Sherman Crab T147955 “Avalon” Overloon. Regiment? Damage?

[David Dunlop]

Me again, Alex. Your worst nightmare.

Take a look at the photos of the flail beam in Posts 29 and 32 that you and Jakko added to this thread. Doesn’t it look odd such a large gap to the outside is visible through the right side hull? My gut tells me that gap should not be there.

To my tired eyes, there looks like a shadow outline around the edge of that hole which matches very closely to the heavy metal flange surrounding that beam. I think that flange was originally welded up against the inside of the hull and some external force has broken it free and driven it inwards about 4 or so inches.

If you take a look at the forward side images of that beam, there is a penetration hole with a slightly downward and inward angle. It looks like if that flange was flush with the inner hull, whatever penetrated the hull at that point, also put a notch into the flange beside the entry hole?

That would suggest the penetration hole preceded whatever event broke the beam free and pushed it inwards. It might also mean the large hole in the beam that entered the beam from the rear side and exited the front, may have happened when that part of the beam was still outside the vehicle.

David