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M4 General Sherman Medium Tank
Used by the British (through the Lend-Lease Act) and American forces in the Second World War, the M4 General Sherman Medium Tank first saw action in British hands in El Alamein, Egypt. The success of the design lay in the low-cost of the system, the reliability of the system under battlefield conditions and the low maintenance needed in the field to keep it going - making for one reliable military machine.
The M4 General Sherman began as a need by the Armored Force Board to find a medium tank. The M4 General Sherman (on the M3 chassis) was chosen out of five proposals reviewed. Initial production numbers were signed off at 1,000 but that amount soon climbed during wartime. Eleven factories began producing the M4 General Sherman and her variants, making it the main medium tank of American and British forces in the European and Pacific Theaters of war. The M3 Medium Tank was a medium tank already set into production. The need for a fast upgraded system necessitated the conversion of an existing chassis with a new armament system. The upper hull was completed cast and provided some added armor protection for the crew but this method of design also was to be able to speed up the production of the weapon system. The main variant was armed with a 75mm main gun, often not powerful enough to penetrate the most stout German Panzer armor. Nonetheless, the M4 General Sherman fulfilled a need in mechanized combat and served as the core of the advancing Allied armies. In general, tank crews were not too fond of the M4 General Sherman because of the weak main gun, thin armor protection and the propensity for the tank to explode when hit. Variants were introduced later in the war that would try to address these issues. Ultimately however, the system became one of the main reasons (based on numerical superiority alone) the Western Allies would go on to win the war. A special British version of note includes the 17-pounder (76.2mm) anti-aircraft armed Sherman Firefly (M4A4). It featured a longer, more powerful main gun. The Firefly weapon system saw about 600 produced and, though rejected at least twice by the Americans, went on to replace many Shermans in the British inventory. A decent amount of Fireflys were ready by the time the Normandy invasion took place. The M4 chassis was also converted into a variety of roles including excavator, mine flail tanks, bulldozers, hedge-cutters and even a flame thrower version. The conversions usually revolved around adding to the existing tank system, making it a very adaptable combat system. The M4 Shermans were produced until June of 1945 but were still used well into the Korean War. Other foriegn customers included Israel, Egypt, Pakistan and India. A total of 40,000 to nearly 60,000 have been reported as being built during war-time production. Specifications for the M4 General Sherman Medium Tank: Designation: M4 General Sherman Might Be Known As: M4 Sherman Classification: Medium Tank Service Date: 1942 Weight: 29.62 tons Length: 19 feet, 4 inches Height: 9 feet Armor: 0.99 - 1.97 inches Maximum Speed: 24 mph Maximum Range: 99 miles Crew: 5 Armament: 75mm main gun; 3 x .30 caliber machine guns (1 x Anti-Air Defense .50 caliber (12.7mm) machine gun; 1 x .30 caliber (7.62mm) Co-axial machine gun; 1 x .30 caliber (7.62mm) bow machine gun. Ammunition: 97 rounds (75mm gun); 4,750 rounds (Machine guns) Models: M4 (Wright engine/welded hull); M4A1 (Wright engine/cast hull); M4A2 (GM Diesel engine); M4A3 (Ford GAA engine); M4A4 (Chrysler/long hull); M4A6 (Part-cast hull)
An up-gunned model was later adopted as the M4E6 with a 76mm main gun. An 'assault tank' version was also introduced in 1944 as the M4A3E2 that added armor to the frame. A howitzer version was designed around a 105-mm main gun. A 'Calliope' version was built that mounted a rocket projector rank on top of the existing turret.
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