The British tanks are included since they are in the report. The British had attacked toward Overloon from the northwest and then simply stopped, allowing the Germans several days to regroup in and near Overloon before the U. S. 7th Armored Division was sent in alone to do what the larger British force had ceased to do. When it became clear that a lone armored division was not going to be able to take Overloon, the larger British force finished the mission they had earlier abandoned. Thus the British tanks may have been knocked out either before or after 7AD. But no further research has been done into these two tanks.

If the tanks were knocked out in September 1944, before 7th Armored Division's attack, it is surprising that they were still on the battlefield in 1947 but only onte other British tank was still on the battlefield (see group 4 below).

2. Two tanks, American, located in Peelkant, Overloon:

These are the two tanks mentioned by J. Loenen in his declaration in the Documents section above. These are also the two tanks in group 1 of the Vierlingsbeek Burgomaster's declaration. Here is the map that shows the location of both tanks.

Click on map for full-size

NOTE: The tank "Able Abe" now at Overloon is not the original "Able Abe" but a reconstruction and repainting of another Sherman tank to honor the original "Able Abe".

J. Loenen declared this tank was on his property at Peelant C 235, which Overloon historian Piet Peters has located at about 51°34'8.54"N-5°55'41.08"E. Here is the relevant part of J. Loenen's declaration:
"there is an American tank on my ground, situated at the Peelkant in Overloon, at about 300 meters West of the road from Overloon to S. Antonis. The tank is partly destroyed.
After returning from evacuation as a result of the fights in Overloon, I saw the tank; however, not before April 1945 I visited the wreckage for the first time. At that time I saw through holes in the tank a carbonized body, that was in the right front side.
I do not know anything about the fights which were going on before the destruction.
Several times during the last two years dealers in scrap-iron took several parts of the tank and took parts of the tank away. I cannot say, if any Military authorities investigated this tank."

The right front side is the bow gunner position. Bow gunner Allan Persons was the only crew member killed. His remains were recovered from the tank in May 1947 as Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium US Military Cemetery Unknown X-5785 and after examination was initially buried 16 Jul 1947 at Neuville-en-Condroz in Section Y, Row 11, Grave 254. His remains were repatriated, and he was buried Sunrise Memorial Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota in July 1950.

The rest of the crew survived: Cpl Donn R Howard 31 259 274, Cpl Oscar Brown 34 264 108, T/Sgt R. Probus 36 313 902, and Sgt John Hankowitz 33 260 551 (who was later killed in action 30 Nov 1944). Cpl. Howard gave this depostion 26 Apr 1945 (Parsons IDPF PDF p 61):
"1. On 1 October, 1944, I was a member of a tank crew with Tec 4 Allan J. Persons, 37 340,978. The tank we were in was hit by enemy fire. Tec 4 Persons left leg was blown off at the hip.
2. I attempted to remove Tec 4 Persons from the tank but was hindered by machine pistol fire from the enemy, until it was too late.
3. The tank remained under my observation for ten or fifteen minutes and was still burning when last seen by me.
4. I am of the opinion that Tec 4 Persons is dead because his left leg was blown off at the hip, and he appeared dead when I looked at him."

Cpl. Howard also sent a 4-page hand-written letter 2 Oct 1949 (Persons PDF pp 41-44) in response to a letter from the Army Memorial Division. Here are relevant parts:
"On the first of October 1844, Company A, 40th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored Division was to make a concentrated drive on the town of Overloon in Holland in an effort to capture it from the enemy.
I believe that including mine there were three tanks knocked out all told. ...
I do not remember the serial number of the tank nor the nickname but I can tell approximately where it happened. We were approximately two hundred yards from the out skirts of town diagonally across from a wind mill with a small builing to the right of it when an armor piercing shell from presumably an 88 mm. struck the tank directly in front of the bow gunner who was Sgt Persons, pierced the tank itself went thru Persons and exploded in the ammunition under the turret of which we had about 80 shells of 75 mm.
There was a blinding flash and a wall of orange flame shot up and caught me and also the assistant gunner in the face and body.
We managed to get out before being burned to death and the Tank Commander, Driver, Assistant Gunner and my self met outside to the rear of the tank which was burning quite fiercely. We called to Persons whose nickname was "Buddy" but there was no answer, and we proceeded to crawl away on our bellys. I was so painfully burned it was hard to crawl and when I looked up the others were about a hundred feet ahead crawling for their lives. So - I thought there wasn't a possibility of my getting out there whole skinned and went back to the tank and crawled up on the left side of the vehicle over the drivers hatch and the gun and lifted up the hatch to the bow gunners compartment. Immediately the heat that came out was terrific and on looking down I saw that Sgt Persons had caught the round in the left hip and there nothing where it should have been but a bloody pulp.
At that moment the artillery and small arms fire from the Germans who had succeeded in sending out troops in a retrograde movement was so great that I was forced to abandon the tank and run. The last thing I remember seeing was the black smoke and flame pouring from the turret hatch and I dashed off toward a patch of woods about 300 yards away and truthfully I cannot tell why I was not shot in the [cannot make out word] or why I am able to tell you this today.
In my personal estimation I think there wouldn't be enough to identify especially if the gasoline exploded in the tank."

J. Loenen's declaration:
"Approximately 100 meters South of this tank ["Able Abe"], on the grounds of C. Verhoeven, there is another tank, also American type ..."

Thus far, the occupants and circumstances of this tank being knocked out are not yet known.

3. Four tanks, American, located in Vortum, Overloon:

Search of tank USA 3033274 revealed the possible presence of human remains. Search of the other three tanks resulted in negative findings.

* Number not totally visible, probably USA 3022871.

These are the four tanks in group 2 of the Vierlingsbeek Burgomaster's declaration, which gives further information:
"It is very possible that there are still remains in one of the tanks. There are no remains found in the other three tanks. All four were destroyed on 3 October 1944 during the fights near Overloon."

These tanks were part of the easternmost attack, attempting to take Vierlingsbeek. The Morning Reports of Company B of 31st Tank Battalion show that these tanks were actually knocked out 1 Oct 1944 and not 3 Oct 1944. The Record of Events for 1 Oct 1944 reads:
"Left St Antonis 1300 Arr at Boxmeer 1330 Distance traveled 2 Mi. 1st and 2d Platoon attacked Vortum 0630 lost 4 Tks and 1 Half Track"

The 1 Oct 1944 C/31 Morning Report shows 9 enlisted men lightly wounded and 1 lightly injured. Thurman Meeks was reported on the Morning Report of 5 Oct 1944 as Missing in Action as of 1 Oct 1944; his remains have never been recovered and identified.

Graves Registration later recovered the human remains mentioned above in "Boomerang" and labeled these two ounces of material as Unknown X-5577 Neuville. This designation was changed to CIL #1001 (Central Identification Laboratory). Unfortunately, decades before DNA was known, the CIL (Central Identification Lab) could do nothing to identify CIL portions. So they either cremated CIL portions or combined them in caskets with dozens or hundreds of other CIL portions and buried them. DPAA has yet to figure out what the CIL did with specific CIL portions, since apparently the CIL did not document this. So the bottom line is that while X-5577 was almost certainly Thurman Meeks (B/31st Tank Bn/7th Armd Div), no one knows what happened to his two ounces of remains. But his Individual Deceased Personnel File did identify most of his crew:

• commander: Sgt. Harold Belowus 35118082 of Route 1 in Kingston, Michigan - was hospitalized after the hit
• gunner (not sure if this meant cannoneer or bow gunner -- most likely cannoneer for a Corporal): Cpl. Glenn A. Seaton 13060947 of Forrestville, Pennsylvania
• loader: Pvt. Thruman Meeks 34263482 of Route 1 in Culverton, Georgia whose remains were mostly cremated when the tank burned but had two ounces recovered as Unknown X-5577 Neuville
• driver: T/5 James C. Pickrel 37706768 was of 2809 Bellaire Street in Denver, Colorado but a letter to his address was returned to the Army as Unknown in 1950
• bow gunner: not sure if this was really what Seaton was saying was his position, but the 5th member of the crew was never identified by anyone during the Army's 1950 and prior search

Three tanks west of Vortum
Click on map for full-size

The map above is from the Individual Deceased Personnel File of James Cooksey (Company B, 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion) who in 1946 was recovered, along with Thomas Fischer (B/23), from the graves indicated on the map. They were killed 1 Oct 1944, the same day and probably in the same attack in which the three B/31 tanks were hit. And the map shows the location of three tanks near the grave location, so that these probably were the three B/31 tanks listed above.

I have no information yet on the tank of the 434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion that was knocked out at Vortum

4. One tank, American model in British service, located on Community property, Duivenbosch, Overloon.