Hi all,

I'm going to build a M32 recovery tank, based on the M4 tank:



Used kits are the Tamiya M4 early and the italeri M32B1

For the planned dio, I'd like to know when these M32's were first used. I don't see them much on reference pics. Where were they used? And from which date? Only by the US or also by other Allies?

Any feedback and/or dio ideas are welcomed!

Martin

Hi Martin,
Based on what I have read in Fred Crismon's Tracked Vehicles book, there was a mention of trials in 1943,and M-32's were built in 1944.So I would expect they were deployed around / after D day.
I still have pictures of my M-32 plain in my gallery.


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The first ones were the M32B2 first acceptance date June 1943, 26 of these were made and set on a M4A2 hull.

The M32B1 first acceptance was December 1943, 1,055 of these were made, and set on a M4A1 hull

The M32 General first acceptance was March 1944 and 563 of these were made and set on M4 hulls

Then the M32B3 first acceptance was May 1944 and 318 of these were made, and set on M4A3 hulls then they served up till the 50's till the M74 replaced them.

This was all found out on Google, so I hope this is of some help,now if you need some pictures I have an address here that shows tons of pictures of nothing but M32's
http://images.google.com/images?q=M32recovery+Tank&hl=enbtnG=Google+Search

Kerry

Carl & Kerry have covered it pretty well. The M32 was a bit of a late-comer & didn't fully replace the T-2 (M31) before the end of WW2.
I am unaware of non-US use of the M32 during WW2, but there may have been some.
Post-WW2, it was FMS (Foreign Military Sales) & MAP (Military Assistance Program) to many European & South American countries, although don't ask me for a list. You can find some pix/refs to these if you look hard enough.
The Ordnance center & School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds was still handing out info on the M32 when I went thru in 1970, although I didn't see one until I went to Germany where there was one in front of our battalion headquarters.

John

Yeah the Netherlands received 4 M32's based on the M4 hull (and also some B1's)

O/T ,
But I seen on on a firing range on Hohne training area last year there were a few dutch m113's which looked as if they were ready to be used as hard targets as well

Here is a couple of photos of a M32B1 here in Denmark...
The chevron type tracks used on this particular vehicle is not original... The tracks came from a M10!











Bjoern

nice pics...

But to get back to it's usage: it would be accurate to put it on a Normandy dio?

Martin

Martin, you say you are putting it on a M4 hull, but is that a M4, or a M4A1 hull, cause a M32B1 was set on a M4A1 hull.

The M32 was set on a M4 hull, and they took acceptance of these March of 44, now if you got a M4A1 hull then they took acceptance of these in Dec of 43

Kerry

Hi mate,

As I said, it's a M32 based on the M4 hull....so not the M4A1

Thanks for the info!
Martin

I know everybody says it is the wrong hull Italeri gives with this kit, but just what hull did Italeri give with this kit?

Kerry

The hull Italeri gave was the same as their M-4A176 (W) Sherman.It has the large driver/co driver hatch.
Generalzod had a picture of a large hatch M-4 hull used as a M-32 series VTR.I havent seen a large hatch M-4A1 hull used as the M-32 series....YET...No doubt,any hull currently in production at the time could be used.
I think
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I've seen a photo of a British-crewed M32. By their outfits, it looks like spring '45, I'd guess. I'll try to dig it out....

Martin,

I looked into a M-32 at Normandy also and found out that they were not on the beach for a couple of days. It was more important to push the beachhead inland than recover damaged tanks. The English had their own version the Sherman AVR, I think the boom was fixed to the rear of the tank and it had no turret. There was a specialized recovery Sherman without a turret that could go into the surf and recover submerged tanks.

I have seen pictures of M-32's recovering tanks & trucks, both destroyed and from ditches. Lifting bridges into place over anti-tank ditches & streams. Lifting turrets, engines/transmissions on tanks, AFV's and trucks.

Something interesting the 653rd Heavy Tank Hunter Bn in Italy had a captured M-32 that they used. The Germans had a good recovery vehicle the Bergepanther Ausf A/G with a winch and a ground spade something the M-32 could have used. But the Germans were rather impressed with the uses of the winch with the heavy boom on the M-32 series