Thank you to Lyric1 for finding me the info for this skin, which is my first for the 76mm Sherman variant.
This was the second of three Shermans, all named "In the Mood", commanded by Staff Sergeant Lafayette Pool of the 32nd Armored Regiment during the Normandy campaign in 1944. The first, a 75mm variant, was destroyed by a Panzerfaust during an attack on the town of Villers Foussard on June 26th. Its replacement was this 76mm armed Sherman, which had a disruptive scheme of black applied to help break up its silhouette and the large yellow ID numbers on the turret painted over. This tank lasted until 17th August when it was knocked out by a P-38 in a friendly fire incident. Pool's last tank was destroyed by a Panther which hit it twice, the second hit coming as the tank rolled onto its side into a ditch. Pool was blown out of the turret and suffered a severe leg wound which later required amputation, ending his war.
During the 81 days of his combat tour in France Pool's tank scored 12 confirmed tank kills, 258 other armored vehicle kills, with over 1,000 German soldiers killed and 250 more taken as prisoners of war and is widely considered America's top tank "ace" of the war. Among his many decorations was the Silver Star, he was twice recommended for the Medal of Honor but was not awarded it. Apparently Pool was also the inspiration for Brad Pitt's "War Daddy" character in the movie "Fury".
