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1st Cav Marked Tanks


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Military_Curator

1st Cavalry Division marked M4 Shermans & another armored vehilce (TD?) during the 46' parade in Tokyo. These two photographs came out of a recently acquired 1st Cavalry Division photo album.

 

Parks

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Untitled design (3).png

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13 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

What model of Sherman with the muzzle breaks on them? I thought those came later than '46. 

M4A3(76)W HVSS. They're probablt from the division's 603rd Medium Tank Company, this unit served in The Cav from March 1944 till sometime in March 1948. It's the M7 Priests that have me stumped, Don't see where an Armored Field Artillery Battalion was assigned to The Cav, unless it's an Attached one.

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Military_Curator
On 10/3/2020 at 1:13 PM, tredhed2 said:

The armored vehicles in the top photo are M-7 Priests. That's a 105MM gun there. 

Thank you for the clarification! Armor is not my forte haha!

 

On 10/4/2020 at 10:59 AM, patches said:

M4A3(76)W HVSS. They're probablt from the division's 603rd Medium Tank Company, this unit served in The Cav from March 1944 till sometime in March 1948. It's the M7 Priests that have me stumped, Don't see where an Armored Field Artillery Battalion was assigned to The Cav, unless it's an Attached one.

I am not aware of any armored FA battalions within the Cav during the war or occupation, unless one of the standard FA units or even the armored units had a section of them. 

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31 minutes ago, Military_Curator said:

Thank you for the clarification! Armor is not my forte haha!

 

I am not aware of any armored FA battalions within the Cav during the war or occupation, unless one of the standard FA units or even the armored units had a section of them. 

Not sure someone with specific knowledge will chime in, but I believe infantry division's (1st CD subject to ID TO & E) cannon companies used M-7s later in the war under a revision.  I mean, a cannon's a cannon, whether it's SP or dragged, right? 

 

And here is a patch for the 603rd Tank Co (Med) 

ARMD TK CO603.jpg

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10 hours ago, tredhed2 said:

Not sure someone with specific knowledge will chime in, but I believe infantry division's (1st CD subject to ID TO & E) cannon companies used M-7s later in the war under a revision.  I mean, a cannon's a cannon, whether it's SP or dragged, right? 

 

And here is a patch for the 603rd Tank Co (Med) 

 

I think you on to something tred, M7 used in Regimental Cannon Companies in 1944-45 and beyond. Still trying to find more info, got a hit for M7 32nd "Red Arrow" Division, 128th Infantry Regiment, Cannon Company., there was supposed to be a photo, but it was deleted.

 

 

And this led me to this site on the 25th Infantry Division 27th Infantry Regiment's Cannon Company, says the Wolfhounds  got the Priest as early as June 1944, now I don't know if this occurred only in the Pacific or if it was done in the ETO or MTO in 44 as well.

http://wolfhoundpack.org/Articles/Cannon-Company

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The book US Armored Artillery in World War II by Steven J. Zaloga has numerous photos of M-7 Priests (pgs 67-72) being assigned to regimental cannon companies in the SWPTO. Depicted are M-7s assigned to Cannon Cos of the 130th IR, 63rd IR, 126th IR, 383rd IR, and multiple companies in the 37th and 25th IDs. That's where I saw the photo of the 383rd IR Cannon Co photo. According to the book, all the M-7s in the ETO and MTO were used exclusively by AFABs. 

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Military_Curator

I found a photograph in the 1st Cavalry Division unit history from WW2 (there are three for the time period; one for WW2, occupation, and Korea). This is either from the March into Tokyo or from some exercise post war 1945. 

EB8FA0C7-2BD0-4472-A727-00F394858434.jpeg

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Military_Curator

I was looking at the original photo earlier and was able to make out the partial unit marking. 1C (maybe IC?) - 7C. Does this mean it is a part of the 7th Cavalry or a different unit marking?

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Just now, Military_Curator said:

I was looking at the original photo earlier and was able to make out the partial unit marking. 1C (maybe IC?) - 7C. Does this mean it is a part of the 7th Cavalry or a different unit marking?

7C, yes most likely the Cannon Troop of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, as stated by tredhead, these M7 Priests are increasingly used in the SWPTO by Regimental Cannon Companies of an Infantry Regiment,  an Infantry Regiment which the 7th Cavalry was despite its Cavalry title and Squadron and Troop designators within them. The Vehile bumper Number may be the initials CN, for CANNON.

 

See this Guidon for a Infantry Cannon Company, note the CN, though the one carried by this unit will be the Cavalry Red White Guidon with CN on it.

 

image.png.0edbab3960816b768d29bf6fb5c3b4ed.png

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