Sherman pedants Required

[fsn]

"Victory in the Desert 1942-43". I get lost in the myriad of Sherman variant, but that looks like a later variant? With an American crew? 76mm guns came in in 1944?

I mention it as it was advertised by the shop of the Tank Museum, without any trigger warning. 

[slugbalancer]

Check it for yourself...
Sherman Minutia Website

[pierre the shy]

"Victory in the Desert 1942-43". I get lost in the myriad of Sherman variant, but that looks like a later variant? With an American crew? 76mm guns came in in 1944?

I mention it as it was advertised by the shop of the Tank Museum, without any trigger warning.

Yes, certainly looks like a late war model Sherman, almost a post war IDF upgrade?

At least they deleted "Fury" from the gun barrel 

Hopefully not a case of judging a good book by its cover?

[fsn]

Check it for yourself...

Ow!  I try and avoid things like that.

OK, Nobby you can do this ...

Welded hull ... big gun ... but not a Firefly ... Gun rest on the front ... is that HVSS? hard to tell on the photo ...

OK, I'm going to say either an M4A2 or an M4A3 with a 76mm gun. The US didn't use the M4A2 so I'm going to say an M4A3 with an American crew, but it may be an M4A2 with a French crew?

If it's a US M4A3 76mm HVSS, then Wiki suggest it wasn't in use until Dec 1944. 

[Heedless Horseman]

CERTAINLY NOT 8th Army, 42-43. 76mms were creeping in, Italy 44. but mainly Poles, if I remember... and not that variant. Publisher artwork!

[sultanbev]

The American army did operate a platoon of M3 Lee tanks in 1942, at Alemein I think it was, embedded in one British armoured regiment, but an M4A3(76mm) HVSS is pushing it a bit!

I've no idea why book publishers don't liaise with their authors when it comes to such things.

[flamingpig0]

Montgomery turned the tide by using equipment from the future.

[Heedless Horseman]

Never heard of Americans at Alemein! Doubt! Brits certainly been using US tanks  for long enough! Stuarts, Grants, Shermans!
Adolf H, def did like 'futuristic' kit! way ahead of capability! Just 'might' be in an 'Antarctic' 'vault'! lol. Just joking! Lol!

[flamingpig0]

I don't think of myself as a purist but I find that book cover really annoying.

[sultanbev]

Never heard of Americans at Alemein! Doubt

I posted a link to an article about it some months ago, can't find it now of course!
Mentioned in this thread
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/american-unit-serving-with-the-8th-army-in-north-africa.71140/

From 'Together We Stand' (James Holland), Page 141:

"...Rommel was on the warpath once more, sweeping northwards towards Knightsbridge during the afternoon of 11 June [1942]. At 6.30 pm, dust clouds were spotted from the south, and the Grants of both 1 and 6 RTR lined up, hull down, on the agreed battle line. Shortly after 7 O'clock, a few long-range shots whistled through the evening sky.

...Three more Grants reached 1 RTR during the night, all manned by American crews. Although the Americans were supposed to hand them over to British crews, not enough men could be found to man them, and so they stayed with them, becoming amongst the first American troops on the ground to fight against the Germans in the Second World War."

[paulr]

Thanks Sultanbev, another interesting historical snippet

[fsn]

Indeed.

Mark Felton needs to make a video about it.

[Heedless Horseman]

Aye. Something new to me too. 
I doubt that many Americans have heard of that.
Hope you not mind if I use quotation onTMP?

[fsn]

It's the same model as Fury, isn't it?

(I find Shermans so confusing.)

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Dont worry - Shermans are confusing....Yes itrs of the same age as Fury, although can't tell from that angle, would need to see the rear plate. Most HVSS are on M4A3 chassis, full US designation being M4A3HVSS (Wet)(76mm).