Sentinel Vs Valentine

[Roger Lucy]

Originally Posted by Ryan

Canada was able to bring Valentine tanks into production within 11 months (June 1940-May1941) of beginning the program. Production for the next few months was slow but they were being produced.

The Valentines were being produced, but just barely. The first pilot Valentine was rolled out of CPR`s Angus Works on 22 May 1941 for a photo-op and was promptly rolled back again for completion. Scheduled deliveries were one in June, five in July, ten in August and 14 in September. There were major problems getting drawings and components from the UK (a problem shared by all other Canadian AFVs based on British designs), and even where North American substitutes were found sourcing some of these from the USA was unreliable. In addition Canadian armour plate production had to be started from scratch, and CPR`s production methods were frankly artisinal.

Canadian Army HQ Report 38 of 27 July 1950 gives a good overview of the challenges involved.
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-...qga/ahq038.pdf

The Ram is perhaps a closer analogy to the Sentinel. Both used an M3 chassis, with a cast upper hull and turret. The basic design was undertaken in early 1941. The pilot was rolled out on 30 June 1941 and it was in series production (not without its share of glitches and bottle-necks) by the end of the year. Unlike the Sentinel, the Ram could source a lot of key components such as the hull and turret castings, the engines and the transmissions in the USA (although initially the supply of these was erratic and dependent on the good will of US Ordnance).

All this and much much more can be found in Canada`s Pride; The Ram Tank and its Variants.
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=22036

I do not, by the way, recall coming across any references, in my researches, to Australian interest in the Ram programme.