All,

I know the 1st AD had a few early model M-4's with the direct vision slits and M-3 bogies. Did they have the 3 piece transmission cover? They wouldn't have had any applique armor on the hull or turret, right?

I have one cropped picture of one of these tanks in Steve Zaloga's The M4 Sherman at War Vol. 2. Anyone know of any others?

Thanks,

Art

Yes, I'd say the very early M4s with M3 style bogies would also have had the 3-piece transmsission cover. They wouldn't have had applique armor in Africa, and almost all of the African vintage tanks that survived late into the war in the Italian campaign didn't have the applique armor added either, at least not until the drive into southern Germany. It appears the M4A2s (Sherman IIIs) used by the British at Alamein and later were the first Shermans to receive the one-piece cast transmissions, because these were developed by General Motors, who built them in Flint, Michigan, so the M4A2s got the GM cast tranmissions first. However, it appears that M4A2s retained the M34 narrow gun mantlet longer than the M4s and M4A1s, and then Baldwin Locomotive Works built all of their M4 early hull tanks with direct vision slots, well after the other builders had gone to the solid periscope drivers' hoods. This is what makes Shermans so interesting.