I actually have completed some 1/48 armour and have quite a few under construction, but I have little or no references and very little knowledge of real armour (ie. I'm having fun !) Where my question comes from is another side of my hobbies - I have a 1/6 scale r/c M5 staring at me every day and I've always been bugged by that strange 'shield' on the right hand side of the turret where the .30 cal. is mounted. There is a posting in the gallery on the Track-Link site currently of a Stuart IV where this shows up clearly in photos 2 and 6. What the heck is this please ???

Hi Chris;

Mainly it was a neat little stowage bin that began to appear on the later M5A1s.

GB

That shield allowed the gun and mount to fold down behind it....protecting the .30 cal from branches, wires, etc. Take a look at the mount...there is a release THROUGH the turret that allowed the pintle and gun to fold downwards. The TC grabbed the gun...pulled straight up...and it came back into place, when needed. BUT...in the turmoil of war...putting the gun up and down was a pain in the ass....so it usually stayed up...and THEN the area behind the shield became a dandy stowage place!!
Been there, played with the real one, modeled it on my kit.....
HTH, Dave

Thanks very much to the two of you for answering this question. Now, one more - Should there be a bottom to this ? On mine, it is open.

It was merely meant to protect the gun and cradle. The crews usually crammed packs or ration boxes in there. It was curved and tapered, so stuff jammed in there usually stayed put.....
The light tanks, especially those with Cullin devices, tended to move at a "brisk" pace....so anything that protected their personal belongings from being snatched off the tank....was looked upon fondly!!
Glad that we could help you!!