I started a new image improvement series based on the Shermans Motors. I was not entirely happy with the first series of images I cleaned up regarding the Ford GAA and the M4A3. There were several reasons, the main being, I just got a lot better at using the imaged editing software over the process of doing that first set. This left a lot of images of less quality than they could be, and that annoys me so I’m going to fix that. On the upside, many of these images already are almost done, so fixing them does not take that long.
Another problem with the early parts diagrams is they only have simple part names. If I don’t know for sure the name of the port, a cover plate is covering and the diagram just says cover, it makes it less useful. What’s interesting is you can find the same images just labeled differently in the different parts catalogs and Technical Manuals. On the improved images, I’m using the actual commonly used parts name. Digging through the various manuals to figure this out can be time-consuming, but I always learn something so it’s ok.
I‘ll post a bunch of the updated images at the end of this post.
I put up Clothing and Gear store, you can click on the first link to go directly to the link, or the second link to go to the preview page on this website, with some larger images of some of the shirts. The idea behind the store is even if it only makes a few bucks a month, it can help offset some of the web pages hidden costs. I think I have some amusing T-shirts up, check it out.
I put in a small forum, so people have an easier venue to discuss things since the comment system is clunky for that. To start it off, I put a post up about my feelings on the Sherman Stabilizer system and if it not being commonly used is a myth or not. Please pop over and add your feedback.
Coming soon, more huge Technical drawings and parts breakdowns.
Sherman Tanks of the US Army Official History books: The “Green Books”, had three picture editions! Part 1
The United States Army isn’t all about fighting and defending the country, they also try and document their own history. That’s where the US Army Center of Military History comes in. It is an actual place, located at Fort McNair in washington DC, with a library and Archive. If you would like to visit, check out the website first, because they have a ton of info online and you might not have to make the trip to find what you are looking for. One of the things one the website is an online library that contains the whole set US Army Official History books, known as the “Green Books” in PDF format.
The Website has a lot of depth, and I still have not found everything of interest. Just poking around on it today I found an index of all the History PDFs they have up. If you are interested in US history, give the Army’s history website a serious look. In some cases this just links to a page listing info about a book they have, but no PDF. Or in other cases links to a store where the book is on sale and or a combo of these. Look carefully, most seem to be available for free even if there is a pay version.
Of interest to this site are the books in the Pictorial Record section, on the Green Jacket books. It contains three books, The War against Japan,The war against Germany and Italy: Mediterranean and adjacent areas, and The War Against Germany: Europe and Adjacent Areas. These books are picture books spanning the whole war, in the area the book’s title mentions.
In part one, we are going to look at The War Against Germany: EUrope and Adjacent Areas, because I figured this one would have the most Sherman photos, and I was right, there are a lot. Not as many as I though were already up on the site, and in most cases I left those out since I have better version up. These images are not great quality, but also not horrible, and it varies a little up and down, but they are interesting.
The book’s cover, if you had a paper copy.
I thought this image was interesting, there are so many men on it, they all have the same hat. I’ve always like the Lee.
One aspect of tanks people rarely think about is moving them. As reliable as a Sherman or Lee was, driving them long distances would be a waste of resources, cause to much wear and tear, and be slow. So when moving tanks like these, probably on the way to a shipyard, for transport to Africa, over very long distances, trains, trucks, or boats are all faster.This is a nice shot of an early M7 Priest 105mm self propelled artillery.
This is an early bug not super early production M4A1 75 tank. Note the cast tranny housing, but the M34 gun mount with shorty mantlet on the turret.
A nice photo of an M4 tank with the quick fix add ons, being fitted with wading trunks. These trunks, along with sealing all the other small openings in the hull and installing a special seal for the turret ring, these tanks could leave an LST, LCT or LCM in water almost up to the gun. These were not universally issued, and the Marines had to come up with their own versions.Look at that, an M4 Sherman in water almost up to its gun. I wonder if the driver could see anything through his periscope? Fish maybe? These wading trunks had a quick release mechanism.
The final use of many M3 Lee tanks, conversion into the M31 ARV. How cool is an ARV with a fake 75mm gun, that’s mounted on door leading into the vehicle?
This is a nice shot of an M4A1 76w tank, the type issued for operation Cobra. It has a hedgerow cutter installed, and probably lacks a ventilator on the back of the turret. These would be the first 76mm tanks to go into combat in US hands.
Two shots in one, a pile of tank ammo, and a crew cleaning their MGs and reloading ammo cans.
This is another early M4A1 76w tank. It’s already lost a fender on one side. The caption info with the picture is from the book. Rarely does it have detailed info about the tanks.This page shows an M7, and the tank that was designed to replace it The M4 105, partially. In that the 105mm armed Sherman was designed to replace the M7 in the HQ sections of Armor battalions and companies. I do not think they planned on replacing the M7s in Armored Artillery battalions in Armored Divisions.
Another dual shot showing an M10 moving down a street with supporting doughs.
Another early M4A1 76w tank, note the loaders split hatch, and how the doors only open to the straight up position, a problem only found on early versions of this tank.An M10 supporting the first Army with some hitchhikers. Note, it once had a deep wading kit, and how well worn those tracks are.An Invisible M4A1 75 Sherman!
Pretty sure this is a duplicate, but if not, here is a shot of an M4 with doughs hitching a ride passing through the Siegfried Line
M4s waiting for the call to action near Luneville.
M36 GMC 90mm Tank destroyer.
M4 getting duckbills
An M4 with the 6th AD, 68th Battalion, Company C, with duckbills, driving in mud.
Shermans acting as artillery, and an SPG based on the Sherman/Lee. The M12 155mm GMC.
M10s in the Huertgen Forest, late model versions based on the lead tanks turret.
An M4 pushing an T1E3 mine exploder.
An M4A1 with the 7th Army fording the Moselle river.
M36 GMC being whitewashed for the 1944/45 winterA M4 105, well dog in and camouflaged. It could be an M4A3 105, hard to tell.Another double shot, this one shows Doughs string barbed wire, and a M10 crew eating some chow.
A decent photo of an M4A3 crewman working on an old sewing machine.
An M10 firing at night.
An M4A3 76W tank leading some doughs and an M4 75 in the snow.
M4A3 dozer tank. This image was taken near Colmar.
Shermans on floating pontoon bridges.
The US using German Halftracks and some Shermans, a 75 and 76 job.
An M4 tank being ferried across the Moselle river on a very makeshift ferryboat.
A heavily sandbagged, probably 14th AD M4A3 76w Easy 8 tank.
An M36 on a makeshift ferry.
Several types of Sherman crossing a very long pontoon bridge across the Rhine.
An up armored E8 passing a huge column of German POWs.
An M36 crossing the Rhine on another long pontoon bridge.The DD Sherman, the craziest way to get ashore in a tank.
M4 Sherman, plus large rocket rack, equals awesome.
An M4 crew watches doughs sleep on a stone road.
The Sherman is an M4A3 76w with a split loaders hatch.
M10 TDs move through the ruins of Magdeburg.
A row of M4A3 76w HVSS tanks late in the war near Nuernberg.
An M4A3 76w HVSS tank
An Easy 8 acting as a ferry for some doughs.
M4A3 76w HVSS tank
That’s all folks, these images were all taken by the Army during the war and the books sold by the government originally and now are all up for free and used images that would all be public domain anyway, these images all should be public domain.
Aircraft Gallery 1: Mixed high resolution Aircraft photos
F4U-1D Corsair about to be catapulted from the USS Block Island. Note the harness attaching the plane to the catapult shuttle.A P-51D hoisted onto, or off of a CVEA nice high resolution shot of the 5000th P-38 built, this one a nice P-38J. This plane would later be repainted and shipped off to the frontA P-38H-5-LO being used to test the aircraft’s feasibility as a fighter bomber, huge image. A very nice color version can be found in Warren Bodie’s Book, The Lockheed P-38 Lighting, pretty much the best book on the aircraftA series of photos of partially disassembled P-38s being moved through an English town.A series of photos of partially disassembled P-38s being moved through an English town.A series of photos of partially disassembled P-38s being moved through an English town.A early P-38, maybe an F or G, probably in North Africa, named ‘Sad Sack’Colonel Charles McDonald, and his P-38L name Putt Putt Maru. This man commanded the 475th Fighter Group, the only all P-38 fighter groupCharles Lindbergh with Tommy McGuire, the second highest scoring US Ace at 38 kills. He would be killed a few months after this photo was taken. These two men flew several combat missions together, even though Lindbergh was a civilian.A P-38 having it’s guns tested at night. I saw this photo as a kid, and it stuck with me for years, and I still have the old Aero P-38 book the photo was in. This image is much higher qaulity thoughFour P-38s, early models, probably G or H models, in the Pacific. Due to shortages of everything in the Pacific, early model P-38s saw longer life than they would in other theatres, and they would do anything within reason to keep a P-38 in the airA huge photo of a very icy P-38, either somewhere in Alaska like Dutch Harbor, or in Greenland probably an E or F modelA beautiful, huge photo of an P-38H-5-LO, over California, probably on a acceptance test flight. This one has a pair of 165 gallon drop tanks late summer 1943The same P-38H-5-LO from the last photo, slightly different angle, over the mountains near LAAn P-38F named Japanese Sandman IIMarine F4F-4s over Guadalcanal late 1942Captured A6M Zero fighter from belowA B-25J with some odd writing on it.A famous three shot sequence of one B-17 dropping its bombs, and knocking the vertical stabilizer of another B-17A famous three shot sequence of one B-17 dropping its bombs, and knocking the vertical stabilizer of another B-17A famous three shot sequence of one B-17 dropping its bombs, and knocking the vertical stabilizer of another B-17A B-24 H or J about to blow upBoeing B-17F radar bombing through clouds over Bremen, Germany, on Nov. 13, 1943. An A-26 Invader dropping some bombsP-47Ds 73rd FS 318th FG 7th AF being ferried to Saipan on USS Manila Bay CVE-61. Attacked during refueling operations east of Saipan (appx 15.00, 147.00) by four Aichi Val dive bombers.A photo taken from one B-17, of another in heavy flack on their bomb run. The one we can see is a B-17GA P-61 Black Widow night fighterB-17 doing what B-17 didThis may be the coolest war time shot of a B-17G I’ve ever seen. Those are probably the Alps in the background
Gallery III: Even More Random High Resolution Sherman and Lee Photos with Comments.
British or French M4A2 tanks in the desert. Probably training in North Africa. Convoy of tanks, trucks and jeeps from the100th ID, and 781st TB, the photo isn’t detailed enough to get a specific make on the Shermans. This M4A1 76w is from A Company, 20th Tank Battalion , 20 Armored Division. They are on the outskirts of Cailly, France on February 24th, they had arrived in country a few days before and had not seen combat yet. The crew is unpacking and taking inventory of all the gear issued with the tank, they probably received the tank with the back deck covered in the boxes. Agroup of Doughs gathered around the rear of an M4A3 76w, probably somewhere in Germany in 1945. Note how much stuff they have strapped to the back deck. 1st Marine Tank Battalion, Okinawa 1945. notice all the extra stuff on the tank. The Marston matting on the hatch is to keep the Japanese infantry from putting a satchel charge or worse right on top of the periscope, a fairly weak spot. They also had magnetic mines they could put on the side of the tank on I bet the matting on the side helped prevent that. Wood and concrete was also used. It must be the angle, but the pistol port almost looks like it’s missing. An M10 serving in the 2nd French Armored Division Hallville France November of 1944.AFrench M4A3 76w or M4A2 76w of second company of the 501st Tank Regiment. The French used almost all versions of the Sherman, so without seeing the engine deck, I can’t tell for sure what model it is. M4 Sherman tank named Bell of Little rock, and a Lt R Hoffman looking it over, January of 1944, oddly I can’t find out what unit this tank was with. This seems to be concrete going over sandbags. The tank is either an M4A1 76w or an M4A3 76W. If you have any other info on this image let me know.M4A4s on the Burma road. How cool is it to see M4A4 tanks on the Burma road? These M4A4s were probably fairly late production A4s, that had been used in the US for training then overhauled and shipped to the UK. Some M4A4 tanks ended up back in US hands in the CBI when a composite US/Chinese tank unit needed some mediums. Not the lead tank has some kind of windscreen up for the driver and how heavily loaded the tanks are. Behind a destroyed British Sherman M4 near Caen in Normandy, a fascist soldier, of the criminal, Waffen SS watches the enemy line. Date: 1944 The Tank if either an Ic or Vc Firefly, probably the latter since it was the most common Firefly type.Our Soviet allies(at the time) using a Lend Lease M4A2 76w. I have no idea what unit these Russian Soldiers are from, but if someone does, let me know. I bet they killed a lot of Nazis to get to there, there being somewhere in Germany 1945Soviet Lend Lease M3 Lee knocked out. The Germans on it seem to be using it like a jungle gym, though something less wholesome could be going on since some of the fascist, criminal, invaders are in various states of dress.During a pre war training exercise this M3 Lee collapsed this bridge. The crew is helping the local kids get across so they can get to school. I love this image!This British M3 Grant Crew is setting up to spend the night in the desert, in egypt, in 1942. I do not understand why two of them are naked. Note the .30 1919 on the roof, and the canvas mantlet cover on the 75mm. This is the Production pilot of the M3 Lee, photo may have been taken during the demonstration for the factory workers, where the Lee took out an empty Guard shack by accident, by running it over. Clearly tanks and bridges are not fond of each other. This M4A3 76w HVSS tank seems to have been a tad much for this one. It was also a German bridge, so it was probably complicated, just adequate for the Job, and prone to failure. =DAnother shot of the prototype Lee at Aberdeen Proving ground.Another Lend Lease M4A2 76w being used by the Soviets. These tanks were well liked by the Russian crews, they felt they were very lavishly equipped. They were not fond of the .45 ACP round or the submachine guns that used them, and that these tanks came with. Even more Russian M4A2 76w tanks, the Russian crews called them ‘Emchas’ and they were unhappy to have to give them up when the war ended. In some case they didn’t, and converted them to tractors. Even more even more Russian M4A2 76w tanks, of the various engine types the Sherman could come with, the only ones the Russian would accept were the diesel based M4A2 tanks. French M4A2 coming off an LST, this one is with the 12e RCC, 2e Division Blindee. This was a very famous French Armored Division commanded by the General Philippe LeClerc. This photo was taken on 2 August 1944, on Utah beach. Vive la France!Fascist troops using a knocked out M4 as a resting spot. These may have been taken in Italy. This huge image is of Sherman M4A2 tanks with the French 12e Regiment De Chasseurs D’Afrique, part of the 2e Division Blindee, commanded by General Philippe LeClerc, taken August of 44 in Normandy. Vive la France!
