M4A1-75 "Asp II" of 741st Tank Battalion, Company A, US Reg USA-W-3036841

Discussion in 'US Units' started by Michael Nikov, Oct 6, 2021.

  1. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Hello everyone. I wanted to share an interesting find. I was intrigued by a photo showing a M4A1 Sherman Tank of the 741st Tank Battalion named "Asp II" crossing an improvised bridge in the town of
    Dümpel, south-east of Dortmund, 9 March 1945. Note the Sommerfeld matting and hedgerow cutter. I discovered that this tank was registered USA-W-3036841 and one of the battalion's survivors, seeing combat from Omaha Beach right to the end of the war in Czechoslovakia. According to his daughter Cortilla, the tank was commanded by Sgt. Mayne Youngblood (Service #34187616), who was twice awarded the Bronze Star.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Sorry, the town of "Dümpel" is more likely to actually be Dümpelfeld, about 30 kilometers south of Bonn. Also, I am attaching a profile of the tank from Dennis Oliver's excellent "Tank Craft: Sherman tanks, US Army, North-Western Europe, 1944-1945".
     
  3. Hello Michael,

    Can you tell us how you found out ASP II's Reg No was 3036841? I have looked at various versions of the photo you posted, but still have not found any on which the Reg No was clear enough.

    I suspect this:
    https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/674273375430142004/
    might be your source, but it does not give any justification for its claim, and I have reasons to believe it is incorrect. I would however be happy to be proved wrong!

    For a start, 741st Tk Bn tanks did not have the prefix "W" on their Reg No.

    Michel
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
  4. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Hello again Michel! My source for the US Reg # was a Pinterest post from Bill Warnock of ETO history fame, which I've just noticed that was recently taken down. It looks like he's removing some of the juicier bits of information before the publication of his book on the history of the 741st Tank Battalion. I, for one, can't wait for this title as this unit doesn't get enough recognition.
     
  5. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    On the topic of 741st TB tanks in Czechoslovakia after the war's end, I've included two photos from the collection of 1st Lt. Joseph Harold Dew, courtesy of his son Josh. You will note that there is a "W" in the registration number.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. WRT "W" prefix, sorry, I should have been more precise: I was meaning 741st Tk Bn wading tanks on D Day.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2021
  7. Sgt Mayne Youngblood might have commanded ASP II at some point, but apparently not on D Day. He seems to refer to DD tanks in this short account published in The Daily News Journal (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) dated Sunday, June 15, 2003:
    Sgt Mayne Youngblood - The Daily News Journal Sun Jun 15 2003 pA9 - cropped.jpg

    Unless, like in most veterans accounts, he alternates between his own personal experience and what he heard afterwards, and was actually in Co A. If so, and if by "motor wheel" he means "drive sprocket", then he probably was in Sgt Nicol's tank ALABAMA 55 USA 3036825. See Revisiting Robert Capa's D-Day Omaha Beach photos.

    Michel
     
  8. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Fascinating - the plot thickens! If he was in a DD landing at Omaha, that would put him in Baker or Charlie Company. However, the newspaper article does not establish that he served on a DD tank per se, but could be providing commentary on the landing of B and C Companies from the Battalion in general. Indeed, he says that "they got off the beach" instead of "we got off the beach". This assumes the reporter transcribed everything properly and still leaves many open questions.
     
  9. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    However, the account that only five DD's made it to shore is correct. All told, of the 29 DD tanks launched, only two made it to shore. Three of B company's tanks ended up being delivered straight to shore when the lead tank - each LCT carried four tanks - reacted to incoming German artillery by first backing into the other tanks and damaging their screens and then launching itself into the water where it promptly sank.
     
  10. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Thanks again for all of your help Michel - your postings on Missing Lynx are fantastic! I wish I saw them before making my post - d'oh!
     
  11. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    Michel - what do you make of this tank captured around the time of the fall of Cherbourg. Has a prominent "13" on the deep wading gear on the back, but I don't see evidence that of any dozer kit. Could this be "HQ34" commanded by Pvt. Ayers?
     

    Attached Files:

  12. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

  13. This film was not shot around the time of the fall of Cherbourg, but a few days after D Day (probably between 8 and 11 June), but yes, it does show Tank Dozer #13. See (again) Revisiting Robert Capa's D-Day Omaha Beach photos, already linked in my other post here: M4A1 75 “ADELINE II”, A Company, 741st Tank Battalion, Omaha Beach - who were the crew? :D

    Why? He could have been in one of the surviving DD tanks, or in one of the reserve tanks landing in the afternoon.
     
  14. Michael Nikov

    Michael Nikov Member

    You're right, there is nothing identifying Sgt. Williams as being a member of Able Company. I'll dig some more.
     

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