I was just wondering..were the straps holding the tools leather or made out of webbing? I could go looking but thought I'd ask here first... Another question for all those in the Sherman build ...How are things coming along??

Rick

Hi Rick,
As far as I can tell they were made out of brown leather. I have seen some post war examples though with webbing in place of the leather straps. Hope this helps bud.
cheers,
Bryan

I'm pretty sure they were leather too. Some crews used stock sheet metal welded to the hull to make brackets too.

Jeff

That's what I thought ..thanks you guys just save me from rummaging around for an hour in my books.

Rick.
hey Bryan how's that composite coming along??

Hi Richard:
My M4A3 76W HVSS is coming out ok. The only thing is that the HVSS is a little more tricky than the VVSS which is more familiar to me.
Somewhere in the web I read that the HVSS of the DML Sherman is a delight, well I don´t feel so, first you have to modify the atachment points for the boogies in the lower hull because it´s a lower hull for a VVSS. Then you have to measure where you´ll bond the return rollers because there´s no indication or any kind of marks that shows you the right place.
Aside from that it´s a very good kit with good level of details, good general fiting and good overall shape.
When finished the HVSS I´ll post more pics.
Bye

Some look like leather, but others look like canvas webbing. I think the leather may have been original issue and the canvas a possible expedient.

I just received a 1945 M4, M4A1, and M4(105) ORD 9 SNL parts manual today. All of the tool straps are web in this manual. A 1944 M5/M5A1 SNL lists leather straps but also the web straps which are to replace them when worn out.

I'd guess that at the start of the war they were leather, with web becoming more common as time went on. I'd also posit that any large hatch tank would have been all web.

KL

Okay now you got me thinking ..This is for my M4A2 in the Pacific ....Would the leather have rotted away in that humid condition by the time of the Tarawa landings...Things that make you go HMMMM!... Getting close to painting here .Now the fun starts.!

Rick

The drawings call for webbing straps. It's hard to tell what they are in the photos. I suspect leather was most often used as it was not in short supply like the cotton webbing was. It was more important to make web equipment for the infantry than web straps for vehicles.

Mike Canaday

Thanks for the answer Mike and welcome to the site ...Great to see you here!!

Rick

You're welcome! and Thanks for the welcome.

Mike Canaday