Delbert Davis shares with us some images from outside of the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, PA with a close look at their M4A1 (76) W Sherman Tank.

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Thanks!

this is actually an M4A1E8, the signage is wrong for the tank. It is identified by the cast hull and the late suspension. These tanks were pushed out to National Guard units after WW2. Indiana has quite a few on display, very similar to "Abigail" in Pennsylvania. There's a story about a homeless man that was upset when they restored this tank, he had been living in the engine compartment.

Nice pictures Delbert! I could have used these a few years ago when I built my 1/16 version but we have 2 of them here at Camp Atterbury so a few trips for pics and re-measuring got it done.

But... it's always great to see one of these again as I have to say it IS my favorite Sherman.


Thanks again!






Jeff

Hey, I know that tank, it's right down the road from me!

Has anyone photographed the other pieces of equipment on the grounds at the PA Military Museum? If not, maybe I'll take a ride down there and get some more detail on the other pieces of equipment that they have.

On the basis that you can never have too many photos in our digital age, you should make the journey! (I have plenty of regrets for things I could have snapped over the years, that are now gone...)

Ah, the 'holy grail' tank. For years people have speculated and argued about whether any of these 'final' version of the A1 had reached the ETO before the war ended. Someone on Missing Lynx posted a picture of one being unloaded in (Antwerp?) Europe sometime in March-May of 1945. Another WW2 rare photo recently surfaced of the 75mm armed E8 as well, somewhere in czechoslovakia in early 1945. How much combat they saw? Who knows? Some may have seen action in Vietnam with french forces in the mid 1950s before US involvement. For sure Many of these ended up in the middle east in IDF service this variant was dubbed M1 'supersherman' by Israeli forces as in the 1950s they considered it the top sherman produced.

Later, many of the IDF M1s "supershermans" were remanufactured into IDF M51 ( long 105mm armed, initially with radials and later with cummins diesel engines) versions dubbed later as Isherman by Western modelers. Apparently our National Guard had many of these into the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some people have mistakenly taken to calling the M51 the "supersherman" but you would think it made sense to call it that, it was the ultimate Sherman ever to see action in any war. The IDF eventually sold many of their M51s to Chile and I beleive these were in frontline service there until 1999 or 2000.

So apparently, atleast in upgunned IDF configuration, this M4A1E8 version of the Sherman saw frontline service with Chile until around the year 2000 :o