1:35 Stowage Sherman Clive

The load a crew carried on the outside

The inside of a Sherman was filled with ammunition, the radio set and five men, so everything else went outside. On the fenders, at the rear and on the turret, rolled tarpaulins, ration crates, jerrycans, packs, sleeping bags and loot from the last position piled up. From the quantity and arrangement of that load, individual units can still be told apart in period photographs; it was the most individual feature of every vehicle.

More than mere decoration

The load also had a practical role. A layer of crates and belts on the front wall of the turret served as improvised protection against rounds from a Panzerfaust, and crews added it on their own initiative. For a modeler it is at the same time the quickest way to bring the smooth surfaces of the armor to life: a load broken up in color disrupts a uniform shade and gives a vehicle a lived-in look.

How to settle the load

First lay the parts out dry and look for places where the crew would really have put them: never over hatches, vision slits or firing ports. Imitate the lashing with thin copper wire or thread, and only then glue them. It pays to paint them separately, off the model, and to fit the finished pieces onto the completed finish.

Placing it in the scene

The set relates to a particular vehicle named Clive, but it will serve a Sherman in any version. It comes into its own in a display case and in a street scene, where the top of the hull tends to be closest to the viewer and a smooth plate without a single object would give away that nobody lived in the vehicle. It works just as well on a wreck left at the roadside, only with the load scattered and half tipped off.