Cromwell Tanks - Bovington and Duxford

Cromwell Tank at the Tank Museum.

A Cromwell Tank at Duxford.

M5 Combat Vehicle Stuart Gun Tractor (Stuart VI)

One vehicle I noted at Duxford was an M5 Stuart Gun Tractor.

Based on the M5 Stuart tank with the whole turret and supporting deck removed.

Unfortunately I could not see into the crew area.

This vehicle was used to tow the 17 Pounder anti-tank gun by British forces.

Not to be confused with the US M5 High Speed Tractor, which is a completely different vehicle.

M4A4 Sherman V - Imperial War Museum

There is a Sherman V tank at the Imperial War Museum.

The location in the museum is not conducive to photography.

This tank has the appliqué armour on the sides of the hull and the right side of the turret.

The red triangle indicates the A squadron of the senior regiment (the shape would be yellow for the second regiment and blue for the junior regiment). The number identifies the tank

Turret lifting ring and tools.

Rear view of the turret and the engine deck.

Rear left of the hull showing the "Ever Open Eye" of the Guards Armoured Division.

 Tactical sign, for the Guards Armoured Regiment it is the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards.

Another view of the tools, air intake and rear lamp.

 Turret rear.

Aerial mount on the turret bustle.

Left rear view, including a view of the pistol port.

High quality welding on the glacis and the armoured plates protecting the driver and machine gunner "hoods".

Over side of the glacis.

Turret showing the right hand appliqué armour.

Detail of the glacis including the attachment parts for the hull machine gun dust cover.

Applique armour on the hull and the turret.

 Right rear of the hull, including the mounting points for the sand shields.

The Frankenengine that powers the M4A4, five engines bolted together. This example is at the IWM Duxford.

Frankenengine

This is the Chrysler A57 multibank engine assembly of the Sherman V (M4A4).

It comprises five 4.1 litre six cylinder engine blocks around a common shaft.

The example above is at the IWM Duxford.

Besides Wikipedia, there is an article on it here.

Grizzling... The M4A1 Grizzly

Previously I mentioned the T34 in "Dress up" at the IWM Duxford, there was another two vehicles there that were not as they seemed.

Canada started licensed production of Sherman tanks (as the M4A1 Grizzly), based on the M4A1 pattern (cast hull and Continental Radial Engine), however from their experience with the Ram, there were some minor modifications: the armour was thicker (some examples) and sloped more and the track used was lighter and simpler and did not use scarce rubber. The track required a different 17 tooth drive sprocket (the M4 used a 13 tooth sprocket).

They built 188. As US production of the M4 series was thought to be sufficient, production was then turned over to the Sexton Mk 2.

After the Second World War a number of Grizzly tanks were sold to Portugal. They remained in service until the 'eighties. It is this late survival which has led to their appearance in museums, as the other marks of Sherman were either lost or scrapped.

So, if you see an M4A1 Sherman, it might be a Canadian in disguise.

So, going back to IWM Duxford, here are some pictures of the example that was there in November 2015.

 This is a doubly dodgy paint job, Akilla was a welded hull tank (see surviving photographs) .

 General Steel logo on the glacis

The IWM Duxford Land Warfare hall is not convenient for photography as the exhibits are close together and poorly lit.

 Probably not an original style box.

The D-Day museum at Southsea (near Portsmouth) has an M4A1 outside.

References:
Wikipedia
Sherman Minutia page

Jerry Cans

This came up on the Rubicon Forum.

Display of three Jerry Cans:

The can on the left is a British manufactured one, note the WD embossed on the side under the handle.

Flimsy can.

More in the LRDG Chevy.

On the subject of boxes and crates, here is an example from Duxford. Not really sure if they are real.

Compare the T34-85, part three

IWM Duxford has a Land Warfare hall. It is cramped and dark so photography is difficult. It is also worth noting that all is not as it would appear for the exhibits, more later.

There were three T34-85 tanks on show (admittedly one was at the far side of a field).

One thing I did note was that there was not much information on the exhibits, so here are pictures of the main T34-85 tank.

This is the first example with track on the glacis.

 Note the protective cage around the two front lights.

 Smooth transition between the front curve of the underside of the turret into the flat line of the rear of the turret. Some of the road wheels lack the secondary holes.

 The tank has a Polish Eagle on the turret, and according to the Internet was built in Poland.

 This tank still has its "Splash board" in place (the one at the IWM has the brackets - pictures on their site show their one with the board before it was repainted).

 Mantlet detail.

Pistol port and vision slit.

Prominent but neat weld seam.

 Fuel drums have centre filler caps. Also there is a lot more stowage boxes.

 More boxes and a tube - purpose unknown. There is also an unhitching beam, but without the prominent end caps of the IWM example.

There appears to be a fuel tank and smoke canister brackets on the rear deck. The hole for the crank handle is noticeable.

Stowage box on the rear of the turret.

The hitchhiker is obscuring the box on the rear of the turret, there is a notice saying not to climb on the tank.

Did I mention the poor lighting?

The second T34-85 was outside, it apparently is in working order.

The third one is a Furry T34-85, dressing up as a Tiger.

 This according to the Internet was used on Saving Private Ryan.

The wheels are a bit of a give away.