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Code: CG-CC55108

Status: Sold out - Discontinued
We regret this item is no longer available for sale. Please see the product description for links to similar items we still have available.

Corgi Military Vehicles CC55108
Diecast Model
Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, 1943, (Diamond T w/M4 Sherman Tank)

Limited Edition

1:50 Scale     Length     Width
M20 6x4 12 Ton Truck     5.75"     2"
M4 Sherman     4.5"     2.25"

Wartime saw a large number of Tank Trnasporter Companies formed, their crews and vehicles serving in the UK seeing action and playing vital roles in the Middle and Far East, the first steps in the liberation of Europe via Italy and ultimately the push through France, Belgium and the Netherlands into the German heartland and the surrender in 1945. It was, though, their use in the North African Campaign in 1942-43 that they played a pivotal role in the Allied victory. Under the auspices of the Royal Army Service Corps and responsible for tank transportation, they were issued Diamond T and Mack transporters and proceeded to provide the movement of artillery necessary in the harsh desert conditions if victory was to be achieved. The enormity of this task is typified by the fact that by El Alamein in October 1942, 600 US M3 type tanks alone had been delivered to North Africa. Added to this was large number of Valentine, Crusader and of course M4 tanks, all integral in the months ahead as Rommels forces were pushed back. On February 14, 1943 elements of the 10th and 21st Panzer divisions launched an attack through Faid and Maizila passes in Tunisia bound for the village of Sidi Bou Zid, the site where the first American troop dispositions had been transported. This marked the start of the Kasserine campaign, a German counterthrust against the Americans and the first clash between th4em in the war. Facing them at Sidi Bou Zid were fragmented units of the 1st Armoured Division stretched across a 60-mile front. It was the first American division to fight in the desert and ironically the only one of the 16 US Armoured divisions not to receive and desert warfare training. Having captured the illage, the Americans launched a counterattack on February 15th. Led by Lt. Col. James D Alger, the 2nd Battalion, 1st Armoured Regiment began a mission to rescue the isolated infantry, retake Sidi Bou Zid and drive the Germans back. With no previous combat experience and very vague intelligence regarding what awaited them they moved toward the German ranks. Two German armoured divisions and part of a third plus supporting units obstructed them and German artillery positioned around the village took them by surprise. The result was a massive defeat of the Americans and the 1st Armoured Division was depleted of 98 tanks, 57 half-tracks, 29 artillery pieces and 500 men, a huge setback to the launch of the American campaign in North Africa.

M20 6x4 12-Ton Truck

M4 Sherman

The pilot model of the M4 was completed in September 1941, and the Sherman became the most widely produced tank of the war. The M4 Sherman defeated heavier tanks with superior numbers, and by using outflanking tactics to strike thinner enemy flank armor. Shermans also achieved success with progressively upgunned models and by working with tank destroyers. The Sherman tank--named by the British--was fast, maneuverable, mechanically reliable, easy to manufacture, and effective in its infantry support role. It served with the US Army and Marines during World War II, and the US transferred large numbers to the United Kingdom and allied forces of many countries.