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British M3 Stuart in Normandy 1944


wellzy

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Hi Guys  here we go again, want to build  a  British  a Stuart  in Normandy   used  by the Recon units  such as the Sherwood Rangers,  got photos  but only from the rear,can't tell which  version  was used , 

  Thanks  for looking  , wellzy

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I believe you can use any of M5A1, M3A3, M3A1 or even M3 depending on unit.  There are many side and front views on Mr Google.  Sherwood Rangers were not a "recon unit", they were an armoured regiment equipped with Shermans.  British armoured regiments in NW Europe each had a Recce Troop with M3 or M5 light tanks.

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Sorry  Guys left  out the most important  details  atm I'm reading  James Holland's book Brothers in Arms which  is where l saw the photos  of the M 3s possibly  in Nijmegen sector  belonging to the recon troop  so l don't  know if this helps ?

 

Cheers  wellzy 

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Mr Google is your friend here as usual.  Here is a selection.

 

The top 3 photos are said to be a Sherwood Rangers Recce Tp tank.  I can't tell if it's a late M3 or an M3A1, probably the latter.  I was once planning to do something like this using the new-ish Tamiya kit.  The right hand top photo is on the Sherwood Rangers website, so I guess that makes it so.  AOS 996 fits for Sherwood Rangers as part of 8th Armd Bde in NW Europe.  I do not know the meaning of C240 on the fender: it's a bit far into the campaign to be an LCT marking.  These 3 photos fit with the James Holland description, noting the Nijmegen sign.

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No idea of a unit on this one.  Clearly somewhere in NW Europe with US troops.  Suggests Holland and Market-Garden again.

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M3(A1?) with lower wading trunk still attached.  I can't make any sense of the AOS ending in 74 with what looks like a 2 in front.

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M3A3s were out there too with some units (AFV Club kit).  Can't make out any unit markings.  The fender markings are LCT loading.

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This is an M5A1 from an Armd Regt Recce Tp.  AOS 53 - 3rd senior Regt in Bde. Can't make out the Division.  (AFV Club kit better than Tamiya)

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Edited by Kingsman
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17 hours ago, Kingsman said:

M3(A1?) with lower wading trunk still attached.  I can't make any sense of the AOS ending in 74 with what looks like a 2 in front.

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I believe this one is Recce Troop, 144 RAC, 33rd Armoured Brigade, Op Charnwood, 8 July 1944. 

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Hodges & Taylor and Bellis both agree on AOS 174 for 144 RAC in 33 AB in the Op Charnwood period.  I can't make out the AOS on the M4, even enlarged.  144 were 2nd Senior and so should be 174, behind Northants Yeomanry with 173 and ahead of 148 RAC  with 175. Bde HQ used 172.

 

I'm still sure the digit in front of the 7 is a 2.  Nothing else has a foot like that.  But I can't find a 274 and 1274 is RE Beach Groups.  So I guess that hidden digit must be a 1 with a serif foot, which would be less usual.

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18 hours ago, wellzy said:

Sorry  Guys left  out the most important  details 

You also dumped it in Ready for Inspection.  :doh: I'd suggest taking more water with it ;)

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44 minutes ago, Kingsman said:

Hodges & Taylor and Bellis both agree on AOS 174 for 144 RAC in 33 AB in the Op Charnwood period.  I can't make out the AOS on the M4, even enlarged.  144 were 2nd Senior and so should be 174, behind Northants Yeomanry with 173 and ahead of 148 RAC  with 175. Bde HQ used 172.

 

I'm still sure the digit in front of the 7 is a 2.  Nothing else has a foot like that.  But I can't find a 274 and 1274 is RE Beach Groups.  So I guess that hidden digit must be a 1 with a serif foot, which would be less usual.

 

There are other shots in the sequence which show the 174 AOS on the Shermans (with 144 RAC's distinctive turret numbers) - B6652 on the IWM Collections website is a good one (link below), and there's another Stuart alongside, though further away. The bottom of the '2' that you see may possibly be dirt, a speck on the image or light reflecting from something projecting from the edge of the trunking? 

 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205205989

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21 hours ago, Kingsman said:

Mr Google is your friend here as usual.  Here is a selection.

 

The top 3 photos are said to be a Sherwood Rangers Recce Tp tank.  I can't tell if it's a late M3 or an M3A1, probably the latter.  I was once planning to do something like this using the new-ish Tamiya kit.  The right hand top photo is on the Sherwood Rangers website, so I guess that makes it so.  AOS 996 fits for Sherwood Rangers as part of 8th Armd Bde in NW Europe.  I do not know the meaning of C240 on the fender: it's a bit far into the campaign to be an LCT marking.  These 3 photos fit with the James Holland description, noting the Nijmegen sign.

spacer.png spacer.png spacer.png

 

No idea of a unit on this one.  Clearly somewhere in NW Europe with US troops.  Suggests Holland and Market-Garden again.

spacer.png

 

M3(A1?) with lower wading trunk still attached.  I can't make any sense of the AOS ending in 74 with what looks like a 2 in front.

spacer.png

 

M3A3s were out there too with some units (AFV Club kit).  Can't make out any unit markings.  The fender markings are LCT loading.

spacer.png

 

This is an M5A1 from an Armd Regt Recce Tp.  AOS 53 - 3rd senior Regt in Bde. Can't make out the Division.  (AFV Club kit better than Tamiya)

spacer.png

 

 

Thanks for  your help  

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 01/11/2022 at 22:02, Kingsman said:

M3(A1?) with lower wading trunk still attached.  I can't make any sense of the AOS ending in 74 with what looks like a 2 in front.

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This picture in the IWM archive is B 6659 and caption is about 33rd armoured brigade during the attack on Caen 

Edited by Armor Novice
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