Com-Central.net

vagabond

Hello All,

We’ve added a gallery of photos from the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum in Abilene, TX.

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...702_G8ktQr

I can't seem to get this site to load the photo links correctly - here's the one that does SORT-OF function. Click on the gallery link to get to the gallery - the photo link takes you elsewhere. Weird. Don't know if it is com central or smugmug or both. Sad

Costas_TT · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 15, 2012 Posts: 387

Photo #63 is very interesting. I have never seen an M7 with this kind of add-on to the hull. I wonder what it is... Stowage pan, blast shield...

vagabond

Yeah Costas, I was wondering about that. I included it in the gallery for the very reason of asking about it. Of. course, I promptly forgot to do so - thanks for the reminder! LOL!

In the museum display, in which that photo was included, there were MANY other photos of M7s with crews that showed the same attachment - even a drawing (I'll post it later). All from the 495th Armored Field Artillery Battalion.

Walter

Nice pictures Paul
Thanks for showing !
Specialy like the US Halftrack and the black & white picture of the RSO.

Walter

vagabond

Added to the gallery: two more crew photos with M7s with unusual attachment to the front end and a photo of this drawing:

Costas_TT · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 15, 2012 Posts: 387

- vagabond

Yeah Costas, I was wondering about that. I included it in the gallery for the very reason of asking about it. Of. course, I promptly forgot to do so - thanks for the reminder! LOL!

In the museum display, in which that photo was included, there were MANY other photos of M7s with crews that showed the same attachment - even a drawing (I'll post it later). All from the 495th Armored Field Artillery Battalion.

I think I have the answer: It's to increase exterior stowage. The drawing of it you posted, the one with the tarp/air IFF panel was a hint. I looked in the 12th's website photo page, where there is a photo album dedicated to the 495th and sure enough the pan appears to have stuff in it. To top it off, if you look closely, the M7s featuring the pan have also been fitted with wire baskets on top of the rear roof stowage bins, plus another large wooden box on the extreme rear of the hull roof. Given the stowage modifications to their halftracks, it looks like the unit went for more but neat.

bsmart

I wonder if the shape was also to reduce water and mud coming up the sloping front hull

Costas_TT · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 15, 2012 Posts: 387

Well, it does remind me of the open bin seen on many M113s with German-style mods...

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

±Recent Visitors

±User Info-big

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big