WW 2 armour bits and found in desert. ID?

[qotd]

Where are you finding these bits and pieces mate?

[desertdogofdestiny]

I roam the deserts of S.E. California from the Saltan Sea northward to Death Valley. It was all part of Patton's training grounds prior to our jump into the ring in N. Africa. It's too damn hot in the summer, and it was cold this last trip. (20's F) at night. I hike most the day, covering 20-30 miles. It's like "gold fever"....never know what you'll run into next ! When I was younger, I drug things home, but now I realize it's better to leave things in place for others to possibly enjoy in the future. I recall finding a camp on a small hilltop. Everything was just as it was left in 1942.(?) C ration cans, a rock barrier to shield the young soldier's from the same winds that I felt. Those young guys, barely 18, probably first time away from home. Sitting there on that hilltop wondering what was to come. Couple of months later in the thick of N. African campaign. That's history you can really feel....

[ian]

im a contract tank mechanic for the US army ,, the job i do is varied and very interesting
i work on any thing from m1s to m60s , rebuild old gate guards ie shermans chaffees things like that , im ex british army also

[desertdogofdestiny]

Big sockets and loooong extensions. That's some physically demanding work. I helped out a "cat-skinner" when I was much younger and can appreciate the difficulties. I always wondered how long it would take a (for instance) Sherman tank crew to get a track back together after having it slip off or break. I ran into a ww2 tank vet years ago who told me an interesting war story. They were somewhere in Europe, it was raining and super muddy, and they lost a track. The crew was all pitching in and were in a hurry to get things fixed, when a huge round from a German railway gun landed nearby. I don't recall the distance, but it wasn't all that close. Anyway the storyteller came-to in the mud and started picking everyone up. The concussion was so great it knocked everyone out! He didn't realize that he was pretty badly injured until after he'd gotten everyone else up. His guts were hanging out as his stomach was ruptured. He was a tough old coot and told the story like it was no big deal.....So anyway, have a good one and thanks for your help, Jud