Sherman Register - The Netherlands

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The Netherlands

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After WW2, the Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Netherlands Army, RNlA) acquired about 200-250 Sherman tanks and related AFVs from the Commonwealth vehicle dumps in the Netherlands. These stock included:

Sherman Hybrid I and Sherman Hybrid IC: 46 in 1951.
Sherman II: possibly some from the Commonwealth dumps, the majority came in through MDAP (see below).
Sherman III: numbers range from 16 in 1947 to 20 in 1951.
Sherman V and VC: numbers range from 70 in 1947 to 68 in 1951. The last 11 Sherman VCs in stock in 1956 were probably tank-pillboxes.
Sherman V Crab: a small number was used by the Royal Dutch Army. (Note: at least one Sherman V CIRD - though without the rollers - ended up in the Dutch Army inventory.)
Ram I and II : in 1947 44 "new" Rams were delivered. Four were Command/O.P. tanks, the rest were Ram IIs retrofitted with the British 75mm gun. Numbers ranged from 73 (incl. 2 Ram Is) in 1947 to 50 in 1951.

These war-weary AFVs were later replaced by freshly overhauled ones received through the MDAP. Several dozens of these worn-out Sherman and Ram tanks were then converted into tank-pillboxes as part of the defences for the IJssellinie. Fireflies retained their 17-pdr gun, but the 75mm Shermans and Rams had their gun removed and a 0.30" MG installed. Noteworthy is that not only the turrets, but also the tank hulls were used in the construction of these tank-pillboxes. Contrary to other pillboxes which use tank turrets, these pillboxes are not turrets on a concrete bunker, but actually turrets on stripped hulls set in concrete 30 to 60 cm thick.

From 1951 onwards various types of Shermans were received from the US through MDAP, about 250 in total:

M4A1: 38 received in 1952.
M4A1 Dozer: 30 of the M4A1s mentioned above were later fitted with dozer kits (although there were only 26 blades) and used by the Genie (engineers) and Technische Dienst (technical service) munitions companies. These were in use as late as January 1961.
M4A1E9: 50 received in 1951.
M4A1(76)W: 10 received in 1951.
M4A1(76)W HVSS: 40 received in 1951.
M4(105): 30.
M4A3E9(105) and M4A3(105) HVSS: 18 M4A3(105)s (both with spaced-out VVSS and HVSS) were received.

The MARBRIG (Marines Brigade) of the RNlMC used 18 M4A3(105) HVSS Shermans on East Java (Indonesia) during 1946-1949. Five of these were taken back to the Netherlands and transferred to the RNlA in 1954 or 1955.

In January 1961 45 howitzer-armed Shermans were still in use with the Cavalry's reconnaissance units.

M32 TRV: 4.
M32B1 TRV: 6.
M32B1E9 TRV: 10 (w/spaced out VVSS), these were registered as M31A1B1.

(Please click on the photos (as applicable) to jump to large-scale copies)

M4A1(76)W HVSS

30126810, formerly USA 30126810, was one of forty M4A1(76)W HVSS Shermans in use with the Koninklijke Landmacht.

Sherman-related AFVs included:

Sexton 25 pdr SP Gun, Tracked: eleven in stock in 1947. In use from 1945 - 1953. Many if not most seem to have been equipped with US type tracks. (One photo shows a Sexton GPO in the background but this type was probably not used as such by the RNlA.)
M10 17pdr SP Gun: 42 were received from Canada through MDAP. Eighteen of these were never operational, these were used to keep the remaining 24 operational for a short time from 1945 (only seven were in stock in 1947).
Ram Kangaroo: several dozens (at least 25 and maybe up to 50) turretless Rams (Kangaroo, Wallaby, Gun Tower) were present at Kamp Stroe in the immediate post-war period. All the AFVs left in the Netherlands were collected at Kamp Stroe from where serviceable AFVs were taken up in the RNlA's inventory and damaged examples were scrapped. The Rams were never officially taken up in inventory but they were used at Stroe as tractors to tow disabled AFVs, a role for which they were very well liked.

Sources:

Albarda, J., and Kroesen, F.L., Nederlands geschut sinds 1677. (Serie Militair Memoriaal 4). Bussum: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1978 (ISBN 90-269-4553-1). Dutch text.
Blijleven, C., and Janse, J.(ed.), Pantservoertuigen in Nederlandse Dienst: ontwikkeling, geschiedenis, gebruik. Zwolle: TWENOT, 1986.
Ruys, E.A.K.G., unpublished notes on Dutch Sherman tanks.
Schulten, C.M., and Theil, J., Nederlandse Pantservoertuigen. (Serie Militair Memoriaal 5). Bussum: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1979 (ISBN 90-269-4555-8).
Zelm, G. van.

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Page created: 22-03-1999
Last update: 29-12-2001