Holy Roller track type

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Jack Geratic

Hello Colin, thank you for digging out that memo concerning rubber track replacement during vehicle prep for D-Day.

Also that photo of Canadian Shermans operating with early VVSS suspension, that to me is like the proverbial smoking gun. Positive proof that they were acceptable for use in 1944. If I had to make a guess, these could be Sherbrooke Shermans based on the style of radio call sign numbers and size of squadron markings located on the turret storage bin.

regards,
Jack

Good question and good photo. If I remember the Minutae pages correctly, the first Shermans sent to the British went to North Africa. Those had the characteristic deep sand shields we see in 8th Army photos. Churchill asked and Roosevelt kept shipping. The photo, the production dates for Holy Roller and Bomb, and the captioning of Holy Roller's M3 then M4 bogey assemblies make me think the British parked those tanks for war stocks and just kept parking more and more in the yards. Theoretically, last in-first out until the Ordnance Parks got to the last rows. I will send this picture to the author of the regimental history to see if he has any suggestions or inputs. Wait. Out.