Amid the cacophony of exploding mortar shells, small-arms fire and the screams of wounded comrades, Aubrey Cosens crouched on top of a Sherman in plain sight of the enemy and bellowed his daring plan to the tank commander. The 23-year-old sergeant – serving with the Queen’s of Rifles of Canada – requested that the armoured beast slam into the German-held building in front before he went in alone and dealt with its occupants. Trooper Bill Adams, the driver, was less than thrilled: “I was pretty careful about ramming those stone walls. Usually there’s some kind of basement. We wouldn’t be much use to anyone with a 30-ton Sherman tank lying around in a farm cellar.”