I would guess that tanks and other tracked vehicles were issued serial numbers to keep track of them by the Army. Does anybody know if there were stats kept by the US Army telling what tanks died and which ones lived? I am curious about a tank called "Laxative", an M8 HMC. Last known shot of it shows it getting ready for the push to the Seine River in Paris.

This is a Q for serious historian type guys. Hope you can help.