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The Medium Tank M4(76)W was the designation given to a version of the M4 that would have been armed with a 76mm gun, but that was cancelled before any production vehicles were built.
In the summer of 1943 work became on the Medium Tank M4 series (ultimate design), a redesign of the M4 Sherman that included many of the experimental features tested on earlier machines. The 75mm gun was to be phased out on most versions, and wet shell storage introduced.
The M4(76)W would have been armed with the 76mm gun. The dangerous ammo storage racks in the sponsons would have been removed, and 65 76mm shells would have been stored in boxes on the hull floor, protected by 34.5 gallons of water. Six shells would have been stored in a water-protected ready storage rack in the turret. To allow access to the new shell storage most of the turret basket was removed.
One pilot of the M4(76)W was produced by Chrysler, between December 1943 when the detailed plans arrived and February 1944, when the hull was completed.
The M4(76)W was meant to have entered production in the summer of 1945, but production was cancelled after the end of the war in Europe. Production of the M4(75) had ended at the start of 1944, but the basic type remained in production as the howitzer armed Medium Tank M4 (105mm).
How to cite this article: Rickard, J (18 November 2016), Medium Tank M4(76)W , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_medium_tank_M4_76W.html