The 9th arrived to the ETO in the months just before the Ardennes offensive and the three Combat commands were placed in forward positions to get some experience in the field in this quiet sector. When the German’s launched their offensive on December 16th the 9th AD was immediately engulfed in the hard fighting along the front. Photographic evidence indicates that most of the Shermans were M4A3 76mm armed Wet Stowage vehicles in the Ardennes, but both film footage and photos taken in the closing months of the war also include M4A3 75mm armed tanks and if the photographer’s notes were correct on some film footage, even a few cast hull M4A1 76mm armed vehicles. Another interesting detail is that almost all of the tanks seem to have been field modified at unit level to include bars welded to the turret to hang stowage such as musette bags and in some cases the metal Grousers that were used much the same as tire chains on cars to provide extra traction on snow and ice for the tracks. Additionally, many of the tanks had round steel bar welded to the front and sides of the hull and on either side of the turret so thin wire Sommerfield Matting could be welded in place to facilitate adding camouflage to the tanks.
The 9th AD returned to Remagen for a ceremony on May 15th 1945 and a Signal Corps film records M4A3 76mm armed Sherman tanks with the details mentioned on all of the vehicles. It is also worthy to note that none of them in this film seem to have white recognition stars on the hull or turret sides. The remnants of these same modifications are also evident on a surviving 9th AD tank that was knocked out in Clervaux, Luxembourg that is now there as a monument. These added features may have been fairly common at this point of the war as same treatment also appears on vehicles identified as being part of the 4th, 6th and 7th Armored Divisions, and possibly more.
Most of the 76mm and 105mm armed tanks of the 9th AD also sport at least one dark color, probably black, over-sprayed in a large disruptive pattern. Some reconstructions show a second lighter green added to the overall olive and black pattern on the tanks and maybe someone out there knows the primary source for this scheme. The photos of the 75mm armed tanks seem to be overall Olive Drab, but dust, mud and low contrast Black & White photography also make multiple colors schemes hard to make out. If the M4A3 (76) model is eventually released by W. Britain I hope to get a couple to add these details too.
These reworked Campaign Miniatures M4A3 (75) Wet Stowage kits will represent vehicles of the 9th Armored Division toward the end of the war. I am using a photograph taken in April of 1945 of M4A3 (75) W tanks at Westhausen, Germany as my inspiration for these and I will stow them in a similar fashion with the spare tracks on the front Glacis plate. I am guessing that these are vehicles replacing the 30 or so tanks lost in the race to the Rhine and the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany. I hope some of you are enjoying these ramblings…
Below: a Wartime photograph showing the addition of Sommerfield matting to the hull and turret of a 9th Armored Division M4A3 (76) W.
Below: A finished field modification with then addition of the steel matting, welded flat bar on the turret for soft stowage items and the black overpaint in a disruptive pattern.
Below: A M4A3 (75) tows a disabled German truck from a road. Note how the steel Sommerfield mesh welded to the tank allows the attachment of foliage to help break up the outline.
Below: 9th Armored Division M4A3 (75) W vehicle being refueled in Germany early May 1945. Note them additional track mounted on some of the vehicle for additional protection.
Below: A rare surviving Sherman from the 9th Armored Division still retaining evidence of the field modifications on public display in Clervaux, Luxembourg.
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