May not be proof but I think it is beyond a resonable doubt. When they burnt, they burnt fiercely and it was unbelievable that a vehicle which was mostly of metal could be so inflammable. The ‘Sherman’ tank was renowned for bursting into flames and had the nickname ‘ Ronson Lighter’. Later, in France, I lost good friends who were unable to get out of blazing Shermans. It was fast and versatile, but poorly armoured, so we learnt to get our shots in first. The Sherman was nicknamed ‘ Ronson’ because it would go up like a lighter if hit by an enemy shell. The German anti-tank gunners used to call them “Tommy Cookers”. I was helping the Count get out when the tank started to burn and once a Sherman started to go it would be an inferno in seconds. We used Sherman tanks, which were called Tommy Cookers because, fuelled by petrol, they would blow up after being hit, killing the crew inside. ![]() We lost a lot of our tanks to anti-tank guns, one being the 88mm. If it were my turn to be in a “ Tommy cooker” as the Germans called our tanks. Of course this was written long after the fact but I see no reason for 80+ year old men to lie about a tank's nickname. I did find first hand accounts from BBC war stories:
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