- Yes.
- No.
- In a future Dutch/BeNeLux techtree.
- In the French BeNeLux sub-tree
- Other (Please explain in the comments).
- I said “No” in the first question.
- Yes, as seperate vehicles.
- Yes, as a researchable modification (As it is ingame right now)
- No, I don’t want Dozer Tanks in the lower Ranks.
Hello everyone, I’m on a mission to suggest every single M4 Sherman tank used by the Netherlands!
This is the Dutch M4A1 Dozertank!
A Dutch M4A1 Dozertank in a parade
Source: Foto's
History
Spoiler
As soon as the second world war had ended, the Netherlands was in a bad shape. Years under German occupation had left it broken and without any kind of Army. Getting the Army up and running again was a top priority for the Netherland leadership.
Luckily when all the allied forces were moving out of Europe they didn’t take everything with them. Many large militairy dumps could be found in various locations. In the Netherlands there were two large onces, one at the Deelen Airbase, and one near Enschede. The Deelen dump was filled with ex-Canadian equipment, and the Enschede dump with both British and Canadian equipment.
The total list of different gun and vehicle types present in those dump is far to much to list here. But during 1946 many of these vehicles were purchased for a cheap price. Everything bought from these dumps were given a class designation R1, R2, D or S.
- R1 stood for simple repair (Within 50 work hours)
- R2 stood for thorough repair
- D stood for disassembly for spare parts
- S stood for demolition.
Any of the vehicles with the R1 or R2 class would end up getting repaired and put in service.
Later it was determined that a total of 7373 vehicles were present in these militairy dumps.
The Bureau of Spoils of War would end up buying 1168 of these for a total of 1 Million Guilders. 253 of these were of the R1 class, 731 were R2 and 184 were of class D or S.That now starts to bring us to the topic of this suggestion. The dump in Enschede was mostly filled with tanks, and most of those were Shermans of various types. The Dutch would, at atleast some point, have every single main Sherman variant in service. From the M4 to the M4A4.
It’s unclear just how many M4A1’s there were in these dumps, but later in 1951 the Dutch Army bought another 88 M4A1’s from the US. 50 of them were M4A1E9’s, and 38 were M4A1’s. These tanks most likely started their Dutch careers as training tanks. But around the 1950’s the Dutch Genie squadron (Military engineering squadron) was very lacking in Dozertanks. They had four M4A4 Dozertanks, but these were not in a very good condition.
So when the Centurion tank was starting to come into Dutch service, another 26-dozerblade kits were also obtained. These were fitted to the M4A1’s. Now turned into M4A1 Dozertanks, they started their career as the new Genie squadron tanks. They continued serving the Netherlands Army into the 1960’s. Mostly due to there not being any other Dozertanks available.This would however change with the introduction of the Centurion Tank for the Dutch Army. From 1963 till 1965 the very outdated M4A1 Dozertanks were replaced with new Centurion Dozertank.
That marks the end for the Dutch M4A1 Dozertanks. It’s impressive, or maybe kinda funny, that a box-standard 75mm armed M4 Sherman tank continued serving untill the 1960’s.
Sadly there are no special features that would set this M4A1 apart from the standard US model. The only interesting thing I’ve seen is that some of the M4A1’s had the extra Applique Armor fitted to the front of the hull, whilst others lacked this.
Specifications
Spoiler
Mass: 33.8 tons
Crew: 5Powerplant: Continental R-975 C1 radial engine
Engine horsepower: 400 hp
Max speed: 39 km/h
Suspension type: Vertical Volute Spring System (VVSS)
Track extensions available: “Duckbill” end connectors on the outside of the tracksArmour:
Hull: (Small Hatch, Late 1-Piece Differential Cover)
- M1A1 Dozer blade: I think ~12.7 - 25.4 mm structural steel
- Front: ~50.8 mm at ~56° + 25.4 mm Applique Armor in front of the hull crews (Not fitted to all Dutch M4A1 Dozer’s)
- Sides: ~38.1 mm at ~0°
- Rear: 38.1 mm at 9°
- Roof: 19.5 mm
Turret: (Late D50878 turret, M34A1 gun mount)
- Mantlet: 50.8 mm
- Front: 76.2 mm
- Sides: 50.8 mm
- Rear: 50.8 mm
- Roof: 25.4 mm
Armament:
- 1 x 1 75 mm M3 cannon
- Ammunition storage: 90 rounds
- 1 x 1 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun
- Ammunition storage: 600 rounds
- 1 x 1 7.62 mm M1919 coaxial machine gun (While the hull machine gun is still present, it is blocked by the Dozer Blade)
- Ammunition storage: 3000 rounds
Ingame
Spoiler
I know what you might say, it’s just another M4 Sherman. And you’d be right! Normally the vehicles I suggest are unique vehicles I’d want to see ingame. But in this case it’s just a M4A1 Sherman fitted with a Dozer blade.
The reason I’m suggesting this, and all other Dutch operated Sherman tanks, is because I feel that they are still a necessary part of a potential independent BeNeLux techtree (Not the sad sub-tree we have now). ← Written on the 24th of Januari 2025Another reason I’m suggesting this is because I find there is a huge lack of Low Ranking Dozertanks. We have Dozer blades ingame as a modification for certain MBT’s, but I find that the fast paced high Ranking battles are a terrible place for Dozer blades. I never see anyone use them really.
The more slower paced low Rank battles are a much better fit for Dozer blades. There you can try and mess around more without getting sniped by a helicopter 20 kilometers away. Also the Dozer blade itself adds some protection for the vehicle. This is not noticeablein high Ranking battles, but in the Lower onces it might just add a bit more protection.Also the Sherman tank was the backbone of the Dutch Army just after the second world war, so they do have some historical value to the Dutch. This M4A1 Dozertank served with the Dutch Genie squadrons for around 15 years so that’s pretty impressive!
Ofcourse the BeNeLux has been added to France, so this is now the only option where Dutch vehicles will go to. But it must be said that the Netherlands and France have nothing in common, and do not make sense to combine together ingame.
Another Dutch M4A1 Dozertank during a parade, note how this one lacks the extra Applique Armor plates on the front of the hull, unlike the one seen at the top of this suggestion
Source: Foto's
That would be all for today, see you next time!
Sources
Spoiler
Main source:
- “Wiel en Rups, Voertuigen van de landmacht 1945-2015” book by Sander Ruys
Extra sources:
Photos: