Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

recon4ww2 · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:19 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Neil,
The tank used to be displayed in a separate building at the rear of the Allen County Historical Museum along with A Chrysler Humvee prototype and a WW1 Liberty truck. I was up there in April and they told me that it now is usually stored at the nearby oil refinery. They maintain it and I believe some of the volunteers that operate work there also. Prior to restoration in the 80s it sat on an empty lot behind the museum since I first saw it in 1976. I don't know of it ever being permanently displayed at the utility office but it could have been there on a temporary basis. The museum bought the tank from the army in 1957 for $1 it had been at the Lima tank depot prior to that.
Mike Haines

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:52 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

I thought the Lima Sherman was on permanent display? At the City of Lima Utility Office - which used to be the Ohio's Servicemen's Free Canteen?

canteenbooks.com/Lima%20Canteen.htm

Neil

ShermanWasRight · Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:02 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Neil_Baumgardner wrote:

Yeah, as I warn in the intro, I am a bit more suspect on the WWII era vehicles from the TACOM Central Registry. For all I/we know it was donated in the late 40s or in the 50s, and has since gone to who-knows-where...

I have even come across an old picture on flickr of a Stuart in a town square in NJ that's not there anymore that as far as I can find... I think Stuarts in particular are more apt to being gone, perhaps since they're more easily movable Wink

Neil

A friend of mine who goes to college at Earlham told me about a story about one of the Stuarts at the courthouse in Richmond. Apparently at some point in the past some students managed to start one of them up, and drove it over to the campus. It might just be a story but it's a pretty funny one either way Smile

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Yeah, as I warn in the intro, I am a bit more suspect on the WWII era vehicles from the TACOM Central Registry. For all I/we know it was donated in the late 40s or in the 50s, and has since gone to who-knows-where...

I have even come across an old picture on flickr of a Stuart in a town square in NJ that's not there anymore that as far as I can find... I think Stuarts in particular are more apt to being gone, perhaps since they're more easily movable Wink

Neil

recon4ww2 · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:33 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Kurt,
I went to W. Liberty yesterday the address listed on the register is a ramshackle old house. The VFW post is downtown above the general store but they only use it for storage, they now meet at "the restaurant". After some asking around I was eventually led to the town historian and she had no clue what I was talking about but she new somebody that might be able to help me. She called an old fellow, a WW2 vet, and let me speak with him.He remembers that at some point the army contacted the VFW about the staus of the tank but nobody living could remember it. I wonder, was it the army or another researcher?
Then he asked me what kind of tank was it supposed to be and I told him an M5A1 and he said that he was trained as a mechanic on M5A1s and proceeded to talk about the twin Cadillacs and so on. I mentioned that I own a WW2 Dodge WC62 and he started talking about working on them. Very interesting guy and he still sounded very sharp.
Anyhow it seems the tank never made it there or if it did it didn't stay long.
Maybe a different W. Liberty has it?

Mike

recon4ww2 · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 2:25 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Kurt,
That's the W. Liberty nearest to me. I'll see what I can find out.
Mike

Kurt_Laughlin · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 577

Thanks Mike!

BTW, there are something like four towns named "West Liberty" in OH. The one that seems to match the AL post in the register is at 40.252N, 83.755W.

KL

recon4ww2 · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Hi Kurt,
The SN is from the hull stamping. After I told Joe DeMarco about the tank
a friend of his visited the tank and did a little forensics (I didn't know where to look)
As far as Anna is concerned I've talked to several people including my father in law, who grew up in Anna, and nobody remembers a tank there.
Unfortunately when I asked my father in law he was in a nursing home in not the best of shape so I still consider the existence of that tank with a question mark. I haven't had a chance to check on the one in West Liberty but I'm pretty sure it's not there either. I'll let you know if I find out otherwise.

mike

Kurt_Laughlin · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 577

Hi Mike:

I assume you got the 12081 S/N off the hull stampings? If so, the painted on R/N is incorrect. It should be 3054236. If the 3053981 R/N is correct (some are) the S/N would be 11826. After multiple overpaintings they often get the block numbers wrong, or paint it up based on a photo.

Did you ever get around to looking for the M5 in Anna OH or the M5A1 in West Liberty OH?

BTW, I have 97 small hatch M4A3s listed as survivors, either as tanks or as M32B3s. All but 21 have had their S/Ns determined.

KL

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:22 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Thanks for the info & pics guys!

I just finished up my edits/updates to the New Mexico section of the register, moving on New York - Ohio should be around the corner as it were...

Neil

recon4ww2 · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:46 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

The Blanchester SN is 12081

ShermanWasRight · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:18 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

recon4ww2 wrote:

It is located in a cemetery on West Main st. or state route 28. It will be hard to see from a satellite photo as it is under several large pines.
You can just see it inside the gate on one of the photos on the following website.
www.findagrave.com/cgi...CRid=41548

I have the SN for it somewhere, I try to find it and post some pix of it and the Middeltown tank.
I live about 40 or 50 miles from both tanks in Piqua, OH

Mike Haines

Thanks; I'm in Worthington, Just north of Columbus, so it isn't close for me either. It's closer when I'm at school in Northern Kentucky, so I might try then come fall.

edit: okay, based on the photos you linked, and Live Maps iffy birdseye, my WAG for the coordinates is thus:
39°17'28.59"N
83°59'42.22"W

recon4ww2 · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:52 am Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

It is located in a cemetery on West Main st. or state route 28. It will be hard to see from a satellite photo as it is under several large pines.
You can just see it inside the gate on one of the photos on the following website.
www.findagrave.com/cgi...CRid=41548

I have the SN for it somewhere, I try to find it and post some pix of it and the Middeltown tank.
I live about 40 or 50 miles from both tanks in Piqua, OH

Mike Haines

ShermanWasRight · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

recon4ww2 wrote:

Shawn,
It's Middletown and it is located along I-75 about halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. There is also a M4A3 in Blanchester, OH north east of Cincinnati. If you are thinking about stopping in Lima to see the M4A3E8 in the Allen County Historical Museum you may wish to call and ask them if will be there. Much of the time it is stored at a local refinery and I don't know about public access. That tank is scheduled to be at the WACO Aircraft museum's WACO MILITARY EXPERIENCE July 10,11 & 12th There will also be an operational LVT4 there. I'll be there with my 1943 WC62 Dodge.
www.wacoairmuseum.org/.../flyer.pdf

Mike Haines

Where's the Blanchester M4A3 located? I don't see it in the register.

recon4ww2 · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:37 pm Post subject: Re: Middletown, OH M4 Sherman?

Shawn,
It's Middletown and it is located along I-75 about halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. There is also a M4A3 in Blanchester, OH north east of Cincinnati. If you are thinking about stopping in Lima to see the M4A3E8 in the Allen County Historical Museum you may wish to call and ask them if will be there. Much of the time it is stored at a local refinery and I don't know about public access. That tank is scheduled to be at the WACO Aircraft museum's WACO MILITARY EXPERIENCE July 10,11 & 12th There will also be an operational LVT4 there. I'll be there with my 1943 WC62 Dodge.
www.wacoairmuseum.org/.../flyer.pdf

Mike Haines

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