M4 Sherman stuck in Okinawa Stream

Image size: 1300 x 1600 pixel. 787 KB
Date: Monday, 21 May 1945
Place: Wana Draw, Okinawa, Japan
Photographer: Alexander Roberts

M4A3 Sherman of the 706th Tank Battalion attached to the US Army's 77th Infantry Division, Tenth Army, stuck crossing a 5-foot stream. Other Shermans are behind it. Both the Americans and the Japanese could not maneuver in a constant torrential downpour known locally as the "Plum Rains." The tank commander looks on as the driver bales the tank out. Note "Pop" written on the driver's helmet. The tank would have to wait until a tractor could be available to pull it out. The 706th fought at Guam, Leyte, Ie Shima, Okinawa, and was back at Luzon in the Phillipines at the end of the war. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1055

M5A1 Stuart of 761st Tank Battalion at Coburg

Image size: 1600 x 1278 pixel. 677 KB
Date: Wednesday, 25 April 1945
Place: Coburg, Bavaria, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

On April 11, the segregated 761st Tank Battalion, attached to the 71st Infantry Division, Third Army, 12th Army Group, captured the town of Colburg, fifty miles from the Czechoslovakian border. Stiff resistance consisting of machine guns, panzerfaust anti-tank weapons, mortars, and even a few German planes, made the encirclement of Coburg an all-day battle. The 761st, 71st, and Combat Command B of the 11th Armored Division received the surrender of the city's mayor. In this view, an M5A1 Stuart light tank of Dog Company of the 761st moves through the town square to clear out snipers. Note the damage to the windows of the upper floor as they machine gunned the windows to kill any Germans hiding there. M4 Sherman tanks are in the background. After this action the 761st enjoyed their first fresh food and beds for weeks, liberating chicken, cognac, and feather beds from the townfolk. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives) #535534

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coburg1945.jpg

Sherman Tanks of 7th Armored in St. Vith

Image size: 1600 x 1166 pixel. 854 KB
Date: Wednesday, 24 January 1945
Place: St. Vith, Wallonia, Belgium
Photographer: Unknown

M4 Sherman medium tanks of the 40th Tank Battalion, Combat Command R, 7th Armored Division, take up defensive positions in a field near St. Vith after retaking the village from the Germans. The 7th Armored, in a less famous but equally heroic stand than Bastogne, was cut off from reinforcements (except for scratch units of the 106th Infantry Division, 9th Armored Division and 28th Infantry Division) in St. Vith on December 17, 1944. Faced with intermittent radio contact and a lack of supplies and reinforcements, the 7th Armored denied St. Vith from the Germans for five vital days. After regrouping and re-equipping in early January 1945, Combat Command B of the 7th Armored retook St. Vith on January 23. 

Source:

United States Army 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0082

M4 Sherman Mine Exploder T1E3 Clears A Road in Beggendorf

Image size: 1600 x 844 pixel. 302 KB
Date: Monday, 11 December 1944
Place: Beggendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

M4 Sherman medium tank Mine Exploder T1E3 (later designated M1 Roller) of 738th Tank Battalion (Special), attached to the 3rd Armored Division, VII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group, clears a road of mines. The 738th was one of two tank battalions to operate the T1E3; both were broken up and attached to units as needed. Nicknamed "Aunt Jemima" for the resemblance to a stack of pancakes turned sideways, the pressure of the heavy armor discs would set off the mines; the discs had to be periodically replaced when damaged. The T1E3 lacked the off-road performance of the Mine Exploder T2 Flail (British designation Sherman Crab Mark I). The heavy discs were difficult to maneuver. The bumper on the back of the tank is for another tank to push the T1E3 because of the weight of the discs. Experimental versions were fitted with serrated discs, but only the T1E3 saw combat. Beggendorf was captured on October 6, 1944, but clearing mines continued throughout the war. Some areas of Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany and other World War II belligerents are still mined; thousands of misfired shells and mines are dug up each year and kill or wound people to this day!

Source:

United States Army 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0081

M3 Medium Tank Crew of 1st Armored Division Displays 75mm Ammunition

Image size: 1600 x 1195 pixel. 638 KB
Date: Wednesday, 24 November 1943
Place: Souk el Arba, Jendouba, Tunisia
Photographer: Cooper

Six tanker crewmen of M3 medium tank (British designation "Lee") W-309576 of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Combat Command B, II Corps, display ammunition for their 75mm (3 inch) M2 gun during the race to cut off the Axis forces in Tunisia. The gun's breech is visible in the open hatch behind the tankers. The first tanker is holding the M61 High Explosive/Armor Piercing shot with Ballistic Cap and Tracer (HE/APC-T); The second man is possibly holding an example of the M18 practice semi-armor piercing round; The third man is holding an example of the M48 high explosive round; The fourth and sixth men hold more M61 rounds. Initially the 2/13 was sent to North Africa as part of Operation Torch; the unit at first lacked anti-tank rounds, resorting to firing paint-loaded practice rounds to attempt to blind the optics of German tanks. That may be why the men appear to derisively view the M18 practice round and display the recently arrived M61 anti-tank round. The decision to commit the 1st Armored Division in smaller units had disastrous effects for the Americans; most of 2/13 was wiped out by the end of the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943, and it was the only American medium tank unit to deploy the M3 in front-line combat. Still, the experience gained by the survivors made 2/13 the default choice for combatting German forces, even with their antiquated M3s, which suffered from poor off-road performance and insufficient armor. Like other riveted armored fighting vehicles, when hit in battle, the joints would break up and fly kinetically around the tank, causing casualties. The high silhouette led to the famous tanker remark that the M3 looked like a "damned cathedral coming down the road," and let the British to demand a different top turret without a commander's cupola. Unable to mass their tanks as the Germans did, the 2/13 suffered steady attrition as they were committed piecemeal in stopgap measures to stop Rommel's advance, as did the subsequent regiments of 1st Armored that arrived with the improved Sherman tank. However, the M3 medium gave the British their first weapon that could defeat armor of the Panzer III; the M2 and later M3 gun's ability to fire both anti-tank and high explosive rounds allowed the tank to engage soft targets like bunkers, buildings, infantry columns and anti-tank guns. The high explosive capability of the M3 gun and M48 shells fitted to M4 Sherman tanks remained superior for the rest of the war, but the increasingly heavy German Tiger, Panther and later Panzer IV tanks could not be damaged by the M61 or the later M72 anti-tank shot. 

Source:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) NA-COO-42-217

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0080

M3 Stuart Light Tank in North Africa

Image size: 1600 x 1247 pixel. 523 KB
Date: Friday, 1 January 1943
Place: North Africa
Photographer: Unknown

American Late production M3 light tank with a D58101 version welded turret. These late production M3s were called "Stuart Hybrids" by the British. Note that it still has the sponson (side mounted) machine guns and welded hull construction. There is a star atop the turret for aircraft recognition. The sponsons were remotely fired by the driver, but were found to have limited use and were deleted in the M3A1 model. The M3 light tank - named "Stuart" by the British and nicknamed "Honey" by their crews because of its need for low maintenance and high speed - first fought in the North African desert in November 1941 in Operation Crusader. While the Stuarts broke down less than British tanks, they had limited range, firepower, and lacked sufficient armor protection. The riveted construction broke apart when hit, sending shrapnel around the turret. The gasoline engine required high octane and was prone to fire when hit. The Americans first used them against the Japanese in the Philippines; they were successful against the lightly armed and armored Japanese tanks throughout World War II. Large numbers accompanied the 1st Armored Division when it landed in North Africa during Operation Torch on November 8, 1942. With five .30 caliber (7.62mm) Browning machine guns and a 37mm (1.46 inch) main gun, the M3 looked like a potent armored fighting vehicle on paper and the 1st Armored had initial successes with hit-and-run tactics against soft targets in Algeria. However, when the 1st Armored M3s encountered the heavier German Panzer IIIs and IVs at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943, the M3's 37mm shells bounced off their German adversaries. The Germans captured large numbers of American vehicles, including M3 light tanks, and were contemptuous of the Americans' equipment. The light tank regiments were disbanded and a company of light tanks attached to the new medium tank companies that were building up. Despite being obsolete, the M3, M3A1 and M5 variants continued to serve with Britain, Australia Soviet Union and the United States throughout the war. 25,000 M3s were built, including a moderately successful infantry assault gun, the M8 75mm (3 inch) howitzer version. Date and location estimated. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0079

M24 Chaffee of 18th Cavalry Squadron

Image size: 1600 x 1207 pixel. 1.07 MB
Date: Saturday, 3 February 1945
Place: Somewhere in Belgium
Photographer: Unknown

M24 Chaffee light tank of 18th Cavalry Squadron (Mechanized), 14th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), First Army. The vehicle wears whitewash camouflage. The 14th Cavalry was severely mauled in the opening days of the German Ardennes offensive, holding a critical juncture between V and VIII Corps at the Losheim Gap. There German forces had entered Belgium in 1914 and 1940. During the battle, the 14th Cavalry held out as long as they could against the 18th Volksgrenadier and 3rd Fallschirmjäger Divisions for three days. Spread too thin, units were isolated and cut off from communications. The 18th Volkgrenadier was completely destroyed. Near Poteau, elements of the 14th Cavalry were ambushed and German Kriegsberichter (War Correspondents) shot film of advancing SS units that became the only German view of the Ardennes offensive to survive the war, frequently used in documentaries to illustrate the German advance. In light of the poor performance of the M3/M5 light tank (facing German armor in M3/M5 light tanks in 1944-1945 was suicidal) crews welcomed the M24 Chaffee, which was armed with a 75mm (3 inch) main gun. The Chaffee could not stand up to German armor or anti-tank weapons, but it had a better chance of fighting. The first 200 Chaffees issued in the European Theatre of Operations were issued to cavalry units to replace their M3/M5 light tanks and provide the reconnaissance units with greater firepower. 18th Cavalry received their first M24 on February 3, 1945, and was fully re-equipped that month. After reconstituting and regrouping in Belgium, 18th Cavalry M24s fought along the Roer River in February 1945. The Squadron crossed the Rhine at Remagen on March 17 and supported the 99th Infantry Division's advance on Giessen before transferring to 3rd Army on April 18. Leading the way into Austria, the 18th Cavalry crossed the Danube on April 25 before halting on the Inn River on May 2. 

Source:

United States Army 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0077

M3 Medium Tanks at Fort Knox

Image size: 1600 x 1225 pixel. 569 KB
Date: Monday, 1 June 1942
Place: Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA
Photographer: Alfred T. Palmer from Office of War Information

M3 medium tanks on maneuvers at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It's likely these tanks were part of the 8th Armored Division. From June 1942 to January 1943, the Division conducted training of 10,833 cadre personnel for the 9th to 14th Armored Divisions at Fort Knox. The Armored Force School and the Armored Force Replacement Center were officially established at Fort Knox on December 1, 1940. The school trained armored force soldiers in military fundamentals and in specific areas such as tank gunnery, armor tactics, communications and maintenance. As the armored force grew and the U.S. entered World War II, the school expanded proportionately. From an initial cadre of 155 officers and 1,458 enlisted men in October 1940, the school grew to more than 700 officers and 3,500 enlisted men by May 1943. The school alone used more than 500 buildings, many of them "temporary" wooden structures built to meet the expansion of the post. Many of these "temporary" buildings are still in use today. The Armored Force School, at the peak of its operation during the war, operated on two daily shifts to satisfy the demand for qualified armor soldiers. The training reflected the rapid evolution of armored warfare doctrine, which changed constantly in the face of battle experience and in the alterations to the force structure and its tables of organization and equipment. Some of the buildings used by the school reflected these new doctrines and techniques. Building 1538, just off First Avenue (now Eisenhower Avenue), was built in the shape of a Landing Ship Tank (LST) to train soldiers how to load and unload armored vehicles for transport at sea. The building still stands today and is used by the Patton Museum for storing historical armored vehicles. By 1943, Fort Knox had expanded to 106,861 acres and had 3,820 buildings, compared to 864 buildings in 1940. Two-thirds of Fort Knox is slated for demolition by 2010. The M3 medium tank was designed in 1940, when the M2 series was found to be deficient in firepower. The riveted construction, high silhouette, and the 75mm sponson mounting (which required the entire tank to be turned to aim) seriously limited performance against German tanks. Against the Japanese, the M3 performed well at Makin Atoll in November 1943 and in stopping the advance on Imphal in early 1944, because the Japanese tanks were not as advanced as the Germans. Photographer Alfred T. Palmer (1906-1993) traveled around the country photographing war-related activities in 1942 for the Office of War Information. 

Source:

Library of Congress LC-USW361-188 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0049