This is John Batcher speaking with the author James Holland about his book Brothers in Arms.

This is the story of One Tank Company, The Sherwood Rangers, British Army, United Kingdom Army, trained as cavalrymen in 1939 converted to armor for the

war in Europe.

And this is 1944.

They landed Normandy, and this book covers their landing all the way to V.E. Day

They had Sherman tanks, American-Made Sherman tanks, going up against Panthers and Tigers. Huge monster tanks built by the Germans

with 76 millimeter shells. James will explain, however, that though Tagger and other tanks for the Germans, the

Panser 4, the Panser 5, all those expressions of superiority that didn't make them

superior to the Sherman and James very carefully explains why that is true.

This is James Holland about the Sherman Tank up against the Panthers and the Tigers and the

Panthers and there were endless numbers of cats named for German tanks and they were very good machines but more of this tonight.

Yeah well I just also I would I wouldn't say that the pampers and the tigers are

superior what I'd say is they have thicker

armor and a better gun, a higher velocity gun, but they're not necessarily better. And that's

the big debate because most people just sort of think, you know, you look at a

tiger tank and it's enormous compared to a Sherman, it's this huge bomber, it's got this massive

88 millimeter gun, you know, you think, well, of course the taker tanks better, but there's many things

about the Sherman tank, which give it, you know, tick a lot of a lot of boxes and it has this incredible

rate of fire. There is no tank that can fire quicker.

One of the reasons is because of the shorter the smaller shell, you've got a smaller shell,

you know, a 75 millimeter shell is smaller than an 88 millimeter shell for example or even a high-velocity 76 millimeter

shell which is what a pamper has. And so it takes up less space and it's lighter which means it's actually

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