M4 Sherman
Weight 29.8-33.4 tons
Length 5.84 m
Height 2.74 m
Wide 2.62 m
Crew 5
Armor 76 mm
Weapon Cannon 75 mm M3 L/40 Or 76 mm M1 [1] Machine gun .50 browning M2HB[1] browning M1919A4[2]
Speed 40-48 km/h
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union, via lend-lease. In the United Kingdom, the M4 was named after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently, the British name found its way into common use in the U.S.
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union, via lend-lease. In the United Kingdom, the M4 was named after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently, the British name found its way into common use in the U.S.
The
Sherman evolved from the Grant and Lee medium tanks, which had an
unusual side-sponson mounted 75 mm gun. It retained much of the previous
mechanical design, but added the first American main 75 mm gun mounted
on a fully traversing turret, with a gyrostabilizer enabling the crew to
fire with reasonable accuracy while the tank was on the move. The
designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and
maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a
limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors
made the Sherman superior in some regards to the earlier German light
and medium tanks of 1939-41. The Sherman ended up being produced in
large numbers and formed the backbone of most Allied offensives,
starting in late 1942.
The original Shermans were able
to defeat the relatively small German tanks such as the Panzer III and
IV they faced when first deployed in North Africa. Later, they found
themselves more evenly matched against the newer up-gunned and
up-armored Pz.Kpfw. IV medium tanks. Shermans were often outmatched by
the 45 ton Panther tank and wholly inadequate against the 56 ton Tiger I
and later 72 ton Tiger II heavy tanks, suffering high casualties
against their heavier armor and more powerful 88 mm L/56 and L/71
cannons. Mobility, mechanical reliability and sheer numbers, supported
by growing superiority in supporting fighter-bombers and artillery,
helped offset these disadvantages strategically. The relative ease of
production allowed huge numbers of the Sherman to be produced. This
allowed many divisions, even many infantry divisions, their own organic
Sherman assets. Some infantry divisions had more tanks than German
panzer divisions did. This was a huge advantage for the Americans.
Production
of the Sherman was favored by the commander of the Armored Ground
Forces, albeit controversially, over the heavier M26 Pershing, which
resulted in the latter being deployed too late to play any significant
role in the war. In the Pacific Theater, the Sherman was used chiefly
against Japanese infantry and fortifications; in its rare encounters
with much lighter Japanese tanks with weaker armor and guns, the
Sherman's superiority was overwhelming.
Production of
the M4 exceeded 50,000 units, and its chassis also served as the basis
for numerous other armored vehicles such as tank destroyers, tank
retrievers, and self-propelled artillery. Only the Soviet T-34 tank was
produced in larger numbers during World War II.
The
Sherman would finally give way to post-war tanks developed from the M26.
Various original and updated versions of the Sherman would continue to
see combat effectively in many later conflicts, including the Korean
War, Arab-Israeli Wars, and Indo-Pakistani War (where it was used by
both sides) into the late 20th century.
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