Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Jakko Westerbeke]

This afternoon, I went to the workshop where the monument tank is being restored. The tank has been almost completely stripped.

Here’s some photos I took:

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And for interest, the inside of a VVSS bogie, showing details I never knew was there:

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Unfortunately, I could not find a chassis number on the hull. The vehicle data plate is long gone, and the area where the chassis number should be stamped into the sponson floor is very rusted — not to mention that the plate sounded very thin when I knocked on it, so I suspect it’s been replaced at some point previously (as someone told me when the tank was moved back in December).

There were concerns about how long the tank would last when it’s replaced. According to Stef Traas, who’s in charge of the restoration, it will be made watertight so no water will get into it, and the outside will be painted with something that’s also used to corrosion-proof wind turbines in the North Sea. This sounds to me like it should be a good solution to the problem.

I also fortuitously arrived just in time to hopefully correct the front mudguards. They had been looking at them recently, and were about to remake them as they had been — that is, flat and rectangular. I explained the shape they should have and will send them some drawings showing the real shape (scanned from a model kit’s instructions).

As for the colour to paint it, I will spray a bit of material in SCC 15 intended for models (for those interested: MRP No. 349, “SCC No. 15 Olive Drab”) and send it to the museum, so they can have the right colour mixed.

[MicS]

Nice photos Jakko, thanks!

WRT the tank Serial Number, have you looked on the rear towing lugs? It shoud be stamped there (on both lugs), but you might have to scrape the paint off, which I suppose will not be a problem since the paint job is not done yet?

See: http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_m...n_serials.html

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

Nice photos Jakko, thanks!

I have plenty more. If you want to see them, send me an e-mail?

Originally Posted by MicS

WRT the tank Serial Number, have you looked on the rear towing lugs? It shoud be stamped there (on both lugs), but you might have to scrape the paint off, which I suppose will not be a problem since the paint job is not done yet?

I didn’t think to look there now, but I did check those last year or the year before and couldn’t find anything — but that was with the paint on, of course. I might have to see about going back and re-checking, and if that doesn’t turn up a number, going back after it’s been sandblasted.

[MicS]

Jakko,

Yes please send me your pics! (email sent)

Thanks in advance,
Michel

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by MicS

WRT the tank Serial Number, have you looked on the rear towing lugs? It shoud be stamped there (on both lugs), but you might have to scrape the paint off, which I suppose will not be a problem since the paint job is not done yet?

See: http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_m...n_serials.html

I think the best bet to find any number on this rusty hulk is to look in the driver's compartment, where the Serial Number may be stamped 6 inches (15 centimeters) left from the dataplate (as per the link above).

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[David Dunlop]

Hanno and Jakko.

I would suggest using a Dremel tool with lots of brass and steel wire discs to slowly cut through the paint and rust on the rear towing lugs.

Over time, the paint and rust will have infilled the letter stamping. The trick is to clean back the paint and rust carefully from the surrounding metal to let the infill highlight what is left of the stamping.

To do that you must work the wire wheels slowing on a diagonal across the face of the lugs. The lines of most letters and numbers will be parallel to the length and width of the lugs. If you work the wire wheel in either of those directions, you risk sweeping the paint and rust out of the stamping and losing the benefit of them to highlight what might be left of the marks.

A bit like cleaning an elephant with a toothbrush, but this might be the only opportunity left to carefully examine these areas for valuable production markings. Something that should not be rushed or done too aggressively at this point in time.

David

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Thanks for the suggestions, all I had misremembered the serial number’s location and so looked in the wrong place. I will go back soon, equipped with some tools to remove paint, and check the different locations where it might be.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

We went back to the tank today and attempted to find the serial number. Starting in the area Hanno pointed out, we found nothing, but above where the data plate would have been, traces of the number did appear.

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Once located, I took a whole bunch of photos of the remains of the number: straight on, from above and the sides, with and without flash, with and without a light shining from side on. I’ll put the usable ones in this message and the following ones.

As you can see, the number appears to start with 21 but the last two digits are very hard to make out. They’re both “round” numbers, though: something like 60, 66, 69, 80, 86, 89, or maybe even 30, 36 or 39. I hope our collective recognition ability and/or tinkering with images can give us a definite answer

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[Jakko Westerbeke]

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[Jakko Westerbeke]

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[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

As you can see, the number appears to start with 21 but the last two digits are very hard to make out. They’re both “round” numbers, though: something like 60, 66, 69, 80, 86, 89, or maybe even 30, 36 or 39. I hope our collective recognition ability and/or tinkering with images can give us a definite answer

Great work, Jakko! I can’t enhance the photos on the device I am currently using, but here is a list of M4A4 serial numbers which may help to narrow doen the options:

Part II, SNL G-104, Vol. IX, the Preliminary Service Parts Catalogue for Tank, Medium M4A4 built by Chrysler Co. under contract number W-ORD-461 lists the following serial numbers:

• 4805 through 6204 (1,400 ea.)
• 16555 through 20554 (4,000 ea.)
• 20555 through 23904 (3,350 ea.)

Note: this contract totals 8,750 M4A4s. As only 7,499 M4A4s were actually delivered, s/n 22653 must have been the last one built.

From my website: http://www.mapleleafup.nl/g104/serial.htm

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Thanks. I haven’t tried enhancing the photos yet, but I couldn’t make out parts of the numbers on the tank and didn’t find a fifth digit at all. I have a feeling the tank was sandblasted in 1994 and part of the numbers wore away then — the surface they’re on is pretty uneven.

It looks to me like the number is 2130 (and one more number, of course), but I’d be happy to be proved wrong

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thank for the update, Jakko!

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Unfortunately, I could not find a chassis number on the hull. The vehicle data plate is long gone, and the area where the chassis number should be stamped into the sponson floor is very rusted — not to mention that the plate sounded very thin when I knocked on it, so I suspect it’s been replaced at some point previously (as someone told me when the tank was moved back in December).

Michel shared the webpage with details on where to find the serial numbers on a Sherman above.

I recall last December when we looked at the rear and front towing lugs that the rear ones were especially rusty. I'd suggest to go back and try to carefully file and scrape the indicated locations to try to get some numbers to show up. If you wait till after sandblasting, the numbers which may remain in or under the rust layer will have been blasted away.

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I also fortuitously arrived just in time to hopefully correct the front mudguards. They had been looking at them recently, and were about to remake them as they had been — that is, flat and rectangular. I explained the shape they should have and will send them some drawings showing the real shape (scanned from a model kit’s instructions).

Thanks for that intervention. If they need them ready-made, please contact Adrian Barrell as he has made copies in the past.