Dear fellow modelers,
Upon conducting some research I have noticed that Sherman tanks of the 4th armored division had a white star on the hull yet on the turret they had black stars. Does anybody know why this is? I’m trying to decal “out” my Sherman and I would appreciate an explanation. Thank you
Sincerely,
Dakota G.
I have not seen black stars on WWII M4s, but once a unit had been in combat awhile, the stars visible from the front and sides were often painted out with OD or covered in mud. This is because the white stars made a good aiming point for enemy gunners.
Page two of this document discusses tank units painting out the white stars. In theater, they painted them out with lusterless olive drab gasoline solvent paint whenever camouflage needs outweighed the need for recognition. The turret star was often painted out and sometimes a new star was added to the hull to make it less visible at a distance.
This M4A3(76)W HVSS of the 4th Armored Division near Bastogne, Jan. 8th, 1945, has a blacked-out turret star, but retains the white hull star. This photo and other examples of over-painted stars, in both black and olive drab, can be found in Steven Zaloga’s The M4 Sherman at War, The European Theatre 1942-1945, Concord Publishing.
Thanks for the feedback and the book recommendation. I’ll be sure to check it out when I get the opportunity. I appreciate the time you guys took to get me information I can use for my Sherman. Thanks.
Dakota G.