Author: Felix

Sherman Crab

The iconic image of D-Day often features landing craft disgorging infantry and the thundering advance of tanks. Yet, less celebrated but equally important, were the specialised vehicles that paved the way for this advance. Among these was the Sherman Crab, a modified M4 Sherman tank designed for a singular, brutal purpose: detonating landmines.

This Sherman Crab was on display at The Tank Museum at Bovington.

The brainchild of a South African officer and developed by the British, the Sherman Crab was a testament to battlefield pragmatism. Its most recognisable feature was the rotating drum mounted on its front, equipped with heavy chains. As the tank lumbered forward, the drum whipped the chains against the ground, detonating any buried mines in its path. This unglamorous but essential task reduced the threat of mines crippling the Allied assault.

The Sherman Crab wasn’t without its limitations. Its flailing mechanism was slow, limiting its speed to a walking pace. Additionally, the flailing process created a massive dust cloud, obscuring the battlefield for both sides. Unlike earlier flail tanks, the Crab’s genius lay in its power source.  It didn’t rely on a separate engine, but cleverly drew power from the tank’s own powerful drivetrain, making it more efficient and reliable. While vulnerable when flailing, the Crab retained its main gun, offering some defensive capability. Though the gun was reversed when flailing reducing the capacity to fight back if attacked.

Despite these drawbacks, the Sherman Crab proved its worth on D-Day.  The D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6th, 1944, were a defining moment of the war. Allied forces faced heavily fortified German defenses, including extensive minefields protecting the beaches. This is where the Sherman Crab came into its own. Several Crab flail tanks were among the first vehicles to land on the Normandy beaches. Their job was critical: to clear a path for the following infantry and armored units.  Despite their slow speed (around 1.25 miles per hour while flailing), the Crabs effectively detonated mines, creating a safer passage for the main assault. Clearing pre-laid minefields was crucial for establishing beachheads and allowing follow-on forces to move inland.  The Crab’s effectiveness helped pave the way for the bloody but ultimately successful Allied landings in Normandy.

The Sherman Crab proved to be a valuable asset for the Allies, particularly in Western Europe. While overshadowed by the more famous Sherman tanks in battles, the Crab played a crucial, if unglamorous, role in clearing the path to victory.  Its design influenced future mine-clearing vehicles, showcasing the ingenuity employed  to overcome the challenges of modern warfare.

Ork Mega Dreads

Just what every mekboy wants; an even bigger `Dread! A smoke-belching, hydraulic monster able to tear apart enemy tanks and smash a side lesser war machines with contemptuous ease.

These Ork Mega Dreads were part of the Rynn’s World diorama at Warhammer World.

Inspired by the artwork from the original Warhammer 40000 Rogue Trader rulebook, this diorama shows the Crimson Fists making a heroic last stand against hordes of Orks.

More photographs of the Ork Mega Dread at Warhammer World.

Also more photographs in the Ork Mega Dread Miniatures Gallery.

I have one on my workbench, but it needs to be finished off… I bought mine at GamesDay 2009 and purchased it with two Killkannons as I didn’t think much of the Rippa-Claw, it looked flimsy in comparison to the model as a whole.

M4A1 Sherman Tank

The first standard-production 76 mm gun-armed Sherman was an M4A1, accepted in January 1944, which first saw combat in July 1944 during Operation Cobra. 

The 76mm-armed Sherman began to enter British and South African service around the time of the Gothic Line battles. This was because versions armed with the original 75mm gun were in short supply. In Italy, both types were used more against German fortifications than tanks.

The Gothic Line was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed the Germans’ last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains during the fighting retreat of the German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy, 

The new 76mm gun made the Sherman more capable against enemy tanks than the 75mm it replaced, although not by as much as had been hoped. In contrast, its High Explosive shell was actually less powerful, and in Italy this saw much more use. Both types were used by all Allied nations until the end of the war, and 76mm Shermans continued in service around the world into the 1960s.

This M4A1 Sherman Tank was on display at The Tank Museum. It was one of 3,426 Sherman IlAs built by the Pressed Steel Car company in Chicago during 1944 and early 1945. It has modifications suggesting it was upgraded under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program during the 1950s, which supplied Shermans to European nations. It came to The Tank Museum in 1989.

Lockheed Hercules C130K Mk3

First flown as a prototype for the United States Air Force in August 1954, the C-130 Hercules, as a troop transport, disaster relief and aerial tanker aircraft has been a mainstay of the RAF transport fleet since the late 1960s (along with those of many other air forces); it has seen extensive operational use including the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The example at RAF Museum Cosford was the last RAF C130K Mk.3 to be retired.

This Hercules C3 XV202 served with the Royal Air Force from 1967 to 2011.

I’ve always liked the concept of gaming scenarios which include the C-130 Hercules, probably down to the Raid on Entebbe, which of course has been the subject of many films.

There are plenty of 1/72 model kits of the Hercules, but for 15mm or 28mm games there is less or no choice.

Siege of Volganoff

The Siege of Volganoff was originally displayed as the Siege of Altdorf at Games Day 2010 and was then put into place at Warhammer World in 2015. A few years later it was reduced in size. The Chaos forces were replaced with Orcs and the the “new” diorama was entitled the Siege of Volganoff.

The diorama has changed quite a bit over the years. More photographs of the Siege of Volganoff.

Special Operations Team

Free on the cover of the April issue of Wargames Illustrated was a plastic Special Operations Team sprue from Warlord Games.

You get a plastic frame containing parts to build 8 Special Operations Soldiers.

The sculpts are generic enough to be used as regular troops, special forces, SWAT, mercenaries, insurgents or terrorists of many different nationalities.

This is the Warlord Games painted models.

These are nice crisp castings with a range of weapons and poses.

I have been thinking they would be useful for a range of near future end of the world scenarios. So I bought the copy of Wargames Illustrated.

Aeronautical Imperialis at Warhammer World

With the release of Legion Imperialis, we saw the retirement of Aeronautical Imperialis. Well a Horus Heresy version of the game was retained.

In the display cabinets at Warhammer World there were a few Ork Aeronautical Imperialis models on display.

In the Ork Air Waaagh! on display, was the huge Forge World Mega Bommer, some Dakkajets, and a Grot Bommer.

There was also a Grot Bommer.

Alongside the Orks were some of the Tau models.

I really like the Aeronautical Imperialis models and have a fair few Ork models on my workbench. It’s a pity it has been retired and we’re not going to see any new Xenos models for a while.

See the Aeronautical Imperialis Miniatures Gallery.

Churchill IV

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.

The IV, the most numerous Churchill produced, was virtually identical to the III, the largest change being a return to the cheaper cast turret, keeping the welded turret’s “clean” squarish shape. A tank telephone was fitted to the rear of the tank for communication with infantry.

This Churchill IV was on display at The Tank Museum.

This Churchill has serial number T31579. It was originally built in 1941 as a Mark I or Mark II, then converted to a Mark IV. Its wartime service is unknown, but afterwards it was converted into a ‘Twin ARK’ bridging vehicle.

It was restored back to its wartime configuration by The Churchill Trust and loaned to The Tank Museum in 2018.

It is painted in the markings of 3 Troop, A Squadron of the North Irish Horse.