Omaha Beach DD Sherman Tank Photograph by Weston Westmoreland

Omaha Beach DD Sherman Tank

by Weston Westmoreland

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Title

Omaha Beach DD Sherman Tank

Artist

Weston Westmoreland

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Omaha Beach DD Sherman Tank.

One of the Dual Drive M4 Sherman tanks sunk trying to reach the shores of Omaha Beach.

DD Tanks, or Dual Drive tanks were a type of amphibious tank developed during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman, used by the Allies during and after the Normandy Landings.DD tanks worked by erecting a 'flotation screen' around the tank, which enabled it to float, and had a twin propeller powered by the tank's engine to drive them in the water. They were one of the many specialized assault vehicles, collectively known as Hobart's Funnies, devised to support the planned invasion of Europe.

The main use of DD tanks occurred on D-Day. They were also used in the invasion of southern France, on August 1944, the British crossing of the Rhine on March 1945 and in several operations on the Italian Front in 1945.

The DDs performed differently on each beach. Launched about 0.5 and 2 miles from the coast, they did fine in Juno, Sword and Gold, where the sea was calm. Under rougher seas, they reached Utah Beach, albeit too late and out of target to make a real difference. From the 29 that assaulted Omaha Beach, only two arrived, the rest, launched way too far from the coast (over 3 miles) into an angry sea, and at an angle from their target point, sunk under the waves that hit them sideways. DD Tanks were designed to operate in waves up to 1 foot high but on D-Day the waves were up to 6 ft. Fortunatelly, most of the crews were rescued. The absence of the DDs, however made the high casualty rate in Omaha even worse.

The M4 Sherman was the primary battle tank used by the United States and the other Western Allies in World War II. It proved to be a reliable and highly mobile machine, that had to fight heavier German tanks that outmatched it late in the war.

The M4 was the second most produced tank of the World War II era, after the Soviet T-34, and its role in the west was comparable to that of the T-34 in the east. The tank took its name from the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The M4 Sherman, weighed an average 30 tons and took the brunt of the armored fight after D-Day against German tanks that were monsters by comparison, like the Tiger I of 56 tons and Tiger II of 70. The Shermans suffered high casualties against their heavier armor and more powerful cannons and had to resort to mobility, mechanical reliability and sheer numbers, along with air support to overcome those disadvantages.

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Weston Westmoreland