This is a Sherman DD Tank- Duplex Drive M4A2(75). DD tanks worked by erecting a ‘flotation screen’ around the tank, which enabled it to float. The Sherman tank had two propellers powered by the tank’s engine for propulsion in the water. The DD tank would leave a vessel near the coast and support the infantry on the beaches. The 75 in M4A2(75) refers to the 75mm gun. Photographed at The Tank Museum in Bovington, England 2017. It is one of Hobart’s Funnies tanks, a selection of specialized armored vehicles named after Major General Percy Hobart.
DD Tank -Duplex Drive
The DD Tank (Duplex Drive) was a modified version of the Sherman M4A1 and M4A2 medium tanks, developed by the United States during World War II for amphibious assault operations. The DD tank was equipped with a special canvas screen and flotation device designed to allow the tank to float and move across water, making it capable of landing on enemy beaches during amphibious assaults.
The DD tank was powered by a 600-horsepower Ford GAA V8 engine, which gave it a top speed of approximately 24 km/h (15 mph) on land. In the water, its top speed was reduced to around 8 km/h (5 mph). The tank retained the same firepower as the standard Sherman, with a 75 mm M3 gun, capable of firing high-explosive and armor-piercing shells, along with a .30 caliber Browning M1919 machine gun for close defense.
The tank’s armor ranged from 38 mm to 51 mm, providing protection against small arms fire and shrapnel, but it was vulnerable to heavier anti-tank weapons. The most notable feature of the DD tank was its waterproof canvas screen that could be erected around the hull to create a buoyant structure, allowing it to float. The DD tank was famously used during the D-Day landings in June 1944, where it proved useful in the initial phases of the assault, though its vulnerability to rough seas and mechanical issues limited its effectiveness.
