Frontline Breakthough!
It was late 1944
and Germany was clearly losing the war. Russia was closing in on
the Eastern front while American bombing raids were devastating
German cities. Italy had been liberated and the Allies were
quickly moving through France and the Low Counties. The end
looked near for Germany unless they could succeed in a great
offensive push, which is exactly what they attempted. On Dec 16,
1944, an American sentry reported countless "pinpoints of light"
flickering along the German line. Seconds later, shells exploded
around him and he realized that the lights were the muzzle
flashes of hundreds of German guns. A massive German
counteroffensive was underway along the 85-mile Ardennes front.
In the north, the Sixth Panzer Army struck the U.S. 99th and 2nd
Divisions. In the center, the fifth Panzer Army hit the 106th
Division, the 14th Cavalry Group and part of the 28th Division.
In the South, the Seventh Army clashed with the U.S. 4th, 9th
and 28th Armored Divisions. Although the Allies were initially
sent reeling, courageous troops and rugged armor such as the
Sherman tank eventually turned the tides of battle. The
representative version of this tank was the 75mm gun-equipped
M4A3 Sherman, which was housed a V8 450hp Ford engine. The late
production version first rolled out of the factories in February
1944 with an angled front hull and 63.5mm armored plate. To the
turret, a cupola for the commander and hatch for the loader were
added. This version was also equipped with wet ammo storage
bins, which helped prevent internal fires, a weakness of earlier
Shermans.
Midst-of-Battle Figures Bring Set to Life!
Any number of
exciting dioramas is made possible with this M4A3 Sherman tank
and 3 infantrymen set. These figures wear late WWII winter
uniforms overflowing with rich detail. Use this set in
combination with any US vehicle set such as the M8 Greyhound or
2.5ton 6X6 Cargo Truck for an authentic 1/35 scale diorama.
Specs and Features
