Hello, I have a couple of questions about sherman turrets. I want to build an M4 sherman late in Normandy. Can I use a turret without the reinforced right cheek, with the shell ejection hatch. Basically I have the Asuka M4 Fay but I would prefer to use a spare turret that came with an M4A1, as I think the molding is a little sharper,, but this turret has no reinforced cheek and does have a shell ejection hatch. Any help greatly appreciated.

Paul

If you apply the turret cheek applique armor to the spare from your M4A1 kit, that'd be wholly appropriate. Is the donor turret also Asuka? If so, I have spare applique patches for that one. contact me

Thanks mate, I do have the applique cheek armour from another Asuka sherman kit that I never built. Am I right to assume that some late M4s did not have the thickened cheek armour, and these would have had the applique cheek armour fitted to compensate.

Cheers
Paul

This website should give you all you need to know on Sherman turrets: http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/index.html

Most early-production Shermans stockpiled in the UK for American use in Operation Overlord were retrofitted with late 1943 updates, which included applique armor on the hull sides, turret cheek, and drivers' hoods, and the M34A1 gun mount with wide mantlet.

However, US tanks participating in the Operation Dragoon landings in Southern France in August were drawn directly from action in Italy, and many had the original turret and hull configurations dating from the Tunisian and Sicilian campaigns.

Likewise, British Sherman tanks were not usually retrofitted with applique or the new gun mount after receipt by the UK, though late-production or rebuilt tanks were sometimes supplied in that configuration to British forces.