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Two South African Sherman IC Hybrids flanking a South African Sherman IIA (centre).
Introduction
Established in early 1943, the 6th South African Armoured division was a mechanised division representing the bulk of South Africa’s heavy armour during WW2. The division was composed of South African volunteers and integrated Allied forces. Under the command of Major General W.H.E. Poole, the division was trained in Egypt for much of 1943, before being deployed into the invasion of Italy alongside the British, Americans, and other Allies.
Over the course of the campaign, the 6th South African Armoured Division distinguished itself highly, including during the liberation of Florence and battles in the Apennine Mountains. It played a vital role in disrupting German defensive lines, utilising its tanks effectively, despite often being significantly outmatched by Axis armour. The Italian campaign was an absolute hellish slog, against well entrenched German forces, but the South Africans consistently managed to do more with less. By the end of the war, the division had a well-earned reputation as an effective fighting force, leaving a lasting legacy in South African military history.
The vehicle being discussed in this suggestion is the Sherman IC Hybrid in service with the 6th South African Armoured Division. The Sherman I Hybrid (or Composite) was an unusual Sherman, with the hull being produced by Chrysler in the US, consisting of a cast front section and a welded rear section, hence the ‘Hybrid’ in British nomenclature. This was done because cast parts were easier and cheaper to construct, however the industrial capacity in the US as the time was not quite enough to produce sufficient quantities of Sherman tanks using only cast parts, and thus a compromise was made. This then became the IC Hybrid following the British addition of the M4A4 turret with the 17pdr.
Sherman IC Hybrids were adopted into South African service under lend-lease in late 1944, when the 6th SAAD was transferred from British Formations in the Eight Army to US Formations in the Fifth Army. They saw service with the 6th in the final months of the Italian campaign, thrusting north towards Bolonga in late 1944, then maintaining a defensive role until March 1945, at which point they participated in Operation Grapeshot, the final effort to liberate Italy. Unlike other lend-lease vehicles that they operated, South Africa retained them after the war and brought them home, and even acquired additional vehicles from British stock (left behind in Italy) in 1947. It is unclear at what point South Africa decided to retire them, but at least three have been preserved in the country.
Specifications
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Images
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