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This Sherman was commanded by Lieutenant Bill Heptinstall of 6 Troop, 20 Battalion of the New Zealand armed forces. On 3 August 1944 he was leading the advance into "Tiger country" and saw that this stretch of road was an obvious place for an ambush. After failing to find any way to bypass the spot through the sloping olive groves, he raced this Sherman at top speed along the road, then paused here to turn into a side path. A Tiger (probably the one seen here) was hidden on the path and it promptly hit the Sherman in its forward left side. Heptinstall was the only survivor.
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