I started this book years ago; this video debunks the authors’ take that the Sherman tank was a death trap, and a terrible tank. The video explains that Belton Cooper, the author, worked at a maintenance depo, and wasn’t actually out in the field fighting in any way with the Sherman, but he did get to see tank after tank as they came into the depo, smashed and burned, bodies inside… horrible stuff. So he does know a lot of what he’s talking about, but it is from a perspective that doesn’t relay all of the facts, but rather is an emotional perspective, recalled many years later and not referencing objective information.

As the video elaborates, Cooper isn’t intentionally deceiving anybody, he’s just giving his view and opinions based on what he experienced. It does go to show that just because something is in book form, that doesn’t mean that the information inside is completely reliable. This is a great reason to become well-read on a topic and not rely on one volume for knowledge and conclusions on topics.

I’m still going to read this book at some point, I doubt every single thing in it is inaccurate, but I will take it as the opinion of a veteran who had to deal with some very heavy experiences during the war.