On D-Day, the Westminster Dragoons' specialised Sherman "Crab" flail tanks led the way onto Gold Beach, tasked with smashing paths through mines and obstacles under fire. Working in tight-knit breaching teams with Royal Engineers' AVREs, they hit the shore first when rough seas prevented the planned launch of amphibious tanks. At H-Hour, 07:25, they drove straight into chaos-bogging in soft sand, battered by artillery, and raked by machine-gun fire-yet pressed on, flailing safe lanes for the infantry behind them.
Individual actions defined the day. Lieutenant Pear forced inland across streams and antitank ditches, while Captain Roger Bell knocked out a deadly German 88mm gun before continuing his mission despite breakdowns and mines. Across the beach, crews improvised constantly, switching tanks, towing each other free, and clearing exits often within minutes of landing. Losses were heavy, but crucial gaps were opened.
On Juno and Sword beaches, similar courage cleared routes for advancing forces, though congestion, minefields, and fierce counterattacks slowed progress toward Caen. In the days that followed, the Crabs fought beyond their specialist role, engaging strong points, supporting infantry assaults, and even helping force mass enemy surrenders.
Through Normandy and into the Netherlands, the regiment remained indispensable, breaching some of the densest minefields of the war. At Overloon and Venray, they carved paths under relentless fire, often reduced to a handful of working tanks. Acts of bravery were constant, from rescuing wounded comrades under fire to shielding trapped crews at the cost of their own vehicles.
By the final push into Germany in 1945, the need for flails diminished as defences crumbled. The Westminster Dragoons transitioned to conventional armoured roles, seeing out the war until Germany's surrender in May, having proven that without their hazardous, close-quarters work, the Allied advance could scarcely have begun.
Originally published in Germany shortly after cessation of hostilities in 1945 and is categorised as rare in it's original 1945 printing.
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