Hi All,
A few days ago I sat down to watch Kelly's Heroes again on the box and noticed that when Oddball was showing Kelly his 3 tanks they had 'tents' attached to their sides like caravan awnings.
Where these common or just to dress up the film and, if they were common, did the tanks stow them onboard or on support vehicles?
If they could be scratched I think they'd look good in a rear area dio.
Tom

There are plenty of pic where crews set up a tarp to the side of a Sherman. From what I can tell the corners of the tarp are tied to the lifting rings. The middle of the tarp appears to be tied to the various tools along the hull. Poles and branches were used on the other side.

Gday Tom
Here are a couple of examples





4X4 is right about some attachment points, but it really is a point of using what is convenient/on hand... The top pic is actually backwards, so the tow cable is used in this situation by the look of it.
Hope this helps mate
Cheers
Brad

Hi Tom;
An AFV Bivvy is the beast, a half-tent with a floor used for crew accommodation. Tarpaulins both issued and 'acquired' were modified to fill the need for weather proof sleeping accommodation. Size varies according to the vehicle, the ones we used ranged from 6-ft h x 8-ft d x 10-ft l and could sleep up to 8, used with M113 FOV (drawing below), down to ones used with Ferret Scout Cars at 4-ft h x 6-ft d x 6-ft l.


They were stowed on the vehicle side, rolled up when not in use. Most of those photo of vehicles with tarps on the vehicle side they are more than likely the crews sleeping accommodation ready for deployment.

A point to note is that vehicle crews are very resourceful creatures, adding creature comforts as the opportunity arises, especially when there is not much vehicle movement, i.e when in a defensive position or in the rear area. Pallets or duck boards could be used for flooring, corrugated iron for wall or a roof, etc, etc..

cheers
David

In "By Tank into Normandy " Stuart Hills a tank commander with the Nottinghamshire Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry describes the uses of these Bivvys adding that the tank commander slept at one end so as to be available at all times

In case you might be interested in modeling Oddball's sherman and crew Jaguar models has a set of Kelly's Heroes figures.

Try this link:

http://www.jaguarmodels.com/

and go to page 9 of the 1/35 scale figures category.

Hi Tom,

BTW, vehicle crews always sleep on the RHS, that way other tanks know not to run over them. The commander should always sleep in the same spot according to unit SOP so that people know where to find him.

So if you driving at night, don't pull up close to the RHS, otherwise you just might squash the entire crew.

Cheers

Al

Cheers All,
Allways on the RHS's an interesting point to remember if anyone ever models them.
Tom

Ahem, Al! It may be a Brit thing? The top pic I posted which is greatly reduced from the original is actually a reversed image, (you can just make out the bow.30cal mg on the far [wrong] side, and that the tarp/tent is attached to the tow cable which was 'supposed' to be fixed to the LHS...) And the trembling poplars in the background clearly look wrong...

A Brit thing.....



BTW the pistol port on the reversed pic is the other giveaway.

David

Hi Brad,

To stop you squashing you mates!!!!! No duff either.

Cheers

Al

We still sleep on the right now, especially in a leageur. If the SQMS comes during the night to carry out a replen then he knows to pass down the left hand side of the parked wagons when refuelling . Only exception to that is when in a hide in cruciform position, everyone sleeps behind their wagon. Unless on a VERY steep slope!!!!!