Somewhere I read that it was fairly late in the war before they put phones on the OUTSIDE of the tank so the supporting infantry could talk to the commander - probably to direct fire at a target the guy couldn't see because he was buttoned up.
Yeah, they did. I have not been able to nail down any history on this but some of the chatter I have seen suggest they started doing it prior to the Normandy landings in France. It probably one of the things they learned the hard way in the Pacific that got sent back to the states.
One of the things that helped the Allies win is the fact they were more innovative later in the war then the Germans.