Gary Brantley (@garybrantley)
Thank you for your comments on the Pershing... I hear you on both counts... time and the hair thing. Mine is mostly gray now, and a bit thinner too. The years seem like they have flown by. Where did they go ?

Stephen W Towle (@stephen-w-towle)
Thanks for your continued support and comments. I have a patch sewn on the top front pocket of one of my Harley Davidson denim jackets.

We were very fortunate when the M-1 Abrams was being designed. It was the first tank to my knowledge, that was designed from the onset for crew survivability as one of the main items to be considered. Speed and an incredible weapons system were the others. Ironically, (and most people don't know this), but the older M-60A3 tank was actually better at shooting targets from a stopped position, when compared to the first Abrams that entered service. In fact we used to regularly qualify our M-60 tanks using the newer (and harder) M-1 tank tables when we went to the gunnery ranges. They had targets placed at further distances, and less time allotted for each engagement. We were very good at what we did... and it showed the world in 1991 just how good we were as US Army tankers. The Abrams was much better at shooting on the move, and when it was equipped with the 120MM smooth bore, it was another huge step in the right direction. The only downside was with the larger caliber main gun, it reduced the number of rounds that were carried.

My Dad served in both Sherman's and Perishing's when he was in Korea. He preferred the Sherman when driving on / over the hills and tiny dirt roads. He said it was more reliable too, and could go places or climb things that a Pershing could not.

However, Dad said that he liked the Pershing for it's larger main gun and survivability. Dad said when a Sherman was hit, the crew only had seconds before it went up in flames. The downside of the Pershing was it's size. It didn't climb hills like the Sherman did, and it would not be able to operate on some of the more narrow roads... if you could call them that.

Dad told me on his death bed, about how he had four tanks knocked out from under him when he was in the US Army during the Korean War. Land mines, artillery, mortar attacks. Once a direct hit blew the engine and transmission completely out of his tank. Several men died in his crew... and thankfully my dad was one of the lucky ones that day...

Freedom is NOT free. I promise you that.

Thanks again brother.

John vd Biggelaar (@johnb)

Thank you John. It's always nice to hear from you.

Please stand by, as I have made some more progress today.

All looks perfect, Louis @lgardner
Question about the milliput, the paint on yours looks perfect, my experience is that the paint over time starts to reveal cracks and the milliput color becomes visible. What kind of paint are you using on it.

Looks awesome, my friend @lgardner!

Michael Turner (@michaelt)
It's good to hear from you, and I am very pleased to know that I have inspired you. That is the ultimate compliment, and is sincerely appreciated. It looks like you are making some very good progress on the half track. I think I would leave the boxes out too, and paint them first, install later just as you stated. Good call.

I have seen some builders paint the interior using the early war dark gray color, and then camouflage the exterior in the 1943 onwards Dunkelgelb with the dark green and Brown colors optional for camouflage. This particular vehicle could have been painted in any number of ways, ranging from a solid early war dark gray, to anything goes late war with what you see on the box top.

Please keep us posted with your progress.

It's looking good !

Here is what has been done over the past few evenings.

This color is very similar to what we had on the M-60’s that I served in. The cover was made of a canvas material that had a plasticized surface on top. We painted them with the same surrounding color as what our tanks were camouflaged with.

Then I made an attempt to take some pictures of the tank at the same angles as the pictures I took from the original Army films.

Some of those photos were colorized so the colors we see could be different from what was actually there.

However I still have a few more things to add.

There’s some storage boxes located on top of both front fenders.

There’s a German “Jerry Can” visible on the rear deck in some of the photos.

Lastly there’s a bracket that is securing the C ration boxes on the sides of the turret, and I have to add the radio antenna. The antenna will be pulled down and secured to one of the turret lifting rings.

It will have a bow shape to it when done correctly.

It’s getting closer, and so is the deadline.

As always comments are encouraged.

Thanks for stopping by.

Really looking fantastic, my friend @lgardner!

All the added detail and baggage looks great, Louis (@lgardner).

Here is what was done over the past few evenings.

Earlier I mentioned I was trying to figure out exactly what the boxes looked like on the front fenders of the Pershing. I spent some considerable time watching the film over and over again, stopping it to grab a screen shot / still. These photos were then enlarged, and finally I had my answers.

I would LOVE to someday get an autographed copy. Soon I hope. It would be the perfect addition to this project.

Sadly, all of the men we see in this photo have since passed away. Clarence Smoyer, the gunner of Eagle 7, was the last remaining crewman alive. I believe he died in 2022, at the age of 99.

Lest we forget the men on both sides of this tank engagement.

There were also two civilians who were killed in a cross fire between the Pershing and a Panzer Mk IV by MG fire. They were killed in a car, travelling quickly down a street not too far from where the encounter with the Panther occurred.

A civilian man was driving, and a civilian female was the passenger. The man died in the car, while the female died a few moments later as the US Army medics were treating her for her wounds.

I will be covering this in the article which will be in the headlines section on March 6th, if the Good Lord is willing and I am able.

As always, comments are encouraged.

Thanks for stopping by and good night.