British tank stowage item identification

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Lang

Could only have been used in the desert as it would have been torn off in the first 30 seconds anywhere there were bushes and trees.

Also, they always seem to be hanging from the Sunshield rails (the ones for the lorry disguise), which were not present on tanks elsewhere except those that had served in North Africa, too For all I know the item was on a lot more tanks but stowed somewhere else, where it wasn’t obvious.

Originally Posted by Lang

Just looked at hundreds of tank photos and the only ones I can find are related to landing operations.

In addition to the Shermans and Crusaders in the middle of the desert, you mean? The first photo I posted is of a Sherman around the time of El Alamein, the crew would hardly need a life vest there, I think. Also, just one life vest per tank seems a little … under-equipped? if that’s what it is — which I doubt.

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

I realize now that the pictures were enlarged on just the item in question.

Ah, yes, sorry — I had put a zoom tool over the item in question to show it better. Maybe I should have made that clearer. Here it is at normal size on Churchill as it came ashore in Sicily:

Sherman III “Churchill” (NA 4262).jpeg