OK... Wanting a new SHERMAN in something different than the stock Tamiya M4... I asked a few of my great friends in the
TEXAS ARMOR ASSOCIATION R/C TANK CLUB for some ideas... Next thing I knew "MOONSHADOW" Volunteered to whip me up a highly detailed and rare M4A3E8 named "FLAT FOOT FLOOGIE".
THIS THREAD is dedicated to the "FLAT FOOT FLOOGIE" build and thanks to " MOONSHADOW" and "TXTANKER" for doing this project!
HISTORY:
M4A3E8 Thunderbolt--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by: Pat McGrath
Initially known by the awkward title of M4A3 (76mm gun) with 23 inch tracks the M4A3E8 began production in August 1944 with the first combat deployment in Late December of the same year with the 3rd Army during the Battle of the Bulge around Bastogne.
While the newly fitted HVSS suspension overcame some of the Shermans poor cross country performance during bad weather, nothing had been done to improve its armour which was vulnerable frontally to the guns of the Panther and Panzer IV at up to 1000 yards and against the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck at much closer range.
Almost since its first deployment Sherman crews had been piling sandbags on the glacis front to improve their chances but the ordnance officers of the 3rd Army convinced Patton that this practice was of little use and in fact decreased the tank’s mobility. Instead they came up with the idea of fitting armour recovered from knocked out Shermans and Panthers to the glacis and turret of the M4A3E8.
The armour was fitted to tanks of the 4th, 6th and 11th Armoured Divisions in the 3rd Army from February 1945 onwards. The project was soon deemed a success and other units also began to fit their Shermans out with the add on armour.
Flat Foot Floogie was in the 41st tank battalion of the 11th Armored Division, Germany 1945. This JUMBO had white stars for the hull with red stripes painted on one of the stars points, and Flat Foot Floogie in white paint for the hull side. The red stripes were tactical markings in the 11th Armored and indicated which battalion the tank belonged to.
There has always been some confusion about the name of this tank whether it was Floogie or Floosie. It’s named after a song; Flat Foot Floogie which was a Swing standard at the time. Floogie is pronounced with a soft G and online dictionaries give it the same meaning as Floozie (You look it up!) and in the photos it looks like a g and not an s.
Music Link:
Slim Gaillord - Flatfoot Floogie
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NPUKumHoxic
ENJOY the SNEAK PEEK PHOTO!
-TOMAS
http://www.vqwarbirds.com/aircraft.html
www.bomberfieldusa.com
www.texasarmor.com