THE "RONSON" TANK

The US-made Sherman tank, deployed by the various Allied nations in World War II, was nicknamed by its users as the "Ronson" after the Ronson cigarette lighter's advertising slogan of "a RONSON lights every time." It was also known by the British as "The Tommycooker" and by the Poles as "The Burning Grave." These terms of endearment were references to the fact that the Shermans' thinner armor, anemic cannons, poorly protected ammo storage, and gasoline (not diesel) engines made their crews particularly vulnerable to being incinerated in their machines in action against their German counterparts. Part of the problem was that the original version of the Sherman was not designed to fight other tanks but instead was intended only for infantry support and to provide the soldiers with a base of fire. Unfortunately, no one told the Germans that they should not engage these Shermans with their own stout and well-designed Panzers. 

Nonetheless, their numerical superiority and the immense courage of their crews, as well as ongoing improvements and modifications to the original design, eventually enabled the Shermans to prevail in the European theater. They also did well in the Pacific, as the Japanese tanks were even flimsier.

Later in the war, there were actual Ronson Shermans, which were outfitted with flamethrowers made by the Ronson company.

The above photo showing a Sherman at the moment of firing its main gun was taken by my father, who served in the 103rd Infantry Division. He wrote on the back the succinct caption "Tank in Action." He most likely snapped the picture in southern Germany in early 1945.