Death trap tank book

It provided just enough cover for american ground troops as it stomped through the german front lines. The sherman tank was a powerful force to be reckoned with on the battlefields in wwii. Jessie arnold is back as the main character of henrys novel death trap. The wwi tank that helped change warfare forever bbc future. Sherman was more than able to deal with them if given a chance. Cooper 3rd armored division, wrote the best book i have found regarding the sherman tank. Oct 23, 2014 the m4 sherman tank was hell on wheels and a death trap. Tank traps alongside reunification highway in north korea, image by michael day cc by 2. Death trap definition of death trap by merriamwebster. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Cooper served with united state armys 3rd armored division fighting the germans in 19441945. Sep 12, 2017 ive seen the negative analysis of the sherman. The united states world war 2 main battle tank, the m4 sherman was obsolete by 1944. The death trap is a 1989 twin turbo 421ci sbc powered ford mustang.

He was there, he lived through it, he wrote about it. Death trap is a totally different approach to this murder mystery. Consequently, the book is riddled with mistakes and falsehoods. Jan 03, 2016 the book therefore stressed that the germans often would keep firing at a disabled tank to ensure it would catch fire. The first is what i guess can only be considered a rant, or at least some serious venting, in the tank destroyer board documentation from january 1945, given that i think it unlikely that the note would ever have made it to the person being talked. The shermans powerplant was a 400horsepower gas engine that, combined with the ammo on board, could transform the tank into a hellish inferno after taking a hit. The very idea that he promotes that you disregard an eyewitness account should be suspect to you. Its probably my favourite book of the fighting fantasy series, one reason being it occurs on may 1st, which also happens to by my birthday. Jessie and tank survive their share of hardship before their rescue, but the state troopers finally figure out the connection between the dog, the boy, the old man, the gym bag, and the axe murderer. I dont believe the sherman on the whole was anything but a rousing success. The book contains only a couple of maps and virtually no photographs. So with that correct it is possible to lose 3 men per tank loss. Tank trap sign in dmz reading unification by sovereignty image by michael day cc by 2.

When it was first introduced in the north african desert in mid1942, the m4 sherman was the most powerfullyarmed. Death traps is a shocking firstperson story of the fatal vulnerability of americas tank force in france and germany in 1944 and 1945. Design and history of the m4 sherman tank during world war ii. The mother jones article also estimated that 500 to 900 persons were killed in fires attributed to the fuel tank design. Although his role in the film was brief, ackbar became a prominent. May 14, 2016 c though i doubt that it was more of a death trap than cromwell, panzer iv or t34. Most of the losses were not caused by german pussy tanks, but by at weapons, mines and tank destroyers. Iraq and afghanistan tank veteran nicholas moran talked about the design and history of the m4 sherman tank. Professionalismthe ford pinto gas tank controversy. Its inspired design lives on in todays tanks, 100 years later.

Up north,the summers are brief and winter, like death,is cold and long. Readers may be charmed by the reassuring narrative frame, but it defuses much of the tension, as does the conventional precocity of frank and danny. A deathtrap is a literary and dramatic plot device in which a villain who has captured the hero or another sympathetic character attempts to use an elaborate, improbable, and usually sadistic method of murdering them it is often used as a means to create dramatic tension in the story and to have the villain reveal important information to the hero, confident that the hero will shortly not be. Death trap tells the horrible story of the murder of alan and terra bates by alans exwife and her policeman husband. Was the sherman tank a deathtrap once penetrated by a. It can be seen on street outlaws on discovery channel, or on the streets. And their tanks were terrible but they could produce 10 of them and the. Most tanks at the time ran on diesel, a safer and less flammable fuel. This book is part of the hitlers war machine series, a new military history range compiled and edited by emmy award winning author and historian bob. Furthermore, the author puts his main effort into an oversimplified indictment of the american sherman tank as a death trap that delayed eventual victory in the second world war. Why wwii soldiers nicknamed the sherman tank death trap.

These hedgerows proved to be a death trap for the american army. Sorc was by far my favorite, the utilitymobility of the class is pretty smexy. Death traps, belton coopers aptly name book about american armored divisions in ww2 evidences this fact. The main theme of the book is that m4 sherman was, as the title implies, a death trap. Memory imprinting and appropriation factors into a lot of veterans accounts. But when we ask if the sherman was specifically a death trap were comparing it to other tanks. Death traps is well worth reading, but the work is not without its faults. In a downtoearth style, death traps tells the compelling story of one mans assignment to the famous 3rd armored division that spearheaded the american advance from normandy into germany. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. In the right hands it enjoyed spectacular successes, but the tiger i was also plagued by an array of technical and design flaws which made it a death trap for novice and unwary crews. Racing along the front lines to ensure the delivery of tanks to frontline units, the author was clearly too busy to snap pictures during his service in world war ii.

Titled death traps it covers his experiences from normandy across france belgium, and germany until ve day. Due to a spinal injury that happened when he was a baby, tyce is disabled his legs are crippled and he. Author is a worldrenowned expert on the sherman tank and american armor some tank crews referred to the american m4 sherman tank as a death trap. A member of the amphibious mon calamari species, ackbar was the foremost military commander of the rebel alliance, and led the attack against the second death star in return of the jedi 1983, the final entry in the original star wars trilogy.

Death trap, we are introduced to 14 year old tyce, the first and so far only kid to be born and to live in an experimental community on mars in 2039. Death traps is a reliable source because it is an eyewitness account. Death traps the survival of an american armored division. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. M4 losses were appalling, but thanks to industrial might the american army were mostly able to replace or repair the machinery. Other people have pointed out that all tanks are death traps, which is true. On 31 may 1918, a small tank designed by a famous french car maker and a brilliant army officer saw its first action. Death traps is as much a history book as it is a memoir, which makes it a fairly heavy read. Recovering from knee surgery that will cause her to miss the upcoming dogsled racing. American tank crews quickly learned that these death traps were no match for heavier german tanks such as the panther and king tiger. The 3rd armored division entered combat in normandy with 232 m4 sherman tanks, writes belton cooper, author of the appropriately named death traps, a study of u. Cooperss book is somewhat unusual in that cooper served in a support unit instead of combat arms.

Cooper served as an ordnance officer with the forward elements and was responsible for coordinating the recovery and repair of damaged american tanks. How accurate is the m4 shermans reputation as a death trap. The united states world war 2 main battle tank, the m4 sherman was obsolete by. The 3rd armored division entered combat in normandy with 232 m4 sherman tanks. George patton, believed that the sherman helped win world war ii.

She is recovering from the knee injury caused by falling down the hill last book and is unable to train her dogs. The article used emotional terms such as firetrap, death trap, and lethal car which build mistrust with ford. Dispelling the myths surrounding the m4 sherman knowledge glue. The soviet loss tally including lend lease is actually 97,856. At the same time, ive seen many accounts calling it an excellent medium tank. The m4 sherman tank was hell on wheels and a death trap. Death trap definition is a structure or situation that is potentially very dangerous to life. Death traps the survival of an american armored division in. Merc pretty fun, damage is insane, utility pretty nice. He served in the unit responsible for recovering damaged and destroyed tanks. Whoops, my tank loss counter didnt pick up a big chunk of losses.

Moran argued that the m4 sherman tank was the best u. I purchased the game a few days ago, been having a blast on it. Reading ira levins classic corkscrewplotted play deathtrap, the longest running comedythriller in broadway historywhat a perfect way to start the new year. The film is directed by sidney lumet from a screenplay by levin and jay presson allen, and stars michael caine, dyan cannon and christopher reeve. Belton youngblood cooper october 4, 1917 may 26, 2007 served in the reserve.

During the european campaign, the division had some 648 sherman tanks completely destroyed in combat and we had another 700 knocked out, repaired and put. While cooper does not mention it, i am sure this also added to the reputation of the sherman tank to be a death trap as it would burn when hit but some of the fires could have caused after the crew had bailed out. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Public perception was also skewed by the mother jones article that first released the ford pinto memo. Even belton cooper whose book death traps was highly critical of the m4 shermans performance did note several times that german antitank crews had a very difficult time catching the tank on fire in mid 1944, the us introduced wet stowage to the ammo compartment of the tank. Ayer was influenced by the service of veterans in his family and by reading books, such as belton y. Death traps the book the true saga of spearhead heroes of a different sort written by 3rd armored world war ii veteran belton cooper of birmingham, alabama, and first published in 1998, death traps has received wide acclaim in military circles. Coopers experiences in the battle to defeat germany. Ingenious, sinister, hilarious, with witty, inhumanly clever dialogue, elevating the thriller genre while audaciously poking fun at its creative shortcomings. Someone who merely wish to read an exciting war story is best advised to look elsewhere, but for anyone who has a serious interest in world war ii armor, this book is an essential read. Which is from the persepective of a mechanic fixing destroyed and burnt out shermans which he puts on them catching fire due tobeing penetrated and not that the germans would shoot a. The sherman tank was no match for german tanks, outgunned. Then came the book, death traps written by a veteran who used a lot of hyperbole mixed with selective facts and who relied more on what the gi knew rather than historical facts. Deathtrap by ira levin meet your next favorite book.

Deathtrap is a 1982 american black comedy mystery film based on the 1978 play of the same name by ira levin. The book relates coopers experiences during world war ii and puts forth an argument against the us armys use of the m4 sherman tank during the war. The survival of an american armored division in world. Nov 22, 20 death traps, belton coopers aptly name book about american armored divisions in ww2 evidences this fact. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. All crewman would want the most armor and most powerful guns. The book therefore stressed that the germans often would keep firing at a disabled tank to ensure it would catch fire. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii 9780891418146.

It has been graded by mycomicshops experienced graders. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii belton y. Invariably, when this topic is raised in an online forum, someone will bring up the book death traps by belton cooper. Death trap and millions of other books are available for instant access. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii is a 1998 memoir by belton y. With a forward by popular historian stephen ambrose and the backing of a major publisher, death traps has become quite well known amongst ww2 history aficionados. Death traps is a very good memoir by belton cooper. The main theme of the book is that m4 sherman was, as the title implies, a death trap to the men that operated them. It was better than the german armor of comparable weight. The shermans being called death traps comes from belton y.

Most tanks at the time ran on diesel, a safer and less. It was a literal death trap for the crews manning it, so poorly armored it stood little chance against german tanks and german anti tank weaponry. She is frustrated and not used to being only partially mobile. The book itself is called death traps and it refers to the thousands of crew members who died or were injured in sherman tanks because the tank was designed by a committee and it was no match for german panzers with far superior armour and firepower. Tank busting blowing up the myth of the mighty m4 sherman. It is written in the style of a memoir, but it also presents itself as a history of the 3rd armored division, the unit in which cooper served as an ordnance lieutenant. So with 14,200 tanks in service at the end of the war it only leaves 9,100 depreciated or unaccounted for tanks. Was the ford pinto a death trap or just too good a story to question. The main theme of the book is that m4 sherman was, as the title implies, a. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. It keeps coming up in forum threads as people keep citing it, so i figured i may as well make my position clear in a more formal manner. The m4 sherman tank was hell on wheelsand a death trap. The vast multitude of german tanks were actually smaller. Fleet admiral gial ackbar is a fictional character in the star wars franchise.

Death traps by belton cooper is a memoir of his us army service in world war 2. Death traps is an interesting and very readable memoir of a time when american soldiers went into battle with second rate weapons, and the price they paid to defeat a better equipped foe. Because eyewitness accounts are always 100% correct and should be take at face value. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading was the ford pinto a death trap or just too good a story to question. I dont know if people think that 57ton tigers formed the entirety of the german armys armour, but the fact is that they didnt. And to what extent the answer is no, depends on the model. A history of americas world war ii tank destroyer force harry yeide.

I decided to complete the campaign on normal on all 3 classes first to see which ide want to play to 100 first. The book, commonly found, is wellwritten, an easy read, and provides good insight as to the thinkings and workings of a junior grade ordnance officer in a field unit. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Was the sherman tank of ww2 fame a death trap or a good.