This is my take on "Davy Jones", a D Co. tank from the USMC 5th Tank Battalion on Iwo Jima. I used Tamiya's old M4A3, 28guage wire, basswood, Milliput and acrylics. With this one I'll have built a representative of all three Tank Battalions that fought at Iwo Jima.

The kit was prepped with home made sponson covers and all the tool mounting holes filled. I drilled holes in all the hatches and used 28 ga. wire to replicate the 10 penny nails welded on the hatches. I cut sponson armor from basswood and painted it to look faded. The final colors used were Tamiya XF 73, and Lifecolour Red Brown. Sandbags are Milliput.







It needs weathering and assorted gunk to complete the trio.

G

Beautiful work, Wayne. I admit though, that I don't know the story behind the 10-penny nails or the pink camo or even the screen across the back deck. Very convincing though. I'll have to look that up.
Thanks for posting!
-Sean H.

The screen across the back is mesh armor. I know the Russians used it during WWII, but can't remember if it was used by US forces in the PTO. Camoflage was not very popular among US forces. One company in the ETO had night fight camo and it was used in the NAC. I have never heard of the ten penny nails, either. A great what if, though.

It's not a "What if" Davy Jones was a real tank and had the multicolour camo and the mesh and nails. Camo was widely used in the Pacific Theatre by Marine tanks.

Wayne nice job, are there plans for a dio?

I knew camo was more popular on US armor in the Pacific Theater, and I have just read that the nails were welded on to keep explosives from being placed against the thinner steel of the hatches. I have to assume the mesh on the back was for similar reasons.
I had learned earlier that the island fighting was very close, and tanks often had to "scratch each other's back" with machine gun fire to keep the enemy off.
Thanks again!
-Sean H.

By the time Iwo Jima was invaded the tankers had experienced all sorts of threats. Shaped charge warheads on poles wielded by suicidal Japanese prompted the wood side armor. Magnetic mines and satchel charges dropped from above or tossed onto the tanks resulted in wire mesh cages, and nails welded to hatches to provide some stand off distance. Ditto the chain link fencing, and sand bags.

Most tanks were devoid of any stowage beyond that which could be used by the crew or the grunts. No one wanted their personal posessions perforated by .30 cal fire from a wing man. That, and the tanks didn't travel all that far even on the biggest of islands. Only on Okinawa did the armor travel distances similar to, but shorter than, their ETO brethren,

Camo was quite popular in the Pacific, but was quite Battalion specific. I'll post photos of the other two later from home to illustrate my point.

Davy Jones was named for the Tank Commander but the nautical reference was apparent. She sustained three 75mm hits late in the battle. The crew survived but alas Davy Jones was destroyed.

Pat I'm planning small bases for all three, and display them side by side.

G

Thanks again, G!
I love how this site keeps teaching me more. I hadn't given much consideration to Armor in the Pacific in WWII before, but I see it's a whole subject to itself! I look forward to seeing all three tanks (especially getting such nice results from a classic Tamiya kit).
Cheers!
-Sean H.

Ok lunch break!

Here's "Demagog" an M4A2 from D Co. Third Tank Battalion Iwo Jima.





and "Doris" an M4A3 from D Co. Fourth Tank Battalion.





It's quite apparent how the different battalions went about their own way in regards to their vehicles.

Third tanks kept the M4A2's, repainted them and added onlt the rebar rail on the engine deck. Fourth tanks went all the way with wood sponson armor over concrete, wire mesh screens on all hatches, and lots and lots of sand bags over complately camoflaged tanks.

G

Davy Jones is up on wheels now and the weathering is 85% complete. I'll post pics later this evening.

Kudos to all those who worked so hard Un&^%$#@! the site.

I love this place.

G

Here's where I'm at tonight. I sealed the paint and weathered with oils. I dry brushed with enamels, and made the bogie "armor" with coffee stir sticks. I used photos as a guide.

The colors look more normal as I took thses under incandescent light.







G

Looking good Wayne!

Wayne, nice looking Sherman you have going on there, what kit did you start with

Sal that's the ancient Tamiya M4A3. I picked it up at a swap meet in Phoenix and was surprised to find this version has tracks with duckbill end connectors. They aren't too bad so I use them as well.

G

Ok I am now 95% finished with Davy Jones. Some odds and ends, an antenna, and I'll call him complete.









Now here's a shot of all three. 3rd, 4th, and 5th Tank Battalions Iwo Jima 1945.







G

Very nice group of Shermans there.. I esp like the work on the Davy Jones

Delbert

Those are extremely good looking tanks there AgentG!! We need more tanks like this other than always ETO armor.

The book "Tank Warfare on Iwo Jima" will bring you up to speed on what they did to tanks in the PTO.





~ Jeff

Jeff, "Tank Warfare on Iwo Jima" has been my bible on this adventure. That book really gave me the initiative to build these guys.

G

G,

Ol Davy Jones looks excellent my freind!

Nice work on the Iwo Jima tanks. I remeber Doris from the Sherman campaing.

I haven't read the book yet, but looking around at pictures, I found this:

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-IwoJima/img/USMC-M-IwoJima-p127.jpg

It looks like they spaced out the tracks when they welded them on, at least on this tank. Was this rare compared to the individual links laid right against the trurret as shown on your tank Wayne?

You always have interesting projects going on when it comes to Shermans G, nice work as always. When can we see them on bases?

Jesse the crews had a lot of leeway when they made modifications. Those tracks in the photo have the end connectors and track guides installed. These guys apparently spot welded the tips of the guides to the turret creating spaced armor. DJ had the links welded directly to the turret albeit the otherway round. I didn't look close enough so it should look like Doris, ah well we live and learn.

Jeremy bases are forthcoming, yet I am not sure of the time frame!

G

Great work G!! I've never really been into Shermans, but these have really piqued my interest. A great collection.

Happy Modelling, -zon

Nice collection there G. I did the Davy Jones a few years ago...as a wreck tho. Looking good so far bro

Rob your wreck of Davy Jones so completely matches the photo it's unbelieveable.

Since I couldn't possibly replicate that level of work, I just built it "in service".



G

Thanks G...good to see it being built intact. especially good to see PTO Shermans being built. Was getting boring seeing just ETO Shermies