Rams outside 1st Armoured Carrier Regiment

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bill Miller

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?

Bill, fascinating stuff! When I first read this note, I did not know what to think of it.

But we first need to ascertain if those 28 Rams were actually built turretless, in other words, while being on the assembly line at Montreal Locomotive Works. Another possibility is 28 of the late production Ram tanks were taken from stock later to be converted. This could mean the actual conversion was carried out (much) later than in September 1943.

Also, the fact that they have much higher WD numbers (CT 231070 to CT 231097) than the last Ram OP/Commands built (CT-205122 to CT-205181), does suggest new them being built - or at least contracted - somewhere between the third and forth batch of Sextons (CS204782 to CS204821 and S233626 to S233925 respectively). Now, would they be newly built, from left-over hull castings, or converted from unused stock?

Hanno