Multiple SMOKE grenade projector: Sherman, Wasp carrier?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Alex, by chance were you able to get pictures of the backside of the launcher base? It appears to have wires. Also any chance that this carrier still has its firing switches inside?

Tim asked the same thing.....but sadly I don't have pictures from the rear of the unit or the wiring. The Wasp is behind a barrier, and when I visited the museum, the volunteer on duty didn't allow me to step over the barrier for a few pictures. I might have another go in the future though. I wouldn't be surprised if the wiring is still there as the Wasp spent most of it's life in storage. Attached is a picture of what it looked like before the recent fresh-up.
Maybe Nigel Watson has pictures of the inside....as he visited the Wasp for his book series when it was still in storage in Grave.

[Tim Bell]

Wow, great info - thanks everyone.

This started for me about a month ago with the photo of the Governor General Foot Guards Sherman Firefly in Germany 45 and the obvious "what's that on the Mantlet" question.

Digging on the Canadian Military Model Maker's forum on Facebook led to the info from Steve Guthrie and I have since found relevant pages in the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade war diary for the demo to units.

oocihm.lac_reel_t10659_data_sip_data_files_1029 - SMOKE KIT - 11JAN45.jpg

oocihm.lac_reel_t10659_data_sip_data_files_1035 - SMOKE KIT - 12JAN45.jpg

oocihm.lac_reel_t10659_data_sip_data_files_1038 - SMOKE KIT - 13JAN45.jpg

oocihm.lac_reel_t10659_data_sip_data_files_1050 - SMOKE KIT - 15JAN45.jpg

In addition to the war diary data, I have found some other photos of GGFG Sherman with this mounted on the Mantlet which I will find and post.

Also, I am advised that the Ferret Armoured Car had a 66mm Launcher which used the F013 electric fuse (very similar to the No 14 electric fuse) which also launched the no80 smoke grenade.

Tim

[Tim Bell]

Sherman of GGFG in Germany 45 (sorry cannot recall where I found it) You can see the rear of the smoke units on the turrets of the first two tanks.

Shermans-CAN-4th Can Armoured - Germany 45.jpg

Tim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Originally Posted by Tim Bell

Sherman of GGFG in Germany 45 (sorry cannot recall where I found it) You can see the rear of the smoke units on the turrets of the first two tanks.

Tim, It's funny that I did see the picture before, but I was too focussed on the cupola that I completely missed the Smoke discharger!
It's also featured here on the forum in the thread on the cupola:
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=26791

it's a picture from the Canadian Public Archives, pa159252
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Collec...98654514850861

Steve also published it in the book "Camouflage & Markings of Canadian Armored Vehicles in World War Two: Part 2", along with the picture of the Firefly Hybrid posted earlier, which is credited as "DND Army S-49827"

Also attached is a picture from the Amsterdam city archives of a Sherman V with Smoke discharger on the way to the liberation parade.
source:https://archief.amsterdam/beeldbank/

a159252.jpg Screenshot 2021-09-15 at 23-31-12 Record - Library and Archives Canada.jpg

Screenshot 2021-09-15 at 00-33-22 Optocht van geallieerde strijdkrachten Canadese tanks rijden i.jpg

[Jordan Baker]

Pictures from Nigel Watson Universal Carrier Vol2 book. The carrier is the Wasp mk2 that Alex photographed.

This is the push button switch for the launcher.

7D99068A-3783-4A26-9852-1C3AF9908BF5.jpeg 3B76094F-7D98-43CB-BFBF-AA63F4ABC1F1.jpeg FC08933D-2E9D-43AB-BB59-1AB71D99E8E0.jpeg B69CB6DF-7EAC-4448-AF2D-3C306F061C42.jpeg

[Colin Alford]

Gents,

CMHQ file 55/4070/1/2 Army Smoke Weapons contains many documents regarding these Canadian Dischargers.

The file starts at: https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/o...6/4755?r=0&s=1

I haven’t found the end of the file yet, but there is lots of reading for interested parties.

Attached are a couple of images to wet your appetite.

[Jordan Baker]

Thanks Colin for finding the CMHQ files

Here is the materials list required for making one.

[Colin Alford]

An update:

Documents can be found in both CMHQ files 55/4070/1 and 55/4070/1/2 both files are titled “Army Smoke Weapons”.

The start of 55/4070/1 is at https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/o...6/4487?r=0&s=3

The documents extend from image 4487 to image 4522.

55/4070/1/2 extends from image 4755 to 4955.

While not all of the documents relate to these Multi Barrelled Smoke Dischargers, a very large portion of them do, so there is likely a couple of hundred pages to read.

Don’t stay up too late!

Colin

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Pictures from Nigel Watson Universal Carrier Vol2 book. The carrier is the Wasp mk2 that Alex photographed.

This is the push button switch for the launcher.

Same push buttons as the unit for the rear smoke generator (No8) for the Sherman (On that the buttons are in a box with the convoy light switch above the driver's dash board).

Cheers

Tim

[Tim Bell]

Interesting to see the trials extended to Daimler Armoured Cars...

oocihm.lac_reel_c5806_data_sip_data_files_4489.jpg.jpg

These images are from the Daimler Fighting Vehicle Website http://daimler-fighting-vehicles.co.uk/ , courtesy of Singe Ager...

Smoke-Discharger - no80 grenade - DAC 44.jpg

Tim

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Tim, It's funny that I did see the picture before, but I was too focussed on the cupola that I completely missed the Smoke discharger!

Yep - nice photo of the ARV cupola - I have one of these for the Firefly already.

Cheers

Tim