Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float?

May 29 · 39 min · Season 7 · Episode 22 · 38.0 MB
0:00-39:32

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It’s D-Day and the Allies are about to invade Nazi-occupied France. For the landings to succeed, American soldiers on Omaha Beach will have to break through some formidable coastal defences - Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. Sherman tanks will come in very handy - and the Allies have come up with a novel solution for getting them to the beach. These tanks will swim. Everyone from Winston Churchill down thought swimming tanks were a great idea… but were they? 

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