Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float?

29 May 2026 · 39m

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Play — keeps going as you browse

Not rated yet

Comments

oldest first

Show notes

It’s D-Day and the Allies are about to invade Nazi-occupied France. For the landings to succeed, American soldiers on Omaha Beach will have to break through some formidable coastal defences - Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. Sherman tanks will come in very handy - and the Allies have come up with a novel solution for getting them to the beach. These tanks will swim. Everyone from Winston Churchill down thought swimming tanks were a great idea… but were they?

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at ⁠timharford.com⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More episodes

The Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise24 Jul "What a Bloody Mess we're in" - Britain's [REDACTED] Accident17 Jul Attack of the Night People10 Jul LIVE: We Are Not Machines - with Sarah O'Connor3 Jul Treacle Tears: The Boston Molasses Disaster26 Jun

Where to listen

Where to listen to Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Listen on Apple Podcasts