German POWs Trudge Past a Sherman Tank

Image size: 1600 x 1079 pixel. 120 KB
Date: Friday, 19 January 1945
Place: Höngen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

German prisoners trudge past a Sherman tank of the British 8th Armoured Brigade in a German frontier village of Höngen, 19 January 1945, during Operation Blackcock. Operation Blackcock was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg. It was conducted by the British Second Army between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Rur and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out under command of Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps, by three divisions, the 7th Armoured Division, the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division and the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. The operation, named after the Scottish black male grouse, is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the "Roer Triangle". 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Armoured_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205203000
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/the-sherwood-rangers-in-january-1945.57430/

Maneuvers of British Armored Division

Image size: 1106 x 1600 pixel. 531 KB
Date: Tuesday, 29 September 1942
Place: Malton, Yorkshire, England
Photographer: Unknown

Malton in Yorkshire, 29 September 1942. Maneuvers of the 42nd Armored Division. On the right is General Sir Bernard Paget (Commander of the Territorial Forces), who takes the top of the two pieces with his greenish color and brown pants of the Battledress. On the left is Sir Anthony Eden (Minister of Foreign Affairs), who takes the complete set of two pieces and has inserted the underside of the jacket inside the pants. British soldiers usually wear the two piece suit of work (Two piece denim overalls), as it serves as an instruction suit work, a combat uniform in summer, or can be worn over the Battledress in winter. The colors vary from a very light brown to a whitish greenish hue. The Denim Tank Suit itself is a whole plethora of color that varies from green to yellowish-green. This suit began to deliver from 1944 onwards, so what the officer wear in this picture is the two pieces, except the one on the right that carries the Battledress jacket. Denim Overalls is defined by Jean Bouchery in the book "The British Soldier" volume one.

Source :

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2019/01/maneuvers-of-british-armored-division.html

Coldstream Guards' Sherman Firefly IC Guards Bridge at Namur

Image size: 1600 x 1040 pixel. 428 KB
Date: Monday, 25 December 1944
Place: Namur, Wallonia, Belgium
Photographer: Unknown

Lieutenant Robert Boscawen (March 17, 1923- ) left with radiophones, commander of 2 Troop, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, Guards Armoured Division, XXX Corps, in a Sherman Firefly IC Hybrid. Note camouflage cloth on the hull, extra road wheels, and tracks on front hull and turret. The number "52" is actually Tactical Number, not weight number (Sherman weight No.s would be "30" in black on a yellow circle). 52 refers to Regiment Seniority - British Brigades had their units ordered by seniority. Thus, Boscawen was part of 1st (Armoured) Battalion, Coldstream Guards, the second regiment of the 5th Guards
Armoured Brigade, Guards Armoured Division. Thus again, the Grenadier Guards were Senior "51", the Coldstrems were second "52", and the Irish Guards were junior "53". This tank, actually commanded by Sergeant Bastone (kneeling on right), and the rest of 1st Battalion cut off the German advance through the Ardennes to the Meuse. The IC Hybrid was an American-built late production M4 Sherman with a cast composite hull that mounted a specially designed 17-pounder 76.2mm (3 inch) anti-tank gun. Sherman Fireflies were the only Allied tank capable of penetrating the German Tiger and Panther panzers. As the situation on the Ardennes front grew critical on December 17-18, 1944, the 21st Army Group realized that the German offensive either targeted the port of Antwerp or Paris itself. Several divisions, including the Guards Armoured, were to reinforce XXX Corps. While scratch units of supply troops and light infantry were immediately rushed in from France, Holland and England on December 17 to secure the bridges and the vast supply dumps along the Meuse, heavy mechanized formations arrived on December 19. The 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards took up positions in Namur, one of the few remaining bridges. The masonry bridge had been blown by the retreating Germans in August 1944 and repaired by an American engineering unit with a Bailey Bridge. Boscawen survived hits on four tanks that were burned out or "brewed" during the war. The fourth loss, in April 1945, caused severe burns to him and his driver; the rest of the crew died. After recovery, Boscawen served in Parliament until 1992. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0060
Correction from Rex Barrett through email (thank you!)

Crusader Tanks in North Africa

Image size: 1600 x 950 pixel. 547 KB
Date: Thursday, 1 January 1942
Place: North Africa
Photographer: Unknown

Crusader Mark IIs of the British 8th Army on the move. While the Crusader was plagued with mechanical unreliability and lack of firepower and protection, it could move fast, and travel over ground that would bog down other tanks. Crews lived in their tanks; the lead vehicle has helmets, storage boxes, and packs slung around its hull. Tank crews would add railings to the outside of tanks, form a tent, and live in the desert during campaigns. Because of the mechanical issues, tanks had to be transported on trucks from the storage depots to the battlefield to prevent wear. Cruiser Mk VI Crusader (A15) tanks were designed by Nuffield Mechanisation somewhat based on the Mk III Covenanter (A13) design. Some of the major differences between Covenanter and Crusader tanks include Crusader tanks' use of five road wheels on each side for better weight distribution, different engines and engine cooling systems, different steering systems, and hand-traversed machine gun turrets on the left-front side of the Crusader hulls (although these auxiliary turrets were often removed in the field). Against their German counterparts, they were relatively lightly armed and thinly armored, and they lacked high explosive rounds, but their higher speed somewhat made up for the difference. The Crusader tanks first saw combat during Operation Battleaxe in North Africa, where they effectively served as the main cruiser tanks. In 1942, an attempt was made to upgrade Crusader tanks' armament to 6-pounder guns, but the eventual availability of M4 Sherman and Cruiser Mk VIII Centaur/Cromwell tanks relegated the now inadequately-armed Crusader tanks to secondary roles, such as anti-aircraft (with twin Oerlikon 20-mm guns) or artillery towing. Between Nov 1940 and 1945, 5,464 Crusader tanks were built.

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0058

Crusader Mark I Cruiser Tanks

Image size: 1600 x 898 pixel. 339 KB
Date: Monday, 1 April 1940
Place: Aldershot, Hampshire, England
Photographer: Unknown

Crusader A15 Mark I tanks. Note auxiliary turret with 7.92 Besa machine gun in front hull. The Crusader A15 was the sixth version of the British cruiser series of tanks, which favored speed over armor. The Crusader was a fast tank, but it was mechanically unreliable and lacked firepower and protection. When a shipment of Crusaders and a shipment of Lend-Lease M3 Stuart light tanks were sent to North Africa with the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), the British crews initially favored the Crusader because it was more comfortable and easier to fight. However, within a few days, the Stuarts were functioning without maintenance, while the Crusaders were breaking down at the rate of six per day and needed constant technical attention. On the Crusader I, the main turret hatch had to be locked open or it would cause injury to the driver when he stood in the turret and rough ground or shell fire knocked the hatch closed. The auxiliary turret was found to be cramped, uncomfortable for occupation, and had a limited field of view; when the auxiliary turret's hatch was open, the main turret could not traverse. The auxiliary turret was deleted in favor of additional ammunition in future versions. The Crusader entered combat as part of Operation Battleaxe on June 15, 1941 with the 6th Tank Regiment. The Crusader's armor was defeated by the long 50mm (1.97 inch) main gun of its principal adversary, the Panzer III. The 2-pounder 40mm (1.57 inch) main gun of the Crusader bounced off the Panzer III's armor, while the Panzer III could engage at longer distances and their rounds went right through the Crusader. Twenty-seven Cruisers and sixty-four Matilda IIs were lost during the battle, which failed to achieve British objectives. After Operation Crusader in November 1941, which was named after this tank and achieved limited objectives (most notably the temporary relief of Tobruk), Crusader was withdrawn as a primary battle tank from other theatres, but remained in front line use in North Africa through 1943. After the North African campaign Crusaders served the rest of the war as a platform for anti-aircraft defense. Date and Location Estimated. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0057