Just reading a note in Paul Roberts' book "The Ram: Devlopments and Variants, Vol.1" and I am a bit puzzled about something....
Ram production stopped in the summer of 1943 and Canada went on to build the M4 Grizzlies. However, 28 of the late production Rams built in Canada were supposedly pupose built "turretless" ammunition carriers. "CT 231070-CT 231097".
No photographs seem available, but this alternate, yet very similar use of the RAM predates the "kangaroo" by a full year. (As discussed earlier in this thread, many more conversions to ammo carriers were carried out in Europe in 1944-45.)
Were these 28 Rams truly built "turretless"??? Is there any contemporary (1943) Canadian Army documentation as to the use of Rams for alternate purposes, as by the fall of 1943 it was final that they were to be replaced in all theatres by U.S. Shermans?
I am also puzzled by a footnote in Donald Graves' book, "South Alberta's: A Regiment at War", Chapter 7, Note 4:
"In the spring of 1944 the CAC Operational Training Squadron at Woking experimented with using Ram tanks, with their turrets removed, as APCs. These evolved into the Kangaroo APC." Interview with Danny McLeod, 1996.
??? Spring of 1944, Rams!!!! This predates Simonds, "Totalize" and the M7 Priest APCs? Any idea if there is a way to prove or disprove this? If that is true, it certainly changes the origin story of the "Kangaroo".
Bill..
: