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photos above are of an M12 Turret Gunnery Trainer, made from
a low bustle turret mounted on a stand. Several areas were cut
out to show the interior to the students. They are noteworthy
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show the altered turret casting contour. This turret has a M34A1
type gun shield meant to be used with the wide rotor shield
(i.e., mantlet) as seen below, but a narrow M34 rotor shield
has been used instead. In all likelihood the turret is a casting
reject put to better use.
The
section views show how the turret wall gets thicker toward
the front, and the fire control mechanism that the armor was
originally thinned in order to clear.
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This
set of photos is of a turret mounted as a monument outside
Bastogne, Belgium. The undercut of the bulged contour is quite
visible. Note the casting mold line on the rear of the bustle.
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picture shows the markings on the turret. They are shoehorned
into the space in the turret roof center between the TC's and
loader's hatches and the ventilator. The clip is the remains
of the AAMG barrel clamp. In addition to these marks, there
is a General Steel Castings logo on the top center of the bustle
between the antenna sockets. |
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This
is an early 76mm turret as evidenced by the circular loader's
hatch. This is actually the same casting used on the T23 medium
tank (same part number). Note the ring on the left side of
the turret in front of the loader's hatch. This was an anchor
point for a proposed jib crane setup that would have allowed
the crew to change the engine, sprockets, and so forth without
needing a recovery vehicle (or a hernia operation later!).
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particular turret was cast by American Steel Foundries in their
Granite City, Illinois foundry. It displays some peculiarities
as to mold seam lines, sprue cutoffs, and machining style compared
to turrets cast by other foundries. The foundry markings are
located in the front center of the roof. The series of small
marks around the sides are weld remnants, probably from gear
rails or camouflage supports added in the field.
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| This
turret is the same design but cast by Continental Foundry &
Machine at their Hubbard Foundry in Chicago. Note the differences
with the other turret. This turret took a hit on the left side
that ended up impacting the roof interior immediately behind
the TC's cupola. The roof is slightly bulged and cracked, and
the cupola bearing race has been sprung. There is another glancing
hit on the top right of the gun mantlet. The loader's hatch
is missing altogether. |
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The markings in this case are on the top of the bustle. Notice
that the TC's cupola was cast by a different foundry, which
is normal because there was no reason to match the interchangeable
assemblies going into the tank. |
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