The 1/35 U.S. / Free French Forces Tanker 1944 No.4 by Dynamo Models is a high-quality 3D printed resin figure with two interchangeable heads. A perfect addition to Allied tank crew dioramas of Normandy and the Liberation of France.
The French army, joining the Second World War, was prepared and trained on the basis of the experiences resulting mainly from the Great War. Thus, it adhered to the defensive doctrine of war, which placed particular emphasis on the methodical preparation of operations, their careful planning, as well as ensuring the strongest possible artillery support. In this doctrine, armored weapons were perceived as support for infantry units, which was reflected in the French armored structures of that time - they focused primarily on thick armor, possibly strong armament, and maneuverability was treated rather of secondary importance. A great example is the Char B1 bis or Somua S-35 tanks. Fatal communication in French tanks turned out to be a big problem, as it was clearly inferior to the solutions used in the German army. A serious drawback in the period 1939-1940 was also the dispersion of the French armored forces among infantry divisions, and although statistically the French army had many more tanks than the Wehrmacht, it deployed fewer mechanized and armored divisions. Moreover, their organization and structure were inferior to those used in the German army.
Already after the first experiences of fighting in North Africa at the turn of 1942-1943, the US Army changed the position of the American armored division. From 1943, the full-time armored division consisted of three armored battalions, three mechanized infantry battalions, three artillery battalions and many support units. The exception was the 2nd and 3rd Panzer Divisions, which retained the structure with two armored regiments, three armored battalions each. For this reason, they were often called heavy armored divisions. The armored battalion of other divisions than the 2nd and 3rd consisted of three armored companies - three of medium tanks (M4 Sherman) and one of light tanks (M3 / M5 Stuart). In turn, the mechanized infantry battalion consisted of three infantry companies, a service company and a staff sub-unit. The American armored division also had, like the infantry division, a very strong artillery component, consisting of self-propelled artillery - most often M7 Priest howitzers, of which there were 54 full-time units in the division. In total, the American armored division consisted of, among others: approx. 11,000 men, approx. 250 tanks and approx. 500 M2 / M3 armored personnel carriers.
