Initially, the Sherman Crocodile was going to a truly large collaboration between British and American industry. The first production vehicle was finally completed in March. The initial order for Overlord, submitted to the British War Office on the 16th of February, was for 100 Sherman Crocodiles including 125 of the accompanying armored trailers. This number grew to 115 units when it was predicted that General Patton’s Third US Army would also require armored flamethrowers in their future exploits. The First US Army put in an order for 65 tanks that month. Overall, these officers would extremely pleased with the tank.Īn M4A4 fitted with wooden mockups of the flame equipment. Trials took place at the end of that month, with a demonstration held for US officers on the 3rd of February. This was followed by a working prototype which was completed in January 1944. This mock-up was then inspected on the 1st of October, 1943. Construction of a wooden mock-up of the vehicle was completed by the British Petroleum Warfare Department (PWD). The US Army informed the British War Office (WO) on the 11th of August, 1943, that they were estimating a need for around 100 of these ‘Sherman Crocodiles’, as they would come to be called. This ‘flamethrower conference’ was held to evaluate possible requirements for future operations in Europe, namely Operation: Overlord, the amphibious landings of Normandy, which were planned for the following year. In a meeting between UK, US, and Canadian military heads held on the 29th of June, 1943, at Dumbarton Oaks, Maryland, USA, it was surmised that the British led the Americans in flamethrower technology.
In March 1943, US officers were shown the prototype of the Churchill Crocodile and queried the possibility of creating a similar vehicle based on their own Medium Tank M4, known to the British as the Sherman. It would become known as the Sherman Crocodile, in line with its Churchill brother. The American version would be based on their venerable workhorse, the Medium Tank M4 Sherman.
While the Churchill Crocodile was still being tested, American interest grew in the project, resulting in the development of their own version. American troops, who had received invaluable support from them, placed great faith in these British dragons. United Kingdom/United States of America (1943)Īlthough they had proved extremely useful in America’s fight against the Japanese in the Pacific, Auxiliary Flamethrowers (a flamethrower that is secondary to the main gun, rather than replacing the gun) were quite unpopular with the US Army fighting in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO).ĭespite this, the British Churchill Crocodile, with its iconic trailer and bow mounted flamethrower, was well admired.
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