The Sherman M4 with a 105 mm Howitzer was an infantry support tank, usually in a three tank setup. This Sherman M4(105) had the VVSS, the Vertical Volute Spring System Suspension with narrow tracks and a 105 mm Howitzer M4 with 66 rounds. The gun was an adaptation of the U.S. M101 howitzer artillery piece. This particular Sherman M4(105) has a welded hull with spare tracks welded onto the front of the tank for extra protection against German tanks and anti-tank weapons. The M4(105) had a a coaxial .30 caliber M1919 Browning machine gun A5 with 4,750 rounds of ammunition, a ball-mounted M1919 A4 in the front hull operated by the assistant driver and a pintle mounted .50 caliber M2 Browning HB machine gun with 300 rounds on the turret roof for anti-aircraft protection. The first Sherman variant to be armed with the 105 mm howitzer was the M4, first accepted in February 1944.
This Sherman M4(105) was from the 49th (West Riding) Armored Division used during the Liberation of Arnhem and Ede in the Netherlands. The 49th Armored Division was also named the Polar Bears due to their Divisional badge of a Polar Bear. The 49th were WW1, Arctic and D-Day veterans.The tank has serial number 57562 and was built in August, 1944.
Our photos were taken in 2014 with number 13 on the turret of the Sherman tank. In recent years the Sherman tank was thoroughly renovated and the turret number changed into 31.
The tank, originally marked number 13 in a green circle, bore incorrect historical designations. This number suggested that the tank was part of the Motor Battalion of the 1st Canadian Tank Brigade, a combination that is not historically correct, as this battalion had no tanks.
After research and advice from the Calgary Regiment in Canada and intensive consultation with local historians, it was decided to renumber the tank to 31 in a blue circle. This number and color are accurate to the Sherman V tank used by Captain Davies of the Calgary Regiment during the liberation attack on Ede on April 17, 1945. The name ‘Cougar’, which is also on the tank, is retained, as a tribute to the original tank and its crew.
Visit
The Sherman M4(105) – Cougar can be seen 24/7 in the Dutch city Eden, near Arnhem.