1943.
A Humber Mk II armoured car and crew of ‘B’ Squadron, 11th Hussars – the first vehicle to enter Tripoli, photographed on 2 February 1943.
General Sir Alan Brooke (Chief of the Imperial General Staff) and General Sir Harold Alexander (C-in-C Middle East) in the back of a staff car during Winston Churchill’s visit to Tripoli to thank the 8th Army for its success in the North African campaign, 4 February 1943.
Winston Churchill greets an officer of 51st Highland Division during his visit to Tripoli to thank the 8th Army for its success in the North African campaign, 4 February 1943.
25-pdr field guns and ‘Quad’ artillery tractors parade past Winston Churchill during his visit to Tripoli to thank the 8th Army for its success in the North African campaign, 4 February 1943.
The Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives a speech to men of the 8th Army at Tripoli, Libya, on 7 February 1943.
IIRC this was the reason why the Vickers HV 75mm gun could not fit the Cromwell turret it was supposed to be designed for. The Vickers had an external mantlet mount and the turret an internal one so the gun was too long to fit.
Considering that the Churchill was bodged to take a Sherman external mount I am at a loss to understand why they did not do something similar with the Cromwell for the Vickers HV 75mm.
Sudanese Staghounds were fitted with the AEC turret and Sherman external mantlets and guns post war so it looks like it might have been possible.
That explains one of the issues I had thought about with the fitting of larger guns to British designs. As you say Yulzari - it was done with the Churchill, so why not a similar fix for the Cromwell?
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Originally Posted by vinnye 
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