March 1981, my father W. L. Hutchins checking out the Sherman in front of the Ely, Nevada, VFW Post.
The M4 Sherman is the iconic U.S. tank from World War 2. It was also used after WW2 by many countries across the world. There are many variants, and to make things more difficult for kit bashers there were many field modifications.
1-116th Cav, 1-148th FA, Pocatello, Idaho. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Video report 03NOV2021, Museum Support Center–Anniston Army Depot is about to attempt to restore a recovered sunken ‘DD’ Sherman from Operation Overlord June 1944:
U.S. Army Central, Sumter, South Carolina, welcomes the arrival of a M4A3(76)W HVSS Sherman tank, 15JUL2021. U.S. Army photo by Michael Clauss.
It was originally on display on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. U.S. Army photo by Specialist Amber Cobena.
In December 2020, the U.S. Army’s Army Maneuver Center of Excellence used examples of WW2 Sherman tanks to demonstrate the ingenuity/inventiveness of U.S. military personnel.
October 2020 promotional video, the National Army Museum’s Cobra King Sherman:
July 2020, volunteers with the Selfridge Military Air Museum take a restored Sherman for a spin, before parking it for its new ‘gate guard’ duty. Michigan Air National Guard photo By Munnaf H. Joarder.
Harrodsburg, Kentucky, 07MAY2020. The tank memorializes the Harrodsburg Tankers, which were captured by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two. Kentucky Army National Guard photo by First Lieutenant Cody Stagner.
Reenactment of Battle of the Bulge, 14DEC2019, Belgium.
U.S. Army photo by Corporal Kevin Payne.
Pennsylvania ‘gate guard’, 05NOV2019. Pennsylvania Air National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Bryan Hoover.
Texas Military Forces Museum Sherman takes part in a reenactment, 13APR2019. Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Tom Lamb.
Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, 11SEP2018. U.S. Army photo by Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie.
Video of ‘IN THE MOOD’ gate guard being moved from Belgium to Germany for restoration, 09JUL2019:
See more about IN THE MOOD: PAINTING & DECALING A 1:1 SCALE M4 SHERMAN
D-Day reenactors June 2019, Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France. U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Ryan Rayno.
U.S. military video by Staff Sergeant Draeke Layman, Sherman Tanks in Mons, Belgium, 2019:
M4A1 Battle of the Bulge commemorations in Belgium, December 2018. U.S. Army photo by Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie.
Sainte Mere Eglise, 04JUN2017. USA photo by First Lieutenant Victoria Goldfedib.
This tank looks ‘crody’ because it was salvaged from the sea off United Kingdom, in 1984. It’s now part of commemorations for Operation Tiger. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Timothy R. Smithers.
Pennsylvania National Guard ‘living’ memorial, February 2016. Pennsylvania Army National Guard photo by Private First Class Hannah Baker.
December 2015, the town of Clervaux, Luxembourg, dedicates a Sherman tank memorial to a little known part of the Battle of the Bulge:
New York National Guard personnel spent 22 months renovating this Sherman. Put on display in Saratoga Springs, September 2015. New York Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Major Corine Lombardo.
Restored Sherman taking part in D-Day celebrations in France, June 2015. USA photo by Sergeant Austin Berner.
Sherman loaded for transport to the Fort Polk Museum, Louisiana, 12SEP2012.
This April 2011 photo shows three versions of the M4 Sherman, taking part in a Texas Military Forces World War Two reenactment on Camp Mabry. Texas Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Josiah Pugh.
A Sherman tank war memorial in Cassino, Italy. Texas Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Daniel Griego, March 2010.
Silent U.S. Army film, dated 23APR1945, Sherman tanks enter the city of Leipzig, Germany. Combat action, civilians wounded, civilians welcome U.S. troops, German officer surrenders:
New York Army National Guard M4A3 Sherman, Fort Drum, during the 1950s.
An Easy Eight Sherman in Kumchun area, Korea, October 1950.
Believe it or not, this is a 70 years old Iraqi Sherman! It was ‘appropriated’ by U.S. Army forces and ‘repatriated’ to the U.S. towards the end of 2011. The pic was taken on Camp Virginia, Kuwait, as it awaited ship-out.
Iranian M36B1 Jackson version of the Sherman, used against Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war. Captured by Iraq and put on display, only to be ‘captured’ by U.S. forces and supposedly ‘repatriated’ to the United States.
A U.S. Marine checks-out a stripped Sherman in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1983.
Photograph from World War Two, 03JUN1944. The Sherman in the foreground has the rounded cast hull, while the Sherman behind it has the welded hull.
USMC vet Kenny White checks out a Marine Sherman gate guard at Twentynine Palms, California, December 2014. USMC photo by Lance Corporal Medina Ayala-Lo.
In Virginia, reenactors playing Marines fighting the Japanese stand aside for an approaching Sherman, August 2013. USMC photo by Corporal Paris Capers.
My grandfather, O.G. Hutchins, on his newly arrived USMC Sherman, sometime before shipping out against the Japanese.
My grandfather O.G. Hutchins, tank commander in the USMC during World War Two. Note the snow tracks used as sand tracks in the Pacific Theater (also indicative of some 75mm gunned Shermans, that is not saying they were the only Shermans that used them, obviously not). Also, notice the final-drive cover is different from the M4 in the above photo. He’s smiling because prior to getting Shermans his USMC unit was using tiny Stuart tanks (note how tall he is, even in the Sherman he had trouble ‘buttoning up’).
My grandfather’s old helmet. O.G. ‘Hutch’ Hutchins.
See my grandfather’s 1st Marine Division unit citations for actions in World War Two and Korea in LAST RIDE FOR 1ST, 2ND & 4TH TANK.
It has become dry and brittle due to decades of improper storage on my father’s property in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.
The hardened leather helmets were called ‘football helmets’ because they were directly based on the old style American football helmet.
Photo by Richard C. Ferguson, September or October 1950. Inchon, Korea, Easy Eight ‘Candy Ass’ decided to take a swim after off-loading from LST. It appears there’s only one cable (attached to front tow hook) keeping Candy Ass from going under.
U.S. Marine Corps photo, dated October 1950. It’s not Korea, it’s a pass-in-review of Shermans and F7F Tigercats at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
Argentinian Shermans waiting for new homes, or the scrapper.
Argentine hybrid-hull Sherman with French 105mm gun in what looks like a Firefly turret, and powered by a diesel motor.
Chile used Israeli M51 Super Shermans as live-fire range targets.
Chilean M60, a M4A4 Sherman with Israeli designed 60mm high velocity gun.
I can’t remember where this photo was taken (Fort Irwin?), sometime mid-late 1990s. Me in front of a Sherman based Recovery Vehicle.
IDAHO VEHICLE I-D: 
1-148 FIELD ARTILLERY GATE GUARDS
Another RF-84F in 1:72 scale is the PJ Production multi-media kit, in resin, PE, metal and vacform plastic. It is highly accurate and detailed. Reviewers report it is not for beginners and requires a lot of dry fitting to reveal the difficult areas of assembly. The kit has been around for at least a decade, yet PJ Production website still lists it as a “new product”. It lists for 41.50 Euros (about $50 to $60 USD depending on the exchange rate).
Almost forgot that in 2018 Sword issued their RF-84F. The quality of the parts is typical of Sword kits. Issued in two boxings with four different markings per box. Initial reviews are good. In the United States the price ranges from $20 to $32, and they’re selling fast.
For decades the only 1:48 scale RF-84F was the not so good Heller kit. Apparently first released in 1979-80 along with its F-84F Thunderstreak. About four years later Monogram released its way better F-84F, but for some reason decided not to do a much needed RF version. The Heller kit is as basic as the 1:72 scale Italeri kit, it’s been re-issued continuously and the U.S. price for previously owned kits averages $20, while the latest new issues are going for as much as $40 (outrageous given its age and lack of quality).
And now for something really outrageous. Recently a Japanese company called Tanmodel issued the newest 1:48 scale RF-84F. You’d think it was the best damn thing in the world going by how much sellers are asking for it. An internet review said it was better than the ancient Heller kit, but the recessed surface detailing is not much better than Monogram’s raised detailing. In fact the reviewer said the recessed rivets (which there are no such thing on real airplanes) look more like 1:32 scale rivets, the pics of the completed kit makes it look like the trench-n-divet surface details are raised because they’re so over-scale. You get air intake ducting and an exhaust pipe. You also get a detailed camera bay, which is pointless because the fuselage is not molded so that you can poise the access door in the open position (you could do surgery). The ultimate reason this kit is so outrageous is its asking price, I’ve seen prices ranging between $70 and $180!!!
