Sherman Tank Combat & Maintenance Reports

[Richard Stone]

The attached report from the 67 Armored Regiment of the 2nd Armored Division discusses the division’s successful action against a German column during September 1944. The report was prepared during the postwar period.

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[Richard Stone]

This is the map of the combat report report.

[Richard Stone]

The attached 21 March 1945 report from the 746th Tank Battalion discusses the unit’s attack on the German town of Windhagen and it’s successful defense against a German counterattack that used Jagdpanthers.

Note the action involving the crew of a M4A3E2 Sherman in the last paragraph of the first attachment.

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[Richard Stone]

The three attached 7 July 1944 reports from the 3rd Armored Division discuss the unit’s difficulty with their first attacks in the hedgerow country and the methods they adopted to overcome these.

The fourth report is from the 746th Tank Battalion on 15 June 1944. It mentions an unusual situation one of their tank commanders found himself in.

The sections marked with the 'Unclassified' stamp can be read by enlarging the attachment text.

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[Richard Stone]

The 4 attached June 1944 reports from the 746th Tank Battalion discuss the unit’s actions of its Headquarters Group and Company B during the Normandy invasion at Utah Beach and inland, including the area around Ste Mere Eglise. The reports cover the period of 7 - 10 June and show the intensity of the fighting inland from the beach.

Note the actions of the Senior Headquarters and Company B officers to personally direct the operations and perform reconnaissance.

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[Richard Stone]

The 4 attached June 1944 reports from the 746th Tank Battalion discuss the actions of its Company C during the Normandy invasion at Utah Beach and inland, including the area around Ste Mere Eglise. The reports cover the period of 7 - 10 June and show the intensity of the fighting inland from the beach.

Note the action of the crew of the stranded Sherman to defend it for 4 days assisted by a 82nd Airborne Sargent and the issues about obtaining the unit’s gasoline resupply.

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[Richard Stone]

The two May 1945 reports are from the US Army Combat Lessons & Notes reports. These reports discuss the opinions of the 19th and 35th Tank Battalions with the 76mm and 90mm tank guns and ammunition.

Note the opinion of the 19th Tank Battalion Commanding Officers to the effectiveness of the 76mm gun Sherman and the 90mm gun M-26 Pershing.

The following two short August 1944 reports from the 746th Tank Battalion discuss the unit’s issues with the serviceability and performance of the Rino hedgerow cutters and the difficulty maintaining security of their installation security prior to and during the July 1944 Cobra offensive.

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[Carl Schwamberger]

Thanks for posting these

[Richard Stone]

The attached July 1944 report is from the US Army Combat Lessons & Notes reports. This report contains the opinions of and methods used by the 3rd Armored Division during the June and early July 1944 fighting in Normandy.

Note the results obtained by the use of the Sherman Tank’s 75mm gun WP (white phosphorous smoke) rounds. This item is listed at the end of the report.

The text obscured by the 'Unclassified' stamp can be read by enlarging the attachment.

I've placed a duplicate of this post in the site's 'WW2 in Northwest Europe & the Atlantic' section.

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[Richard Stone]

The attached early August 1944 report is from the US Army Combat Lessons & Notes reports. This report contains the opinions of and methods used by the 3rd Armored Division during the late June and July 1944 fighting in Normandy.

Note the comments about the positive results their air support provided the advancing armored units, the methods they adopted to handle the hedgerows and the methods used to defend against German counterattacks.

I've placed a duplicate of this post in the site’s 'Western Europe & the Atlantic' section.

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[Richard Stone]

The 5 attached short reports are from the US Army Combat Lessons & Notes - Immediate Reports. The Immediate Reports are reports written by attached observers or the unit officers and sent quickly to Army Headquarters to keep them informed about difficulties, problems and methods used by the various Army units during combat.

These particular reports discuss several issues affecting the Sherman Tank equipment and operation. These include the trial retrofit by the 4th Armored Division of a M4A3E2 tank with the 76mm gun; the serviceability of the different track types; issues with crew casualties and fatigue; and a shock wave issue with the original design 76mm gun muzzle brake.

Note the preference of the 4th Armored Division for the chevron-type track which they considered to provide superior traction. This particular report is difficult to read due to the placement of the Declassified stamp. The text can be read by enlarging the attachment.

I’ve listed the report issue date in each attachment title for reference.

I will place a duplicate of this post in the site’s ‘WW2 in Western Europe & the Atlantic’ section shortly.

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[Richard Stone]

The two attached September 1944 reports from the 3rd Armored Division discuss the unit’s attacks on the Siegfried Line, the methods they adopted to overcome the different types of defenses and the tank and tank crew casualties.

I’ve placed a duplicate of this post in the site’s 'WW2 in Western Europe & the Atlantic' section.

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