PTO M4A2s

[OPFOR Jumpmaster]

Is the Formations' M4A2 wellded driver's hoods a good canidate for USMC PTO and the 55 gallon drum trunks? Also in attaching this trunks were they just feild mods to existing wading trunk mounts or just straight up home grown stuff.

Wiz

[dharper]

Hello Wiz,

Yes the Formations M4A2 is the correct Sherman for this Marine tank conversion. The 55 gallon type wading stacks were made up from available materials for the Marine tanks by friendly members of the 25th SeaBee Battalion. Here is a photo from the 25th CB's unit history showing the field mod being tested. I have a few more detail photos of this Mod, they will be shown in my upcoming Marine Sherman book.

http://www.harpercastings.com/images/image_posts/25th%20CB.jpg

[ShermiesRule]

That is so cool. I never saw that field mod and had no idea what Jumpmaster was saying. Glad to have it clarified. Looks like I will have another project to think about.

Dave, you keep talking aboutupcoming books. Do you have more than one? When is it due?

[OPFOR Jumpmaster]

Thanks D! that's exactly what I was looking for. I have a plan for a Sherman with trunks, the new Warriors stretcher team and yanks dead Jap in a dio. I'm glad the PTO is gettin' some finally.

Wiz

[dharper]

Originally posted by ShermiesRule@May 13 2004, 03:10 PM
That is so cool. I never saw that field mod and had no idea what Jumpmaster was saying. Glad to have it clarified. Looks like I will have another project to think about.

Dave, you keep talking aboutupcoming books. Do you have more than one? When is it due?
I have a book called "Project AFV's: Modeling Marine Shermans", that coming in Oct/Nov '04 from Letterman Publications (VLS). I am also working on "Project LVT's: Modeling the LVT4" which is due in early '05. I have been asked to do another book for LP on "Modeling WWII Pacific Armor" covering some Army Shermans, some Stuarts, Japanese and Australian armor. I do plan on doing it for a mid '05 release.

David

[TreadHead]

Originally posted by ShermiesRule@May 13 2004, 03:10 PM
That is so cool. I never saw that field mod and had no idea what Jumpmaster was saying. Glad to have it clarified. Looks like I will have another project to think about.

Dave, you keep talking aboutupcoming books. Do you have more than one? When is it due?



.....sorry Alan, I am already scratchbashing as I type........hehehehe......



Tread.

[ShermiesRule]

The more the merrier. Considering that was a firld improvised item we can both improvise our own stacks

[TreadHead]

Originally posted by ShermiesRule@May 20 2004, 12:06 AM
The more the merrier. Considering that was a firld improvised item we can both improvise our own stacks
After having seen the work you do, I can only hope that my concoction is half as good as yours...

Tread. :)

[ShermiesRule]

Dave Harper or any USMC Sherman experts

The 55gal trunks were more for crossing streams and swamps rather than the actual assault landing on an island??

There would be no reason to remove any supplemental side plankings if they used this 55gal set up, is there? I mean was the weight a consideration?

[dharper]

Hello Alan,

No the 55 gallon set up was for ocean landings, since the factory devices were not always available, the Marines and Seabees had to be creative in coming up with their own systems. They worked fine for running along the coral reefs that lead to many Pacific battlefield beaches. I do have some photos of them in the ocean heading twords the beach.

David

[ED GILBERT]

There was of course a manual, and factory 'kits' - which included only instructions, blueprints, and some odd supplies like the forerrunner of duct tape - for building the wading trunks. In practice, though, the fording trunks were built by unit personnel with the connivance of Seabees and Engineers, so they adhered to no standard pattern.

The idea of using the redundant fuel drums was unique to the 3rd Tank and to the precursor units to the 6th Tank Battalion. The drums were first used by Tank Company, 4th Marines and Tank Company, 22nd Marines, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the 3rd Tank Battalion on Guam. 3rd Tank later used them on Iwo Jima.

All units used M4A2s.

Markings for all these units are illustrated in my WW2 book, and if someone is particularly ambitious they might try to paint the charging rhino tactical symbol used by Tank Company, 4th Marines.

[Havoc]

Ed,

Yours is truly an amazing and comprehensive reference on WWII Marine Armor in the Pacific --- excellent photos, too!

Thanks for a great chronicle!!! Any other similar projects in the works...? We need more such references on the PTO!!

Keep 'em coming!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B

PS Ed's Book is entitled "Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific" Got mine on Amazon

[mindphaser]

I found on internet this photo where two Shermans have the gallons. This picture was taken on Guam :-)

[ShermiesRule]

Here is my scratch attempt of a 55gal wading Sherman

http://www.armorama.com/modules/photopost/data/13436/3663USMC_55gal_011.jpg