Firefly tank

[David Herbert]

Thanks for posting those pictures Bob. As you see they have broken the track under the sprocket and run it off backwards, much easier.

As you say the jack they are using in the photo is made by Simplex and is actually a standard multi purpose jack of the day. I got mine from a non military autojumble here in the UK. They very quickly realised that the use of chains was a bit ackward and supplied adaptors that hooked into the track and the jack but that scheme didn't last long either.

Next came specially designed track jacks (also made by Simplex) that were used in handed pairs and were designed to be a universal tool for all WW2 US tracked vehicles. In theory they would also pull the end connectors which would have been a great help but they were not really up to that job on Shermans once the track had been in sevice for a year or so and gone a bit rusty. They were long enough that you could hook onto links that were either side of a damaged link, take the tension with the jacks, replace the link and remove the jacks, all without un tensioning the track.

Don't forget that the manual that you are quoting from is the first attempt at a TM on Sherman and was written before any real experience had been gained in service. Later editions are a bit more realistic.

David