Tanks near Hammamet, Tunisia

[igor_verh]

Hello! I visited Hammamet few days ago and near village Sidi Jadidi I saw a three tanks and some remains of other destroyed technique on battlefield. People say, that these american tanks and all of them were hit at May 1943. But to my mind it doesn't looks like WW2 machines, can somebody identify it?
Thanks in advance.

[Carl Schwamberger]

Not US made tanks from 1943. Maybe something from 1973 or later. Maybe the M48 model?

There was very little actual combat near Hammamet in 1943. The Axis army had collapsed and the operations near there were in the form of pursuit and collection of surrendering units.

[phylo_roadking]

Hi Igor (and Carl) - yes, its an M48, the Tunisian Army used to have nearly three dozen M48A5s.

[ROLAND1369]

These appear to be M48a3s not A5s. The M48as had the low Israeli style cupola not the older M1 turret with the added set of vision blocks shown on these photos.

[ROLAND1369]

I should have clarified" the earlier M1 comanders auxilary 50 cal turret"

[igor_verh]

Thank you, gentlemen!
Perhaps there was a military training ground or something similar. A lot of shell-splinters and other iron around.

[phylo_roadking]

Perhaps there was a military training ground or something similar.

Very likely...given that they've either been taken there by transporter, or had the engines pulled for spares after they got there...

Empty engine bays!

Don't kick anything still shell-shaped....

[Carl Schwamberger]

Perhaps there was a military training ground or something similar.

Yes. They appear identical to old vehicles we used as targets.

Don't kick anything still shell-shaped....

Amen. Old explosives can become very unstable Part of our training included description of accidents with dud explosives. The photographs were ugly and sad.

[phylo_roadking]

Old explosives can become very unstable Part of our training included description of accidents with dud explosives. The photographs were ugly and sad.

My nearest-death experience was clearing out the top shelf of a storage gondola (set of sliding shelves) in a store room in N.I.'s forensic science lab at the height of the Troubles where I was working as a clerk. I was standing at the foot of a step ladder, and another clerk, a girl, was half way up the ladder...

She draggged a cardboard box out from the back of a shelf, and passed it down to me....and as I took it the bottom fell out of the cardboard box and sticks of gelignite tumbled down around my feet! Obviously, the stuff should have never been stored there, it SHOULD have long ago been taken away by the Army and destroyed...and it had been there for YEARS...

It turned out that *luckily* all the nitro had soaked out into the carboard I.E. why the bottom had fallen out of the (soggy) box, so what fell around my feet were just sticks of relatively inert plasticised carrier...it was the cardbox box that had become dangerous!!!!

[Kingfish]

I was standing at the foot of a step ladder, and another clerk, a girl, was half way up the ladder...

Seniority has it's perks I see

[phylo_roadking]

Seniority has it's perks I see

I wasn't looking at the box...