The Canadian Tank Corps had been formed early in 1918 and equipped with the latest British Mk V heavy and French Renault light tanks. This unit was disbanded at the end of the World War 1. Not another tracked unit was available to the small Canadian army until twelve Carden-Loyd Mk VIB were purchased in 1930 for a handful of mobile machine gun platoons. Early Ram II at Worthington Park, CFB Borden. In 1936, due to the deteriorating international situation, the Canadian Defense Department decided to form an armored force with the intent to train a small group of men in tank warfare in the event of war. The Tank Training School was set up at London, Ontario, with the earlier purchased Carden-Loyd Mk VIB carriers used as training vehicles. Also added were two Vickers Mk VI light tanks with 14 more ordered in 1939. The 1940 fall of France, and the bombing offensive against Britain, led to a decision that Canada be made a source of manufacture of light armored vehicles and tanks. An authorization was given for the formation of two Canadian Armored Divisions in the summer of 1940. This necessitated a requirement for over 1,000 cruiser type tanks to equip these divisions. It was obvious that these could not be supplied through British production and that tank production in the United States was limited to British and American orders. The English and Canadians then decided to construct a Tank Arsenal in Canada under the administration of Montreal Locomotive Works with the assistance of its parent organization, American Locomotive. It was further decided that the Canadian built cruiser tank design would be based on that of the US M3 medium tank to save time and utilize mechanical and chassis components already in production. By the autumn of 1940, it became clear that many of the design features of the M3 would be far from satisfactory for the British or Canadian soldiers, in particular the high silhouette, sponson-mounted main armament, inadequate armor protection, and lack of radio in the turret. By January 1941 it was decided that Canada must develop and produce it's own tank utilizing the mechanical components of the M3 and make it standard with British main armament. This vehicle came to be known as the Ram tank. The Ram was named in honor of the founder of the Canadian Armored Corps, General "Worthy" Worthington. The Ram was part of his family crest.  Late model Ram II at Worthington Park, CFB Borden. A running prototype of the Ram was completed in June 1941. Canada's Ram with a 6pdr gun production engineering drawings were assumed to be supplied by the United Kingdom. These did not materialize. The mantlet, cradle and elevating gear had to all be designed in Canada. While the engineering was being finalized, the first fifty vehicles were fitted with the standard 2pdr gun and designated Ram Mk I. Production mounting the 6pdr gun then became the Ram Mk II. Though the Ram looked like an American M4 Sherman, it quickly became evident that it lacked the firepower needed to overcome other enemy tanks. For this reason, Rams were used as training vehicles, conversions to Kangaroos, command vehicles, and test chassis.  In 1942, the United States put the M4 into production replace the M3. The M4 incorporated all the features of the Ram and met British requirements. Thought was given to manufacture of the M4 in Canada but increased orders for the Valentine tank and the arsenal facilities in the United States rendered this idea moot. However, it was agreed that Ram production would be halted for the M4 Sherman at the earliest possible time. The specifications were laid down in September 1942 for the Canadian production of the M4AI. This tank became known as the 'Grizzly'. In August 1943 changeover in production was achieved after an amazing production of 1,941 Rams. While it had been planned to build large quantities of the Grizzly, orders were reduced when it was realized that the production of Sherman tanks from the USA would be sufficient for Allied requirements. Of the 188 Grizzly tanks built, some were allocated to British Forces but the bulk of them were retained for training.  It was as the Kangaroo that Ram tank and it's designers would make the contribution to the Canadian soldier and history. Hitting the battlefield in 1944, the Kangaroo would become the first truly successful Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). Other contributions of the Ram were as armored recovery vehicles, towing vehicles, ammunition carriers, recovery units, and experiments. A popularly quoted model by Canadian sources, called the Skink, was armed with four 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft defense. This vehicle was never adopted for use though one was sent "over there" for evaluation. By the time of it’s arrival, the German airforce was anything but a "force" and there was not much for the Skink to shoot at. It did get the opportunity to shoot up some ground targets with it’s rapid firing cannons. The contribution of the Ram and all the other vehicles provided by Canada during WW2 proved just how resourceful the Canadian people are when the going got tough. |
