Cromwells in Normandy

"Remarks regarding the use of Cromwell tanks in Normandy

1. Exhaust fumes, exhaust system, sparkplug fouling

A. The tank's users discovered that the exhaust fumes of the tank gave away the tank's position in moist weather. 

In order to immediately prevent this from happening, a protective cap for the exhaust pipe was designed. It is easy to install and it's made from scrap metal and refuse. The latter is used as stuffing.
This cap has the following advantages:

World of Tanks History Section: Panther Defeat at Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse

Operation Overlord began on June 6th, 1944. American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches on the shores of Normandy, opening the Western Front in Europe. In order to successfully develop this offensive, the Allies had to capture the city of Caen. This was the key to south-eastern France.

The attempt to take Caen from the march failed. The Germans threw considerable forces into the defense of the city, stopping the Canadian and British advance. To make matters worse, the Germans were gathering additional forces for a counteroffensive against the landed Allies. On June 7th-9th, the Germans delivered a series of local counterattacks to strengthen their position before the offensive. The fiercest battles here were fought by the Canadians near Rots, Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, and Norrey-en-Bessin.

A hurried strike

The 12th SS Tank Division was armed with Panther tanks, among others, and was a force to be reckoned with. The first three companies of Panthers (about 40 tanks) arrived on the front on June 8th and attacked immediately in an attempt to capture Rots. Canadian infantry did not resist for long and retreated to Bretteville where they could rely on prepared defenses.

When German forces neared Bretteville, they came under fire from AT guns, tanks, and grenade launchers. As a result, several tanks were knocked out and burned. Canadian Joe Lapointe entered a duel with a Panther, and knocked it out with three shots from his PIAT. This was one of the most successful attacks on a Panther with this type of weapon. German infantry was similarly unsuccessful, and retreated. The Panthers followed.

Failing to take Bretteville and Norrey at night, the Germans decided to repeat their attacks during the day. However, they were unable to create a truly powerful force, since the 12th SS was attacking in pieces. Not only did this reduce its offensive capabilities, but prevented the establishment of proper cooperation between tanks and infantry.

On June 9th, at noon, 1st and 3rd Panther companies (about 25 tanks) began an offensive at Norrey. Another company covered their attacks by shooting from standstill. German infantry did not support this attack, likely because they were pinned down by Allied artillery fire. Tanks had to manage with 20-30 soldiers.

Panthers rushed towards Norrey at maximum speed. Tanks from the first company made a short stop and fired upon the church steeple to knock out potential artillery observers. After that, the company moved forward once more. Before the Germans even reached the village, they came under fire from AT guns. A short battle ensued. Even though the Germans destroyed a handful of Canadian guns without any losses, the commander decided to not tempt fate and retreat. This was the only action taken by 1st company on June 9th.

Nightmare at Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse

3rd company has a darker fate in store for them. The company was commanded by Captain Ludeman, hurriedly appointed to replace the prior commander, who was wounded in battle. Little is known about this man, not even his first name.

12 tanks from the company advanced rapidly along the railroad. Ludeman ordered them to reduce speed and turn left towards Norrey. He assumed that this would turn the Panthers' front armour against Canadian AT guns. He thought wrong. In a few seconds, the Panthers were indeed fired upon, but from the right, not from the front. In only a few minutes, five tanks were destroyed and two more knocked out.

Everything happened so quickly that German tankers did not have time to find out who was shooting at them. Panthers caught fire, their crews tried to escape as quickly as possible. Everyone who was in that battle recalls it with horror.

A tank commanded by a man called Hermani (no rank or name was recorded) was hit in the right side of the turret. The shell flew under the loader's seat and ignited. Hermani was an experienced tanker and did not lock his hatch. Thanks to this, he was the first to exit his tank. The gunner had to move through the flame, and he suffered severe burns. On the edge of the hatch, the gunner tore off his intercom cable and jumped down, right on the radio operator. The radio operator screamed, thinking that a tank has crushed him.

Another Panther's commander peeked out of his turret to take a better look and was killed by a direct hit from a shell. Another tank suffered significant damage to its tracks and wheels, but rentained the ability to move and limped away. Some of the disabled Panthers had their turrets torn off by exploding ammunition.

The remainder of 3rd company retreated, not having seen their enemy. Many tankers were shocked by what they saw and experienced. Ludeman had a nervous breakdown and he was sent to a hospital, where he took several days to recover. One German officer that observed the slaughter of his Panthers recalled "I wanted to cry from the fury and sorrow."

Anti-tank Fireflies

Who destroyed those Panthers? These were Sherman tanks from a reserve unit, coming to reinforce the Canadian 1st Hussars Tank Regiment. Out of the nine tanks, several were Firefly modifications, equipped with 17-pounder 76.2 mm guns, capable of penetrating any German tank.

When the Germans went in to attack Norrey, the Shermans were located next to Bretteville. The Panthers from the 3rd company showed their sides perfectly to the Canadian tanks. The range was a mere 900 meters, so the first shells found their targets.

Lieutenant Henry's tank excelled in this battle. His gunner knocked out five Panthers with five hits. Another two Fireflies scored one kill each. All Shermans fired on the Panthers, so several were hit more than once. Regular Shermans fired HE, capable of confusing the enemy and buttoning them down, making it difficult to find targets. This is why the Germans were unable to discover their attacker.

Canadian Shermans were in the right place, in the right time. Even though the German attack was unexpected, the Canadians organized quickly and were performed admirably, with no losses on their side. The Germans once again were shown that hurried organization and rash action causes failure. This was the first victory of Canadian Shermans over German Panthers.

Original article available here.

Second Front

The Allied landings in Normandy 70 years ago were the product of many months of training, practicing, and strategizing, but what a lot of people don't know is that they were the product of years of political pressure from the USSR to open a second front. Such requests started as far back as 1941. Here are fragments of a letter from Stalin to Churchill dated July 18th, less than a month into the war:

"...I think that the position of both the Soviet Union and Great Britain will improve with a second front against Hitler in the West (north France) and the North (Arctic). A front in France will not only pull away forces from the East, but will prevent an invasion of England. Such a front will be met with agreement from both the British Army and the population of England. I can imagine the difficulty of such a front, but despite them, it should be created for the benefit of our joint affairs and England herself. It is easiest to form such a front now, when Hitler's forces are distracted in the East and he has not yet had time to fortify newly occupied positions.

A front in the North is even easier. Only air and sea forces will be needed, without a landing of infantry or artillery. You will be supported by Soviet land, sea, and air forces. We would welcome a light British division or Norwegian volunteers in northern Norway in order to incite a rebellion against Hitler."

RGASPI 558-11-255

Churchill does not agree.

 RGASPI 558-11-255

Churchill is quite light on the promises. A ship and maybe a fighter squadron. No second front is coming in 1941.

Nevertheless, Stalin tries again in September.

"...The Germans consider threats from the West a bluff, and continue to transfer their forces Eastward unpunished, convinced that there is no front in the West, and never will be. 

...

I think there is only one way out of this situation: the opening of a second front in the Balkans or in France, capable of pulling 30-40 German divisions from the East, simultaneously providing the USSR with 30,000 tons of aluminium, by the start of October and a minimum monthly aid of 400 planes and 500 tanks (small or medium). 

Without these two types of aid, the USSR will either face defeat or will be weakened to the point of inability to provide aid to its allies in the fight with Hitlerism."

 RGASPI 558-11-255

Churchill replies by telegram (sadly, no original):

"There is no possibility of British action in the West (aside from by air) that would pull the German forces from the East before winter. Equally, there is no possibility of a second front in the Balkans without help from Turkey...Action can lead only to an expensive fiasco, which will aid only Hitler.

...

We are prepared to send you half of what you request monthly, with the hope that the United States will cover the other half.

...We will gladly pressure Finland within our power, including immediate notification that we will declare war if they pass their old borders. We will ask the USA to take all possible steps to influence Finland.

September 5th, 1941."

RGASPI 558-11-255

Skip ahead a year, to August of 1942, and a scathing memorandum.

"As a result of an exchange of opinions in Moscow on August 12th of this year, I have established that the Prime Minister of Great Britain considers the second front in Europe impossible for 1942. As you are aware, the arrangement for a second front was made in 1942 when Molotov visited London, and reflected in an Anglo-Soviet communique, published on June 12th of this year.

It is also known that this front in Europe would divert the Germans from the Eastern Front to the West. A serious resistance to the fascists would ease the load on the Soviet-German front in 1942.

It is understood that Soviet command planned its summer and fall movements with the assumption that a second front would open in the summer of 1942. It is easy to see that the refusal of the Great British government delivers a hit to the morale of Soviet society, who hoped to see a second front, makes the position of the Red Army more difficult, and risks plans of the Soviet High Command.

I do not have to tell you that the difficult for the Red Army created by this refusal will not doubt negatively impact the position of England and all other Allies.

My colleagues and I are of the opinion that conditions in 1942 are favourable for the creation of a second front in Europe, as nearly all German forces, including their best forces, are distracted in the East, leaving an insignificant amount of poor soldiers in Europe. It is unknown if 1943 will be similarly favourable, which is why we consider 1942 to be the perfect opportunity for a second front. Sadly, I was unable to convince the Prime Minister of this, and Mister Harriman, the representative of the President of the United States, agreed with mister Prime Minister.

I. Stalin. 

August 13th, 1942."

RGASPI 558-11-257

1943 does not promise much more for a second front either. If anything, it's the opposite.

"From the above, I can tell that missions scheduled for February in Tunis are now delayed until April. I do not need to say how undesirable this is. At this time, when the Soviet armies are still capable of a wide offensive, Anglo-American activity in North Africa is most necessary. Pushing Hitler from our front and from Tunis will benefit us both, and accelerate your planned operations in Sicily and the Eastern Mediterranean. 

As for a European front, specifically in France, that is scheduled by you for August-September. I think that the current situation demands bringing these deadlines closer in order to open the Western front as early as possible. It is important to not delay an offensive until the second half of the year and let the enemy recuperate, but strike in spring, or in early summer. 

According to reliable sources, since December (when Anglo-American forces stopped for some reason) transferred 27 divisions to the Soviet-German front, including 5 tank divisions. As a result, instead of helping the Soviet Union by drawing forces away from its front, you helped Hitler, who could reinforce his armies due to the weakening of the Anglo-American operations in Tunis.

...

V. Molotov

February 16th, 1943"

RGASPI 558-11-365

RGASPI 558-11-262

A little more accomplishments on the Allied side this time, but the result is still the same: no second front, and no "results before the end of the year that will give you substantial relief and satisfaction".

Relief and satisfaction finally come in 1944.

 RGASPI 558-11-267

No posturing, no empty promises, no flowery language. Just one brief paragraph, but a paragraph that meant more to the Red Army than endless stacks of paper.

In response, Molotov sends a telegram to the embassy.

"I received a personal letter from Kerr containing a message from Churchill to comrade Stalin, dated June 5th. This letter described the Allied captured of Rome and battles in Italy. The same letter revealed that the Allies will begin Operation Overlord on June 6th.

Send Churchill the following message from comrade Stalin through Iden.

Secret and personal from the Premier I.V. Stalin to the Prime Minister Churchill

I received your message regarding Operation Overlord. It cheers us up and makes us confident of further success. 

The Soviet summer offensive, agreed upon at the Tehran conference, begins in mid-June on one of the important sections of the front. An overall offensive will be performed by sequentially moving armies to attack. I promise to keep you informed of offensives.  June 6th, 1944."

RGASPI 558-11-267

Stalin is, of course, talking about Operation Bagration, occurring simultaneously with Operation Overlord. This operation involved about the same number of soldiers, and ended in a crushing defeat of Army Group Center, pushing the Germans out of the Baltic, Belarus, and parts of Poland.

Kerr responds.

RGASPI 558-11-267

This map also shows up, unlikely to reveal anything new and shocking, but included for completeness.

On June 10th, there are updates on the situation.

 RGASPI 558-11-267

Molotov was quite happy that the situation developed well.

"I received your letter from June 10th. I thank you for your message. I see your assault was completely successful. My colleagues and myself must admit that there is nothing in the history of wars that comes close in scale, wide scope, and masterful execution. It is well known that Napoleon failed to cross La Manche. The hysterical Hitler, who boasted for two years that he would cross it, never even gathered the courage to make an attempt. Only our allies managed to complete their grandiose plan of a landing across La Manche. History will remember this as an accomplishment of the highest order.

June 11th, 1944"

 RGASPI 558-11-267

Mentions of the situation in Normandy pop up in further correspondence.

 RGASPI 558-11-267

World of Tanks: Today in History: Cromwell's First Battles

Operation Overlord, the largest landing in all of WWII, opened the Western Front. A significant role in this operation was played by Cromwell tanks.

In the end of 1940, the British Staff announced a tender for the creation of a heavy cruiser tank. According to the requirements, the vehicle would weigh around 25 tons, have 70 mm of armour and a 57 mm gun.

Similar tanks were already in possession of the British army, the pre-war Covenanter and the Crusader, but according to pre-war requirements, they were only armed with 40 mm guns.

The British needed a completely new and more powerful cruiser tank. In January of 1941, a special commission investigated three projects of what would later be named "Cromwell". Production was scheduled for spring of 1942. The commission's final choice was the A24 project, which relied on existing components and assemblies.

The first Cromwells were not so well designed. Old engines turned out to be completely unusable for them. These tanks, renamed "Cavalier", were repurposed for training.

Around the time that this new tank was being tested, British command changed the requirements for tank armament. Experience in North Africa showed that a tank gun should not only be used to destroy enemy tanks, but also to destroy enemy infantry and fortifications. In orther words, there was a need to attack less protected targets with explosive shells.  Sherman and Grant tanks had this ability, and British engineers were ordered to create a similar 75 mm gun. This delayed the appearance of combat-ready Cromwells by another two years.

By May of 1944, engineers resolved most defects, and a month later Cromwell tanks (still with the old 57 mm gun) first drove into battle with the British-American forces.

Original article available here.

World of Tanks: Today in History: Operation Overlord

June 6th, 1944, signalled the start of Operation Overlord: a strategic operation to land Allied forces in Normandy, the largest amphibious landing in history of warfare. Over 3 million people took part in its execution. Operation Overlord opened the Western Front of the Second World War.

The preparation procedures were strictly classified. Military personnel that took part were forbidden from leaving their base. Operation Overlord was accompanied by a massive campaign of disinformation.

Allied forces were composed of Americans, Canadians, the British, and soldiers of the Free French. The supreme commander of the operation was General Dwight Eisenhower.

The ships destined for Normandy were loaded mainly in Portsmouth. 10 armoured divisions took part in the landings, each with around 300 combat vehicles.

The operation concluded on August 31st, 1944. As a result, Paris was liberated, and Allied forces weer ready to begin their advance to the German border.

Original article available here.

World of Tanks: Today in History: Normandy in Pictures

The original article has way too many photos to rehost, so click here and follow along.

"We aren't just capturing some town, we have to create a strong foothold!" claimed the British General Bernard Montgomery during a discussion of the Normandy landings. Allied forces began pooling in England months in advance of the operation. By June 6th, they numbered 2.8 million.

The operation was scheduled to start on June 5th, but a storm prevented the landing. Only at 21:30 did meteorologists report that June 6th would be comparatively calm. Dwight Eisenhower, the commander of the Allied forces made the decision: "I am certain that we must give the order. I don't like it, but I don't see another choice." Time showed that this decision was correct.

From June 6th to 11th, 1944, nearly 330,000 soldiers landed in Normandy with over 54,000 vehicles. Later, survivors would call June 6th the longest day of their lives. Here are some photographs of the events.

Timeline:
0:15 Paratroopers land in France. Saint-Maire-Eglise, Carentan, and passages to Utah beach are captured. A battery in Merville threatening Sword beach is captured.

1:30 Paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st divisions keep landing. Bridges over the Orn river and Caen channel are captured.

2:00 Aircraft of the 8th Air Army begin bombing France to cover the Allied landing.

2:30 All German units are no alert. No one believes that the Allies are landing in Normandy, the prevalent opinion is that this is a feint before a landing in Pas-de-Calais.

6:00 Ships open fire at coastal defenses. The enemy sees the fleet of ships filling La Manche.

6:30 The first wave of landings hits the shore.

7:30 The second wave lands. Reinforcements, additional armament, and commanders arrive. Forces from the 2nd British Army land at Sword beach.

8:10 The 8th Canadian Brigade lands at Juno beach. The 21st tank division moves out to Caen, one of the key targets of Operation Overlord.

8:30 American soldiers at Omaha beach make it to the cliffs between German fortifications. The situation looks grim.

9:00 The commander of the 1st Army, General Omar Bradley, declares that the situation at Omaha beach is catastrophic. American soldiers continue to slowly push through enemy defenses.

9:30 London radio stations officially announce that a landing in Normandy began.

12:00 Forces in Juno sector begin heading into the continent. The situation in Omaha sector is stabilizing. Paratroopers capture four passages to Utah beach. American forces reach Saint-Laurent.

13:30 The Germans report that forces at Omaha beach were pushed back into the sea. This information does not reflect reality. Americans have bitten into enemy defenses in four points.

15:00 German counterattacks plague troops at all landings. More reinforcements arrive.

16:00 An attack by the German 21st tank division at Sword beach is deflected. British soldiers capture the shoreline and the Le Amelle village at Gold beach.

17:00 The situation at Omaha beach has stabilized. The captured foothold is still small, 3 km deep and 10 km wide.

20:00 The allies have fortified at the footholds and are preparing for further offensives. The landing is a success.