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Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float? episode artwork

May 29, 2026 39 min

Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float?

from Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Hosted by Pushkin Industries

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

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Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float?

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This episode was published on May 29, 2026.

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