Danilo CARLI Bison Decals US Shermans in Normandie 1944

	The Sherman kit decals dedicated to the Normandy campaign are relatively few and not always correct. Having focused my interest on this period, when I discovered its existence I bought this set as soon as possible. The decal set was well made; the support was correctly transparent and thin; the colours were well saturated. The fonts were correct. My personal way to apply the decals is guaranteed "air bubbles free" so I don’t know how they adhere without any help. The instructions were made in black and white, like in the model kits, and could be sufficient for this job; anyway in some point the correct location of the decal was not quit clear (the buyer is warned at page 3). Furthermore on some points they miss the details specific to each tank and if the modeller doesn’t have a photo of the original, he could make an incorrect tank. If in the past, you’ve found the photo of your subject just after having put the finished model on the shelf, you could understand what I mean.


The set provides enough decals for eleven tanks plus bonus material for a twelfth tank. Additionally, two of them can be depicted in two configurations (with or without the speed numbers) which raises the options to a total of fourteen subjects! Below is a tank by tank list. I didn’t mention things like the wheels and the tracks types, things normally subject to maintenance which could be substituted during the operational life of a tank. However, concerning fixed items like the transmission cover or the pistol port, I’m more finicky.
M4 tanks
	2nd AD 67th AR G-34 GALLANT This particular vehicle was a Pullman tank, with the cast pointed transmission cover, no pistol port and the fender horn. The third speed number (on the bustle) is missing. This tank was part of the 66th AR (and NOT the 67th AR as mentioned in the instructions) as visible on the other tank of the same films sequence (on Criticalpast).
	2nd AD 66th AR H-2 HURRICANE Being an ALCO tank, it had the cast pointed transmission cover, no pistol port and the glacis horn. The third speed number (on the bustle) is missing. This same tank was photographed in July with no speed numbers and black/OD camo.
	4th AD 37th TB HQ-_ TONTO In the only photo I’ve seen of it, the rear plate and the serial are not visible, however by the antenna bracket it seem to be a Pullman tank; the serial suggested (3025405) doesn’t match the numbers I know. I don’t know the individual number; it had the cast transmission cover (in the photo it seems to be rounded) and the pistol port; no horn is visible (may be on the fender?). The spare wheel on the glacis is absent (there is a spare track length between the hoods) and the position and the rack suggested are typical of the 69th TB 6th AD.
	70th TB C-2 CANNON BALL This was an ALCO tank. In the two photos I’ve seen of this vehicle, the transmission cover is not visible. This subject is present in both the Dragon and UM decals, always associated to a cast transmission cover. However the serial 3066192 was the 208th tank of the 2nd batch and should be produced in April 1943. If I’m right it's highly possible it had a bolted transmission cover. For sure it had the pistol port (it had the appliqué armour on the right side and they are aligned) and the glacis horn. This tank had the attachment points for the rockets launcher on the turret. See here on Armorama or Missing-Lynx.
	70th TB DT-7 DOUBLE TROUBLE It was a Pullman tank. In the photos I’ve seen the transmission cover is not visible. Anyway, being produced in the mid of the 2nd batch, it should have the cast one. The right turret side shows, under a large mass of personal items (helmets and backpack) the smooth bulged thickness instead of the appliqué armour, so it didn’t had the pistol port. One can doubt the individual “C-7”. Double trouble was one of the eight dozer tank attached to the 70th TB (two were sunk before reaching the beach) and I think they had their own sequence numbers and if I have to make it I’ll use “DT-7” also on the bumper code.
	70th TB C-15 COLUMBIA LOU I’m not able to confirm the serial, however the vertical rear plate and the cast hoods indicate a PSC tank, not a Pullman tank as suggested by the serial supplied 3039442; it had the cast pointed transmission cover, no pistol port and the glacis horn.
	746th TB A-6 APACHE I’m not able to confirm the serial, however the sloped rear plate confirms a Pullman tank as suggested; it had the bolted transmission cover, the pistol port and the glacis horn. To apply the glacis star I'd cut it in four parts and then paint in white the flanges where the star should lay. The white paint hardly matches the decal white, so I'd also carefully overpaint the full ring.
	746th TB A-5 ALL AMERICAN This is the "bonus tank" in the set and a drawing is lacking on the instruction sheet. However British Pathe images are available of this particular vehicle. This was a Pullman tank and no serial is provided (the serial is not readable in the images, so I made one by myself; it is fictional but it fall in the correct serial batch); it had the cast rounded transmission cover, the pistol port and no horn is visible.
	746th TB C-4 CHANNEL BLUES I’m not able to confirm the serial number. In the still I’ve seen the rear plate joint was covered by a camo net or something similar which makes is impossible to see if it was vertical or sloped; for sure it was not a Baldwin tank (it had the cast hoods). It had the cast rounded transmission cover, the pistol port and the fender horn. I’ve seen it only with the lighting, however the suggested hull side “4.” is correct for a 746th TB as well as the “L” on the glacis.
M4A1 tanks
	70th TB A-16 ANNE This was a PSC tank and certainly not a DD, but rather a replacement tank as witnessed by the standard idler, the standard brush guards and the hand painted turret number. It had the pistol port and no appliqué armour on the glacis. On the visible side the unit badge is missing. On the other turret side, because of the pistol port, the number should have the lifting ring between the “1” and the “6”.
	741st TB A-_ AIDE DE CAMP This was a PSC tank; it had the pistol port and no appliqué armour on the glacis. As far as I know the individual number is unknown.
	743rd TB HQ-13 ALLIGATOR I think this is the most controversial tank in this set: in the only three stills I’ve seen of it (on British Pathè), it seems to be a PSC tank with the cast-in armour thickening hull and the pistol port, cast-in armour thickening and loader hatch turret (low bustle). If so, it shouldn’t have appliqué armour. The tank was far from the cameramen and the images are not as clear as I’d like, but I hope to be in the right. Unfortunately the serial and the name are not readably. If I’m right about the photos and my counts, the serial numbers should lie in the batch from 3069997 to 3070396. The suggested 3036589 is right for a M4A1 of a former PSC batch. Furthermore, as far as I’ve found, the large white numbers on the wading trunk were typical for the 741st TB, while the tanks of the 743rd TB had the individual numbers on the turret sides. After a long agony, I decided to follow my interpretation and my model was made as the 741st TB HQ-13, without the name and a fictional (but possible) serial. Should new evidence ever confirm my conjectures as wrong, a mud spot will miraculously drop on the bumper code, the tank will change identity and a name will appear on the hull sides.
Conclusion This is a well made decal set and I like it a lot (especially the yellow speed numbers of the 2nd AD). The weak points are the instructions and the (very) few decals set shortcomings. Nothing that cannot be repaired: I made the missing yellow speed numbers with some 1/72 U.S.A.A.F. bomber spare serials (like B-17, B-26 or other) trimmed to reach the needed font and a little of yellow paint. However on the bustle there were attachment points for backpacks, tent rolls or other soft items that could help to partially hide the speed numbers it if such spare decals are not available. Those bumper codes which I think are incorrect, were used on the rear plate, where the mud and the dust make them almost invisible like on the real tanks. Unfortunately the Bison decals site states they “will not release any more sets, nor do any reprints”. The new brand "Star decals" site has a 1/72 decals page which actually is still empty. At this moment you can find it only as local stock. Highly recommended and I hope it will be reprinted. Review sample bought by the author

Back to BisonDecals List	Back to Home Page
Article Last Updated: 07 June 2014