The Ram | Canada's Most Successful Failure
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- A Canadian Franken-tank that pre-dated the M4 Sherman, the Ram would be an icon of Canada's industry in the early war years. Ultimately a failure as a battle tank, variants of the vehicle would see combat in Normandy and beyond, as Kangaroo APC revolutionised mechanised warfare in 1944 and 1945.
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In the 1970s there was a complete RAM Kangaroo hidden in woods in the grounds of Keogh Barracks in Surrey England. Keogh Barracks was the training college for the RAMC and before security fences were errected the tank and the assault courses near by were easily accessible. As a tank obsessed twelve year old I would borrow my father's tools and oil can and spend hours cleaning the RAM and dreaming of getting it to run. It was an early mark with the auxiliary turret. Unfortunately it disappeared many years ago, hopefully it still exists in a museum.
Ahhh that's so sad that it disappeared! You've GOT to find it!
One aspect of the Ram was the heat. The engine used was an air-cooled aircraft engine and a lot of that heat ended up in the crew cabin. My dad was a driving instructor and did drive the Ram among many other tanks until deployed overseas starting at Monte Cassino.
Never even thought about that John, thanks for sharing!
Should have given them to the Soviets then, nice and warm.
The RAM was far from a failure. It provided Canadian armored unites with a tank that was very similar to the Sherman, to hone their skills for upcoming battles.
The funny thing is with its weight of 30 tons it would of done well in Europe with their low capacity bridges as what it was intended for , infantry support. Even with the 57mm it would of served well. 2000 of them would of made quite the difference.
Even I believe it could’ve performed well inthe Pacific for re equipping Commonwealth forces still using Valentine and Matilda tanks who may not be able to get Sherman tanks.
Would have or would've, not "would of".
Sorry but it just triggers me.
No tank with a 57mm gun was a good choice for infantry support. The 57mm was a really good AT gun in 1941-42, and was better than the US 75mm at punching holes in armor. But it had no HE capability, which is one of the key tasks of any tank gun, but especially one tasked with infantry support.
@@executivedirector7467 US M1 gun, export of blueprints of the 6 pounder from britain. Became operational in the north african campaign in 1942. High explosive rounds. It's a 57 mm gun. Incendiary shells as well.
@@trevortaylor5501 The point is that a 6-pounder HE is far less effective than a 13-pounder HE, with less than half the explosive power due to how volume scales. The US Army also figured out early that while 57mm is a better hole-puncher at shorter ranges, under 500 yards, the 75mm retained more of its punching power over longer range, making it not only better for engaging soft targets but also defeating armor in most situations. The main reason the 57mm was used by the US Infantry as their antitank gun was that it was more mobile (you could pull one with a jeep or even manhandle them for short distances). For any application where the weapon could be motorized, be it a tank or tank destroyer, the 75mm was preferable.
Great presentation on this piece of Canadian ingenuity! It's unfortunate that there are only a few other videos on this platform talking about this vehicle, but I'm glad I stumbled across this video and your channel and as such have watched all of your previous videos and enjoyed them thoroughly. I'd highly recommend the book "Canada's Pride" by Roger V. Lucy as it's a beefy 289 description on the Ram tank if you can find it. I sincerely hope to see more videos from your channel in the future!
More to come!
@@RedWrenchFilms That's great!
I'd rather ride into battle in this than in a half-track with 10mm armour.
Wouldn't make a difference to an 88 or a 75.
@@aksmex2576 might as well not use anything then since everything will just die to an 88
I was gonna say there would be a tank full of headless corpses.
@@aksmex2576 thankfully they were rare compared to the 37 & 50mm Pak
@@bremnersghost948 yes, that's why they say the sherman had great armour, despite what most people believe. You make all the at rifles and small guns obsolete with a bit of armour and that helps alot.
as an australian, its hilarious that when presented with certain invasion and no help from the empire, Canada came up with the ram, we came up with the AC sentinel / thunderbolt, and the kiwis came up with the...... bob semple
If only the rest of the allies had Bob Semple tanks!
@@RedWrenchFilms to be fair they would have done well in early WW1, and its not like japanese tanks were good either.
@@RedWrenchFilms Nobody else could have handled the responsibility of its awesome power...
@@ravenof1985 I'm not so sure; they had to come to a halt to turn and only had machine guns.
Very interesting video on the RAM indeed the most successful "failure". Officially Canadian history of the war compares the Ram to the Ross Rifle as examples of unsuccessful Canadian weapon designs. It states that given the Sherman's superiority, in retrospect it would probably have been better for the United States to produce more tanks, and for Canada to have focused on manufacturing more transport vehicles such as the successful Canadian Military Pattern Truck designs. But for a number of reasons I disagree because during the war it helped very much to train the troops and after the landing of Normandy it was transformed as an Armoured Personnel Carrier, gun tractor, and munitions carrier versions of the Ram saw considerable service in Europe not to mention the Sexton self-propelled gun based on the Ram chassis and was very successful too. Not bad for a "failure"....
Simple fact is no one had a crystal ball that predicted the future. The Ram and Sentinel were considered inefficient failures because the war went well for the allies after 1942 and the US could supply huge numbers of AFVs to the minor allies, cheaper and more logistically efficient than indigenous designs. But this was with the benefit of hindsight, if things went down differently these vehicles could have been considered excellent forward thinking and vital to the national defense.
@@ausaskar thanks for the heads up and I didn't know that basically the Shermans was cheaper than the Ram and the Sentinel. But I must say that both were excellent backups but the Kangaroos that were created as an expedient measure "in the field" by the Canadian Army and were so successful that they were used by British and Commonwealth forces especially when driving through the flooded areas in Holland. It created the postwar Armoured Personnel Carrier for the armies!
P
The Ross rifle, could have been an excellent weapon if it had not been rushed into service. The failure of the rifle discredited some politicians and advanced the careers of others. If you look into it. The Ross rifle saga is a murky tale indeed and it was a great could have been weapon
@@ausaskar well said.
Small correction. When the Ram came out in 41 it was still armed with the 2 pounder and did not go to 6 pounder until 42.
That is exactly what it says in the video.
Learn something new every day. Really interesting content. Gave Canada a truly mechanized infantry in the March across Northern Europe. Did any of them find their way to Italy?
Yes it was in Italy and was very successful there.
So good those captured by the Germans were amazed how remarkable and reliable they were
@@raymondkisner9240 Do you have any evidence of Ram usage in Italy?
Enjoyed this presentation, thank you for posting.
Very impressive video. Good content, concise information and a bit of humour. Great job, well done! There were a couple of Rams on the Castlemartin tank range in West Wales. Full of holes and minus the 6 pdr sadly as they were used as targets, but still interesting to see. I don't if they are still there, it was 12 years ago. In fairness I wouldn't call the Ram a failure. It was a good tank and served a vital purpose, until it adapted or replaced for further service.
Great video, and love the way you described the Bob Semple :D
Really well done and detailed video on the ram not many know about our vehicles and the development
This thing is op
As a Canadian this is the best video I’ve ever seen on the Ram. Instantly subbed, keep up the great work
Is there any reason that a Canadian turretless tank would be called after an Australian marsupial ,just curious?
Like the kangaroo carries it's offspring in the relative safety of its pouch, the Kangaroo carried infantry in an armoured compartment.
The unit that converted the rams to troop carriers were code named kangaroo. Their vehicle design was thus called the kangaroo. It was a field modification.
The Ram wasn't the only vehicle named that. It was more a usage designation.
@@toomuchtimeonourhands2891 Per Kurt's comment, they were converted by the Kangaroo workshop in the field. And any tank they popped the turret off of and made into an APC became known as a kangaroo. The Ram is the most well-known "kangaroo".
You can't say that they were a failure just because they weren't used in combat (aside from a few exceptions with highly specialized and modified versions of them). From a design/ engineering standpoint, they were a success. It just turned out that they weren't needed in the end.
It would be like calling a backup goalkeeper on a team who wins the championship a failure because he didn't play.
Your videos are very in-depth and well researched. I enjoy your videos immensely! Please don’t give up hope, there are a lot of people whom love your content. I am sharing your videos to everyone I know who loves war history. Here is to a great channel!
Oh wow, you don't know how much I appreciate that. Thank you so much. I just enjoy making the videos so I don't mind so much that they don't get that many views!
@@RedWrenchFilms give it time, you'll beat the RAM! :P
What I see is American engineering meets Canadian ingenuity. Same with the Lewis gun and Canadians developing light machine gun tactics to best utilize it during first world war.
Canada has long had a tendency to take things manufactured in other countries and make them even better. A good example of this is the C7 service rifle that has been in service with the Canadian Army since 1986. The C7 is essentially a variant of the M16A3, or Colt Model 715 assault rifle. The C7 rifles were manufactured in Canada, under licence from Colt. Approximately 150 improvements were made to the original Model 715 design, such as thicker, heavier hammer-forged and chrome-lined barrels, heavier and more durable breechblocks and more durable furniture. The end result was a more accurate and capable weapon that could withstand Canada's harsh winter climate.
Further iterations (A2 models) of the C7 and the C8 carbine variant are in service with the Netherlands Army, the Danish Army, and special forces units in Norway and the UK.
You mean the Huot which was cheaper and much more reliable, yeah unfortunately WW 1 ended before it got mass produced. I really liked the reloading mechanism and the fact it was converted from a Ross rifle is awesome.
3.08 "predated the M4 Sherman" The Tank, Cruiser, Ram was made by Canadian Pacific Railway.
At the time Britian did not need another tank with an small AT gun, it needed a tank with a large caliber gun with a potent HE round for use against AT guns and infantry.
this is the only video I have seen on the Ram. I would like to say that I love playing this tank on warthunder. At least in video game from it seems to be quite effective at killing Sherman tanks.
the tank museum tank chats
Hull sides ranged from 3 inches tapering to 2 inches towards the engine. (they thickened the hull sides around the engine up at one put but no exact details) Turret front was 3 inches, the interior mantlet can't find details on by eyeballing the photos with it taken apart it looks roughly similar to the turret front, so say 2-3 inches itself as well. that's a combined total of 5-6 inches of turret front in those areas. Turret sides 3 - 2 3/4 inches and the rear was 2.5 inches.
While the drivers vision door looks the same as the M3 lee's it was actually a thickened armored up designed. No exact details on values, looking at photos with the vision block removed it roughly looks as thick as the surrounding front plate.
wow man you are perhaps the most underrated content creator ive ever seen. hope you blow up in views soon man. you deserve it
Aw thanks so much really appreciate it!
@@RedWrenchFilms no problem man id like to know what you are working on next though
@@maxbradley4097 Haha hopefully I'll manage to upload in the next few weeks
While at Ipperwash in 1979 I found a Ram which had been expended as a target vehicle. It may be still there for all I know.
G'day. Stumbled across this video while trolling through TH-cam. I have a great interest in tanks, and your video was great to watch.
I'd love to see you do a video on the Australian Sentinel. It was an innovative tank for it's time. First with a cast hull I believe.
Yeah I'm an Aussie. lol.
I've also subbed to your channel. Looking forward too your next video.
Awesome, thank you!
I think its worth referencing this one on your Lee/Grant video.
A very interesting Tank. Thanks for the video.
Liked Subbed Rang Bell
Great video. I think that the Ram would have been a combat success if it had been deployed when first introduced. It was much better than anything the British had.
Really? No offence to the Ram but it's a slight improvement over the British Army's workhorse in North Africa, the M3 Grant, and a definite slight downgrade from the Sherman which would be in extensive British service by the time the Ram came around. The Cromwell is far superior to the Ram and the later Churchills, while infantry tanks and not necessarily directly comparable, would prove to be very capable vehicles.
I don't mean to undermine the Ram here, it's a very impressive design and an efficient use of obsolescent M3 parts and as stated in the video a very capable and successful vehicle. I'll concede that I'd much rather be in a Ram tank than a Crusader or a Valentine but from 1943 onwards it's on-par at best with other Commonwealth and allied tanks.
The Bob Semple would blow it out of the water though 😉
@@marmite8959 The Cromwell wasn't seen as superior It still has it faults, the Churchill has great survivability, the Ram would've worked like a normal Sherman but better frontal armour.
@@vothbetilia4862 But the Ram had a much worse gun.
@@executivedirector7467 well obviously, because it was their first tank the made and had the gun shipped from Britain.
I found this on reddit. I like your content, consider me subscribed
Really appreciate that! Thanks.
Really well produced videos. Keep at it, I look forward to more!
Thanks so much Dylan I really appreciate it!
I always have to shake my head at the people who dog on the US 37mm tank gun as being worthless while not making similar complaints about the UK 2 pounder. The 2 pounder (40mm) did have slightly greater armor penetration than the 37mm, depending on ammunition being used, but they were definitely comparable weapons capable of taking on the same level of enemy vehicles.
There's one of these bad boys in Vancouver next to an easy 8. It's a gorgeous kind of weird
This video gives a very good history of the vehicle.
Canadian Inter departmental tank commitee ? that sounds like a recipe for disaster
8.04 "forty of which had been upgraded to 75 millimeter guns"
Good content :)
Nice to be an early adopter before you get big! Reckon you could do with a better microphone ay?
Cheers Gareth! I switched up my microphone set up for my latest 2 videos - let me know if you think they’re any clearer.
@@RedWrenchFilms lol I commented on a later video that you'd fixed it :) my only excuse is I'm old......
Excellent and and (given the space limitations) on very accurate account of the Ram tanks history (one minor quibble the Ram Badger never entirely repleced the Wasp Carrier) For more on the Ram see Canada's Pride, The Ram Tank and its Variants Service Publications, Ottawa. 2014
It's great to see adequate recognition for the revolutionary Semple tank. Its worth is shown by the fact that neither the Germans nor the Japanese ever attempted to invade Aotearoa/New Zealand.
They knew it would be impossible to stop!
If I am not severely mistaken, there is a fine specimen of the RAM represented in the Royal Netherlands Army Cavalry collection. Not sure whether it is present in any functional capacity, but I think that I have seen it parked and displayed at the Bernhardkazerne in Amersfoort, NL. I am not sure whether the RAM was ever part of the Dutch army, or whether this specimen was left behind once the Canadian forces went home after 1945.
You're absolutely correct - the Dutch got given the Canadian Rams after the Canadians went home in 1945.
@@RedWrenchFilms A very fitting tribute to the Canadian forces who helped liberate the Netherlands.
Also kangaroos did not "revolutionise" anything they were an attempt to copy the german light mechanised infantry vehicles like the halftracks which did in fact play an important role in blitzkrieg tactics that did in fact revolutionise warfare. Let's not pretend the allies came up with stuff just because they ended up winning the war.
To be fair, the idea of combined arms warfare goes back at least to the Romans if not earlier. The Germans were the first to put it into a modern package with armored divisions that combined tanks, mechanized infantry, mechanized engineers, tractor-borne artillery etc all with a flexible command system.
The allies copied much of that thinking and thus much of the equipment ideas. The US armored divisions were pretty explicit copies of panzer divisions, with a 1:1:1 ratio of tanks, mech infantry and mech artillery. The British & Canadian divisions had less infantry, and far fewer APCs, not to mention very little SP artillery. They were also organized poorly with a tank brigade and an infantry brigade, which made it harder (not impossible, but harder) to form combined arms task forces.
All that said.....the kangaroo was still a great piece of gear because it gave mech infantry an APC that exactly matched the mobility and protection of the tanks they were accompanying. That was a great step forward although I will agree with you that it's hardly a "revolution". More like an evolution to the next stage of mech infantry.
The Sexton was developed from the Ram. Which was very successful and used after the war by many countries for years
The US M7 Priest was supplied to the British in North Africa early in the war due to a need for self-propelled artillery. They really liked it, but it carried an American 105mm howitzer. The British wanted a similar vehicle but with a British 25 pdr. mounted instead. They were shipped a few such modified M7s. The British determined that this was exactly what they needed. However, when requesting more 25 pdr. M7s from the US, they were told that due to production capacity no more would be forthcoming. British attaches in Washington were asked to keep an eye out for a suitable substitute. Someone came across the Ram. The Canadians removed the turret and mounted a 25 pdr. The British were delighted to have the Sexton. And, as you pointed out, many Commonwealth armies kept them in service decades after the war.
our most successful failure might have been the avro arrow. im glad you did a vid on the ram
I'd never heard of this vehicle. That said this is a fascinating video and both educational and entertaining. While the RAM may not have been an ideal battle tank. It did provide a basis for a family of vehicles that met a need at the right place and at the right time. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks so much Joe!
Thank you . Very good.
The ram looks like the love child of the Lee and Sherman.
dude said bob semple best tank im weak XD
The Ram was a very worthwhile tank, probably a better tank than the Grant M3.
Almost certainly better than the Lee/Grant - what killed it is the fact that it wasn't quite as good as the Sherman.
@@RedWrenchFilms ~ The Ram helped in the development of the Sherman.
I've heard a lot of them are modified to look more like Shermans in modern day museums.
You'd think museums would have no trouble getting hold of actual Shermans for their collections 😤
Actually, the Sherman looks like a Ram. From behind and from the waist down, it is hard to tell the difference. When the Ram was first built, it was apparently brought to the Maryland proving grounds where it was greatly admired by the Americans. By slightly modifying the glacis, and expanding the turret ring to accommodate a new turret capable of housing the 75mm gun, the Sherman was born. Other than these modifications, it is an identical copy inside and out.
To me, a WoT player (shut up, yes i’ve played WT too and i prefer WoT) I see the Ram as an amazing machine. It has good reload and pen, while also having good damage.
For Majesty and for Country.
Would love to see a follow up on the Grizzly, a vehicle made even more redundent in its original form by the near infinite production of production of Shermans, and instead produced in greater numbers as artillery and support platforms. That being said, both the Ram and Grizzly pale in comparison to Canada’s truly great contribution to the allied motor pool, the Canadian Military Pattern Trucks. Nearly 1 million CMP Trucks were made equipping the Canadian, British, Australian, Soviet, and Indian armies, and making the Canada the second largest producer of trucks only behind the US.
TY-Nice post! I never hear enough about Canadian efforts in WW2, but this tank could possibly be the first 'Sherman" tank ever made ?
The New Zealand tractor -Best tank ever made? I'm sure you meant that as a joke. Coming from New Zealand I can tell you it was laughed at and still is. However at least the guy tried, which was more than the Government did.
There is one on permanent display in downtown Vancouver in front of the barracks on Beatty Street!!
The Bob Semple Tank was a great tank. The Allies should have used these against the Panzers at Normandy. They would have broken clear of the Bocage a lot quicker!!
Why speak so quickly and clipped? Are you in a foot race? I set it at .75 speed so it sounds normal.
Glad you found a solution!
I had no trouble understanding him. It does seem like he has a bit of an Ulster Scots accent, which can be hard for some people to understand.
@@stevestruthers6180 Belfast - nicely placed!
Since not a single bob simple tank has been lost in combat, does that mean its a great tank? It made people laugh and weeze while falling over. Mission accomplished...
Yeah the Bob Semple! The best tank ever made? This fulla is fuuuny! 😂😂😂😂
im surpirsed that they didnt end up in a lend lease program, they would have been useful to help push the germans back from moscow
And here I was thinking Ryan Reynolds was Canadas most successful failure
"Some would consider the best tank ever made"... well sorry but I am evidently not one of those some people.
The Ram is my favourite tank of all time.
Did the engine fail in time with the British "One mile, one breakdown" tank doctrine?
The Bovington Tank Museum has a fully functioning Ram tank. As a Canadian exchange officer to the 17/21 Lancers, I assisted in exchanging a Ram which was destined to be a monument for a Sherman from Bovington. The Ram was in excellent condition, however, it was missing its original base plate stating it was built in Montreal. I know this as a fact as I ‘liberated it’ and still have possession of it. One day perhaps, it will find its way to Bovington.
Great video! Thanks for putting it together :)
Very good!
Technically the Australian AC1 Sentinel was put into mass production - just not the volume that the American tanks were with 65 delivered to the Australian Army and advanced prototype models (AC4) with a 17 pounder antitank gun manufactured.
The Americans had tanks with lower production volumes (like the M7).
BTW contrary to what Wikipedia states the Sentinel drive train was not based on the M3 drive train but an entirely Australian design with a similar layout. It actually owes more to French designs having been designed by a French tank designer who got stranded in Australia.
Learn to enunciate more clearly and finish the last syllable of each sentence before you start a new one.
I like the Ram. Not a bad design for a makeshift job.
As a proud Aussie, I feel it's worth highlighting that around 70 AC tanks were produced and each was a very good tank design for its time.
There were certainly teething issues but there always are when starting a design process for a whole new tank and most of it was engineered and built right here in Australia from scratch; even its original chassis. Further, Australian modifications made to the 17 pounder / turret enabled the British to fit it into the M4 (the blueprints were shared), creating the Firefly.
At the time, AC tanks were the most heavily armoured allied medium tanks and still quite speady. AC tanks weren't put into full scale mass production because it took some time to establish assembly and ultimately, it was cheaper to buy tanks than it was to make them.
Good content, good description and I liked,subscribed and hope your channel will gain traction, but your voice is problematic and requires the audience to pay more attention and be more alert than usual for this type of content.
The best improvement you could do to this video is to work on your voice.
This is more common than most are aware.
Thanks for the sub! I know the narration isn't great but I like to think I've improved on it in my recent few videos :)
@@RedWrenchFilms I think the narration is just fine....very good in fact
6:31)The M7 "Priest" DID NOT have turrets.
Ah, the Commonwealth, naming Canadian vehicles after Australian marsupials (only one of which is seriously aggressive).
solid video
Should've stuck with the Aussie ones. 😅
not gonna lie the RAM has something good appealing tank design to me the combination of american and british tank design (of course the tank is a modified M3 tank i guess) and the cute little hull MG turret which have some advantages like wider fire arc.
I had no idea they actually just dug holes, parked the Rams and poured concrete over the entire thing. That will be an amazing find in a few hundred years.
M3 Lee , a coffin for 7 brothers
Great vid and I think Canada got their money's worth in the long run. This helped the war effort as a very useful
auxiliary vehicle
more of a successful failure than the avro arrow?
So the Canadians had a Kangaroo and a Wallaby. Any in Australia we called out piece of junk a ‘Sentinel’. Had we called it a ‘Bear’ or an ‘Moose’ maybe it would have been good enough to use.
The Sentinel was pretty good!
if they had been made 3-6 months earlier I would have chosen RAMs over Lee/Grants in North Africa
I don't get why the Americans didn't go with something similar. Just put a 57mm gun in a turret on the m3 lee, it seems a lot better than the awkward combination of the hull mounted 75mm and turret mounted 37mm.
Then you lose your HE capability.
Vanadia follow vritizh to the the tea
Now the question is :
Can we put a 17 pdr on that thing
Another really great video.
Great video. Thanks.
Based bob semple appreciator
HOW IS THIS THING NOT NAMED "BISON" OR "MOOSE"!?
Just the title makes me laugh!
Loved this tank in world of tanks, wouldn’t have known about its existence otherwise
Bob Simple success?? Have you bin on the pop. It was a total waste of time and space
Wooosh
Pretty cool tank, I sorta like the twin turret design here, though of course it had issues its still noice.
I don't speak well at all. Struggled with it for about 40 years, and I'm deaf in 1 ear. Then again I am not trying to make a TH-cam channel. You on the other hand speak just fine, but I think you maybe need to slow down just a bit, try to maintain a level volume in your voice, and try to be as clear as possible. I know it's easier said then done. I barely can make myself understood at a McDonald's drive thru. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you asked for feedback and I am interested in your content, I just find it hard to understand you. Your voice trails off a bit once in a while real low. I'm certainly no vocal coach or I'd have fixed myself, but maybe to have a big time TH-cam channel you could take a a class or 2 and it would help. Thanks very much for your time and the video.
No worries Todd thanks for the feedback! If you check out my most recent few uploads I think I do a much better job in those.
@@RedWrenchFilms Very cool. Thanks for taking my feedback in the way I meant it. So many people seem to freak if you make even a suggestion.
Great vid. Cheers.
Your speech pattern makes the video very hard to follow.
Hi Mike, this video is quite old now - do you think it’s improved in my last couple of videos? The AMX-30 and the M3?
8:21 look at this tank
Excellent job finding such rare footage.
Created out of one simple necessity. Manpower. Or lack there of in Canada's case. Canada had to find away to keep there Frontline casualties to a minimum, whenever and however possible. Enter the Kangaroo. Not only did this reduce casualties almost forward advancing units, but the armoured Corp also noted a reduction in vehicle loses due to more infantry keeping up with the tanks. These were also supplemented with half tracks.
Right - there was a dire need for combined arms capability in British and canadian armored divisions. Usually only one infantry battalion in those divisions had armored halftracks, as compared to three in US armored divisions. There was also a severe shortage of SP artillery - again, in US armored divisions you had three full 105mm howitzer battalions in SP mounts.
The Ram kangaroo and the Sexton filled both of these gaps to some extent.
BOB.