This section contains details on some of the tanks, vehicles and aircraft involved in these campaigns:-
Tanks and Tracked Vehicles
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman tank was one of the most widely used tanks by the US and Western Allies during World War II.
It was reliable, relatively cheap to manufacture so available in great numbers, and easily serviceable.
With a starting weight of 33 short tons, its main armament was a 75 mm short barrelled gun.
It was a very flexible tank which was highly manoeuvrable on firm ground.
It had potentially more firepower than a German tank but was unfortunately limited by several factors including having less armour protection.
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© IWM (FRE 14716)
M29 Weasel
The M29 Weasel was a smaller tracked vehicle used by the US which was originally designed for operation in the snow, it was also relatively amphibious with a later version (the M29C) having more buoyancy and twin rudders added.
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© IWM (BU 1634)
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© Patrick Peccatte & Michel Le Querrec from near Paris, France [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Tiger I
The Tiger was a German heavy tank used during World War II. It was much heavier than the US Sherman Tank at 50 - 63 short tons, both variants (VI and V Panther) had 88mm mounted guns, they both also had much thicker armour than the Sherman.
German tanks generally had wider tracks to assist on softer soil.
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© IWM (NA 15566)
Churchill
The Churchill was a British heavy infantry tank used during World War II and was best known for its heavy armour, ability to climb steep slopes and its long chassis. It was used as the basis of many specialist vehicles and was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.
One variant was the Churchill Crocodile - a British flame-throwing tank based on the Churchill IV.
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© IWM (TR 213)
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© War Office official photographerPost-Work: User:W.wolny / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Planes
L-4 Grasshopper
Also known as the Piper J-3 Cub it is a simple lightweight aircraft whose design gives it good low-speed handling properties, it was renamed the L-4 Grasshopper when produced for military use during World War II and was used for reconnaissance, liaison and ground control.
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© IWM (CH 10428) - A "Piper Cub" aircraft is here seen beneath the wing of a giant Halifax
C-47 Dakota
This was a military transport aircraft based on the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner and was used extensively during World War II.
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© IWM (FRE 7456)
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
A World War II–era American piston-engined fighter aircraft which was developed for the United States Army Air Corps.
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
A fighter aircraft which was one of the main USAAF fighters of World War II.
North American P-51 Mustang
An American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II.
"Group normally had 3 squadrons of 25 planes P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s."
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© Pinterest - P-38, P-51, and P-47 in flight
Douglas A-20 Havoc
An American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
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© USAAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Martin B-26 Marauder
American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II.
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© Photo by: Charles E. Brown. The original uploader was Bzuk at English Wikipedia., 2007-02-14 (original upload date) / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Douglas A-26 Invader
American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. It was a fast aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load. A range of guns could be fitted to produce a formidable ground-attack aircraft.
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© Ragnhild & Neil Crawford / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
