COBI Historical Collection Sherman M4A3E2 "Jumbo" Tank

The Sherman M4A3E2 "Jumbo" is a short series of well-armored tanks consisting of just 254 tanks. The tank became famous during the German offensive in the winter of 1944 in the Ardennes. It was the first to break through the German lines and reach the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division surrounded in Belgian Bastogne. To commemorate this momentous event, the tank's crew painted a special graffiti, which was reproduced by the COBI with pad-printing. Some sources say that the tank took part in Operation Hammelburg, General Patton's secret mission, where it was destroyed in March 1945. For many years, the wreckage of the tank was exhibited on war memorials under incorrect markings. It was not until 2001 that military chaplain Keith Goode contributed to the uncovering of the true history of the anonymous wreckage. The tank has been painstakingly restored at The Patton Museum and is now located in Fort Benning, Georgia. In the Belgian Bastogne, however, a properly painted replacement fo