M4 Sherman tank (1941)
The Sherman was the classic American tank of WW2 used by all Allied nations under the lend-lease scheme. The prototype model was first built in Feb 1941, by the autumn of 1942 the tank was in full production and the shermans saw action in Oct 1942 at the battle of Alamein with British forces. The Sherman became the most widely produced Allied tank of the Second World War with total production running to 48,071. It was not one of the best tanks of the war being inferior to the best of the Soviet and German tanks in armour and firepower at times gaining tit the nickname the 'Tommycooker'. Despite this it was simple, rugged, easy to fix and quite fast for its time with a top speed of 24mph (38km/h). The early versions had a 75mm gun but later (1944) British versions called the Firefly mounted a powerful 17pdr gun.
Weight: 30.1 tonnes (29.6 tons);
Crew: 5;
Armour: 25-50mm;
Max Speed: 24mph;
Range: 100 miles
How to cite this article: Dugdale-Pointon, TDP. (16 November 2000), M4 Sherman tank (1941), http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_sherman.html
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