Can anybody please tell me which type of Sherman is used in this film?
Here are some pics:





Thanks,
Harry

On mine, the pics just came up as red crosses , so here are the addresses (if these don't work - I'm very sorry!)
Just in case...


http://www.salt6.com/Kelly/PDVD_028.jpg
http://www.salt6.com/Kelly/PDVD_043.jpg

They used Yugoslavian M4A3E4's which are M4A3(75)W upgunned with the 76mm.

Chris "toadman" Hughes
Toadman's Tank Pictures

Thanks for the very quick reply, Chris!

I always thought that was a hollywood mockup of a 76 on a M4A3 75mm turret.

How did they (Yugos or US army) shoe horn a 76mm into that turret? It seems to make more sense to use the t23 turret on the M4A1.

Hi there

Interesting topic.

Harry: Are you going to make a model of Oddballs tank?

Cheers

Simon

The Americans tried cramming their new 76mm into the standard Sherman turret in 1942 or 1943.
It worked but the length of the gun affected the balance of the turret.
And there wasn't a hell of a lot of room for the loader.
They tried shortening the gun, they even added some large counter weights to the rear bustle.
When it was deemed as unacceptable, they decided to try using the turret from the T-23 tank that was in early production.
The Kelly's Hero's Shermans are probably some of the upgraded M4A3E4's from when there was a shortage of tanks available for the Korean War and were passed onto the Yugoslavs along with some M-18 Hellcats and M-36 Jacksons.
There are a number of good photos in the Hunnicutt Sherman book showing some modified M4's at the Army Proving Ground and in a Japanese depot.

jjumbo

Your right Gary.
The Kelly's Hero's M4's were probably upgraded after Korea and passed on to Yugoslavia via MAP.
Did you know that Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland were responsible for the "Tiger-34" looking something like a real Tiger?
Apparently they're both military history buffs and weren't happy with the director's decision to use a stock T-34 for the role.

jjumbo

If you want good references about the movie's tanks check this link:

http://www.salt6.com/kelly_s_heroes.htm

Please, Dear God let that be true!

Over on track link James Weschler, a shermaholic for sure, just did oddballs tank last month, I think. It's in their gallery pages under USA ww2, then just look for his name. He has many shermans in there.

Rob

Hi Simon - No, not exactly, but I've always wanted to know what type of Sherman it is. I might try to build the same type (esp with Dragon maybe bringing out some new ones), just not Oddball's exact one.

Thanks everybody - great information, really apreciated!
Robert - Thats a great link - Thanks!

It seems that the hull is a standard M4A3(75)W so would Tamiya's Late Sherman be the best bet?
How would I go about getting a 76mm for it? In the UK? (Please note I'm a teenager with a fairly limited budget!)

Harry

Jordi Rubio makes two different types of 76mm guns for sherman, the plain one and the one w/end cap or muzzle brake (it comes w/both). Resin makers such as Formations also make them, and perhaps modelpoint, though I've never used them.

The Tamiya M4A3 would be fine (it's what James W. used), or the Italeri Marines Sherman (which says it's an M4, comes with SOME M4A2 parts, but is really an A3) would work too. Or, the Dragon Battle of Bulge Sherman, but then you'd need a new turret.

Most of the newer Dragon 76mm armed Shermans come with 2 barrels, so if you have one you can use one barrel for that kit and one for the oddball one. Or, perhaps you can find someone who doesn't need one of them and trade/pay for it.

Rob

Yugoslavian M4A3E4 photo link
here

Chris "toadman" Hughes
Toadman's Tank Pictures

"C'mon punk, make my model..." :-) :-) :-)

US tankers appreciated the punch of the 76mm gun when they first got them in the M4A1s in Europe. There is some evidence that some of salvaged 76mm guns were shoehorned into 75mm gun turrets. I have seen a photo of a 4th AD, 35th TB M4A3 in Czechoslavkia near war's end, with the 75mm turret but re-armed with the long 76mm gun.

How good would Dragon's 1:35 Sherman M4A3 76 W American Tank be compared to the Tamiya? This one:

http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/1469_1_1441954.html

If I do need an After Market 76mm, which AM company would you guys recommend - in the UK?

Thanks for all of your help so far!
Harry

Apparently the gun mounts for the M3 75mm gun and the M1/M1A1 76mm guns were the same, hence the ease in upgunning the M4A3E2 "Jumbos".
If the British could cram a 17 pounder into the turret with a fair bit of hacking and cutting with a blowtorch, fitting the smaller 76mm was probably childsplay.

jjumbo

"Well, I want 15 Thompsons, two .30 caliber machine guns, two bazookas, two field radios and enough supplies and ammunition to last a platoon of men in the field for three days......plus 2 bottles of Ambroid ProWeld and a box of number 11 blades."

Hey Bob,
You forgot the Humbrol # 16 paint for those gold ingots.

jjumbo

3rd army experimented rearming standard M4A3 75mm tanks with the 76mm. It involved changes to the gun mount, as well as placing a substantial counterweight on the rear of the turret. One conversion only was completed in February of 1945, when, with increasing numbers of M4A3 76 Ws becoming available the project was abandonded.

John