Hello all - quick question - does the commander's cupola of the Sherman/M26/M46 rotate?

Thanks in advance!

If you are referring to the all around vision cupola, then no.
What rotates is the center part of commanders the hatch. That's where the periscope is.

G

No. The interior of the commanders hatch with the periscope flap can rotate allowing the commander to scan. It also has a mil ring on the inside which allows the commander to give precise target directions to the gunner. The same cupola was also used on the M88 and M88A1 but the rotating inner hatch was welded up.

Tom

Rotate? No, but it can be re-positioned. In most pics that you see, the hatch opens to the side. However, in some others, you see that the hatch opens to the rear. THat's because the cupola can be moved. I"m not sure how it's done, but it obviously can.

Steve

Thanks, just building the Dragon 1/35 M26 and M46 ... the cupola is separate but there's no location tab, which makes correct position difficult. Interesting that the later cupola doesn't rotate but the earlier split hatch did, which was probably because the .50 cal was mounted on it.

You learn something new everyday:)

To move the cupola it would have to be unbolted from inside turned then reattached. Not sure if crane support would be needed.

Tom

There was a ring of holes in the turret under the cupola, with key ones at the 12 & 6 o'clock positions if looking down on the turret with the gun pointing "up" at 12 o'clock. On the cupola you can see the corresponding bolt-heads next to each vision block - the cupola could be set any way round, as long as bolts lined up with the 12 & 6 o'clock locations. (Imagine there are "missing" bolts in the centre of each vision block, as well as two missing ones under the hatch hinges, to complete the circle at even spacings.) In practice it seems the cupola on a Sherman is either set up to open outwards to slightly aft of sideways, or to open to the rear - other orientations would likely foul the other turret-roof features such as the loader's hatch or the MG mount, or would be counter-productive.

As mentioned, the cupola did not rotate, but could be unbolted and repositioned. On Shermans, the cupola hatch was supposed to open towards the five o'clock position, but some crews had the hatch open backwards, some (perhaps fearing snipers) even had it open directly forward.

Between World War Two and Korea, Someone in Charge apparently decided the hatch should open sideways, toward the three o'clock position, so Korean War Shermans usually have it fitted that way.

The 1944 MWO that replaced the split hatch with the vision cupola places the hinge at about the 3:30 o'clock position: "Place [the cupola] as shown in Figure 3, with the hatch hinge toward the right side of the turret."

The cupola was held with ten bolts, but there were eighteen equally spaced holes (20 degree spacing) in the Sherman turret with two aligned on the front - rear axis. So, the cupola could be placed in any of eighteen positions, but some of them would interfere with the AAMG mount or the loader's hatch doors.

Pershing turrets did not have threaded holes all around; the cupola could only be installed in one position.

KL