This is intriguing, Hanno.
Some random questions:
- Is there any evidence on the tank to indicate it was knocked out of action in combat? Then abandoned in the area.
- You note it was found in the area in 1945 after the area was liberated. When did the Deelen Dump become active? That might help rule out a ‘joy ride’ from the dump if no Shermans had been placed there yet.
- Can the tanks registration number be traced at all?
- If additional track armour was added to a tank, did it normally stay on until the end of action for said tank, or was it common to have it removed while fighting was still going on? If some units were having their tanks rotated in for track removal, could it be traced that way?
- The recent photo you added shows RIA on the turret side. Does this have any significance?
- Have any Deelen Dump records survived indicated what came in, when? From what I have heard, records for items leaving might be a bit unreliable.
- Have the front and rear of the tank ever been studied up close to look for traces of additional ‘owner information’?
- With the name starting with the letter ‘A’, this might have been an A Squadron vehicle from some regiment. Can anyone spot other marking traces on any of the older photos that might support this possibility?
Sorry, Hanno. That’s all I’ve got.
David
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