M4 Sherman tank (1941)

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The

M4A1 Sherman
in Luxemburg

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

Main Variants

Medium Tank T6 (prototype)
Medium Tank M4/ Sherman I
Medium Tank M4A1/ Sherman II
Medium Tank M4A2/ Sherman III
Medium Tank M4A3/ Sherman IV
Medium Tank M4A4/ Sherman V
Medium Tank M4A6

Medium Tank M4A1(76)/ Sherman IIA
Medium Tank M4A2(76)W/ Sherman IIIA
Medium Tank M4A3(76)W/ Sherman IVA

Medium Tank M4A3(76)W HVSS

Medium Tank M4(105)
Medium Tank M4A3(105)/ Sherman IVB

Assault Tank M4A3E2 'Jumbo'

Cruiser Tank Sherman VC (Firefly)

Experimental Versions

Assault Tank T14
Medium Tank M4(76)W
Medium Tank M4A1(76M1)
Medium Tank M4A2E1
Medium Tank M4A4E1
Medium Tank M4E1
Medium Tank M4E3
Medium Tank M4E5
Medium Tank M4E6

Overseas Production

Cruiser Tank, Grizzy Mk I (Canada)

American Tanks and AFVs of World War II, Michael Green. An excellent look at the development of American armoured vehicles in the inter-war period and during the Second World War, linking the individual vehicles to US army doctrine to produce a valuable picture of what was produced and just as importantly why, and how well the equipment that entered service actually performed. [read full review]

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How to cite this article: Dugdale-Pointon, TDP. (16 November 2000), M4 Sherman tank (1941), https://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_sherman.html

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