Giant reminder

Giant reminder
Deccan Herald

A giant battle tank stands majestically overlooking the Ulsoor Lake, as a reminder of The Madras Engineering Group’s participation in the World War II. The battle tank - M5A1 Tank (Stuart) - will be inaugurated on the eve of MEG’s 225th year celebrations in October.

The MEG Sappers fought for the Britishers in North Africa in World War II. There are four such tanks with the MEG now and this one is placed for public viewing at the Ulsoor Lake circle, which is a war memorial for soilders who fought the 1944 War in North Africa.

Col Gurdeep Singh of MEG told Metrolife, “Though the Britishers brought these tanks after the war, they have left no records of the war.

“We tried to source out details, but except for the year and place we don’t have any information about the war.”

According to the National Museum of Americans at War, the M5A1 Stuart tank first appeared in combat in North Africa in early 1943. It served as the standard light tank for reconnaissance forces until 1945.

The Twin Cadillac engines and an automatic transmission made it fast and userfriendly. Although its armour was vulnerable to German tanks and anti-tank guns, its 37mm main gun was effective against enemy light armoured and soft-skinned vehicles, as well as enemy strong points. In the Pacific theatre, it was very effective against Japanese armoured vehicles.

The war memorial in Ulsoor has been given an aesthetic touch, thanks to the greening of the island where it stands.