Those are brackets the engineers made to hold our nets and pole bags. They were made out of steel, and hung off the top rung of the bustle rack.
Just make sure the Jolly Roger is upside down. It was a thing we did in memory of another former crewman that died during the invasion.
In the picture, you can’t see it, but there is a tan cargo strap that went around the nets and poles that was secured to the bustle rack itself to keep them from falling off the tank. The metal brackets kept them from dragging along the back deck, as well as making them easier to secure to the side of the tank.
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Outstanding information, sir, many, many thanks!! So, I was close in my guess, but I hadn’t considered that those brackets would actually hang off the existing racks. I’m so glad you were able to clarify, as my eventually completed tank will now be more accurate. And yes, I clearly understand the need for the Jolly Roger to be inverted.
Thank you, again!!
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Here’s another angle of the tank getting back on the ship in UAE.
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Your hog is looking pretty clean. That must of been one heck of a “field day”. 
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Hey All,
I have no idea if any of those folks who posted in this thread are still around, or whether anyone might still be interested in the build I have been planning to do on this tank… the one I’ve been ‘threatening’ to do for the last bunch of years. However, I have not given up on the plan to build it. I just happened to rummage through my many ‘in progress’ or ‘barely started’ models, and this is one of them. I still have all the details I needed to do this, including decals and flags and paint colors. The last few posts in this thread were from one of the crewmen on this specific tank, who answered my question about the non-standard support ‘arms’ shown in the photo of the left side of the tank and how those arms were built. I’ve just fabricated those, and given the photo of the rear of the real tank which also shows some details of the right side of the tank, some additional scratch building of another different type of rack hanging from the right side bustle rack (the photo shows that rack holding a ‘Jerry can’ with room left to hold more stuff) is needed. I just ordered some various sized ‘L’ shaped plastic to build that rack, which should be THE last extra item needed to get this build moving (yes, I’ve written that before 
). Sometime in the next week or two I will start posting some of the work that I’ve done over the last few years, with the hope that I will actually complete this tank sometime in 2025!!
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Looking forward to seeing your progress.
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Always enjoy another Abrams build.
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Hello, I’d like to ask a question.
This photo also shows your M1 tank, right?
My question is: why are the arrow-shaped tactical markings on the side skirts of your M1A1 pointing in opposite directions on the left and right sides? Shouldn’t their orientation be the same?
Thank you very much.
I’m making a video for this tank , in China,a model manufacturer has produced over 500 finished 1/72 scale replicas of this M1A 1.
Thanks again!
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The direction of the arrow indicated what company the tank is assigned to. This is identifiable at long distances.
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What I mean is, why are the arrow markings on the side skirts of this M1 tank pointing in opposite directions on the left and right sides?
Normally, they should be pointing the same way, right?
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BTW，here is the Photo of Tank model I just buy,and I will make a video and post it on the chinese’s Youtube
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The arrows are pointing the same direction when you look at them. That is how they denote the platoon. Pointing right is 1st PLT, up is 2nd PLT, left is 3rd PLT, etc..
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For designating which unit, the direction of the tank does not matter, only the direction of the arrow.
The only time the arrow direction will be the same on both sides is when the arrow points up or down.
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The direction of the Chevron designates which company. The dashes specify platoon.
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Ah, difference between USMC an US Army. In the Army, chevrons were for PLT.
3ID Iraq invasion markings SOP
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Thank you very Much！
3 More questions:
1.So This M1 tank should be M1A1HA or M1A1HC?
2.Is the right headlight bracket in a “tilted” position? (it should be M19 Headlight,unlike the M19A1 on the M1A2.)
3.Did you place the Jolly Roger flag upside down to honor the comrade who passed away when the tank fell into the water? or flying the Jolly Roger upside down is just a long-standing habit?
Thanks again
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