From link above51mm/59°. It was either Pak 40 at near point blanc range or something heavier that was shooting at this tank, a Panther or an 88mm Flak for example.
I believe the add-on armor actually helped the penetration to the left of the ricochet. That is, the lower weld blocked it from bouncing up. From the looks of the hole through the add-on armor, it may be from another 'dead-on' type angle.How was the Wilbrin M4(75) Sherman Destroyed?
On the 16th December 1944 in bad winter weather the Germans launched an offensive against the American troops resting in the Ardennes. it will become known as the Battle of the Bulge. The final objective was to capture the port of Antwerp and all the allied supplies. First the newly formed German 6th Army had to capture the bridges over the Meuse River.
German tank crew member Pfc Hans Herost of the 116th Panzer Division remembers contact with the enemy’s M4 Sherman tanks near the village of Wilbrin. "We did not take the streets, but drove across the fields and meadows because of all the mines. We were on the hill about 1,000 metres way from the village church. From up there we saw the Sherman tank that is now the war memorial in Wilbrin. It was in the same place on that day."
Surviving Belgium 1944 Battle of the Bulge M4A3 Sherman Tank in the small village of Wilbrin
Damaged gun in the Wibrin M4(75) Sherman Tank
"This tank with its small gun was barely a threat to us. Jokingly we just called it a knocking device. The Panther tank that was next to me shot. The shell hit the sloping front armour and bounced off. You can still see the deep gouge on the front. It bounced upwards and hit the Sheman's gun damaging it. When the American crew fired the tube burst. You can see the damage it caused today. The second shell hit the big bolts on the bottom of the front armour and again bounced off. The third hit went through the armour and it caught fire. We proceeded with our advance."
The local priest saved the tank from scrap metal merchants who had already cut away some of the rear and right side of the tank. It was decided to make it the villages war memorial. In 2011 its rust was treated and painted whilst a new raised plinth was built. If you visit the Wibrin Sherman make sure you call in and have a beer at the cafe called Le Vieux Wibrin a 200m further east along the main road. It is very pleasant to sit inside on a cold day or outside on a sunny day. They have a lot of veterans visit.
