A turret-less M-4 Sherman has been found on the beach of Nartelle, France, just north of St. Maxime. Sainte-Maxime: après la tempête, un char surgit du sable | Var-Matin There is a 99 percent probability it was one of the Deep Wading Tanks belonging to C Company of the 191st Tank Battalion. C Company had five of its Deep Wading Tanks immobilized by mines while landing on 15 August 1944 on the first day of Operation Dragoon. Dave
Dave, Cool post! I almost didn't read it while it was in French then saw the translate button! Anyway it would be a great honor to those service members if they are able to save and restore it. Regards Clint
Here is the translation from Worldlingo.com: Sainte-Maxime: After the Storm, a Tank emerges from Sand By S. B. Given up by the Americans, during the Second World war, the “Sherman” lay under the beach. An American tank hidden under the sand of Nartelle? Specialist in the restoration of old planes, Vincent Charrier always took that for a historical legend. “I had intended to say that that it appeared only the shortly after the storms, but I had evil to believe”, said the landscape designer maximois. That is however what occurred this weekend. Saturday morning, the landscape designer strolls, with the arms of his wife Priscilla, on the sand of Nartelle. Opposite the Saint-Barth beach, the couple see “a large oxidized block”. Without the knowledge, they come to fall on the rusted carcass… from a Sherman tank. One of the best armoured units used at the time of the Second World war. A monumental part Back Motor unit, wings of the radiator: while digging a little, their discovery is confirmed. Vincent then starts research on the Net. Verdict: this tank would have been abandoned by the US soldiers, after their heroic unloading. The historian Jean-Daniel De Germond remembers it (to read in addition), as if it were yesterday. In 1946, it had taken the installation on this armoured unit, from which the turret disappeared in the course of road. “With the buddies, we went often inside. There was still the gun, of the shells, the electric motor. The tank was intact, but it was quickly boned. The mechanics came to prick of the ends of pipe, or other installations”, remembers the conservator of the museum of the square Tower. Informed of the existence of this military monster, the commune does not exclude to free from the sand. It could thus expose it, once restored, on the roundabout of the Unloading. “It is a monumental part. A memory symbolic system of the Second World war”, points out Pierre Perez, person in charge of the beaches. Nevertheless, the operation proves very complex, and its estimated cost would exceed 30.000 euros. “We came into contact with the maritime army and businesses. The bomb disposal experts will intervene, as soon as we leave the tank. That will not be easy. Even without its turret, the tank must weigh about thirty tons”, notes the communal employee, who does not despair however to see it disappearing before the end of the winter…
Here is the second article: Jean-Daniel De Germond à Sainte-Maxime: "À 17 ans, j'ai posé sur ce tank !" | Var-Matin Jean-Daniel De Germond of Sainte-Maxime: “At 17 years, I posed on this tank! ” By S. B. Created the 11/15/2011 - 12:00 A vivid memory of the city, the historian Jean-Daniel De Germond was there, when the US soldiers unloaded. That they demolished, with blows of guns and explosive tubes, a high wall of more than two meters, set up by the Nazis. “I was 15 years old. The beach was mined, but the Americans took all the precautions necessary. They posed, on sand, a carpet in hessian, a very solid hen netting and a steel plate. What enabled them well to distribute the loads”, the conservator of the Square museum of the Tower tells. For which reasons they thus did give up this tank? “It was probably touched by a mine, but that remains an assumption”. After the war, the phantom tank became attraction number 1 of Nartelle. “We went on the beach for all to recover” “On August 15, we changed planet. The cultural shock was violent. One entered suddenly the consumer society. The products arrived at abundance. White bread, tea, biscuits, cigarettes. We went on the beach for all to recover”, reminds the author of History and stories of Sainte-Maxime. Memories which it preciously keeps in its sorters. Like this photograph, taken in 1946, whereas it was 17 years old, on the famous tank!
From the S-3 Journal of the 191st Tank Battalion. 15 August, 0800. Clear and warm. Visibility: Good. Three platoons of "DD" Device tanks of Co. "C" landed. 1st platoon on Blue Beach in support of 1st Battalion, 180th Infantry. (all four tanks were immobilized by striking mines) 2nd platoon landed on Yellow Beach in support of 2nd Battalion, 180th Infantry. (one tank struck a mine remaining three tanks moved inland with 2nd Battalion) 3rd platoon landed on Red Beach in support of 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry, and moved SOUTH on coast road toward ST MAXIME, where they were held up by road blocks. After road blocks were removed, they moved to the vicinity of U-478200. Dave
A U.S. Army Signal Corps' photo from the NARA II, College Park, MD, featuring Deep Wading Tanks of C Company, 191st Tank Battalion heading for the port of departure for Operation Dragoon. The caption reads: "Bagnoli area, Italy. "Invasion loading. Day and night without letup men and equipment are loaded into waiting landing craft for the big invasion. "Shermans move down the quay to Bagnoli dock to board landing craft." Photographer: Harris, 163rd Signal Photo Company. Date: 10 August 1944. III-SC 192560, Credit NARA. Dave
Great thread lads, the funniest is that I did not hear about it. The heavy storm and floodings were on the news instead, which of course is quite understandable.
Ok is it just me but those Shermans in post 7 do not look like DD versions as they have no screens fitted on any of them. Sherman DD with screen in lowered position. View attachment 14958 The first one does however look to be fitted with deep wading gear. View attachment 14959
Update: The remains of the Sherman have been removed from its tomb in the sands of Nartelle. Eleven minute video of its recovery from the beach: DESENSABLEMENT SPECTACULAIRE DU TANK AMERICAIN LE M4 SHERMAN A LA NARTELLE Un char américain datant de la guerre mis au jour - Sainte Maxime (83) - France 3 Régions - France 3 World Lingo translation: An American tank buried under tons of sand, has been just put at the day on the beach of Nartelle. It is frequent to find bombs of the second world war, on the other hand a tank it is much rarer. It is the storm of last month which allowed this strange discovery on the beach of Nartelle. It is a true symbol of the unloading which Maximois saw putting at the day this Friday. The armoured tank lay since 1944 beneath the sand of the beach of Nartelle. The municipality plans to renovate it and to make an object of exposure of it. While waiting, to avoid its oxidation and consequently the pollution of the beach, the famous tank was for the moment immersed in the port before a destination is found to him. Left in fallow by the American army, the armoured carcass (Sherman M4) lay there since the end of the Second World war. Unearthed by two large back-digging shovels, the tank, of almost 30 tons, was extracted without problem. The cost of the building site would rise with 25.000 euros.
Per the "7th Army History - Phase one" the 4 amphibious tanks from the 191st Tank Battalion were lost on beach 263-C (Delta Blue) coming ashore with 1Bn 180th Infantry Regiment. 1 more was lost on 263-B (Delta Yellow) with 2Bn/180th. So, the above image of 191st Tank Bat are not the La Nartelle tank. The La Nartelle beach, where this tank was salvaged, was designated "263-A" and was divided into two - Delta Red and Delta Green. The 157th Infantry Regiment landed here with 3Bn/157th on Delta Red and 1Bn/157th on Delta Green. It is believed, still unconfirmed 100%, that at least two tanks from the 6617th Mine Clr Co were lost on 263-A. But I've not found the 157th AAR for August 1944 to confirm! This is where you kerrd5 (Dave?) can be of great assistance - I am hell bent on figuring this out
Two Scorpion(Mine Clearer T3 tanks based on the Medium Tank M4A4 of the 6617th Engineer Mine Clearing Company were abandoned at La Nartelle, Black Hawk and Night Hawk. They remained there postwar and one is still there as a monument.
Excellent! Thats the kind of information I need, from what source are you quoting? I know about Night-Hawk and Black-Hawk, the salvaged tank, now a monument, is Night-Hawk.
One correction, they were not T3 Mine Clearers, they were British-supplied M4A4 tank dozers. The T3 was withdrawn from service in July 1944. Sources are Hunnicutt, the General Board report on special armor, and my friend Joe Demarco, who found a Special Observer Report on the operations of the 6617th in DRAGOON.
Aha, thanks! I've been e-mailing with Mssrs DeMarco, Hulbert and Buan over the past few days on this subject. Long story, but we have new photos of Black-Hawk on the beach emerging. I just want to figure out the context surrounding the loss of the two tanks
From the photos and context, I would guess they were lost to mines. It is possible they simply threw tracks in the shingle but then they more likely would have been recovered. I suspect they weren't because of the U.S. Army aversion to the M4A4 and that they were a "loan" from the British Army.
Think I can with the help of Mssrs Buan, DeMarco and Hulbert offer a plausible conclusion here... The two tanks, 'BLACK-HAWK' and 'NIGHT-HAWK', that were left on La Nartelle beach both belonged to 6617th Mine Clr Co that was attached to the 40th Engineer Beach Control Group. (The 6617th Mine Clr Co had been split into three teams to attach one to each of the (3) beach groups for the assault). La Nartelle beach was designated 263-A, which was divided into two; Delta Red and Delta Green. 3Bn/157th Inf. Reg landed on Delta Red 1Bn/157th Inf. Reg landed on Delta Green There are no losses reported from Delta Red, but all three 'engineer tanks' were lost on Delta Green: The gapping team at Delta Green had approached the beach 500 yards to the right of its intended landfall and immediately lost all three of its engineer tanks when they plunged almost out of sight into the water on leaving the landing craft. The crews dove to retrieve the wall-breaching charges in the forward racks on the tank hulls and blew out a sea-wall section large enough for troops, tanks, and supplies to move through. The most plausible explanation, that I can come up with, is that the three drowned tanks were pulled up on the beach at some point to prevent them from becoming underwater obstacles. I do not know how salvageable a tank is that has been fully submerged in saltwater, but I would think the US aversion towards the M4A4 also contributed to no further attempt to recover and salvage. What became of the third tank I have no idea - it might still be out there? Most likely not, would be interesting to find aerial images of the area to try confirm... Source: THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS: THE WAR AGAINST GERMANY https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-22/CMH_Pub_10-22.pdf
