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L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

Seen at Hechtel and Leopoldsburg was the following;

The M4A4 (s/n 4060) which was in the past at the crossing in the town centre is now located at the Kemperbaan in Hechtel. Coming from the town centre towards Leopoldsburg it is on the left side opposite a police station and a bank.

Noted at Leopoldsburg barracks were the following

Leopard 1 r/n 54535 at bldg B1, N51 07.228 E005 16.715 (visible from outside)

AMX-13 APC r/n 48579 at N51 07.363 E005 17.037 (visible from outside)

M75 APC at N51 07.314 E00517.044

2 x M47 turret in front of bldg B11 (CBOS) at N51 07.226 E0005 16.888 (visible from outside)

Dumped at N51 07.545 E005 17.283 were 5 x M75 in bad condition

the_shadock

SN 4060 is an M4 built by ALCo.

P-O

Dennis_Smith · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Mar 17, 2006 Posts: 192

I see the one in Hechtel on Google Earth:

www.panoramio.com/photo/3480832

And one in Leopoldsburg, also:

www.panoramio.com/photo/4987398

Tichenor

The new location of the sherman in Hechtel is about 200m on the road direction Leopoldsburg (see www.afvregister.org/De...529&Page=0 ).

Lesley you mention that the Afv's in Leopoldsburg are visible from outside, but when you are on a place where you can see them you are already in the restricted area (I know, there is very litlle chance you will be arrested but technicaly you are on forbidden ground).

Tichenor

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

@Dennis, that is the ''old'' location at the crossroads
@ Tichenor, didn't know that outside the gate already is restricted area. Was there on official business at the CBOS.

Regards,
Lesley

the_shadock

I was able to see new pictures of the M4 Firefly at Hechtel :

http://wra-tanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/hechtel.html

It seems to me that it is only a Firefly turret put on an M4 hull, which seems to be a former Dozer tank (it still has some of the Dozer fittings).
The hull doesn't show any of the Firefly fittings, like the armor sheet welded on the MG bow.

P-O

JimWeb

Very impressive site..

Didn't Belgium run these after WW2 when they couldn't get enough proper fireflies and cannibalised battlefield wrecks for firefly turrets?

ISTR that they had 8-9 of them?

Michel_Krauss

Great find, he has some tanks in the Netherlands and Germany also

Perhaps there is even one that I'm still missing Mr. Green

Michel

Tichenor

After WWII Belgium did rebuild some M4s to Firefly's, they used turrets from all different sources. Some of the hulls still had the bow gun in place (The one in Leopoldsburg at the railway station is one, a second one is at Brasschaat).
However it's also posible that it was a hull and a turret put together to be used as a monument (like the ones in Mopertingen, Hermeton-sur-Meuse).
Another popular way to get a monument close to what it should be was to cut the barrel ( as done to the M4A4 (76) in Clermond and the M10 in Arlon, both are equiped with a 17 Pdr gun).

If I had to put money on it, I would go for the second option.

Tichenor

the_shadock

- Tichenor

After WWII Belgium did rebuild some M4s to Firefly's, they used turrets from all different sources. Some of the hulls still had the bow gun in place (The one in Leopoldsburg at the railway station is one, a second one is at Brasschaat).
However it's also posible that it was a hull and a turret put together to be used as a monument (like the ones in Mopertingen, Hermeton-sur-Meuse).

wel, maybe we should invert the turrets, put the Firefly turret from Hechtel and put it on the Sherman Vc from Hermeton-sur-Meuse, and put the M4(75) turret from Hermeton to put it on the Sherman at Hechtel. Mr. Green

P-O

the_shadock

- Tichenor

After WWII Belgium did rebuild some M4s to Firefly's, they used turrets from all different sources. Some of the hulls still had the bow gun in place (The one in Leopoldsburg at the railway station is one, a second one is at Brasschaat).

Well, I don't see which tank at Brasschaat is the one you takl about. Could you please show a photo of this vehicle?

thanks

Pierre-Olivier

Tichenor

- the shadock

wel, maybe we should invert the turrets, put the Firefly turret from Hechtel and put it on the Sherman Vc from Hermeton-sur-Meuse, and put the M4(75) turret from Hermeton to put it on the Sherman at Hechtel.

This has been said before, the problem is that the Sherman in Hechtel is one of the few monument that are not the property of the army museum. That makes things a lot more complicated.

- the shadock

Well, I don't see which tank at Brasschaat is the one you takl about. Could you please show a photo of this vehicle?

www.afvregister.org/De...amp;Page=1
An atempt was made to recover this hull, but due to the conditions of the terain it failed.

Tichenor

TrevorLarkum

Thanks, guys, for a pointer to the ALCO-built M4 at Hechtel. I have given it a PTC entry:

Location ID 10810: Hechtel Memorial

If anyone has any photo's or information to add, please let me know.

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