Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[MicS]

Great photo of 'The RAM' Jakko!

I think it might be your E32, which by the way is a D6A, not a D7A (to be more precise, in your pdf the dozer on your first photo - Dozer 'D' in Hanno's post #64 above- is a D6A, located to the right front side of LVT(4) E23, while the one on the second photo, on the left front side of E23, is a D7A).

They are stuck at a similar angle, the left track is broken on both, the engine cover top plates are missing (not that this is exceptional on dozer wrecks!), and the angles of shot of the photos are compatible. More importantly, it seems that their Reg Nos are both E243xx7 (possibly E243927 or E243957).

It might be worthwhile to get a higher resolution scan from Beeldbank Zeeuwse to see if the Reg No could be read.

I think I can see the remains of AoS 12xx on the right side (left on your photo) of the front plate. This could be 1232 or 1236 for 149 Aslt Pk Sqn, although this unit is not suppposed to have landed any dozer on the right side of the Gap, but it could be another RE unit altogether since many had similar AoS serials.

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

I think it might be your E32, which by the way is a D6A, not a D7A (to be more precise, in your pdf the dozer on your first photo - Dozer 'D' in Hanno's post #64 above- is a D6A, located to the right front side of LVT(4) E23, while the one on the second photo, on the left front side of E23, is a D7A).

I see what you mean, and now I think we’re both wrong in some ways I confused E22 and E32 in the photo Hanno also posted; the latter is clearly a D7A, and as you say, I failed to spot that the bulldozer here:



is a D6A.

However, No. E32 is the D7A with the hooks on the back, and No. E22 is the D6A that I thought I didn’t have any close-up pictures of — but did. More rewriting to do for v1.1 …

Originally Posted by MicS

It might be worthwhile to get a higher resolution scan from Beeldbank Zeeuwse to see if the Reg No could be read.

I downloaded it at the highest resolution possible from there, which turns out to be 1417 × 855 pixels.

(Tip: Dezoomify, though in Safari, that doesn’t let you save the image, so use another browser).

Originally Posted by MicS

I think I can see the remains of AoS 12xx on the right side (left on your photo) of the front plate.

You have better eyes than I do

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Let’s add another one: Crab Dandy Dinmont is T148143:

T148143 Dandy Dinmont.jpg

This is a still from Walcheren Heroverd (“Walcheren Reconquered”) available on the Wikipedia page about the inundation of Walcheren: the tank appears 1:22. The commentary at that time doesn’t mention the tank at all, BTW, but talks about damaged and destroyed homes instead.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Excellent, great find

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Let’s add another one: Crab Dandy Dinmont is T148143:

Attachment 116869

This is a still from Walcheren Heroverd (“Walcheren Reconquered”) available on the Wikipedia page about the inundation of Walcheren: the tank appears 1:22. The commentary at that time doesn’t mention the tank at all, BTW, but talks about damaged and destroyed homes instead.

[MicS]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Let’s add another one: Crab Dandy Dinmont is T148143:

Attachment 116869

This is a still from Walcheren Heroverd (“Walcheren Reconquered”) available on the Wikipedia page about the inundation of Walcheren: the tank appears 1:22. The commentary at that time doesn’t mention the tank at all, BTW, but talks about damaged and destroyed homes instead.

Superb view of DANDY DINMONT's markings! While on other photos the markings are alreay faded, they look quite sharp here.

Reg No T148143 appears in the War Diary for a Crab received by 1 Lothians during March 1944, which is consistent with DANDY DINMONT having a full set of markings, including the original name, turret number and formation sign, unlike "Memorial" tank T148656 which must have been a replacement one.

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

Superb view of DANDY DINMONT's markings! While on other photos the markings are alreay faded, they look quite sharp here.

I was a little surprised to see the white highlighting on the upper and right sides. I hadn’t expected that to be there, from the few other photos I’ve seen of this tank that actually showed the name.

This image is not even all that early, though: it’s from a cinema newsreel date 4 March 1946, so probably taken weeks or even months before that. Call it at least a year after the landings. The flail is entirely gone from the tank already, and the houses nearby have already been demolished. (And I like how they braced the last remaining house in the row against the tank

Talking of Dandy Dinmont and T148656, I suspect this photo may also be new to a lot of people:

1A799E6F-4159-41AD-9257-17E55CE1C97F.jpeg

This is from the German military/popular history magazine, Clausewitz, which got it from some or another image bank that seems to require a subscription. It was certainly new to me, and shows a side of the tanks that I’d never seen in this kind of detail either. (Quality here isn’t great, as I took this photo with my iPad because I didn’t feel like going to my computer and scanner.)

The photo is clearly earlier than the newsreel, as the front wall of the house on the far right of the photo is still standing. However, the flail gear has already been (partially?) removed, as the left-hand jib is on the ground behind the tank.

[MicS]

Great photo again, with a full view of the Memorial tank's rear markings, which will be useful in its restoration!

I wonder what the small marking just under 'CHERRY 6' on the wading trunk might be?

Note that the Memorial tank still has its spare chains on the turret side on this photo.

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

Great photo again, with a full view of the Memorial tank's rear markings, which will be useful in its restoration!

And for my model of it

Originally Posted by MicS

I wonder what the small marking just under 'CHERRY 6' on the wading trunk might be?

I just looked at the photo in the magazine with a strong magnifier, and it’s either too small to read in the print, or it’s simply a line somebody painted under the name. I lean towards the latter, because it seems to be about as thick and even as the strokes that make up the letters. Though it could, of course, also be that somebody used a smaller brush to paint something underneath.

Originally Posted by MicS

Note that the Memorial tank still has its spare chains on the turret side on this photo.

Those were on it for a fair while, but I’ve not yet pinned down when they seem to have been taken out.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Talking of Dandy Dinmont and T148656, I suspect this photo may also be new to a lot of people:

This is from the German military/popular history magazine, Clausewitz, which got it from some or another image bank that seems to require a subscription. It was certainly new to me, and shows a side of the tanks that I’d never seen in this kind of detail either. (Quality here isn’t great, as I took this photo with my iPad because I didn’t feel like going to my computer and scanner.)

It was new to me too, a local battlefield guide kindly sent me scan of this photo:

Clausewitz.jpg