We're a bit short on armour in this GB's Inspiration section.
So, naturally, that brings up the Canadian
Ram - effectively, an American M3 chassis turned Cruiser Tank. And therein lay the problem - in part, putting a Cruiser-style MG turret on the
Ram's hull resulted in a smallish turret ring diameter of only 60.5-inches (1,537 mm).
RW, that small turret ring resulting in the
Ram seeing no combat (other than as turretless
Ram Kangaroo carriers). Instead, Montreal Locomotive Works eventually switched production to the
Grizzly medium tank - effectively an M4A1 copy on an improved
Ram lower hull (also employed by the Sexton SP gun).
But what if a Close Support variant (with 75 mm gun or 3-inch howitzer) had been part of the
Ram's original requirement? That Cruiser Tank requirement was issued too early for awareness of the future M4
Sherman's 69-inch (1,753 mm) turret ring. But a CS
Ram variant might have prompted copying the 65-inch (1650 mm) turret ring size from the
Afrika Korps' 75 mm-armed PzKpfw IVs?
So, what other whif developments might have turned
Ram tanks from training vehicles to medium tanks actively taking the fight to the
Wehrmacht?
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https://www.tankarchives.com/2023/02/anglo-canadian-cruiser.htmlImage:
Ram I cruisers come down the lines at Montreal Locomotive Works.
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"Went down through the streets and we never even saw a fight;
We had one look corner to corner, and we called it a night"