Hi,Guys,
Just wanted to see if anyone knows if any M26A1 Pershings in Korea had gotten the anti bazooka screen armor made out of frames welded to the turret.With chain link fence added into the frame.
If so what unit(s) had this type armor set up.

Cheers!
Mike

Don't know what the framework is. Although it doesn't appear likelym the beginning of a support for the screens? There does appear to be extra armor over the fenders as well.

Howdy everyone, here is the caption for the photo Rob posted from the Defense Imagery site:

FIRST MARINE TANKS BATTALION IN SUPPORT OF TURKISH BRIGADE - A 1st Marine Division tank crew member is careful not to let the hatch door slam against his tank, as he climbs out to inspect his tank after received three harmless 76 Howitzer hits. NARA FILE #: 127-GK-234D-A173204

Photographer's Name: MSgt. J.W. Hayes
Location: unknown


Date Shot: 7/5/1953
Date Posted: unknown
VIRIN: 127-GK-234D-A173204

The picture was taken in the summer of 53' during the Korean War. The location is around the Jamestown line. The frame work welded to the mantlet is for a Crouse-Hind Searchlight which has probably not survived the intense Chinese shelling that was a daily occurence prior to the Truce Talks. Here is a color shot of the same Bravo Company tank:


A Marine of the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, loads a 50 cal. machine gun prior to moving into the firing slot, a key position in the defense of Boulder City after the Communists had taken outposts Berlin and East Berlin. This was the final battle before the Korean truce talks. NARA FILE# : 127-GK-235-A174618

Photographer's Name: TSgt. C. E. Pauling
Location: unknown


Date Shot: 7/1/1953
Date Posted: unknown
VIRIN: 127-GK-235-A174618
Outta here, Mike sends . . .

I'm not sure what you're refering to is an anti-bazooka screen. If what you're refering to is the structure that can be seen in Mike's pic on the right side, I always thought they were just baskets to store the empty shells. In the later parts of the war, tanks were mostly used as fixed artillery support and pillboxes so there was a need to keep some form of order and not have the shells laying around. Plus the metal was recycled.

Also, I don't think the communist troops had anything like the bazooka at the time so there would be no use for such screens. But I might me mistaken of course.

Cheers!
Stefan

Howdy Stefan, they are talking about this picture:

The USMC applied this protective system to some of their tanks in the final stages of the Korean War circa 1953. And the ChiComs did have Bazookas. They knocked out or disabled lots of tanks and armored vehicles in the battle for the outposts when the fighting was static. Outta here, Mike sends . . .

Thanks for enlightening me Mike! You learn something every day! So what were these bazookas? Something like the RPG or more like captured US bazookas?

Cheers!
Stefan

Mike, nice photo. Pardon my ignorance but what is the exact designation of that tank and is there a model kit out there to build it? Unfortunately I dont know too much about the Pershing family.

Howdy Stefan and Arpad, as far as I know the bazookas were captured US 3.5" rocket launchers. The tank in all three pictures are M-46 Pattons, The only 1/35 kit I can think of off the top of my head is Dragon #6805. Outta here, Mike sends . . .

Mike, thanks for the answer. Now, getting the rare and outdated kit from Dragon is quite uneconomical in my country. The M46 is extremely similar to the M26, would it be possible to convert one of the new Hobbyboss Pershings?

Hi,Everyone,
Thanks, For showing interest in this forum about the Anti bazooka screens.
Thanks, To Mike Mummey to post the M46 with the screens in uses.

The DML M46 as a whole kit is the only game in town for a OOB M46.
Arpad,Your idea of "kit bash" of the Hobbyboss M26A1Pershing is something that could be done and you would also need the Itaieri OR Revell M47 (they are the same kit) The deck would have to be used and the rear transmission area of the M47 as well. To undertake such a conversion first all kit parts need to be checked and see if they would fit and work very closely with scale drawings and you have to make every cut as square as could be done to be 100% correct.
I do think something like this type of kit bash could be done,just would have to be reviewed and studied to make happen. With time and effort it would be able to happen just if the kit parts would fit to each other.

Mike Stevenson
(Bulldog68)

Mike, thanks for the answer. I am not really happy about wasting an entire kit only for the rear, maybe I will get lucky and find that M46 somewhere.

Maybe here ?

http://www.spmodels.co.uk/m129/Dragon/index.html

http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/dragon-patton-6805-p-14342.html

HTH

Frenchy

I just can't wate to see this project get started.