Tales of Cromwell tanks 

Somewhere, sometimes there were loads of German soldiers telling the tale of how they once saw three British tanks jump a canal.

-"Hm. Well that's funny" every time, everywhere. you hear that, you know something is off.

Hans shoot zhat tank! Nien it is just a training tank. Oh ja I see ignore it

I wonder what the Germans were thinking when they were confronted with the sight of three British tanks jumping the canal.. Explain THAT to you commanding officer when he demands to know why you failed to knock out those British tanks, while you had 4 88's and tons of infantry.. ''They jumped the canal, sir''

"Now them Cromwell boys was fixin to find themselves in a heap o trouble..."

But wait... Isn't a Cromwell tank 20ft long? So... a Cromwell can jump a Cromwell.

About the fellows who wanted to keep their "lucky" tank, it goes to show you what a superstitious lot soldiers can be. My old man was in a USAAF bomber unit stationed in England during WW II. Late in the war, the command wanted wanted the camouflage scrubbed from their planes. The reason for this is that it takes many gallons of paint to cover a B-24, and with out this, the plane's cruising speed would improve by 5-10 mph. But the air crews protested violently, as they thought that the paint made their planes lucky.

Really liked this. More WAR STORIES please!!

Cromwell tank went 40mph, faster than a cavalry horse at full charge, indeed a worthy tank for the Cavalry.

The canal jumping story it the type of story that, if you saw in a move, you wouldn't believe it.

Have you ever thought about starting a podcast? I'd listen to it. You could call it the "Beigecast".

I love the dry British humor in that book XD Instead of saying "We got the F*CK out of there!" it's the much more relaxed "we 'ad a bit of a steeplechase, we did." I would imagine that would be an asset in war, to be that unflappable. Americans respond with aggression: "Alright you jerry sons-a-bitches! Let's DO this!!" Brits seem to be more "Well this is a sticky wicket, innit? Right, lads, combat maneuvers!"

So they went through the entire war in a training tank... so they were basically driving a Stuart instead of a Cromwell, then.

"This rousing reception lent us wings." How can you not love the Brits!?

My Grandfather trained in either a Sherman/Cromwell, and fought in Africa/Italy in the other. I can't remember which way around. He's told me stories of war so I found this video very interesting as I can somewhat relate to it. The best story he told me was a time when he was the gunner (normally the driver but they took turns). They were firing at a German tank when the gun misfired. He pressed the trigger a few more times and nothing...so the commander ordered everyone out of the tank, everyone, except the gunner as it was his job to clear the gun. My grandfather pressed the trigger several more times with no avail. His next task was to remove the shell. When he opened the breech, the shell fell out with force but he managed to just about catch it and stopped it from hitting the floor, which would have likely set the shell off. Anyway, he caught it and began to lift it out of the hatch, placing it gently on top of the tank so he could climb out. His crew were hiding in a nearby ditch for cover. He jumped down, took the shell and went to another ditch to get rid of the shell. As he threw it into the ditch, he threw himself to the floor ready for an almighty explosion next to him...but no, nothing happened. He breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the tank with his crew. One other brief snippet of his experience is that when your tank gets hit by an enemy tank shell, it makes one hell of a noise, like sticking your head in Big Ben when it's ringing. Love the vids and would love to see more about WW2 tanks. Subscribed, cheers :)

I don't know how effective it would be to shout "Driver, reverse!" In a British tank.

I'd like if Lindy told more crazy war/tank stories like this. I don't really care if they are about british, russian or german crews. I just find Lindy's tell style amusing and entertaining so I'd love to see more of these videos.

Damn! More of these please. That was the most interesting 12 minutes I've spent on the internet in a long time.

Am I the only one who heard the Dukes of Hazzard theme song? -"Well, them Duke troopers have got themselves into a whole heap of trouble. Three Flugzeugabwehrkanones 8.8cm and a whole heap of Panzerschreks behind 'em and a Dutch Grand Canyon in front of them."

You have such a talent for bringing history alive! Thanks so much!

The Cromwell was already a pretty fast tank for its size. I can only imagine one with less armor but the same engine, would be much more nimble and haul ass. And since gunners learned how fast a target could go in order to hit it, a Cromwell going much faster than it should would have thrown off the aim of any decent gunner.

I remember that, about four months into my tour in Iraq, we (the company) were told to report to supply to help schlep the new gear, and then pick up the add-ons for our IBAs (body armor). Whilst we we signing them out, one guy strolls over and glances at my front plate, which I had removed. He looks at it, looks at me, says "excuse me," and walks away. Him and another guy muttered to each other, looking at me the whole time. Next day, we're ordered to do the same thing, except now everyone must remove both of their plates. Some dudes with clipboards walked around the ranks, taking plates, and leaving little slips of paper to those now missing components. We were all issued new plates in exchange for the slips, front & back in my case, and were told to be about our business. Turns out, all those armor plates were defective, and were basically paper weights. We'd already been engaged numerous times by then, but nobody had actually been hit.

If you're into WW2 memoirs, I quite enjoyed The Guns of Normandy - written by a Canadian artillery officer, talking about his experiences in the second half of 1944. Also, those stories are fantastic.

i love this guys nerdy enthusiasm. He should be a history teacher

you are really a tremendous story teller :-) i enjoyed these 12 mins very much

I used to be a tank troop commander (in the 1980's, not ww11) and I have also read a lot of this type of book. The one that immediately jumps to mind after seeing this is one called "Brazen Chariots", By Robert Crisp. He ended the war as a battalion commander in the RTR, but the book covers time spent in North Africa as a troop commander. It is one of the best of this genre. Another really good book is called "Warriors for the Working Day". Although it is a novel, it is based on the experiences of the author Peter Elstob, who was a tanker in WW11. If I looked trough my book collection I could find a lot more, but these are two that stick in my mind after 30 odd years.

It seems somebody tried to catch the tank at 2:50 by throwing a net at it. It might have been one of the gladiator troops.

You are a good storyteller, I would love more videos about more modern soldiers.

The vocabulary is still there. Troops getting into vehicles are "mounting up". Getting out - "dismounting". Applies both to infantry loading into transports and crews getting into their vehicles.

“The 75mm is firing but the 37mm is firing traverse round the wrong way. The Browning has jammed. I am saying ‘driver advance’ on the radio set and the driver, who cannot hear me, is reversing and as I look out of the top of the turret and see 12 enemy tanks 50 yards away someone hands me a cheese sandwich.”

it's incredible how well he tells this story lol more action than there was in Fury

So the stock Cromwell can easily hit 42 MPH on the flat in good going, which begs the question...... how much faster was the training tank??!! Also was the "Slow tank" in their troop one of the under powered Liberty engined Cromwells (actually a Centaur to be pedantic). Most Centaurs were converted to carry the 95mm. 32 Pounder howitzer (the first ever weapon to fire HESH ammunition on the battlefield..... in 1944!!) and used to deal with tough targets like pillboxes, fortified churches, etc. My son and myself wargame and given a choice between a Sherman and a Cromwell, the Cromwell is always chosen for Brit tank units.

09:28 "Achtung! Liebfraumilch!" :-) We shall adopt this in the office as code for 'boss coming in'.

Those stories are amazing, and you are a damn good storyteller. Keep them comming!

Why is this not a film? =P

What a great story! I could listen to you all day. As a matter of fact, I have! Onto video number 12, Desert Boots...

you can just see his passion and having a fun time explaining what he read and that is why i watch this video :)

If I may suggest this interesting book . It's title is " Flame Thrower". It's author is Andrew Wilson. It's the story of a tank commander of a Churchill Crocodile. The British flame thrower tank. I found it a very good read.

Where has this channel been my entire life?

Long time ago when a much smaller version of me was still in school, i had a history teacher who could tell stories like Lindy. Realy a blessing to listen to!

So many videos recently! You're spoiling us, Lloyd, keep it up!

Lloyd is a fantastic story teller.

I love seeing you get so excited over old stories like this, it makes me enjoy the history that much more.

I really enjoyed this video Lindy! I could picture these things so vividly.

Lloyd seems like a really cool guy to hang out with.

you rock! love this channel

I am sorry but i couldn't understand what you were trying to say in German. You basically said "Achtung, Liefermilch!" (Caution, delivery milk!)

Lindy! I thoroughly enjoyed your retelling of a war story. It's the passion you have for the subject that is so fascinating to watch, along with the insight into the 'why.' I look forward to a future telling.

Am I the only one who constantly tries to scroll up to get the whole head in view?

"...that's funny..." :D

You sir are a legend and love to hear lots more stories!

Love your channel Lindy!

Thats literally the coolest story ive ever heard, loved the bit about the final tank gouging its way up the bank

this was great. more memoirs!

This has got to be my favorite video. Thank you lindy, for being enthusiastic and passionate about something that most people would ignore. Dan Carlin reads a lot of quotes in his podcasts and it is the most powerful part of each episode. Having it digested and formatted and explained is exciting!

Amazing! Great video thanks for sharing!

Make a number of videos!!!! DO IT

Just like to add that 'cavalry tanks' are also known as 'cruiser tanks'.

This is a greatest hit right here. Love the content mate.

im loving your content, keep it up!

Love the immersion to your story! More videos like this and I will be a happy man.

Haha, great story. I love WW2 Lindybeige. Looking forward to this series. Great video, as always.

I am already loving this channel

Slowly binging my way through all of your videos Lindybeige since I've discovered your channel! Keep up the good work man!

More of these please Lloyd! I love all of your videos, but seeing your enthusiasm about this is just infectious!

Thanks so much. Always looking for a good read. The subject of WWII tanks is particularly interesting to me. I had a great uncle who was a Lance Sargent in one. Unfortunately he didn't make it past June 5th when the Canadians broke out of the Normandy beachhead and met heavy Panzer resistance. By complete coincidence my great uncle's division the Sherbrooke Fusiliers gave my wife's grandfather's division the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (infantry) a ride on their tanks that morning. Since learning of that coincidence I have craved a better understanding of what it would have been like in a WWII tank.

this is such a good channel thank you lindybeige

Brilliant stories Lindy! :D My one friend loves the Cromwell more than any other tank, so I'm sure he'll adore hearing this pair of stories about his favorite tank. Can't wait to hear more stories like these because the way you get all excited while telling them makes them so much better.

Great stories Lindy, looking forward to more of these :)

These memoirs are awesome! I think I might buy it if I can order it in english. Thanks!

I absolutely love and appreciate your videos

Need more of these, awesome!

Dis was a gud 1

Best WW2 memoir I have read - by a large margin - was "Quartered Safe Out Here" by George MacDonald Fraser.

I'm a Yank. But I married into a British family. Thanks to them, and our many conversations concerning the language, I easily enjoyed your stories. But it was my late wife who used to say, "declutch." Else I'd be lost, with that one. Anyway, I enjoy books, so thank you for these recommendations.

Fantastic story - very well told -- BIG THANKS!

Dear Lord that's a great story teller. More stories please! (Thanks.)

I love listening to Lindy tell war stories.

your channel is quickly becoming one of my favourites

This is one of my favorite videos of yours, you should make some more my dude!

The only war memoir I can remember reading was one that I found in the discards bin at my high school library; "Fly for your Life", the story of Bob Stanford Tuck, a Spitfire and Hurricane aviator.

Great story! Another very good book is "The Tank War", by Mark Urban. It's written in the narrative style about the 5th RTR, in WW2, with the benefit of a ton of interviews with actual tankers from the regiment. Exciting, personal and very informative. Also lots of Cromwells!

Hey Lindybeige, I really like your retellings of the WWII stories. Thank you.

I love it how you tell stories! So interesting!

You should really do audio books on topics like these. This is totally not an insult or has anything to do with age, but you're like the most interesting grandpa that would keep his grandchildren around listening to his stories for hours

This is so interesting. I need to pick up some memoirs to read.

Brilliant work lindy, love all your stuff, but as someone who finds WW2 very interesting and a treadhead at heart a series on this cuts right to my field of interest, Keep it up :D

Your narrative is just awesome.

"Achtung, liebfraumilch!"....lmao too funny

Love it. More of this please.

Love your way of telling stories!!

I'm very much looking forward to more of these videos, if possible. Good source material and you're a natural storyteller.

"Achtung! Liebfraumilch!" LOL

LOL @ "Achtung! Liebfraumilch!" I chortled heartily.

its storys like these that make me chuckle a bit, it takes a bullet flying towards you to give you the courage to do something most people would think is impossible.

Really enjoyed this, would love more, similar videos. Keep up the good work!

Hey man really dig the channel would love more vids like this if you can spare the time for it Salute Lindybeige from Australia

Have you read the Spike Milligan war memoirs? Absolutely brilliant.

Awesome awesome video would love more of these. Im going to look into that book

These videos are fascinating and all the more impressive for being done in a single take.