Hello all I wondered if any of you shermanholics out there could help. I have read a book called "Taming the panzers" 3 RTR at war. In it it talks about the issue of Comet tanks and their use in Operation Varsity & Plunder ,the advance across the Rhine into Germany. In this section it mentions a tank fitted with a bulldozer blade.
My initial thought was that it was a make shift welded on structure to a Comet. But they issued M32 ARV Shermans to this Comet equipped regiment and retained the 95mm Cromwells for close support. So David Fletcher of the Tank Museum, Dorset UK advises that as it did have shermans pre this operation they retained the Sherman fitted bulldozer tank.
This all makes sense. Now I'll get to the point what sort of Sherman was it? M4A4 , M4A2, What do people think?

Thanks Luke Davis

Many thanks

Luke Davis.

Luke,

No idea whether they had M4A2s or A4s (both were common in British service at the time) but the standard M1 Dozer blade would fit either model.

Tom

As thewy were originally equipped with M4A4's in 11 Armd Div I'd go with an M4A4 Dozer
Cheers
Al

Thanks can you tell me the source of your info ?

Taurus pursuant - the history of 11 Armoured in WW2 - Author unknown,
British Tanks in Normandy - Fortin
The Black Bull - Delaforce

Last but not least the research of Peter Brown with the AFV returns for 21 AG June 44 and Jun 45. Of note is that in Jun 45 only 1 75mm Sherman is listed as on strength
In Jun 44 they had 157 MkV; 8 MkV OP; 36 Vc and 11 Mk V Arv

The two Sherman Equipped Armoured Divisions both were primarily equipped with Mk V Shermans (GAD and 11 AD). The independant AB had a mix of M4A2 (8 and 27 AB) and M4/M4A1 (4 and 33AB).

Cheers
Al

Al
Thanks interesting to speculate if that last 75mm sherman is a bulldozer

Luke