The technical inferiority of american to german armor in world war ii is well documented and very familiar to. With a forward by popular historian stephen ambrose and the backing of a major publisher, death traps has become quite well known amongst ww2 history aficionados. Death traps the survival of an american armored division in world war ii, by belton y cooper. It keeps coming up in forum threads as people keep citing it, so i figured i may as well make my position clear in a more formal manner. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii by. A lot of sherman s marmite reputation is owed to belton coopers book death traps which was edited by stephen ambrose, and theres still a wealth of questions as to how much the latter dabbled. Cooper, an ordenance officer in the us 3rd armoured division, across the west european campaign of wwii and as such fills. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii by belton y. The main theme of the book is that m4 sherman was, as the title implies, a death trap to the men that operated them.
Apr 29, 2003 in a downtoearth style, death traps tells the compelling story of one man. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Jan 29, 2015 when it comes to the history of armored warfare in the second world war, the us m4 sherman tank is always sure to draw controversy and a good bit of discussion. When author belton cooper found himself assigned to the hardcharging 3d armored division, he discovered. Sherman tanks first saw action in north africa in 1942. Major harrington, chief of tank repair service to the 3rd armored division, did not want to lose the vehicles in their first deployment, and as such approached lieutenant belton cooper, who would later go on to publish the book death traps, to look into the possible uparmoring of the vehicles. Ambrose random house publishing group, aug 28, 2000 history 352 pages. Death traps 9780891417224 by cooper, belton and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Right here, we have countless books death traps the survival of an american. May 26, 2007 at the tender age of 80, he finished writing death traps, and with an assist from stephen ambrose, found a publisher. How the super pershing got that super to its name for.
May 30, 2014 by the way, the article is partially based on belton coopers death traps, an infamous book, responsible for several of the nastiest american tank myths shermans burned all the time, you needed 5 shermans to kill one panther, sherman was a really bad tank and others, so i hope the author took this into account. Coopers death traps tour i recently completed a 3day tour with the cooper family from the usa. Later, cooper recalled the experience in a book, death traps. When author belton cooper found himself assigned to the hardcharging 3d armored division, he discovered that recovering the divisions brokendown, battle damaged, and even destroyed tanks often took him and his team of technical experts to the front lines, and even beyond. Verified purchase death traps is a shocking firstperson story of the fatal vulnerability of americas tank force in france and germany in 1944 and 1945. Hello select your address best sellers deals store new releases gift ideas customer service electronics home deals store new releases gift ideas customer service. Cooper served as an ordnance officer with the forward elements and was responsible for coordinating the recovery and repair of damaged american tanks. Dispelling the myths surrounding the m4 sherman knowledge glue. So, someone asked me my opinion on belton cooper s book death traps and all hes a damn heretic jokes aside. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii cooper, belton on.
His laments about shermans being no good against tigers and panthers are questionable, as his unit did not encounter tigers and panthers when he said it did. Its a perfect example of taking autobiographies with a grain read. The book tells the story of a young ordnance officer of the 3rd spearhead armored division assigned to trail along behind the divisions combat units, find knockedout tanks, assess what had destroyed them and arrange for their recovery. The united states world war 2 main battle tank, the m4 sherman was obsolete by 1944. He said it had the same 75mm gun but it was faster and they could get out of trouble quicker. The inferiority of american tanks in world war ii george c.
Death traps the survival of an american armored division in world. Coopers book, death traps about americas sherman tanks in wwii. Death traps goodreads meet your next favorite book. Sherman tanks during world war ii, he knew something had to be done.
Even belton cooper whose book death traps was highly critical of the m4 shermans performance did note several times that german antitank crews had a very difficult time catching the tank on fire in mid 1944, the us introduced wet stowage to the ammo compartment of the tank. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii ebook written by belton y. Dec 18, 2007 the book itself is called death traps and it refers to the thousands of crew members who died or were injured in sherman tanks because the tank was designed by a committee and it was no match for german panzers with far superior armour and firepower. In this video we rant a bit about some of our least favorite tank books. Why wwii soldiers nicknamed the sherman tank death trap we. It sold more copies than he ever imagined and is still for sale today. The consequences of the sherman decision are brutally detailed in belton cooper s vivid memoir death traps. As a member of the army s third armored division, cooper saw to it that the tanks were reinforced with steel, concrete or any other substance his repair squadron could get its hands on. May 22, 2019 the 3rd armored division entered combat in normandy with 232 m4 sherman tanks, writes belton cooper, author of the appropriately named death traps, a study of u. In early 1944, the us army faced a critical decision regarding its armored forces. Jan 26, 2014 my father always said he preferred his m24 chaffee light tank over the sherman. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii 9780891416708 by cooper, belton and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices.
He served in the unit responsible for recovering damaged and destroyed tanks. The sherman tank, until the introduction of the easy eight, was a horrible tank, for the two reasons ive given. A maintenance officer who served in the legendary third armored division spearhead, cooper was charged with the critical task of locating damaged shermans, directing their recovery, and ensuring the flow of new or repaired tanks to. His laments about shermans being no good against tigers and panthers are questionable, as his unit did not encounter tigers and panthers. Death traps the survival of an american armored division in. Invariably, when this topic is raised in an online forum, someone will bring up the book death traps by belton cooper. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii, widely known among laymen and military enthusiasts alike, has become a common source for many a high school and even college paper, as well as general reading. Cooper served as a liaison officer operating between the front line armoured units mainly sherman tanks and the maintenance echelon. For the same reason internet hobby historians love to rate the tiger ll as the greatest tank ever the m1 abrams is based off it dontcha know and routinely place rommel at the top of the list of greatest generals ever. Okay, so time to math this motherfucker, according to the chieftan. Coopers experiences in the battle to defeat germany. Cooper served with united state army s 3rd armored division fighting the germans in 19441945.
Belton cooper was a mechanic during the war, and thus lacked a good overall perspective of the sherman s performance. Cooper served as an ordnance liaison officer of the us 3rd armored division from the invasion of normandy until the end of the war. Belton cooper saw how the german panzer tanks were destroying the u. With a forward by popular historian stephen ambrose and the. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii has 2 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. How the super pershing got that super to its name for the. Belton cooper makes it seem as though to go to battle in a sherman meant certain death. The book, commonly found, is wellwritten, an easy read, and provides good insight as to the thinkings and workings of a junior grade ordnance officer in a field unit. When it comes to the history of armored warfare in the second world war, the us m4 sherman tank is always sure to draw controversy and a good bit of discussion. Particularly notable is his criticism of the sherman tank and of.
It is written in the style of a memoir, but it also presents itself as a history of the 3rd armored division, the unit in which cooper served as an ordnance lieutenant. Death traps the survival of an american armored division. A revealing personal account, the book demonstrates that the sherman tank. Cooper on the book at eventually became death traps. Battlefronts plastic pershing kit includes parts to bui. When it was first introduced in the north african desert in mid1942, the m4 sherman was the most powerfullyarmed and most heavilyarmored tank in north africa. In a downtoearth style, death traps tells the compelling story of one man.
The book relates coopers experiences during world war ii and puts forth an argument against the us armys use of the m4 sherman tank during the war. Cooper byc published death traps a fantastic and quite unique book drawn from his memoirs with the us 3rd armored division during wwii. Feature index next written by 3rd armored world war ii veteran belton cooper of birmingham, alabama, and first published in 1998, death traps has received. Cooper served as a liaison officer operating between the front line armoured units mainly sherman tanks. Cooper byc published death traps a fantastic and quite. Battlefront s plastic pershing kit includes parts to bui. My father always said he preferred his m24 chaffee light tank over the sherman. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii, published in 1998. Death traps the survival of an american armored division in world war ii the survival of an american armored division in world war ii by belton y. Dec 18, 2007 in a downtoearth style, death traps tells the compelling story of one mans assignment to the famous 3rd armored division that spearheaded the american advance from normandy into germany.
The survival of an american armored division in world war ii. Cooper, author of death traps and a member of the 3rd armor division maintenance unit, recounts knowing how inferior the sherman was. But part of his job was removing the bodies of the crews which were in all states of. Death traps, belton coopers aptly name book about american armored. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii is a 1998 memoir by belton y. Cooper wishes the us army had moved more quickly to rectify the inadequacies of the sherman tank when it became obvious.
In this regard its like david renders memoir, excellent but problematic edit. An important contribution to the history of world war ii. The sherman had the second highest crew survivability of any ww2 tank second only to the mk vii churchill. Belton coopers book death traps is a good book about the sherman. Retracing death traps in normandy 2018 book your normandy. So, someone asked me my opinion on belton coopers book death traps and all hes a damn heretic jokes aside. Losses of us sherman crew in ww2 sat at around 8% while infantry at %. Death traps death traps is easily one of the bestknown memoirs of any us junior officer during world war ii, and certainly so for the us armored forces. Death traps by belton cooper is a memoir of his us army service in world war 2. When belton cooper was a young boy growing up in huntsville, he dreamed of building the worlds first unsinkable battleship. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read death traps. In a downtoearth style, death traps tells the compelling story of one mans assignment to the famous 3rd armored division that spearheaded the american advance from normandy into germany.
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