Artifact Friday - 105mm Shell

             We dedicate this Artifact Friday to the 2^nd Battle of El Alamein, which took place on October 23, 1942. Every theatre of war has its turning point. In the pacific, it was the Battle of Midway. In Europe, the Invasion of Normandy. For the North Africa campaign, that turning point took place at the small Egyptian railroad town of El Alamein. It was here that the Panzerarmee Afrika, led by General Erwin “the Desert Fox” Rommel, was put on the backfoot by Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery’s Eighth Army. El Alamein was the first major victory for the Allies in Africa, a victory only achievable through thirteen grueling days of battle. Due to Africa’s difficult terrain and climate, there were very few ports that were well enough developed to supply the hundreds of tanks in Rommel’s Afrika Korps, leading to attrition hindering the German offensive. Montgomery took advantage of this and launched his counter attack at El Alamein, resulting in the destruction of 500 German and Italian tanks, nearly all Axis armor present. With the panzers left in smoldering wrecks, the Allies pushed the Axis all the way to Tunisia, containing the Afrika Korps and opening the gates for Operation Torch and the eventual invasion of Italy.

             El Alamein stands as one of the greatest tank battles in history. The Axis brought to bear their Panzer 3’s and 4’s and Italian M13/40’s and M14/41’s. Meanwhile, the British stormed across the desert in Valentines and Crusaders. However, the lend lease in years prior also gave the British an assortment of M3 Stuarts, M3 Grants, and the iconic M4 Sherman. The Sherman, in particular, had numerous variants. One such variant of the Sherman carried a 105mm howitzer as opposed to the standard Sherman’s 75mm gun. The 105mm was initially designed for direct fire against fortifications but was also often loaded with high-explosive-anti-tank (HEAT) rounds that proved their worth against the significant armor of the German Panzer.