[chascbv]

After the second battle of El Alamein, where the regiment acted as a spearhead for Operation Supercharge -- the gallant breakout by the 2nd New Zealand Division -- and experienced extremely heavy losses, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was withdrawn to Cairo and then to Syria, where they remained throughout 1943 to rest and refit; in April the regiment was moved from Aleppo to Tripoli in order to get ready for the assault on Italy. During their stay there they received new tanks in the new scheme authorised during the spring -- light mud (a light khaki hue) with a disruptive pattern in blue-black or dark green.

The regiment, following a parade, had all their tanks photographed; as each tank wore the name of a village or public house in Wiltshire, the resulting pictures were sent to the corresponding places back home, where they were hanged from walls as some sort of morale-boosting measure. I enclose a photograph of "Trowbridge", as I could find none for "Barford St Martin".

As is the case with the rest of their Shermans, Dragon's model is a little gem in all respects, even down to a very convincing shade of light mud. The model includes all the relevant peculiarities commonly seen in British Shermans at the time, including a turret bin and trackguards. My only complaint -- a minor one -- is that Dragon could have provided this model with five-spoked road wheels, as this is the type of wheel that may be seen in most photographs illustrating British Sherman IIIs (see the picture attached, for instance). The camouflage scheme, while not compliant with the official pattern, seems accurate for this unit and period of time according to photographs, and also according to an excellent decal sheet on this unit by Echelon.

I will definitely buy this beauty for my shelves. In fact, I'm dying to have it!

[DirtyACE]

chascbv, some excellent reviews, again! I don't believe you've posted these before. I think your memory was playing tricks on you when you thought that some of your posts have disappeared Did you take your daily medicine?

[PickMattock]

Here's the photo showing Dragon's Okinawa Sherman:

[chascbv]

Thanks a lot PickMattock, some analysis you brought us all here!

Evidence is evidence... So either 713th platoons endorsed the markings of the units to which they were assigned, or contrary to what many sources state the aforementioned battalion also had 105-mm Shermans in their ranks! Also, I fully agree with your identification of the particular tank modelled by Dragon, the only error here being that the real vehicle was an M4 rather than an M4A3, isnt it so?. A hell of a contribution to the forum, WOW!!!

Dear DirtyAce: thanks again for your kind support and encouragement. I still am sure I posted one of my pseudo-reviews on the Okinawa 105-mm tank and its twin model in the Dragon range. The stuff on the British Sherman is all new. However, you could be damn right - not that I forgot about my medication, but said medication might now be clearly insufficient (sniff...)! Fortunately, in contrast to what happened to Dr. House and his Vicodin pills, I can write down my own prescriptions here, so I'll make sure I get my dosage titrated (yeeeehaaaaaaaaa )

[Aircrafty]

Keep these reviews coming guys, I don't post here much but find the reviews a great help in choosing my Dragons

[chascbv]

Here we go, Aircrafty, thanking you for your kind support!

The invasion of Sicily began in the summer of 1943, and the "Sharpshooters" -- the County of London Yeomanry -- would play a crucial role in the campaign. Having landed a stone's throw from Syracuse early in July, the regiment helped seize the Sicilian city on the same day, only to move on thereafter to the North along the east coast of the beautiful Mediterranean island. The entrance to the plain of Catania, the Primosole bridge across river Simeto, was to be taken and secured by the British 1st Parachute Brigade, but a series of mishaps led to scattered landings, with only a bunch of paratroopers eventually reaching the bridge. There they had to resist an attack by German paratroopers (4th Rgt, recently arrived in Catania's airfield, not far from the bridge), but eventually were forced to withdraw to a hillock overlooking the bridge in the face of vastly superior numbers; their bravery, however, allowed the bridge to remain unscathed until the arrival of the 4th Armoured Brigade -- with them came the Sharpshooters, who had had a hard time during their long advance through difficult terrain and under heavy enemy fire, including a host of well-positioned 88-mm guns. The County of London Yeomanry managed to cross the bridge into the Catania region under enemy fire in support of the 168th Infantry Brigade; the Sharpshooters were instrumental in neutralizing enemy strong points and pockets across the river, and in securing the bridghead. Later they would engage in the fiercest battles occurred during the campaign, which took place in the plain of Catania.

The model by Dragon is a beauty (see the previous review on the Wiltshire Yeomanry model), and is painted with a base coat of Desert Pink. Indeed, the base colour was to be Light Mud since April 1943, but many vehicles were still keeping their Desert Pink livery at the time of their arrival in Sicily... and beyond -- the picture attached shows the County of London Yeomanry in Catania waiting to embark for mainland Italy once the Sicilian campaign was over; Desert Pink vehicles may still be seen, the colour looking much lighter than Light Mud. Again, the disruptive pattern seems within the accurate range of variation (for Desert Pink vehicles) according to photographs.

We may all confidently treat ourselves to this model, whose different camo colour makes it an interesting companion to the previously reviewed Sherman III (Wiltshire Yeomanry).

[chascbv]

Joseph Goebbels, the German Minister for Propaganda, set up a special unit to spread rumour on a non-existant "Alpenfestung" (Alpine fortress), that is, a National redoubt in the Alpine region between Austria, Bavaria, and Northern Italy where German armies would concentrate for a protracted, heroic last stand. The Western allies believed this, which would have enduring consequences for Europe -- their armies, once into Germany, would turn southward and head for the alleged redoubt, which they would never find. That let the road open for the Red Army to storm Berlin, and to establish what would become the German Democratic Republic, a communist state integrated in the former Warsaw Pact organization. From the hell of Bastogne in the Ardennes, the 20th Armored Infantry Bn drove across Germany into the empty redoubt, and across the Alps into Innsbruck in Austria. A part of the 10th Armored "Tiger" Division, they had fought their way into Trier, Germany's oldest city, and advanced through Mannheim across the Rhine, and then across the Danube into Bavaria, where they liberated the Landsberg concentration camp, a part of the sinister Dachau complex. With them was this M4A3(105) HVSS!

The model is a beautiful reproduction, identical to the Okinawa release (see the review and discussion above). Unfortunately, this time I could find no pictures of vehicles in this battalion, so I'd be grateful if any of you, distinguished members of this forum, could provide one.

[CKS1]

Originally Posted by tankguy

Not a defect, they all had them, I believe for additional exhausting of smoke.

Thanks Mr Tankguy.

Cheers CKS1.

[PickMattock]

Forget the 20th Armored Infantry Bn, I can't find any pictures of 105mm with the 10th Armored Division. I thought for sure I'd be able to post one, but it's proving to be a tough task. I can find a picture of every other specific US Sherman Dragon have released...Except for that one...

One thing I did find, Dragons “M4A3 105mm VVSS 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, France 1944” should NOT be whitewashed. This vehicle was photographed in Brittany in August! It’s actually supposed to be covered in a mud camouflage… Dragon, that’s the whitest mud I’ve ever seen.

[chascbv]

Thank you, PickMattock. Your intel on the white mud stuff is also very welcome (what a laugh!). I never detected that whopper of a blunder myself.