Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[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.

IMG_7447.jpg

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

IMG_7440.jpgIMG_7441.jpgIMG_7442.jpgIMG_7443.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

IMG_7444.jpgIMG_7445.jpgIMG_7446.jpgIMG_7448.jpgIMG_7449.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

IMG_7450.jpgIMG_7451.jpgIMG_7452.jpgIMG_7453.jpgIMG_7455.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

IMG_7456.jpgIMG_7457.jpgIMG_7458.jpg

[Alex van de Wetering]

What about the old trick of putting a thin piece of paper over de number and rubbing a pencil against it?

I tried to spice up one of the pictures, but I can't get a clear view.....2106 (too much space between 1 and 0 I guess), 2030, 2036???

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

What about the old trick of putting a thin piece of paper over de number and rubbing a pencil against it?

You can tell I’m not used to doing this kind of thing, because the thought didn’t occur to me at all when trying to make the number visible on the actual tank.

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

I tried to spice up one of the pictures, but I can't get a clear view.....2106 (too much space between 1 and 0 I guess), 2030, 2036???

I’ve also tinkered with the colours, contrast, levels etc. a bit and didn’t really have much success yet. I may need to try again … I think the fourth digit is a 0, though: there seems to be nothing in the middle of the number that would indicate a 6 or a 9, and the left side isn’t pinched in like you would expect for an 8.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Scan from a German language magazine showing two of the Sherman Crabs lined up in the Zuidstraat, Westkapelle, ca.1945-1946.

Closest to the camera is Sherman V Crab, "DANDY DINMONT" Turret no. 15 of 1LBY, "A" Sqn., No.1 Troop. Behind it is Sherman V Crab T-148656 which survived to this day.

Bramble002.jpg

[MicS]

Ahem, Hanno, Jakko alreary posted this photo in this very thread and so did you

[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

[James P]

Originally Posted by 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

Bead blast the area fine a fine grit 100-120 and just enough pressure to knock off all the clutter of paint and primer that working the area with a wire wheel just makes a confusing mess. If you cannot get in there with a small hand held media gun, chemically remove the paint scale, once the surface is bright (paint free) run a black wax crayon over the stamping to back fill then, or do a paper rubbing. I have had some great results going the black crayon route, but you need to prep and clean the areas better to make things pop. Oblique lighting with the brightest light possible yields great results, but if the stamping are not there (light struck) then they are just plain not there.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by James P

If you cannot get in there with a small hand held media gun

I don’t even know what a media gun is, aside from assuming from context that it’s a tool to do with sandblasting

Thanks for the tips, though I may not be able to go back before the tank gets sandblasted in order to try some out

Originally Posted by James P

if the stamping are not there (light struck) then they are just plain not there.

Technically it should be possible to bring them out with the right equipment, due to the invisible deformation the stamping will have caused in the underlying metal, but that requires all kinds of forensics-type kit, like that used to retrieve filed-off serial numbers from guns. Somehow, I think I won’t have access to that either …

Also, someone pointed out to me that the second digit is probably a 0, not a 1. It’s odd, but when I was looking at the real thing it looked definitely like a straight number 1 to me, but in the photos I see the round shape of a 0 instead … So it’s probably 2030X.

[David Dunlop]

Been looking at your photos for a while now, Jakko, and my guess would be either, ‘22126’, or, ‘21126’.

An interesting mystery.

David