Bomb disposal experts examined the WWII US tank before it was exhumed in northern FrancePosted on 06/05/2008 11:36:34 AM PDT by BGHater
An American tank that formed part of the 1944 D-Day invasion force was discovered buried under a street in northern France.
French bomb disposal experts were brought in to ensure the military vehicle posed no danger before it was dug out from its muddy grave in near perfect condition.
Council workers came across the M5 tank as they carried out routine repairs to the road in Chartres, 55 miles south-west of Paris.
It is thought the tank from the 31st Tank Battalion formed part of the invasion force that liberated France from the Nazis more than six decades ago.
Residents recalled the tank entering the cathedral city where it had been carrying out reconnaissance when it either ran out of fuel or broke down.
When France was liberated it was pushed down a hole and buried, one resident said.
Several battle tanks from the world wars have been unearthed in France. Ten years ago a British tank used in the First World War was found by archaeologists in a vegetable patch in Flesquieres, a French town near the Belgian border.
The 27-ton machine, British Mark 4, had been abandoned during the November 1917 Battle of Cambrai.
Bomb disposal experts examined the WWII US tank before it was exhumed in northern France
Okay, who signed for the tank? We better track down the paper work.
Pretty cool. I hope they clean it up and do something nice with it.
Looks like an M-3 or an M-5.
I was thinking they could use it like an old wheel barrow and plant flowers in it. rotflmao
Likely as not they will send a bill to the USA for “covered storage” plus interest....
Can you imagine what it is going to take to get that thing clean enough to pass inspection?
“...in near perfect condition.”
Yikes, I’d hate to see what their version of a “mess”, is. Does the mud provide some measure of preservation?
If I recall correctly there is a museum not too far away with numerous artifacts. It is just a mile or two back from Omaha beach, it would be a good place for it. We had friends living near there and they took us to one of their friends farms where the Allies kept German soldiers. They also had uniforms, guns, basic equipment as well as German and American graffiti carved into the walls of their barn.
Some OD (Over Dirt) paint should take care of that.
Thought??? What are the other possibilities I wonder? Space Alien pranksters?
"When France was liberated it was pushed down a hole and buried, one resident said."
Let's hope they do something NICER and more respectful with it this time.
And if they ask "why should I", be sure to answer them in German.
Perfect?..........it looks terrible!..............
Here's one in a contemporary shot. It was a light tank for reconnaisance, meaning that it wasn't designed to go toe-to-toe with a Panther. Good thing, too.
“I hope they clean it up “
Don’t hold your breath - its France.
The tank commander reported he was taking heavy resistance and had to abandon the tank...
"Just got this in, haven't had a chance to clean it up, just for you it's only......"
Only one U.S. tank was so designed, the T26/M26 Pershing.
Too bad so few of them made it to Europe in time to fight.
"Tanks"
An for the US to respond:
"You're Welcome!"
LOL! A used car salesman used exactly those words to my wife and me this past weekend!
“I just got that car in. Haven’t had time to have it cleaned up yet. But it’s a good one! Drives perfect!”..............
Does the mud provide some measure of preservation?
It must be so. That's why women buy this stuff............
Mud facials are supposed to *beautify*, but that tank looks like Helen Thomas being unearthed! YIKES!
Brrrrr, nasty mental image...
Some parts of France still remember and appreciate. There was a store here a bit ago about French people who adopt the graves of our soldiers buried over there. It was quite touching.
Let's hope they do something NICER and more respectful with it this time.
Im sure that abandoned tanks make great landfill when it comes to repairing bomb crater damage in fields and streets. Saves on shoveling and takes care of disposing of the tank. Stuarts did not fare too well in the European theater, so I doubt US forces were in a great hurry to salvage it for continued use.
But I agree that this time they should do something befitting the sacrifice the crew probably made before having to leave it behind.
A cousin of mine served in M3A4's which is pretty much the same as an M5 I guess.I would agree that they probably didn't fare well because my cousin went from PFC to MSGT in the time period from D-Day to VE day...there was lots of room for advancement by attrition.
As I recall he told of being on the outskirts of Prague when the war ended and being ordered back over the Elbe so the Soviets could have Czechoslovakia. I don't remember what outfit he was in...maybe somebody could figure out which units could have been in that situation?
Was that picture taken at the Patton museum across from Ft. Knox?
“Some parts of France still remember and appreciate.”
Heard that was the Norman French.
ping for main story and link in #19
I don't know. I just grabbed a quick pic of the net to show the nice qualities of the M26.
The M5 was basically a beefed up version of the M3 (bigger turret, more power and better suspension). Both were quickly relegated to infantry support roles in Europe. They were still used as scouts because of their speed, but you did not want to run into any kind of AT opposition, including infantry with panzerfausts. In addition to their main armament, they sported a couple .30 machine guns (hull & co-ax), plus a .50 on the outside turret mount. They could spray a lot of lead.
The military has record of which units were where and when, so they can usually tell what unit the tank belongs to from that. But they will have to knock the dirt off and find the vehicles serial number to know for sure.
The M5 was basically a beefed up version of the M3 (bigger turret, more power and better suspension). Both were quickly relegated to infantry support roles in Europe. They were still used as scouts because of their speed, but you did not want to run into any kind of AT opposition, including infantry with panzerfausts. In addition to their main armament, they sported a couple .30 machine guns (hull & co-ax), plus a .50 on the outside turret mount. They could spray a lot of lead.
The military has record of which units were where and when, so they can usually tell what unit the tank belongs to from that. But they will have to knock the dirt off and find the vehicles serial number to know for sure.
ping
Many tank battalions were re-equipping with the M24 Chaffee by 1945.
From what I have read about it (not much) the M24 Chaffee was a great light tank. Sure looked a lot sportier than the M3/5, too.
Patton was later criticized for a failed attempt to liberate the POW camp in which Waters was held (Hammelburg Raid). But that's another story.
M3’s against King Tigers! Probably the only reason any M3s survived is their ability to outrun the traverse speed on the Tigers turret (pretty slow). An 88mm round would turn a Stuart inside out even at maximum range.
Can you imagine the frustration on both sides? Tiger crews not able to get shot on the fast moving Stuart, while Stuart crews run around in circles pinging shots off the Tigers thick armor to the annoyance of the crews inside! I’ve read about a few encounters like that. In fact there were few German tanks the Stuart M3 could take on. Even the old Mk.IV’s armor could resist front and side shots by the 37mm gun on the M3.
Caveat: The North African campaign lasted a long time, so the US Army may have been fielding Shermans by the time they marched into Bizerta.
Were most operating Stuarts or Grants and Lees? All three had the M3 designation. I thought the Grants (US) and Lee's (British version of the Grant) were more prevalent.
Y’know I never really looked beyond the M3 designation. I guess I’ll have to take a closer look at the Order of Battle & TO&E for the Torch & the North African Campaign.
Im sure both were in use. But I think the Grants may have been in greater numbers.
The Brits had the Lee version of the Grant, the Stuart (which they called the “Honey”), their own domestically produced Matildas, Cruisers and Churchills (not sure if Churchills made it to Africa).
It is surprising to find out how many pieces of WWII military equipment had the “M3” designator. The halftrack was also “M3” and the .45 caliber grease gun that armor crews used was an “M3”, too. I think there were one or two others as well.
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