Released for publication by the censor in March 1945, but possibly taken earlier in the year, this image shows Corporal Arthur Garrett of the US 14th Armoured Division adding a final flourish to cement filled sandbags, on his Sherman. 

 There was much debate on the real value of this additional protection. Patton was against it as it could slow the vehicle (with the extra weight) and lessen the protective value of speed. Whether it actually increased real protection may be open to doubt – but it certainly gave psychological comfort to many of the tank crews who sported such improvised additions.

Just a bit more...

A 57-mm M1 anti-tank gun, belonging to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, is hooked up behind an M3 armored vehicle, stands next to a damaged building on the street in the German town of Vettweiß. Ignored by the GIs both in the background and on the vehicle, nearby lies the dead body of a German soldier.

Life and death in a town

American tanks and armored gun carriers drive over snow-covered terrain towards Samree, Belgium Dec. 1944, during World War II. (AP Photo/Fred Ramage, Pool).