No.1 Mk.2 Cupola on Sherman

[Tim Bell]

Dont know who or when... a pic I found online...

ShermanVcupola-BRITISH-2.jpg

I have a Sherman ARV Cupola with the spacer ring which will go onto my Firefly when it is restored.

Whilst not original to the vehicle, the original cupola "disappearing" somewhere between recovery from the firing range and my acquisition, clearly from the attached pic, Fireflies were fitted with them, so it will have to do.

I have some other pics, will dig them up and post.

I also have some documentation on this from National Archive, (edit) have now looked at that and unfortunately it does not reference the M4 Sherman, so wont post any extracts

Tim

[Tim Bell]

This time identified... Loreto Parade - 15th August 1945, Loreto, Italy.

ShermanVcupola-BRITISH-3.jpg

Tim

[Tim Bell]

Canadian Sherman in Germany 1945

ShermanVcupola-Canadian.jpg

Edit - have just realised this pic is posted elsewhere here on MLU...

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...?t=3573&page=4

With note from Bill Miller to say:

The PA number listed for the photo you posted is the old original negative number . It has a new PA number and description:

REFERENCE NUMBERS:
_ ACCESSION:_ _ 1967-052
_ REPRODUCTION:_ _ PA-159252 (copy negative number);

Sherman tanks lined up along the route await the order to proceed with the infantry - 4th Canadian Armed Division chasing German paratroopers out of town
1945 / Wertle, Germany — 1 item — 2 1/4 sq. in.

Then with further comment from Mark Tonner to say...

Some more details regarding this photo. If indeed it was taken at Wertle, the Kangaroos would be those of "B" Sqn, 1 CACR and the tanks would be those of the 21 Cdn Armd Regt (GGFG).

....


As my Sherman is ex-21st Cdn Armd Regt, it would be interesting to know when the ARV Cupolas were fitted.

Tim

[Tim Bell]

Last image I trawled up from the web a while ago...

Sherman somewhere...

ShermanVcupola-British-1.jpg

If anyone can identify the who, when etc of this and the other pics, that would be excellent.

Tim

[Hanno Spoelstra]

They were a rare sight indeed, but as Tim shows they can be found on Shermans modified by the British like Fireflies. I think I have seen them on Crabs as well, will try to find more info.

[Mike Cecil]

Gents,

Thanks for your responses - much appreciated. It was a peripheral aspect of the Centurion story I was not aware of until I recd the image posted in the original post.

The ability to rotate the cupola would appear to be the main impetus for replacing the original fixed Sherman cupola, but it would be interesting to confirm that at some stage.

Another footnote in the Cent story.

Mike

[tankbarrell]

The original Sherman cupola was fully rotating but it was not a vision cupola. I.E, it had no protected all round vision, just a single, albeit rotatable periscope in one hatch.

Its American replacement, designed to be a exchange unit, gave all round vision through glass blocks but did not rotate.