Under the Hood of Dora, an M4A2 Sherman Tank

While the treads no longer trample grass or gravel, 80 years ago, this behemoth was capable of hitting a top speed of 48 kilometres per hour.

With a welded body, and a colossal for-its-day 76 millimetre cannon, the Lt. Colonel Clifton Centre's ever vigilant M4A2 Sherman Tank 'Dora' still bears a presence demanding attention.

Drivers heading past on Sixth Avenue Northeast will have seen the tank, pointed towards Elmwood Park and the Swift Current Creek riverbend. Having arrived in Swift Current sometime between the late 1960s and early 1970s, it's been an established part of the community for ages. Plenty of children have grown up, with generations having fond memories of clambering over the armoured plates, playing with their friends, and imagining the tank roaring to life in a daydream adventure.

Even after all the decades, the tank is still looking pristine. That is in part thanks to the fact that Dora never saw combat, and in fact has never left North America. It's also in part thanks to Andy Keys and his team of volunteers. The veteran of the British Armed Forces has taken it upon himself to regularly re-paint the tank every five years to ensure the rust is kept to a minimum, and that the tank is always presentable.

Keys was the one who renamed the tank to Dora, replicating the original command vehicle of the 14th Canadian Hussars, an armoured division that was based in Swift Current from 1940 to 1968.

"We was the ones that really renamed it," confirmed Keys. "There was three vehicles with the 14th Canadian Hussars here, and we picked Dora because it looked like the command vehicle."

Some of the upgrades the Keys team made when repainting were to include the name, adding in the white bronco, and update the 14 Canadian Hussars insignia.

In total, 8053 M4A2 Sherman tanks were produced. There was even an option for a gasoline or diesel engine, as well as other armour and armament variants.

The Sherman tank as a whole was the single most produced armoured vehicle in World War II. Between 1942 and 1946, America produced 49,324 Shermans. These tanks would evolve and change and even receive region-specific upgrades.

The many different theatres the tank saw action in, from North Africa, Italy, Normandy, the Pacific and virtually everywhere else was in part due to all Allied nations having been equipped with Shermans. While American in origin, the 'Lend-Lease Program', ensured all Allied nations had a chance to add their own flare to the vehicle.

Under the Hood, this particular M4A2 Sherman tank housed two Detroit 6-71 two-stroke inline Diesel engines, which made a total output of 375 horsepower. The 65,476 lbs Sherman would use those engines to power its vertical volute spring suspension, and rubber-bushed tracks through mud, water, rubble, fields and foxholes. At least, it would have had it ever made it to the theatre of war.

The turret features 63.5-millimetre thick armour, while the welded body has a front plate that has an effective thickness of 93.1 millimetres. That's just shy of four inches of hardened steel. The 76-millimetre gun was an upgrade from the original 75-millimetre gun that Shermans came equipped with.

Inside, every system of the vehicle has been gutted. The turret ring is welded so it cannot swing left or right, and the gun has been made defunct, leaving only the barrel. The crew space is still open and can be accessed. Keys normally opens it up for a cleaning every so often.

"Some of the kids drop rocks through some of the openings, so we cleaned out all the rocks and the sticks and the papers," said Keys.

"We found a couple of empty spent case cartridges in there. I can't say that they were from the tank or whether somebody dropped them through an open hatch as well, but that was kind of interesting."

Keys believes that if the tank still had its power train, it would be able to roll without much issue on its existing tracks and suspension. A few things may give out, but the repairs would be easy compared to how much work reinstalling the engines, transmission, electrical, and other necessities would be.

"It might be a little bit more than that finding the two Detroit engines that went in it," said Keys. "That might be the first hurdle, and you could go from there I guess."

For now, Keys is happy to maintain Dora as is. The community has kindly donated much if not all of the paint they have used to maintain appearances over the years. Right now, the veteran is more worried about fixing the surroundings. While he does as much as he can, there are some parts he is unable to fix by himself.

"It would be really, really nice if somebody would step and make some of the concrete nicer," Keys said.

Currently, the old cement has begun to crack, and the gravel bed that Dora sits upon has been emptied out over the years a good bit.

If anyone would like to donate or inquire about helping maintain the tank or its surroundings, Keys encourages people to call him at A.M Delivery, or by reaching out on Facebook.

For now, people can look back at Dora and see a shining example of the main armoured platform used by the Allies in the largest conflict the world has ever known. It never went to combat itself, and in fact, is a replica. But for years, it has been a landmark for many, and part of more than a few generations of childhoods now. It stands as a mark of the Allies' victory, and all the peaceful years enjoyed in Canada, and around the world. This Remembrance Day, remember that the sacrifices made in the defeat of tyranny and oppression have brought about a world where a tank is more a plaything than an instrument of war.

Under the Hood is powered by Great West Auto Electric, your local Bumper to Bumper dealer in Swift Current. Long live your car.