Dragon Armor M4A3 (76) W  VVSS Sherman

No. 60163, Vintage year - 2006, Scale - 1:72

Unit - 761st Tank Bn. "Black Panthers" - Task Force Rhine

Campaign - Germany 1945

Markings: olive drab and black camouflage with machine gun on top. "Julia - Pvt. Luther and Pvt. Leonard" written on turret and "Cool Studs Inc. #4" written on the front hull. The Cool Stud was the mascot of the famed unit which was a rooster.

History - the 761st Tank Battalion was an independent tank battalion assigned to lead Task Force Rhine with elements of the 103rd Infantry Division. This Battalion was the first African-American tank unit to go into combat - landing on Omaha Beach on Oct. 10 and some of the best-trained tankers in the Army, thanks to two years of training at Camp Claiborne, LA and Camp Hood, TX. This was at a time when the average armor crew received as little as three months of training due to recruitment strain. Their motto was "Come out Fighting". Their performance in battle was exemplary and they participated in four major Allied campaigns including Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The unit received the Presidential Unit Citation in 1978.

Model: M4A3(76)W - VVSS Sherman -  M4A3 with 76mm M1 gun.This tank had the more powerful 76 mm gun to counter heavier German armor. The "W" designation indicated the vehicle had "wet stowage" feature - encasing ammo containers in a liquid mixture that would douse flames and block penetrating shrapnel. The containers were in the bottom center of the tank making it less likely to flame up. This feature was only present after Feb. 1944 and severely decreased the rate of vehicle fires. The VVSS stood for vertical-volute suspension system which eventually was replaced by the HVSS - horizontal-volute system. This was the Sherman produced (by Fisher and Detroit Tank Arsenals) in the greatest numbers throughout the war - 9,924 through February 1944-March 1945.

Condition - Used as there is shelf wear on cardboard box.

Thank you for your interest.