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Sherman Crab

1942 WORLD WAR 2

History of the Sherman Crab

Landmines have been part of warfare since the 13th century and were ubiquitous on the vast battlefields of World War II (1939-1945). Such is the threat to tanks and infantry, so many measures are taken to overcome these impartial burial charges.

A key wartime development - attributed to South African Major A.S.J. du Toit - was the "flail" system, which was attached to the hull of an existing tank.

In the du Toit method, a rotating drum is placed at a distance in front of the tank by means of support arms, which are arranged by a series of heavy chains. The drum rotates under external force, causing the chain to "slip". The resulting action proved sufficient to detonate most buried mines, an idea first adopted by the Allies in the 1942 North African campaign for the British Matilda tank - hence the name "Matilda". Tilda Scorpion".

They were first used in intended roles during the Second Battle of El Alamein (October 1942). Over time, the flail system was applied to the British Valentine and American M3 Grant tanks, resulting in the "Valentine Scorpion" and "Grant Scorpion".

In these applications, each tank's turret (or main gun armament) is removed and an external power source is required to drive the flail drum.

Although the concept is sound, further work is needed to simplify the mechanism, as it has been found in practice that the flapping chain can become tangled and reduce the efficiency of the entire reel unit. The system is also limited when used on rough terrain, as the fixed-length track can only go so far, leaving some terrain unaffected and potentially waiting for live mines underneath.

British engineers distilled the concept into "crabs". This design uses about 43 individual chains, which in turn are attached to a rotating drum and sit in front of the advancing vehicle via support arms. The drive power is now taken over by the engine of the tank itself, so no external power supply is required.

The Crab's design ultimately has other qualities, including contour-following capabilities, which allow for a more even distribution of orbital strikes (especially over rough terrain) and better blast protection from mainframe armor. Over time, wire mesh cutting capabilities have also been added.

The most popular Crab application comes with the widespread use of the American M4 Sherman medium tank. The tank was produced in the tens of thousands during the war, so it was a considerable number compared to some of its immediate contemporaries, although its effectiveness on the battlefield was limited. Anyway, based on numbers alone, this is a viable and logistically friendly solution.

The Crab system is used in the Sherman series to produce the "Sherman Crab" mining flail tank.

The Sherman Crab was first used by the British Army (79th Armoured Division) before the US Army received the first prototypes. The Sherman-based Crab became the most widely used mine tank throughout the war. The tank's original powertrain proved to be suitable for a Crab/Sherman pairing, and the tank was allowed to retain its useful turret - leaving its offensive capabilities largely unchanged.

The flail arrangement significantly increases the overall length of the vehicle, which limits its turning radius and ability to cross ditches. Regardless, the sacrifice is a worthwhile return on investment, as this inexpensive measure allows minefields to be dealt with before major support forces.

Two brands of Sherman Crabs were eventually produced, the "Sherman Crab Mk I" and the "Sherman Crab Mk II" - which were based on different Sherman production models.

Sherman crabs were used in Western Europe during the Allied advance in 1944-1945. During service with the US Army, the Sherman Crab Mk I received the designation "Mine Blast T2 Flail" and the Sherman Crab Mk II became the "Mine Blast T4".