History of the Duplex Drive Tanks

In this episode, we explore one of the most ambitious and unlikely armoured innovations of the Second World War: the Duplex Drive (DD) amphibious tank. Developed by engineer Nicholas Straussler and perfected under the 79th Armoured Division, the DD tank combined a standard armoured vehicle with a collapsible flotation screen and propeller system—allowing it to swim from landing craft to shore under its own power.

This episode covers the complete history of the DD tank programme, including:

• Early amphibious concepts and the Tetrarch DD prototype
• Development of the Valentine DD and the first successful sea trials
• The creation of the Sherman DD and its adoption by British, Canadian, and U.S. forces
• Intensive training at Fritton Lake, Stokes Bay, Torcross, and dedicated DD tank schools
• Combat use on D-Day across Sword, Juno, Gold, Utah, and the heavy losses at Omaha
• Later operations in Europe: the Scheldt, the Rhine, the Po, and the Adige
• The final combat swims in northern Germany and northern Italy in 1945
• Technical insight into flotation screens, propeller drive arrangements, launch procedures, and crew survival drills

From Normandy’s surf to the great rivers of Europe, the Duplex Drive tank proved both fragile and indispensable. It saved lives on some beaches, suffered tragedy on others, and became one of the most distinctive armoured vehicles of the war. This episode reveals how the DD system was built, tested, trained, and ultimately fought in some of the most demanding amphibious operations of the conflict.

For more information and multimedia go to our webpage about the Duplex Drive Tanks.

https://worldwar2-sof.com/welcome-to-world-war-2-special-forces-com/world-war-2-equipment/british-equipment/british-vehicles/duplex-drive-tanks/

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