Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII, Cromwell (A27M)

 

What a mouthful of a title, let's just stick with "Cromwell." During the Second World War, British tank designs were designated as either "Infantry Tanks" or "Cruiser Tanks."  The former were slow AFV's (Armored Fighting Vehicle's) designed to travel with and give close support to infantry forces. While cruisers were fast attack tanks designed to create breakthroughs in the front or contain enemy assaults. With only 4000 units built, Cromwell's were not the most common tank in the British Army. Yet with its high speed of 64kn/h (40 mph), good armor of 76-100mm (3 to 4 inches) and a reliable 75 mm (2.953 inch) main gun, the Cromwell was popular with its crews. Cromwell's saw heavy service from 1944 to the end of World War II in Europe, as well as action in the '48 Arab Israeli War and the Korean War. After World War II, some Cromwell's found service with the Greek, Israeli, Polish and Portuguese Armies. By the mid-1950's, they were no longer frontline units in the British Army.

This is a plastic piece that I put together and painted in July '22.

The Jeep-Workhorse of the Allies in the Second World War

 

With at least 640,000 Jeeps made during the Second World War, it's not surprising that they were a common sight in every Allied army on every front. Rugged, well-built and reliable, the Jeep became the new mule/workhorse of the Allies military. Completing every conceivable job from recon to raiding, transporting to towing, ambulance to anti-air, the jeep did it all.

Here we have Pacific Theater USMC Jeep armed with the famous M2 Browning (Ma Deuce) .50 cal. heavy machinegun. Firing a massive 12.7 mm (1/2-inch) wide bullet, the Ma Duce has been, and still is, a staple of the US Military since 1933. Effective against infantry, vehicles, lightly armored AFV's, aircraft and small boats, the Ma Deuce has been a popular choice in any firefight. 

At a cost of $1291.78 ($22,000 in 2022), the Jeep was a cheap and versatile way to get firepower and supplies to any hot spot on the line. With a speed of over 45 mph (72 km/p), the ability to haul over 1000 lbs. (454 kg) and travel in every combat environment, the Jeep was a welcome addition to any military motor pool.

After the war, many Jeeps became war surplus and served a double duty in the civilian realm. My own Uncle Herb used a Jeep at the Ranch for decades, doing sterling duty on the rolling hills and mountains of the Central California Coast. We still use the Jeep trails that he blazed in the 1940's, '50's and 60's. My favorite saying, he had about his trusty Jeep was "there are only two types of trees on the Ranch...those the Jeep can run over and those they can't...and there are darn few of those it can't."

This is a plastic/resin/metal piece I painted 

American Armor - 1940's Style

M3A1 Stuart light scout tank 37mm ATG, two .30 cal. machineguns. 

The second largest American production tank, with over 22,400 Stuart M3/M5 family of tanks produced, the Stuart was a common sight on the major battlefields of World War Two, as well as a variety of conflicts up until the Nicaraguan Revolution of the late 1970's. Built in such large numbers, Stuarts were seen in every major Allied army in the Second World War, even in the Soviet and Chinese forces.

While too lightly armored and armed to be a main battle tank in Europe by the time the US entered the war, the Stuart was still quite useful as a scout tank and against the lighter AFV's of Japan. It's original max armor of 51mm (2inches) a main gun of only 37mm and up to five .30 cal. machineguns was fine when first designed but was quickly surpassed as the war progressed. What it did possess was a great turn of speed, up 58 kph/36mph and unsurpassed reliability. So reliable were Stuarts that the British tankers in North Africa gave them the nick name "Honey." Many variants included upgraded armor, weapons (flame throwers and short 75mm cannon being especially popular) and even turrets.

As with the later Sherman's, Stuarts had a long and successful life in the armies of smaller nations after the war, the army of Paraguay was still using ten upgraded Stuarts as late as 2014.

M4 Sherman medium tank, Draftee, 75mm cannon two .30 cal. machineguns one .50 cal. machinegun. Note the extra inch thick applique armor on extra areas of the vulnerable sides and turret. 

50,000+ Sherman's were produced during World War Two, seeing combat on every front as well as in the Korean War, India vs Pakistan wars the Arab-Israel conflicts and countless smaller actions through the '50's, '60's and '70's with dozens of countries.  The varieties produced are too many to list in this small post check out "The Online Tank Museum" for a more complete list. 

The weight went up from 30.3 tons for the first M4 models to over 42 tons for the massive M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman. Armor was constantly increased and changed with frontal armor ranging from 76mm (3 inches) to 177mm (7 inches)-again on the Jumbo.

Main weapons available also went through a dizzying amount of varieties, 75mm, 76mm, 76.2mm, 105mm cannons; flame-throwers and rockets from 76.2mm, 113mm, to 183mm, fired in groups of from 2 to 60 projectiles. Adaptability was a hallmark of the Sherman.

All in all, the massive number produced, reliability and the great variety of designs made the Sherman a real war winner for the Western Allies (while over 4100 Sherman's saw service in the Soviet Armies in WWII, they had their own game winner in their excellent T34 series of tanks.) The last Sherman tanks in active duty, after many upgrades, were retired in 1999, from the Chilean army. While the army of Paraguay did not fully retire their last three Sherman's until 2018, quite a career for a tank that many considered way inferior to its German advisories.

Both of these tanks are on display at the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans.